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Autodesk University Extension Dubai 2014 receives overwhelming industry response

Over 600 design and engineering professionals, students, creative hobbyists and design enthusiasts attend third edition of event
UAE, December 24th, 2014 – Omnix International, a leading distributor of Autodesk design software in the UAE, announced that the third edition of Autodesk University Extension (AUx) Dubai 2014, the Middle East region’s premier learning and networking event for design and engineering professionals, concluded on a high note and generated overwhelming response from an attendance of more than 600 participants. The event, which was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), saw the participation of customers, partners, students, creative evangelists, design and engineering professionals and educators from the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing Media and Entertainment industries. Omnix International reported a 20 per cent increase in exhibitors. The third edition of the event was supported by top IT brands like Lenovo (Platinum), HP (Gold), Canon (Gold), Dell, NVIDIA, and AGA CAD (Silver).
The event served as a strategic and unique platform for participants to ‘Learn, Connect, Explore’ through activities that included interactive workshops, demonstrations, knowledge sessions and an exhibition. This year, AUx Dubai simultaneously hosted a separate ‘BIM Leadership Forum’ that also drew large attendance from leading architectural firms and consultants. The daylong event saw presentations and lectures coming from leading technical specialists and Autodesk customer conducted sessions around on Autodesk technologies and demonstrated novel applications of design technology. Notable speakers present were Lynn Allen, Technical Evangelist, Autodesk; Robert Green, Owner, Robert Green Consulting; Gerry McFadden, BIM Manager, WSP Group and Alex Horst, Product Specialist, Autodesk.
In addition to these engaging talks and presentations, over 30 students and professionals from design and engineering received free certifications for the latest versions of Autodesk software like in Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® AutoCAD Civil 3D®, AutoCAD®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Inventor® Professional. The event also hosted a special student competition under the theme, ‘Smart Infrastructure – Future of Making Cities.’ The final shortlisted teams were from SAE Institute and University of Sharjah, with the team from SAE Institute wining the competition.
“We are very pleased with the overwhelming response that we have received for this year’s Autodesk University Extension Dubai, which continued to live up to its commitment of leading the way towards more design awareness in the UAE and the rest of the region,” said Dr. Jayant Deshpande, Director CAE Division, Omnix International. “This event has helped in establishing a creative forum for the design ecosystem in the Middle East and highlights the importance of design technology in addressing unique challenges in the region. Rest assured, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to work closely with Autodesk in helping develop a highly creative economy in the region.”
Sam N. Husseini, Middle East Channel Business Development Manager, FARO, said, “This is indeed an excellent platform for cross-industry knowledge sharing in the area of design. Our participation here reflects the strategic relationship that we have maintained with Autodesk. In fact, we had also just participated at the Autodesk University in Las Vegas. The AEC segment is a big market for FARO and people are still getting to know more about Laser Scanning technology in the Middle East and our presence here at AUx Dubai has helped raise the awareness in laser scanning technology, as it is extremely useful for the AEC and O&G segments.”
Lim Say Leong, ThinkStation Product Manager, Lenovo, said “Middle East Design professionals stand to benefit immensely from such forums, which highlight new trends and technologies in their respective industries.  AUx Dubai 2014 has been a very effective forum and event for our Middle East customers. We are happy with the response that we have received from launching the P-series Thinkstation for architects Engineers and designers from the AEC industry. The event surely gave us a lot of exposure to our target market, the AEC segment.”
“The innovative work showcased by customers at AUx Dubai shows how design has evolved globally– both in depth and in scale across various industry segments. We were also part of AU Las Vegas and we believe such an event is very important for us in the Middle East. We transform the insights of cutting edge BIM users into powerful tools that all clients can acquire. We are showcasing add-on solutions for Engineers, Designers and architects from the AEC industry. This year’s edition has helped us meet our target market from the AEC industry in the Middle East,” concluded Jokubas Vaisvila, BIM Application Engineer, AGA CAD Ltd, TOOLS 4 BIM Developer.
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HBMSU hosts learners and alumni in interactive meeting to develop its three-year strategic plan

To strengthen its commitment to support goals of ‘National Innovation Strategy’ and develop spirit of creativity among Learners

UAE, December 20th, 2014 – Setting precedence by letting its learners and graduates participate in formulating the university’s strategic plan, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) has concluded a participatory and interactive meeting held recently at its Dubai Academic City campus. The university will draft its plan for the next three years, taking inputs from its learners and alumni. This qualitative move comes in response to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the University, to build a culture of innovation and creativity among learners in line with the objectives of the recently launched Dubai Strategic Plan 2021, which is a road map to achieve the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
The meeting, which was held under the title ‘Where do you see your university – HBMSU – in the next three years?’, has been widely praised as it provided an ideal interactive platform to activate communication channels with learners and graduates, adapting capability and knowledge and unleashing competency and talent in the field of creativity and innovation. The meeting included a series of open discussions and brainstorming sessions that brought together university administrators and academics with learners and graduates under one roof to exchange ideas and opinions, review aspirations and proposals, and come out with recommendations for a three-year strategic plan that will reflect the HBMSU’s vision of establishing a culture of creativity and innovation.
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, HBMSU Chancellor, has praised the positive feedback given by the participants at the meeting. He lauded their vital role in providing proposals and forward-looking visions for elaborating strategic goals and directions to the university over the next three years.
Al Awar said: “We have organized the participatory and interactive meeting to affirm our commitment to providing an enabling environment to drive innovation and creativity among learners. It will encourage them to actively contribute in developing the university’s strategic plans in order to achieve our academic, educational and administrative goals. Through the new strategic plan, we look forward to develop a culture of innovation in response to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, declaring 2015 as a ‘Year of Innovation’ in the UAE. It is also in line with the objectives of the ‘National Innovation Strategy’ recently launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.”
Al Awar concluded: “HBMSU takes an active interest in intensive efforts aimed at encouraging innovation, development and scientific research. We are committed to concerted efforts with all the administrators, academics, faculty and students in order to achieve the highest levels of satisfaction, transparency and credibility. We will work on putting together all the recommendations and proposals that resulted from the participatory meeting and take relevant actions accordingly to develop a clear strategic plan that is able to meet all the current and future needs and requirements of the university.”
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Imdaad hosts visit of American University in Dubai’s engineering students to Jebel Ali sewage plant

