BSc in Computer Engineering student Mohamed Alzarooni interned with Dubai Expo 2020’s Innovation and Future Technology (IFT) Department, where he was part of the Virtual Expo team responsible for developing the Expo’s virtual experiences.��

Being able to work on the Dubai Expo 2020, also dubbed the “Greatest Show on Earth,” was, as Mohamed put it, life changing.

“I feel immense pride to have been part of the Expo 2020. It is a feeling like no other and I recommend that people be involved with the event whether they are employees, interns, volunteers, or even visitors. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said.

Mohamed’s nine-week long internship put the skills he has been gaining at KU in software development and testing to good use.

“My role primarily included testing several of those platforms developed for Expo by companies located across the globe. I worked with a team at Expo but also with other teams under different companies on a regular basis,” Mohamed explained.

He took great joy in the project, stating this his most memorable part of his experience was “seeing people’s reactions to the projects I worked on once they were released to the public. Especially the reactions of my friends and family when they tried experiences like that on or saw Augmented Reality elements embedded as part of Expo’s Opening Ceremony.”

His main responsibility during the internship was to verify the functionality of the software applications being developed for Expo.��

He would test and verify that texts and images appeared properly in apps and checked that different features agreed with specific constraints.��

One app that he worked on extensively, called Expo Xplorer, is now available to download for both iOS and Android. Expo Xplorer is an app that features a 3-dimensional recreation of the Expo site that users can explore and play around with from anywhere in the world.

This internship was a game-changer for Mohamed, who is now rethinking his plans for the future.��

“My experience made me realize that I am capable of more than I initially thought possible. I simply need to challenge myself.”

Erica Solomon
Senior Publication Specialist
4 November 2021

The post KU Student Interns at Dubai Expo 2020 appeared first on Khalifa University.

MoU Signed in Abu Dhabi to Focus on Promotion of Partnership with Italian Universities, Research Centers, Companies and Start-Ups ��

Khalifa University and the Commissioner General’s Office for Italy’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai today announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a view to setting up joint initiatives during the six-month period when the Universal Exposition will be taking place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University, Paolo Glisenti, Commissioner-General for Italy’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Al Hammadi said: “We are delighted to sign this MoU with the Commissioner General’s Office for Italy’s participation in Expo 2020 on collaboration activities for Expo 2020 Dubai. As a world-class research-intensive academic institution, Khalifa University’s research strengths in strategic economic sectors are widely acknowledged globally, and this MoU will further strengthen our resolve to reach out to more stakeholders in Italy and Europe for educational, research, and industrial collaboration.”

“Khalifa University is already collaborating with Italian universities, research centers and companies and we believe this MoU will help further consolidate our status as the most preferred academic institution for expertise in advanced technologies, while highlighting the UAE’s profile as a knowledge-economy that welcomes innovation in emerging areas of science,” Dr. Al Hammadi added.

Commissioner Glisenti said: “The partnership with Khalifa University opens a fundamental channel of Scientific Diplomacy between Italy and the UAE and sets the conditions for making Expo 2020 Dubai a milestone in the collaborative international model of innovation, which will guide and inspire the course of history after the pandemic.”

Under the agreement, the partners commit themselves to scientific and cultural collaboration and plan joint activities, initiatives and projects during Expo 2020 Dubai.

Khalifa University and the Commissioner General’s Office for Italy’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai will promote exchange of know-how between the countries of the expanded Mediterranean and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, and in particular in the UAE, with scholarships, internships, exchange and cooperation programs between students, teachers, researchers and other support systems.

The MoU also focuses on the development of new business models and the training of new skills and themes of Expo Dubai before and during the six-month period of the Universal Exhibition.

The partners will collaborate to implement initiatives and partnerships between the network of Italian universities, research centers, companies and start-ups that participate in Expo 2020 Dubai with the Italian Pavilion and Khalifa University in strategic sectors of common interest including aerospace, biomedical, health, life science, materials science, human and social sciences, creative burns, sustainable energy, protection of biodiversity and the environment, nanosciences and biotechnologies, as well as information technologies.

Khalifa University is already collaborating with several Italian partners including the University of Salerno, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, University of Milan, and the Ca’ Foscari University of�� Venice, as well as the Ambienthesis Group.

Staff Report
17 February 2021

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