AURAK Awarded for Best Green Campus in UAE

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah has been presented with the Best Green Campus award for 2016, receiving the prestigious accolade at an exclusive ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

AURAK competed against 14 other major universities, all based in the UAE, for the award which was organized as part of the Sustainable Campus Initiative. The initiative was jointly launched by the Emirates Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Borouge in 2014 with the goal of encouraging university students in the UAE take responsibility for the ecological footprint their respective campuses leave on their wider communities.

Speaking of his team’s success, Professor Mousa Mohsen, dean of the School of Engineering at AURAK, stated, “This award comes as a result of our continuous hard work over the last year. This is not the end however. We will set targets on an annual basis in order to continue promoting sustainable development and reduce the impact we have on the environment.”

Aktham Al Chaar, a student member of the team, added, “The project wanted to approach the issue of climate change from a different angle, namely to look at the adaptation to global warming rather than just focusing solely on renewable energies. We found that the country’s mangroves, which are able to absorb carbon dioxide and withstand the effects of climate change, are a potential solution to this problem.”

Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, president of AURAK, expressed his delight upon receiving news that the university had won the award. “This is yet another example of the fantastic work that is going on at AURAK. It is deeply satisfying to see that our students are being given the opportunity to actively participate with their professors in research. Everyone prospers from this arrangement, as they are producing knowledge and solutions which benefit society as a whole.”