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UOB Organizes the Smart Cities Forum in Its Third Edition Next April

Prof. Hamzah: Smart Cities Expedites the Achievement of Development Goals

In line with the ninth goal of the sustainable development goals, the President of the University of Bahrain (UOB), Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, affirmed that the steady path towards the application of smart city technologies would expedite the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals, which aim to improve life in the world, achieve prosperity, and eliminate poverty and destitution.

Moreover, Prof. Hamzah indicated that UOB - as a center of excellence and scientific research - continues to scientifically raise and discuss issues of smart cities in support of national and global movement towards achieving sustainable development.

In this context, the University President announced that the University’s College of Engineering is ready to organize the Smart Cities Forum in its third edition, in cooperation with the International Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in Britain this April.

Also, he indicated that with the participation of experts and officials associated with smart city applications, the forum witnessed a solid scientific presentation during the past two editions, and it will be back accompanied by a scientific hackathon.

The forum shall be held at the e-learning center auditorium on the University campus in Sakhir from the 12^th  to 14^th of April 2020, with the participation of a number of decision-makers, who will talk about local and regional development projects and plans, and where eight keynote speakers will review new topics related to smart cities and their applications.

Furthermore, the University President called on concerned parties and university professors to participate in the Forum, which will present several scientific papers on smart cities that will make cities more appealing to live in, more sustainable, more capable of being upgraded and developed, and more competitive as well.

Keynote speakers of the Forum include Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, head of the Information Systems Project for the Health Insurance Project at the Supreme Council of Health, who will talk about smart applications in health care, Prof. Dr. Husain Kattani from the University of Wisconsin in Florida in the United States, and Dr. Mohammed Khan, College Professor at the Microwave Research Center in Pakistan who will talk about communication systems in smart homes, as well as Professor Hussam Khunkar from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Tariq Zakaria from Green Tech Automation who will speak about automation systems in smart homes, in addition to two speakers from the Turkish company Inter Academy.

For his part, the Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Fuad Mohammed Al-Ansari, explained that the Forum will discuss several topics related to smart cities, such as: protection systems and their challenges in smart cities, the health sector and its restructuring according to smart systems, transportation, educational networks, sustainability, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence and its applications in smart cities.

Also, he emphasized that the event received great attention in its first and second editions, and is expected to attract a large number of those interested, officials and decision-makers who will share opinions and exchange views on future development systems.

During the three days, it is expected that the Forum will discuss about 90 scientific papers in parallel sessions at the E-Learning Center, and the papers will later be published on the Digital Library of IET  in Britain.

Under the Title "Practical Applications of Big Data"

UOB Holds the Second Big Data Forum in Cooperation with the British LJMU

Under the patronage of the President of the University of Bahrain (UOB), Prof. Riyad Yousef Hamzah, the Colleges of Information Technology and Science at UOB announced their organization of the Second Big Data Forum on the tenth of next February.

This forum comes within the activities of the Master program for Science and Analysis of Big Data, offered by UOB in cooperation with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in the United Kingdom, which recently approved the program to be the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The forum focuses on practical applications of big data in various fields such as: health, education, transportation, social media channels, and others that serve the community.

It is intended that the Forum’s speakers will focus on the title “Practical Applications of Big Data”, in addition to the presentation of a number of UOB professors from various colleges of their proposals for graduation projects to Master’s students, which will contribute to providing ideal opportunities for students to discuss their proposals with specialists and those interested in this vital and important field.

Students to be Qualified to Obtain Technical Professional Certificates

UOB Signs a MOU with "SAP" to Train Students

Driven by the University’s keenness to provide its students with the latest updates in information technology sciences, the University of Bahrain (UOB) signed a memorandum of understanding with SAP to launch a program that qualifies the University’s students to obtain professional certificates in the fields of modern information technology.

The memorandum was signed by the President of UOB, Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, and the Executive Director of SAP, Reham Al-Mousa, according to which 25 students will be trained in the professional training workshop program, starting next February 2020 at the university's headquarters, and this shall be the first training program implemented by SAP in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

SAP is a software solution company based on cloud computing, which specializes in helping companies of various sizes and businesses to manage their businesses optimally, and contributes to providing advanced services in the Internet of Things and advanced software analytics, enriching users' experience and helping them work more efficiently. SAP applications are used by more than 425 thousand customers around the world to work more profitably, be able to adapt to changes and to achieve sustainable growth. Also, SAP contributes to enhancing the day-to-day operations of companies through a global network of partners, customers, employees and experts.

The “Digital Rights” Forum at UOB Calls for Applying Artificial Intelligence in Litigation

At the end of the activities of the "Digital Rights Forum: Changes and Challenges", the participants recommended the importance of working on concluding Arab agreements that regulate the right to be digitally forgotten, applying artificial intelligence in litigation and its procedures, and using modern technologies to facilitate the process of criminal case management and communication between offenders and judges.

