A team from the Faculty of Engineering at IUG has recently visited Northumbria University, as part of a funded project that aims to investigate the challenges that engineers face in Palestine and compare their experience with those studying at UK universities. The representative group was made up of the Head of the International Relations Department, professors, and three female students from the Faculty of Engineering.
The visit lasted for ten days, during which the team could visit many other institutions, such as Durham University and Newcastle City Council. They also enjoyed viewing some Cultural highlights in the neighboring cities.
It was mind-blowing, yet not surprising, for the visitors to find a huge gap in the equipment between the two places, for they completely understand what it requires to be an engineer in Gaza. To enhance their experience, the guests welcomed opportunities to discuss the engineering challenges in the Gaza Strip. That included short discussions about travel and transportation difficulties and illustrative presentations raising a variety of environmental and health issues.
Following that, Newcastle University invited the team to attend the exceptional “North East Battery Alliance” conference that took place on the campus. The event allowed the visitors to compete in a two-day challenge to design sustainable solutions that address the challenges of the Strip. Interestingly, the team members cooperated with the specialists at Northumbria University in order to develop applicable innovations that not only tackle the problem but also consider its consequences.
The suggested challenges included sewage wastewater pollution, hospital overcrowding, the unavailability of third and fourth-generation mobile communication systems in Gaza, and the issue of water scarcity.
Concluding the event, the academics at the host University acknowledged the innovative ideas of Palestinians. Dr. William Guariento, the Project Manager at the University of Northumbria, noted, ‘Students’ feedback has shown interest in dealing with problems they rarely encounter in the Western world.’ He emphasized that such challenges encourage transformative learning.
‘The results of the cooperative work are impressive.’ Ms. Walaa Safi, the Project Coordinator at the Islamic University, commented. She also expressed her eagerness to forge collaborative alliances between the two universities.