Shell hosts engineering debate at Kuwait University

The debate was organized jointly with American Institute for Chemical Engineers and titled ‘What is the most important engineering major for Kuwait?’ that featured seven major engineering disciplines: mechanical, electrical, chemical, industrial, civil, computer and petroleum engineers.

During the session, faculty students from each discipline sought to convince an independent panel of judges that their engineering discipline was the most important one for Kuwait future.

The winner, Mehdi Karam, who in the judges’ opinion had presented the most persuasive arguments in favor of Civil engineering, received an I-pad from Shell at the end of the debate.

Mr. Ahmed Mouti, Kuwait Shell’s Chairman, said: “As part of one of the world’s leading energy companies, we rely heavily on skilful engineers.

So we are honored to work with Kuwait University to promote the relevance of engineering in today’s society and hone the communications and presentation skills of the next generation of engineering professionals.

“The aim of this debate was to encourage greater understanding of the different engineering majors, as well as the breadth of opportunity that exists for future careers, and I fully believe that objective was achieved for everyone involved.”

Dr. Khaled Mehdi, College of Engineering at Kuwait University, said: “The engineering debate has been a showcase for engineering and for the university, and from that perspective everyone is a winner. 

“The concept behind this debate was initiated by one of the engineering societies to encourage students to interact with each other outside their daily school activities.

It also served as an opportunity to promote their communication and presentation skills while providing background research for Kuwait’s future goals.

I hope this is an event which will be repeated in the future and provide a real platform for encouraging greater understanding of engineering. ”