Engineering students take over the Byblos campus
Industrial and mechanical engineering students display their projects during Design and Manufacturing Day.
The Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering in LAU’s School of Engineering organized its fifth annual Design and Manufacturing Day (DMD) on May 4, on the Byblos campus.
Around 150 engineering students from different classes gathered next to the fountain area to display group projects they devised based on their courses.
This year’s DMD provided significant exposure for the school, coinciding with the YOU@LAU event, with thousands of high school students from across Lebanon invited to tour the campus.
The 50 exhibited projects included solar collectors, a plastic bottle shredder, a solar car, and an electric car, which will be competing in the international Shell Eco-Marathon contest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July.
A major attraction was the Red Rocket, a competition raceboat that just won the American University of Beirut’s Remote Control Boat Competition.
Another noteworthy project showcased at the exhibition is the Jal el-Dib and Nahr el-Mot interchange design. The project remodeled the interchange, making it more operational by significantly reducing traffic.
The project was presented to the municipality of Jal el-Dib, said Dr. Wassim Habchi, assistant professor of industrial and mechanical engineering and the event’s organizer.
“It’s very important for our students to work on these kinds of projects and have the chance to apply theory to practice,” he said.
Engineering students present the “car cycle,” a human-powered vehicle that is a cross between a car and a bicycle.
Dr. Wassim Habchi, assistant professor and organizer of the event, and Dr. Pierrette Zouein, associate professor and chair of the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, are seen inspecting an automated saj bread making machine.
Students, faculty and staff gathered around the Byblos campus fountain to try out the Red Rocket.
The Red Rocket winning team: Mohamad Kamareddine, Scarlet Rahy, and Ahmad Mohtadi (middle).
Dr. Ramy Harik and Dr. Barbar Akle, assistant professors in the Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering and supervisors of the Red Rocket project, check out the plastic bottle shredder apparatus.
Dr. Zouein and Dr. Habchi look on as student tries out the electric car entered into the Shell Eco-Marathon competition. This is the first time Lebanon will be participating in the high-profile global event.