Abu Dhabi University to launch state-of-the-art mechanical engineering lab

As part of its goal to help Abu Dhabi and the UAE in solving some of the world's biggest challenges, Abu Dhabi University is adding an advanced Mechanical Engineering lab to its existing engineering facilities next month. In line with its commitment of giving students world-class standards, the lab has been benchmarked against the highly-respected University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. ADU, which already has one of the region's best records for students' employment within a year of graduation, is gearing to enhance its record even further by equipping Mechanical Engineering students with a well-balanced arsenal of theoretical and practical real-life skills. This makes graduates highly alluring to industry heavyweights in aeronautical, automotive, manufacturing, mechatronics, mining, petroleum, thermal power, hydro services and a wide array of other fields. The four-year program fulfils the standards of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET). Dr Nabil Ibrahim, Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University explained: "Given that energy is the lifeblood of the Gulf's economy, the region cannot afford to simply wait for innovations from the rest of the world: we must engineer our own breakthroughs. We are facing the biggest energy challenges in our planet's 4.5 billion year history, so we are preparing our students to be much more than just job seekers. Instead, they will be problem solvers who devise solutions to balance dwindling natural resources on one hand with skyrocketing demand on the other. Meanwhile the region's surging demand for efficient transportation, advanced industries and many other opportunities motivate us to stay a step ahead of the engineering trends through our program." The facility will be segmented into several labs such as the Thermal lab, Dynamics lab, Manufacturing lab as well as a Machine Shop. Each of these labs is equipped with top-of-the-range equipment such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, which prepare students for the working environment of real-life mega-industries; an advanced Robot and Conveyer System that simulates the production process of factories; a Cross Heat Flow Exchanger for thermal experiments, and Universal Vibration Apparatus for Dynamics studies. Dr Ibrahim pointed out that ADU is intensifying its exciting journey of growth by enhancing the curriculum, and will add sophisticated research capabilities worth approximately Dh1 million next year: "We passionately believe that no energy challenges can beat the energy of our students, and no mechanical challenges can beat the well-oiled machine that is our close-knit students, faculty and employers. From the tiniest microchips to the most gigantic space stations, our graduates will prove that the most powerful renewable resource is knowledge.