For Immediate Release
May 28, 2009
Contact: Jonathan Walsh, WPR, Dubai tel 050 4588610 Email: jon@wprme.com

 

MSU Dubai to organise and host the inaugural Dubai-Spartans Engineering Competition for UAE schools

School teams face robotic challenge and other competitions

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - The inaugural Dubai-Spartans* Engineering Competition – a challenge for high school students (grade 11 and 12) interested in computer and electrical engineering – will take place at the Michigan State University (MSU) Dubai campus at Dubai International Academic City on Saturday May 30th, from 0930am. The event is being organised by the MSU Dubai Computer Engineering Department with the support and sponsorship of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), UAE chapter.

Four schools have been invited to enter student teams (each comprising three students) to participate in the competition, which will test their ability to design, build and operate a robot through an obstacle course (staircase), as well as provide a challenge through a Math and Electric Circuit competition.

The four participating schools are:
•    Dubai American Academy
•    Dubai Modern High School
•    Our Own High School, Al Warqa
•    Institute of Advanced Technology, Ras Al Khaimah

Judging the competition will be a distinguished panel of MSU Dubai faculty, who will be joined by invited specialists. All the participating students will receive a certificate and there will be cash prizes for each winning team.  

Dr Boutheina Tlili, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at MSU Dubai, comments: “We are very pleased to be staging the first Dubai-Spartans Engineering Competition for schools in Dubai. It will be a friendly and informative team competition in a professional atmosphere during which they can test their own ideas and explore new ones. The robotic competition is particularly challenging as teams must design and build their own robots that can navigate a staircase course, so we invited schools with a strong science and robotic curriculum. The other two competitions – Math, and Electric Circuit – are onsite events with no advance preparation required. 
     
“We are delighted that the IEEE has offered its support and sponsorship for this event and we hope and believe that it will grow quickly into a major annual tournament for schools in the UAE.”

*The ‘Spartan’ warrior is the sporting mascot of MSU and students are commonly referred to as ‘Spartans’.

MSU is one of the world’s top 100 universities.

www.dubai.msu.edu

-ends-

Notes for editors

About MSU Dubai
In September 2007, MSU announced its Dubai initiative partnership with Dubai International Academic City, making it the first American university with a presence in DIAC. MSU Dubai classes began in August 2008.

Examples of degree options at MSU Dubai include media, communications, computer engineering, construction management, family studies, business-related programs, human resource management, and education technology.

MSU is fully accredited by the American North Central Association Higher Learning Commission and has full academic authority and quality control over courses and programs. MSU’s regular courses, program, degree, admissions and accreditation requirements are maintained. Diplomas are standard MSU diplomas.

Michigan State University is a top American teaching and research university. Faculty members at MSU Dubai hold doctoral and other appropriate degrees in their areas of expertise as teachers, scholars and researchers from MSU, and include a substantial number of regular faculty from the MSU main campus in the United States.
About the IEEE
IEEE, UAE Section was established in 1987 to participate in the development of U.A.E. It has played an essential role in widening the scope of techno-electrical and computing awareness in the society. The IEEE vision is to advance global prosperity by fostering technological innovation, enabling members’ careers and promoting community worldwide. The mission of the UAE section is to reach this vision by promoting the engineering process of creating, developing, integrating, sharing and applying knowledge about electro-technologies and sciences. This engineering process promotion is achieved through publishing periodicals, books, standards, conference proceedings, electronic products and mixed media.