Dubai, UAE, December 22, 2014 – Imdaad, a leading provider of integrated facilities management solutions in the GCC, recently hosted an educational tour for American University in Dubai’s (AUD) Civil Engineering students.

The group visited the company’s Sewage Treatment Plant – 4 (STP-4) located in Jebel Ali to observe all of the facility’s processing stages. The tour enabled them to better understand the sewage treatment process and techniques being employed in the region.

Jamal Abdullah Lootah, CEO, Imdaad, said: “We recently facilitated an educational tour for the AUD students to enable them to witness the region’s sewage treatment processes and techniques. The visit was a great learning experience for engineering students and falls in line with our strong commitment and responsibility towards budding FM professionals so that they can be successful in their future professions and make positive contributions towards the development of the sector. Imdaad has always considered development of the students as a priority and a subject close to the heart of its top management and we will continue to support them through insightful activities such as educational tours, workshops, and on-the-job learning.”
“As part of the Civil Engineering students study plan about the techniques and process used for sewage treatment, they recently had an opportunity to visit Imdaad’s STP-4 at Jebel Ali. After a classroom lecture, a tour of the facility enabled students to understand the finer details of the process and the scope of advancement in its technology. We thank Imdaad for facilitating a highly informative and organized educational tour, concluded Dr. Peiman Kianmehr, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, American University in Dubai.
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Lenovo, HP, Canon, Dell, NVIDIA and AGA CAD extends support for 3rd edition of Autodesk University Extension Dubai

  • AUx Dubai will showcase innovations in design technology and its problem solving prowess in architecture, construction, manufacturing, media & entertainment industries
  • Event to offer Autodesk certifications on Autodesk’s range of 3D Design software for select attendees

 

UAE, December 15th, 2014 – Industry leaders have expressed their support for the coming third edition of Autodesk University Extension (AUx) Dubai 2014, which will be held on December 17, 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). AUx Dubai is Middle East region’s premier learning and networking event for design and engineering professionals. With the participation of technology leaders from across the industry like Lenovo (Platinum), HP (Gold), Canon (Gold), Dell, NVIDIA and AGA CAD (Silver), AUx Dubai will showcase the benefits that the combination of powerful design software with powerful hardware can provide to solving design challenges. Aiming to provide a platform for industry professionals to ‘Learn, Connect, Explore,’ the day-long event will comprise of interactive workshops, demonstrations, knowledge sessions and an exhibition.
Commenting on Lenovo’s participation, Mohammed Hilili, Lenovo Gulf and KSA General Manager, said, “As a company that has won several international design awards, Lenovo is honoured to be part of this year’s edition of Autodesk University Extension Dubai, which has ably positioned itself as one of the must-attend events for professional designers, architects and engineers of the Middle East region. We look forward to meeting the participants and showcasing the latest Lenovo innovations that they can utilize in coming up with their world-class designs.”
Zeina Ahmed- Large Format Design Printing Business Manager – HP Middle East said, “Our presence at this year’s Autodesk University Extension Dubai demonstrates our continued commitment towards leveraging our diverse portfolio of products and solutions at the region’s thriving design community. Along with Autodesk, HP as a market leader in Computing and Printing, provides complete solutions including high performance HP workstations and trusted Designjet printers – the #1 Large Format Printers for Designers,” 
“An event like Autodesk University presents itself as a strategic opportunity to bring together the design and engineering industry,” Hendrik Verbrugghe, Marketing Director, Canon Middle East. “Canon remains steadfast in its move to work closely with Autodesk and help usher in new wide format print technologies and solutions that can not only enhance the design making process but also help industry professionals achieve exceptional business results, maximise productivity and minimise operational costs.”
Following the success of its two previous editions, this year’s event is expected to draw in more than 1,000 participants coming from all over the region. It will encompass several industry sessions for design and engineering professionals from Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing Media and Entertainment industries and would offer plenty of networking and learning opportunities to attendees. Several key customers of Autodesk will be demonstrating projects where they used design tools to address business challenges. Select attendees will also have to opportunity to obtain Autodesk Certifications in Autodesk® Revit® Architecture, Autodesk®AutoCAD Civil 3D®, AutoCAD®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Inventor® Professional.