SDG 14: Life Below Water
14.2 Supporting aquatic ecosystems through education
The American University of the Middle East (AUM) celebrated World Water Day on March 22 by organizing an online event for students that included various activities and competitions.
The event started by giving an overview about World Water Day (WWD), the challenges the planet is facing regarding water, this year’s theme, which is Valuing Water, and by discussing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially SDG6 - Clean Water and Sanitation.
Dr. Suat Kasap, Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the College of Engineering and Technology, talked during the event about the types of water on our planet and about responsible consumption; what each person can do as an individual to help combat the crisis the planet is facing concerning water.
Water and SDG-related topics are widely reflected in the graduation projects of AUM students and graduates and this was touched upon during the event as well. Some of the graduation projects related to water include a smart irrigation system, a clean water quality monitoring system using IOT, an automated plant watering system using Arduino, a water leak detection system, and a smart cooling system for water tanks in Kuwait.
Students who attended the event via Zoom participated in a trivia quiz competition at the end of the session that included questions about the challenges the world is facing regarding Water.
A week prior to the event, AUM asked students to submit a piece of art related to this year’s WWD theme. A jury shortlisted the artwork and displayed them during the event where students voted for the best digital art and best painting and prizes were distributed to the winners in the arts competition and the trivia quiz.
Selected examplary student projects on SDG14. Life Below Water
Generating electrical power from sea waves in Kuwait: Kuwait mainly depends on oil and is considered to be a nonrenewable source of energy. This can badly affect Kuwait's environment, economy, human health, and marine creatures. As a result of this energy source, the rate of pollution and global warming is increasing. The project aims to design a prototype to evaluate the operation of an electricity generating unit in Kuwait to produce electrical energy depending on the renewable source which is seawater. In this project, an overview of the potential choices that can be implemented in Kuwait regarding hydropower is presented. In addition, the magnetic-induction-based prototype is proposed for the utilization of sea wave energy.
Seaweed Bioplastic - First Place in AUM Startup Challenge 2022 and among Finalists in Babson Student Global Challenge 2022: The idea consists of opening a factory that produces degradable and consumable bioplastic made from seaweed
Team members: Mohammad AlKharashi and Mohammad Al Mansour
Re-Rub - Third Place in AUM Startup Challenge 2022: Since Kuwait has one of the largest tire yards in the world, the project aims to use recycled tires materials, which are rubber and steel to produce home furniture.Team members: Omar Bassel Abu Orf, Hanen Awad, and Sana Tabashir
Thereafter, Seaweed team participated in Babson build UG 1-week program experience from 11-15 of July 2022 at Babson college, Boston. The students were congratulated for their performance during the Babson Student Global Challenge and received their certificates as Finalists of the competition.
Water is one of the research themes at AUM:
Journal articles
Sea and Sky Photography by Students
A photography activity was led under the theme “Sea and Sky” to promote aquatic stewardship.
The following photos were taken by AlKawthar Awad, Industrial Engineering Student.
