University of Sharjah Organizes the First Local Workshop for the "UI Green Metric" Organization

Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy of the University of Sharjah, the Sustainability Office at the University, the national coordinator for the UI Green Metric organization, which is working on the classification of universities worldwide in the fields of sustainable development and commitment to clean environmental standards, organized the first UAE workshop with the participation of 12 universities from within the country. Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor forResearch and Graduate Studies, attended the workshop along with Prof. Imad Alsyouf,Director of the Sustainability Office, and representatives of universities and students.

At the beginning of the workshop, the University Chancellor welcomed the participants from different universities, then thanked His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, for his continuous and unlimited support for the University of Sharjah. The Chancellor then commended the topic of the workshop due to of its importance in exchanging experiences and knowledge in the fields of sustainable development and adherence to clean environment standards to which the University of Sharjah attaches great importance. The President of UI Green Metric Professor Riri Sari gave a welcome speech in which she thanked the University of Sharjah for organizing and hosting the event.

Then Prof. Maamar Bettayeb gave a presentation in which he reviewed the achievements of the University of Sharjah in the fields of scientific publishing and cooperation with many scientific and educational institutions around the world, as well as an overview of the research infrastructure at the University, and how to link education and scientific research courses to the field of sustainability.

During the first session of the workshop chaired by Prof. Dr. Abdul-Kadir Hamid Department of Electrical Engineering and Co-Leader of the Energy and Climate Change Circle, Prof. Imad Alsyouf gave a presentation on the role of UI Green Metric as a reference tool for measuring sustainability by presenting the case of the University of Sharjah. Prof. Tommy Elias, an expert member of UI Green Metric, gave an introduction about the organization.

The second session dealt with the topic of “Water and Waste Management - Initiatives and Policies in the Field of Sustainability”. The University of Sharjah participated in the session along with Khalifa University, UAE University, and University of Rochester. The session was chaired by Dr. ChaoukiGhenai, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering and Leader of the Sustainability Studies Circle.

The third session was chaired by Dr. Iyad Al Qasir, Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Department, Leader of the Sustainable Curriculum Circle.The American University in Sharjah participated in this session along with Abu Dhabi University and Ajman University. This session addressed the topic "Education in the field of sustainability, transportation management and infrastructure."

At the end of the sessions, the attendees discussed ways to research and explore opportunities for cooperation between local universities in various fields of sustainability, and at the end of the sessions, a number of local universities expressed their willingness to join the organization, namely: Khalifa University, Al Ain University, American University of Sharjah, Manipal University, Ajman University, and the University of Rochester in Dubai.