The University of Sharjah

Team 3 has had the great opportunity of working with the University of Sharjah for our project targeting the university students as an eGovernment market segment.    The main campus resides in University City, an educational complex containing nine academic institutions.  

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, established this 1600 + acre complex, shown in pink above,  in 1997.  We see the progress of buildings under construction each day.

 

The University of Sharjah is quite impressive in terms of scale and academic offerings.  The campus is beautiful.  The buildings and ornamentation are excellent examples of Islamic architecture and design.

(There is no way that a single photo shows the splendor of the site.  Click here to see a flyover video of the campus.)

As you face the main building,  the men’s campus is located on the right and the women’s campus on the left.   The buildings containing the same academic programs are labeled with the same number.  However, the building number also contains the M or F so you know in which area it is located.  (e.g. M9 and W9.)  Many classes are segregated by gender. Others are not.

We have met with students in business, engineering, medical fields, Arabic studies, Communications and more.  We have seen the new university hospital, lab buildings, and the state-of-the-art production and media labs in the Communications building.  The cafeteria closest to us in in the Women’s Lab building.  It has been neat to see the solar projects that have been on display the last few weeks.

In case you are curious about what students wear, some of the male students are dressed in a kandura and guthra.  (The long robe in white, sand, or blue and the head covering.)  The majority of the male students wear jeans and a button-down or polo shirt.   

The young women are much more diverse in what they wear.  Many wear the abaya (black gown) and a shela or hijab as a head covering.  A few wear the burqa which covers all but the eyes.   I have also seen some with full facial covering and the hands covered by the gafaaz.  (One note about the Abaya and head coverings – they can be quite simple in all black or ornately trimmed with ruffles, lace, crochet, bead work, colorful fabric, and more.)   Some female students wear long skirts or slacks with tunics and colorful hijabs.   A few of the ladies wear jeans and knit tops with no head coverings.  

The semester is almost over on campus.  Finals start this Sunday.  Thank you students for your input in focus groups and in our surveys.  Your opinion made a difference!

#ibmcsc  #uae  #University of Sharjah

Al Ain

Several of us visited the city of Al Ain, the Garden City, on Friday.  

Al Ain is the second largest city in the Abu Dhabi Emirate and is located on the Oman border.  (Historically, it was a caravan stop on the trade route to and from Oman.) 

Our tour included:

'Oh great, another tourist.'

 The zoo.  The animals had little shade to find in the 40C/104F temperature.

The local museum.  It was closed due to the Friday services. 

All UAE cities have a local museum.

View from Green Mubazzarah Hot Springs

The Jabel Hefeet.  This mountain is the second highest mountain (1240 m/4068 ft) in the UAE. There is a long, winding road to the top.  We passed the Sheik’s home and several cars with overheated engines.  (Did I mention it was 40C/104F???)  I originally thought this mountain was made of sandstone, however, I found out it is actually made of limestone.

The children did not mind the hot water.

The Green Mubazzarah Hot Springs.  Al Ain has many natural springs in the area, which explains why it has more green areas than most in the desert.   We tested the water – it was hot.  The greenery here is called “artificial.”  In the UAE, this term means it is not native.

The Al Ain Palace Museum.  This museum was once the home of late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former President of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.  He is credited for being one of the forces behind the formation of the UAE.

View from the bedroom complex.

Ladies sitting room

And of course…

The Camel Market.  This is a set of stockyards holding camels, goats, and sheep.  Nearby buildings house fish and birds.

Unloading camels for sale.

On our two-hour return trip, I saw a police checkpoint, a small sand storm, date farms, and a camel racetrack.  While the others slept, I learned quite a bit about the UAE, tourism trends, and Pakistan from our tour guide.   I will save that for another day.

#ibmcsc     

#uae 

ICamp – Student Entrepreneurs at Sharjah University

Team 1

On Wednesday, our team had a great time volunteering with INJAZ at the University of Sharjah. We mentored teams of female college students from the Business College.  Giulia and I worked with a team of eight young women who created a business plan for a total translation experience for tourists around the world.  (The technology they defined was pretty neat and unique.  I hope they choose to make that a reality one day.)  We were all excited with the third place title!

