AUK introduces new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
American university announces founding dean
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 23: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) President Dr Rawda Awwad announced the opening of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) in the start of the new 2019/2020 academic year. Commending the efforts of the university staff and faculty in establishing the College, Dr Awwad said, “The establishment of CEAS culminates the extensive efforts of the two departments over the last few years and is in line with the University’s continued endeavor at streamlining its academic administration with a focus on enhancing its strategic plan and program development.”
Dr Awwad also announced the appointment of Dr Amir Zeid as the founding dean of CEAS. Dr Zeid joined AUK in 2007 as Assistant Professor of Computer Science and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2013. He received his PhD in 2000 in Computer Science from Carleton University, Canada. He comes to this position with over 20 years of experience and distinct competencies drawn from providing strategic and technical leadership within the industrial, academic, and research domains.
Since 2008, Dr Zeid held a range of positions that contributed significantly to AUK’s liberal arts philosophy through supporting student engagement and innovation. In 2014, Dr Zeid founded the Center for Research in Informatics Sciences and Engineering (RISE), AUK’s first scientific center for research and outreach, which brought major international innovation events, including NASA Space Apps Challenge, TEDx AUK, and Microsoft Imagine Cup Kuwait, to AUK. He is the recipient of notable international awards and grants, the latest of which was the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) grant by the US Department of State. With a combination of over 75 publications, conference papers, and grants, Dr Zeid is a renowned keynote speaker and interdisciplinary researcher. His research interests include global software engineering, cloud computing, STEM education gender gap, and adaptive learning systems.
Teamwork
Commenting on the opening of the new college, Dr Zeid said, “We never slow down in our quest for innovation and advancement, and today we are again reminded that this quest is worth all our efforts and teamwork. One of the founding principles of the newly-established College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is a commitment to excellence in teaching and research. Built on a liberal arts model, the CEAS will advocate a multidisciplinary approach to education and research through its three major bodies: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Department of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS), and Center for Research in Informatics, Sciences, and Engineering (RISE).”
The college houses two departments that were previously part of the College of Arts and Sciences – Department of Engineering that offers the following programs: Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Computer Engineering, and BE in Electrical Engineering which are both accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology; and the Department of Computing which offers the following programs: Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Science which is accredited by the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission, the global accreditor of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology; and a BSc degree program in Information Systems. The college also introduced the BE degree program in Systems Engineering as the newest major in the university under the Engineering Department.