A team of six graduate students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently participated in the World Government Summit – Global Universities Challenge, a unique global initiative developed to bring together future leaders with today's policymakers. As the only university from GCC selected to participate in this presitigous event, AUS competed against students from top universities including Harvard, Oxford, Cornel, MIT, Imperial College and London Business College.

The four-day summit aimed to bring together some of the brightest minds from top graduate schools of public policy and business administration from across the world to help shape the future of government. More than 100 students from 17 renowned universities and graduate schools met to discuss ways to improve how governments work around the world.

Guided by Dr. Mohamed El-Tarhuni, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, and Dr. Daniel Dupuis, Assistant Professor of Finance at AUS, the AUS team brainstormed proposals for a more effective government, which was presented before a high-profile judging panel, inclusive of government officials. Proposal topics were related to future governments' aspects such as Resilience and Security, Economy and Society, Environment and Health, and Future and Progress.

"It is a great honor to have AUS invited to participate in the World Government Summit University Challenge as it reflects highly on the reputation of AUS graduate programs. Participation in such a global event is a life-changer for the students," said El-Tarhuni.

The participating team comprised graduate students Kevin Rose Dias, business administration; Sarah Al-Barri, electrical engineering; Ali Abusara, mechanical engineering; Salim Sultan Alowais, engineering systems management; Moustafa Abdelnaby, electrical engineering; and Aws Mousa, urban planning.