JA
Jawad AlDhalemi
  • Computer Engineering
  • Al-Kadumya

Jawad AlDhalemi of Al-Kadumya Wins Student Design Challenge at University of Evansville

2013 Sep 25

The University of Evansville is proud to announce that Jawad AlDhalemi of Al-Kadumya, Iraq, was part of a four-person team that won a $1,000 prize in the University's inaugural Innovation Week Design Challenge. AlDhalemi is majoring in Computer Engineering.

AlDhalemi's team and other participating student groups were tasked with developing a conceptual design according to a challenge from the corporate sponsor, Evansville-based Accuride Corporation: to develop a lightweight aluminum wheel for the commercial vehicle industry that met numerous technical requirements.

The winning team represented four different schools at the University, as well as four different countries: Iraq, Russia, Tajikistan, and the United States.

"The winning team was one of the most cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural teams in the competition, representing the Schools of Engineering and Computer Science, Business, Education and Health Sciences, and Arts and Sciences," said Katie Ciccarelli, executive director of the Institute for Global Enterprise. "The Institute for Global Enterprise recognizes that this richness of diverse perspectives collectively tends to yield more creative and well-rounded solutions to challenges."

The Innovation Week Design Challenge, presented by the Institute for Global Enterprise, ran from September 16-20.Throughout the week, students worked closely with UE faculty advisors, learned to use a 3-D printer, heard from guest speakers, gained insight from a midweek feedback session with Accuride, and built a proof-of-concept model.

On Friday, September 20, student teams gave brief presentations and submitted their proof-of-concept models to a panel of judges consisting of Accuride personnel and UE faculty and staff. The winning team received a $1,000 cash prize provided and presented by Accuride during a reception that evening.

The Innovation Week Design Challenge was supported by the Institute for Global Enterprise and the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network. The Institute for Global Enterprise is funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.

The University of Evansville is a private, liberal arts-based university in Evansville, Indiana, with a full-time undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,300. UE's diverse student body represents 41 states and 54 countries. U.S. News & World Report recognizes UE as a top 10 master's-granting university in the Midwest, and third in the region for "Great Schools, Great Prices." For more information, please visit http://www.evansville.edu.