The forum which was organized by the Legal Clinic Center at the College of Law, and the Computer Engineering Department at the College of Information Technology at the University of Bahrain (UOB) had many speakers that discussed “digital rights and information crimes in the information and communication technology sector, and digital rights in light of civil and commercial transactions and the laws of evidence.”

The participants in the Forum’s sessions called for the Supreme Judicial Council website to include all final judicial rulings, even if they are not issued by the courts of cassation, in order to benefit the legal researchers and enable them to enhance their scientific research. They also called for a legislation to regulate and limit the civil liability of the robot for errors resulting from its actions.

In the same context, the speakers considered the importance of including clear clauses in agreements for the use of electronic communication sites that clarify the future of the user's digital legacy, and to educate merchants on the need to use the digital signature for the authenticity of their electronic documents.

Moreover, the participants recommended establishing civil and commercial courts specialized in electronic matters and contracts, provided that the judges should be trained in the field of information technology, as well as allocating a budget to establish a national center for electronic public keys, similar to all Gulf countries so that everyone can benefit from, such as the telecommunications companies and the banking sector, as they’re considered safer and have the lowest operational cost, in return for a fee for each approved certificate issued for electronic signature. And allocating part of the state's general budget for digital transformation in the judiciary field for what this transformation requires of modern electronic resources and systems.

Also, the recommendations included a call for further development of the College of Law courses to integrate digital technology and artificial intelligence courses within the Bachelor’s and post-graduate programs.

The Deputy President of the Supreme Judicial Council and President of the Court of Cassation, Counselor Abdulla bin Hassan Al-Buainain, raised a number of questions about the importance of digital justice in light of the new rights, changes and challenges created by the digital revolution, during a speech he delivered at the opening of the Digital Rights Forum, in the presence of the Attorney General, Dr. Ali bin Fadel Al-Buainain, and the President of UOB, Prof. Riyad Yousef Hamzah. Where he called for examining the answer to: how necessary it is to pass legislation for civil and criminal procedures that keep pace with these changes, the impact of digital transformation on procedures in light of traditional court sessions in the presence of litigants, the court’s taking over the secretariat, public hearings and the issuance of judgments in a public session, and the challenges facing justice when introducing artificial intelligence to the work of courts in terms of its impact on litigation procedures and the judicial services of litigators.

Under the Sponsorship of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications

Reviewing 100 Scientific Papers

Middle East Communications Conference Discusses 5G Technologies and their Challenges

The Second Middle East Communications Conference, which will be held this November, is going to discuss the current state of communications technology and its future prospects, especially the 5th generation (5G) technologies, their challenges and their applications.

The event is organized by the University of Bahrain (UOB) in cooperation with the Bahrain Society of Engineers and the Communications Branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and will review about 100 scientific papers in the period from the 19^th to the 21^st of November.

The conference is sponsored by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, and shall be accompanied by a specialized exhibition and workshops by leading technology companies.

The event shall bring together researchers, developers and practitioners interested in the advancement of modern communication systems, network experts and emerging information and communication technologies, to present their latest research and findings, as it attracts speakers from countries all over the world, such as: Canada, China, America, and the Middle East.

Moreover, the conference is characterized by the richness of its topics and programs as it focuses on various aspects related to 5G technologies and wireless communications, includes specialized workshops, and touches on modern topics, such as: block chain, artificial intelligence and its applications.

Among the sessions that will be organized by the conference is a session on the role of technology in achieving sustainability on the planet, and its applications to conserve resources and make optimal use of them. Also, it examines recent and future trends in communication technology, the fundamentals of telecommunications engineering, and computer engineering.

It’s worth noting that the conference papers will be published on the IEEE database.

The Innovation Forum at UOB Calls for Employing Technology in Businesses Establishment

Entrepreneurs Stress the Importance of Self-Belief, Perseverance and Market Study

Speakers at the Fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum at the University of Bahrain (UOB) unanimously agreed on the importance of the entrepreneurship beginners’ self-belief, perseverance, market study, and the activity in which they will work, stressing the use of information technology solutions in establishing and developing businesses.

The College of Information Technology at the University organized the Fourth Innovation And Entrepreneurship Forum On Monday (21 October 2019), which aims to encourage students who have the ability and desire to be entrepreneurs to start new projects in the field of information and communication technology in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Forum was held under the sponsorship of the University President, Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, and in which a group of entrepreneurs spoke, including: member of the 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Council of the United Nations and the Foundation of the Movement to Empower a Billion Women by 2020 Ingrid Vanderveldt, as well as the entrepreneur Hussain Haji, who founded Several companies, including Inagrab, which helps organizations grow and expand through data analysis, CEO and co-founder of a payment services company Tawseef Ahmad, and Head of the Professional Services company in the UAE, Gulf and Pakistan Mahmood Jassim,.