Kevin our INJAZ leader never stopped moving!  

Creating the company logo

#ibmcsc  #uae  #sharjah

Come along on our desert safari!

It is difficult to come to the UAE and not visit the desert.  On Saturday, we went dune bashing (SUVs driving quickly up, around, and down the dunes) in the Dubai desert.  I made the mistake of looking out the side window as we were dashing through those dunes.  As we tilted significantly toward my side of the SUV, I realized the importance of speed from keeping us from toppling over those dunes!  (I wished I had not paid attention in Physics.)

This is steeper than it appears!

Click here to see a video of dune bashing.  The difference is that during our trip there were five 4x4s following each other.  

The camp where we stopped was designed for the masses.  Each tour group offered different services to their clients – ranging from holding falcons to driving 4-wheelers.  Here are photos of us riding camels and modeling henna designs.

Yes, that is me and my host I called "Tiny."

Our artist gave us each unique designs.

The day ended with an Arabic feast and dancers for entertainment.  (I was asked to join the belly dancer and shared my moves with 500 of my closest friends!  Luckily, no photos have surfaced to show my performance quality.)  

Salads, flat breads, and grilled meats/fish

Angela shimmied, used wings, and canes to entertain us.

The show ended with a tanoura dance.  This is much like the dervish style of dancing where the male dancer whirls throughout the entire performance.  The tanoura also incorporates the use of brightly colored skirts.

These many layers of skirts also became props.

 

Click here to watch the same tanoura dance we saw.  I recommend you watch the video until the end.  Our dancer included props and electricity!

So how did I adapt to the way of the desert?  You decide.

#ibmcsc  #uae

Moving forward

Subteam 3 has had a whirlwind of activities around our project within the last two days.  (We are working with the University of Sharjah students to determine how to build an awareness campaign promoting e-Government services.)  

On Monday, we visited the Sharjah Department of Information and e-Government offices and had the opportunity to understand their vision for the future.  We then had the pleasure of meeting our sponsors at the University of Sharjah and had a quick tour of the campus, including our office space.

We finalized our focus group questions on Tuesday and revised our strategy.  We met with the Student Union Leader to discuss how best to connect with 200 students.  Our workday ended with a visit to IBM, Dubai.

 

Today, we met with 50 students in the Medical College.  Although the University of Sharjah has separate male and female campuses, the medical campus does not separate the classes.  (We did notice the females sit on one side of the room and the men on the other side.)

As most students entered the classroom, there was a look of confusion on their faces when they saw us in front of the room.  Most of the students turned around and went back into the hallway!  After introductions and program orientation, theses undergraduates were most interested in providing feedback and shaping the e-services program.  I look forward to working with the next sets of students to hear their opinions and recommendations.

#ibmcsc  #uae

Introductions and first impressions

On Sunday, we held our first face-to-face meeting with our client and sponsors – the

·         Department of Information and e-Government, Government of Sharjah;

·         University of Sharjah; and the

·         Supreme Council for Family Affairs,Sharjah.

Each subteam previewed work plans and discussed the approach we would take to meet our goals.  From the feedback, there appears to be agreement with our plans. 

Tomorrow, we visit the e-Government offices and will have more opportunity to ask in-depth questions about their initiatives.  We will also visit with our sponsors for tours and to see our work spaces. 

#ibmcsc  #uae

Do I hear bagpipes?

I hear the drones of bagpipes and lively drumming at 10:30 pm.  (Did I say loud bagpipes and drums?)  I grab my hotel key, camera and go in search of the energetic music.  I find a wedding processional which includes men dancing in a large circle, musicians moving with their rhythms, and the women watching from the back of the line.   After the festivities end, the entire group moves to the other end of the hallway and starts the celebration again.

(Thanks to the families for kindly allowing us to photograph the event!)

#ibmcsc #uae