Abu Dhabi University is set to add an advanced mechanical engineering lab to its existing facilities next month, to tackle UAE’s most pressing challenges in nuclear power, ‘green’ energy and robotics.

The lab has been benchmarked against the University of British Columbia in Canada and seeks to equip students with a range of theoretical and practical real-life skills, said a statement.

The facility will be segmented into several labs such as the Thermal lab, Dynamics lab, Manufacturing lab and a Machine Shop.

The labs will include equipment such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, which prepare students for the working environment of real-life mega-industries; an advanced Robot and Conveyer System that simulates the production process of factories; a Cross Heat Flow Exchanger for thermal experiments, and Universal Vibration Apparatus for Dynamics studies.

Dr Nabil Ibrahim, chancellor, said: “Given that energy is the lifeblood of the Gulf’s economy, the region cannot afford to simply wait for innovations from the rest of the world: we must engineer our own breakthroughs. We are facing the biggest energy challenges in our planet’s 4.5 billion-year history, so we are preparing our students to be much more than just job seekers. Instead, they will be problem solvers who devise solutions to balance dwindling natural resources on one hand with skyrocketing demand on the other.”

“Meanwhile the region’s surging demand for efficient transportation, advanced industries and many other opportunities motivate us to stay a step ahead of the engineering trends through our programme,” Dr Ibrahim added. - TradeArabia News Service