Also, students from five colleges of the University participated in the forum that was held in Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Khalifa Hall at the University’s campus in Sakhir, which were: Information Technology, Business, Science, Applied Education, and Arts.

Moreover,  head of the organizing committee and head of the Information Systems Department at the University’s College of Information Technology, Dr. Mazen Mohammad Ali, stated: “The past versions of the Forum witnessed a strong student turnout, which encouraged us to continue organizing the Forum.”

Furthermore, he added, "The forum discussed methods of businesses establishment in innovative ways, reviewing several successful experiences in this field," noting that the speakers were from various countries, such as: the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Also, he stressed the importance of students striving to develop their skills and establish their technical work, especially since modern technology creates wide opportunities for those who can put it to good use, which is what the speakers focused on.

Businesswoman Ingrid Vanderveldt talked about the need for young people to believe in their capabilities, not to say things like "impossible", and to benefit from their network of relationships to achieve their goals and move forward, stressing that modern technology creates opportunities for development, as for example, the financial services technologies market will reach 25 billion dollars by the year 2020.

On the other hand,  entrepreneur Hussain Haji stressed the need not to despair when projects fail, referring to his experience and the numerous difficulties he had faced before he succeeded in establishing several companies.

Qualified for the Middle East Edition of the Competition Next Month

UOB Wins Second Place in University Programming at The Level of The Kingdom

21 October 2019

The University of Bahrain (UOB) team won second place in the Bahrain Collegiate Programming Contest (BaCPC) at the level of universities of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to be top of 15 teams from 5 universities in the Kingdom.

The winning team from UOB consisted of each of the student Abdulrahman Khaled Abdulhadi (Software Engineering), the student Taha Arshad Lakhani (Computer Engineering), and the student Mohammed Sami Ragheb (Computer Engineering), and it was supervised by Dr. Abdullah Mohammed Qaddumi, and Dr. Resala Abdullah Al-Adraj from the University's College of Information Technology.

With this spot, UOB team is now qualified to participate in the competition at the level of Middle East countries, which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in the Arab Republic of Egypt next month.

Sustainable Development Goals

4 Quality Education

9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

17 Partnerships for The Goals

Key Words

Bahrain Collegiate Programming Contest (BaCPC), University of Bahrain Team, College of Information Technology, University of Bahrain

Listing of UOB’s Smart City Forum Papers

In IET Database

14 October 2019

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) database has listed the papers of the second Smart City Forum organized by the University of Bahrain (UOB) last March, in its database.

The global Institution, which is based in the British capital of London, has also listed the papers of the first Smart City Forum that was held in 2018 in the same database.

The Dean of the College of Engineering at the University, Dr. Fuad Mohammed Al-Ansari stated that "This is the second time such listing happens, as nearly eight months have passed since the Forum was held in March of this year 2019, and during that period scientific papers were examined and reviewed by the Institution's specialists."

Furthermore, he added that "The research papers have fulfilled the scientific requirements and publishing standards in accordance with international conditions, and therefore they have been listed in the Institution's data and database. We are proud that the Forum content is compliant with the most prestigious scientific requirements."

The Smart City Forum discussed the promising smart city areas, such as the health sector and its restructuration according to smart systems, community uses, transportation, educational networks, sustainability, cloud computing, and big data.

Moreover, the forum reviewed 91 scientific papers within three days and attracted about 270 participants from inside and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Colleges of Engineering and Information Technology participated in organizing the scientific event, which witnessed the participation of several decision-makers who spoke about local and regional projects and development plans related to the Forum topic.

The Dean of the College of Engineering stressed that this indexing emphasizes the academic pivotal role of UOB in organizing such scientific meetings and forums of international dimensions, noting that it is another important step in the international ranking of universities in general.

On her part, the Dean of the College of Information Technology, Dr. Lamya Mohammed AlJasmi, stated that this indexing reflects the role played by UOB professors and their scientific contributions in the field of issuing research and in-depth studies on vital topics, such as smart cities, especially since many of the papers discussed in the Forum were done by the University’s professors .

Also, Dr. AlJasmi praised the Forum, which served as a platform for exchanging experiences and developing applications, on promoting smart cities, consulting, creative ideas and innovative solutions in this field.

For his part, the head of IET branch in Bahrain and faculty member in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department at the University Dr. Ebrahim Abdullah Matar stated that “IET is happy with the scientific cooperation experience with UOB to research and discuss smart city technology, which is one of the most important scientific topics."

