On April 16 and 17, the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (MSFEA) hosted IDEAS 2025, the annual symposium showcasing in-house design and engineering talent. The event brought together students, faculty, alumni, and industry leaders to pitch startups, present research, and share hands-on projects.
In the opening ceremony, AUB President Fadlo Khuri called for leadership grounded in "humanitarian engineering and participatory democracy," while MSFEA Dean Alan Shihadeh emphasized the importance of “purposeful and innovative engineering" in the face of global challenges. IDEAS 2025 chair Dr. Jason Amatoury called the event “a celebration of imagination, creativity, innovation, impact, community, and fun – all of which define the spirit of MSFEA." Those remarks followed a surprise musical performance by MSFEA students from the AUB Music Club (Anthony Khalil, Sacha Raidy, Karim El Rayes, Theodore El Hajj, Sami Labban) who lit up the stage with a blend of Arabic and English songs.
IDEAS featured seven modules—including alumni awards, student research presentations, student project exhibitions, faculty talks, startup pitches, and a hands-on Maker Faire—and concluded with an award ceremony recognizing exceptional students and projects.
Distinguished Alumni
Six alumni were recognized for their contributions in design, entrepreneurship, and engineering. In a panel moderated by Dr. Jason Amatoury, the awardees shared reflections with the MSFEA community on authenticity, curiosity, and bold career paths.
Distinguished Alumni Awards were presented to:
Bassam Komaty (Class of 2003), Partner at Rafael Viñoly Architects
Joumana Medlej (Class of 2001), artist-scholar specializing in Arabic calligraphy
Joseph Daher (Class of 1979), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Almabani
Nisrine Chartouny (Class of 2001), Senior Director at Jacobs
Nashaat Salman (Class of 1997), Director at Hitachi Group
The Junior Alumni Award was presented to:
3-Minute Thesis (3MT)
Ten MSFEA students shared their research work on AI, sustainability, communication systems, and health—each distilled into a compelling 3-minute story. The winner of both the Best 3MT Research Presentation Award and the 3MT People's Choice Award presentation was "The Hidden Bone Behind Better Sleep: Boosting Neurostimulation for Sleep Apnea," delivered by Biomedical Engineering graduate Marie-Michèle El Serghani.
Oral Presentations
Five students presented research tackling some of today's most pressing challenges, including disaster communication and antibiotic resistance. The Best Presentation Award was jointly awarded to:
Ghadeer Jalloul for “A Highly Efficient Iron Doped UiO-66 for Rapid Removal of Tetracycline Antibiotic from Water"
Andreo Nasr for “The Sound of Inflammation: Zebra Finch Songs Under LPS-Induced Neuroinflammatory"
Faculty Talks
Four MSFEA faculty members presented invited talks that explored timely and impactful themes — from climate resilience and food systems to emerging technologies:
Poster Presentations
More than 40 student-led posters and demos lined the MSFEA Innovation Way between Bechtel and the Irani Oxy Engineering Complex (IOEC), showcasing diverse research and creative work, and sparking cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Best Research Poster Award:
Best Research Poster in Architecture and Graphic Design Award:
Maker Faire
Seventeen booths transformed MSFEA into an interactive showcase of engineering and design. Attendees explored student-led projects spanning robotics, renewable energy, built environments, and even a gliding competition for which student groups designed, built, and tested airplanes.
Best Exhibition Booth (judged by faculty):
Student Final Lab Projects in MECH 641 / ECE661 (Robotics) course, supervised by Dr. Hussein Hussein and Mr. Samer Bou Karam. The final project involved student teams using a robotic arm to prepare different meals, including pizza, burgers, pancakes, hot drinks, and cold drinks.
Best Exhibition Booth (judged by students):
“From Rubble to Resources: Sustainable Reuse of Demolition Wastes in Lebanon" by Luay El Bitar, Ahmad Mehdi, Jad El Osta, and Kinda Bdeir.
Best Activity (judged by faculty):
Best Activity (judged by students):
Glider Competition:
First place: “Sandwich Abou Afif" by Ahmad Mhanna, Ali Mhaidly, Jamil Chahine, Omar Hajj Hussein
Second place: “FCS" by Dany Fawaz, Mariam Al Sayadi, Mohammad Chebbo
Third place: “Hot Wings" by Alexandra Benbajian, Jean Aoun, Christiane Hatab, Georges Bou Saba
Autonomous Racing Competition:
Startups
At the Startup Showcase, 14 student-led teams pitched innovative solutions to real-world challenges. Three projects—centered on sustainability, community health, and responsible technology—secured seed funding to move their ideas forward.
First place ($15,000): “Episense: A mobile app that predicts epileptic seizures before they occur, providing timely alerts to both patients and caregivers to enable early intervention and enhanced safety " by Samir Mattout, Zahraa Awada, and Hussein Awada
Second place ($10,000): “ScamScans: A platform dedicated to keeping travelers safe by raising awareness about common tourist scams and providing real-time tips and prevention tools to avoid them" by Samir Abdul Aal and Tarek El Saabi
Third place ($5,000): “421: A data infrastructure service provider enabling autonomous vehicle deployment in emerging markets by offering reliable, localized, and scalable solutions tailored to complex and underdeveloped road environments" by Mostafa Kassem, Ralph Al Fata, Mohamad Al Katranji, and Hassan Hammoud
IDEAS 2025 highlighted the depth and breadth of research, innovation, and hands-on learning at MSFEA. More than a showcase, it reflected the faculty's ongoing commitment to addressing real-world challenges through purposeful education and impactful work. Congratulations to the organizers, participants, and award recipients.