emirates7 - Following the success of the Research Forum in 2019 and 2021, the College of Engineering (CoE) at Abu Dhabi University (ADU), the largest engineering college in the UAE, hosted the third edition of the ADU-ASU Research Forum 2022 under the theme of "Concrete in Hot Weather: Design for Sustainable Smart Construction and 3D Printing" in collaboration with the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment at Arizona State University (ASU).

The two-day forum witnessed the participation of scientists and engineers who tackled hot weather concreting in sustainable smart construction and design, while it also emphasised the recent advancements and 3D printing technology as a means of solving the current industrial challenges. The forum included several keynote lectures and technical and industrial sessions that focused on sustainable building material, 3D printing construction and energy saving. In addition, ADU graduates, undergraduates and the ADU-ASCE student chapter took part in technical and poster presentations.

The sessions and lectures were delivered by faculty members and speakers from ADU and ASU, including Dr. Samer Al Martini, Chair of the forum, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at ADU; Dr. Reem Sabouni, forum Co-Chair, Associate Professor at ADU; Hassan Anabtawi, ADU Alumni; Ahmad Khartabil - MESc Civil Engineering, at ADU and Technical Manager at TransGulf Ready Mix Company, and Dr. Narayanan Neithalath – Professor at ASU. The forum participants were welcomed by Prof. Thomas Glas-Hochstettler, Provost at ADU, and Dr. Hamdi Sheibani, the Dean of CoE at ADU.

ADU’s research team, which is focused on the 3D printing of concrete, is led by Dr. Samer Al Martini and is funded by the ASPIRE grant from Advanced Technology Research Council in the UAE.

The forum was inaugurated through a strategic partnership between Abu Dhabi Municipality, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Society of Engineering and Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau. The event was sponsored by several industrial companies in the UAE, including Concreative, Saint Gobain and Transgulf Readymix Company.

The forum witnessed the attendance of more than 250 participants, including 150 physical participants from ADU and other academic institutions, in addition to representatives from industrial companies and the governmental sectors who participated in several sessions and lectures of the event.

Dr. Hamdi Sheibani, the Dean of the College of Engineering at Abu Dhabi University (ADU), said, ""After the success of the 2019 and 2021 forums, we are thrilled to have hosted the third ADU-ASU Research Forum 2022 in collaboration with Arizona State University, one of the USA’s prestigious universities."

Dr. Narayanan Neithalath, Professor at Arizona State University, praised the organising of the forum saying, "The forum serves as a platform for students to tackle new experiences and promotes cross research collaboration between different institutions."

Samer Al Abbas, Senior Analyst, Conformity Assessment Services, at Abu Dhabi Conformity Services Department, Quality and Conformity Council, said, "During the forum, we had the chance to meet ADU’s CoE graduate students and speakers from the different universities discussing the importance of utilising 3D printing and sustainable construction material under hot weather."

The CoE at Abu Dhabi University is the largest engineering college in the UAE.

The University of Arizona was established in 1885 as a public university and has 49,000 undergraduate enrolled students. It is ranked #103 in National Universities in the Best Colleges 2022 edition.