He further stated that "The forum is scheduled to be held annually in cooperation between the two sides, and it is a discussion forum for researchers from Bahrain, the region, the Middle East and the world to study and present the grounds of future cities and smart cities and their requirements, in their various form and tools."

Also, regarding the listing of the Forum’s papers in the Institution’s database, he stated that "The listing paves the way for similar steps in other digital rules and indexes that are compatible with IET."

Sustainable Development Goals

3 Good health and Well-Being

4 Quality Education

7 Affordable and Clean Energy

8 Decent work and economic growth

9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

17 Partnerships for the Goals

Key words

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the second Smart City Forum, University of Bahrain, the first Smart City Forum, the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Bahrain, the health sector, community uses, transportation, educational networks, sustainability, cloud computing, big data, the dean of the College of Technology Information at the University of Bahrain, a platform for exchanging experiences and developing applications, promoting smart cities, innovative solutions 

With the Support of "Search" Center

UOB students participate in projects with CERN

Four students from the University of Bahrain (UOB) have recently completed their training at the largest laboratory in the world in Particle Physics, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). This visit is considered the beginning of the cooperation of UOB with the Muon Detector Experience, after joining that experiment as an associate member on the 8^th of February 2019.

This visit was the first of its kind, where four students from UOB joined as a group for training and the projects implementation at CERN, which had previously trained a number of students from UOB in previous years individually. This comes within the framework of the existing scientific cooperation between UOB and “Search” Center for Elementary Particle Physics, branching off from the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammad Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, for training and working on the implementation of projects with the Muon Detector Experiment (CERN) in Switzerland.

The establishment of the College of Science project for theoretical calculations to monitor elementary particles resulting from collisions by the muon detector is currently underway, and the project will be headed by Dr. Mohammed Yousif Hussain, who joined CERN team in August 2019 to work for a month on the project.

College of Engineering student, Abdulsalam Saad, worked on designing and building a new automatic platform to be used for the maintenance of the muon detector in an effective and practical way. He started working on this project at the beginning of July 2019, and for a period of 6 months. The project team headed by Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Dr. Zuhair Khalifa Al-Bahri is doing research with aluminum companies in Bahrain to build the platform from aluminum, in order to replace the currently used platform, and which shall be the first device to be used in the giant muon detector from the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Furthermore, student Saad stated, "I have benefited a lot from my experience at CERN through learning about the methodology used in project management and planning, and methods of dealing with advanced and specialized programs in mechanisms designing,". Stressing the importance of the physical and engineering information that he gained from the various programs prepared at CERN, and indicating the depth of the instructions given by the scientists and experts in CERN to the participants, to implement and design most of the mechanical engineering-related tasks in the projects, and that he is striving to expand his scientific perceptions that shall open up professional horizons for him, enabling him to work seriously and discreetly, to participate in more projects with CERN.

Moreover, student Abdullatif Isa Rashdan (fourth year in the Department of Computer Engineering) indicated that his work with CERN shall be devoted to preparing the infrastructure for the analysis of the computing power of the data centers of the NA62 cion plant experiment, which investigates the rare decay that occurs for this type of molecule in Nuclear Physics, explaining that the computing power analysis requires preparing the infrastructure and designing highly efficient and automatic solutions proportionate to the high number of devices.

Also, he said "The server room in this experiment consists of thirty computers that are used to process huge data that results from the experiment before analyzing it and sending it to permanent storage units," pointing out that the project uses the latest global technologies to increase work efficiency, shorten time and make the solution applicable in any Infrastructure that needs testing in the future.

Moreover, Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at the College of Information Technology, Abdullah Ebrahim Sabah, joined the work for a year starting from the 1^st of June 2019 to help implement the project of the College of Information Technology at the UOB with the muon detector experiment, and Sabah used the data processing unit to rebuild the event for the collision of protons. Headed by Associate Professor in the College’s Computer Engineering Department, Dr. Wael Mohammad Al-Madani, the College of Information Technology team is working on the implementation of this project to be the first step for establishing a continuous cooperation with CERN in the field of technology.

Also, third-year student in the Department of Physics at the College of Science, Mariam Ja’afar, described her experience at CERN as a "golden opportunity" that enabled her to gain professional experience through her work under the supervision of a group of researchers and scientists from different parts of the world, and in an environment completely different from what she was used to at UOB, and stated: "It was a challenge that I enjoyed and will be useful in achieving my scientific goals."

Also, she said, "CERN organizes competitions periodically, which encourages to benefit from the creativity of young people, one of which is" Web Fest ", as I had the opportunity to participate in this competition, which was characterized by work pressure in two days, but it was one of the best experiences I have gone through and I have learned a lot from it.” As I managed to win second place in this competition.