The President of the Egyptian Russian University (ERU), Dr. Sherif Fakhry Mohamed Abd-el-Naby, announced that the students of the ERU’s Faculty of Engineering won the first place in the Eighth International Military Technical College Competition (Lieutenant General Ibrahim Selim Award) in the field of drone designing and programming, which was held from July 27 to August 2024, in which “governmental, international, and private” universities compete to present an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be operated remotely and autonomously.

The ERU President stated that the participation came with the support of Dr. Mohamed Kamal Mostafa, Chairman of the University Council. This is out of his keenness to support all forms of student activities at the university, especially with regard to scientific areas, so as to encourage students to “research and innovate,” relate theoretical study to the application aspect, and motivate them to work collaboratively. …… He added that these scientific competitions are considered a platform for displaying the talents and abilities of students, contributing to the exchange of knowledge and experiences, and building a creative generation that is capable of dealing in a scientific language that keeps pace with technological developments.

In the same vein, Dr. Alaa Mohamed Al-Batsh, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the ERU, said that the students of the Faculty of Engineering at the ERU excelled in the field of designing and programming unmanned aerial systems (the “drones”) and deservedly obtained the first place. Among the most prominent engineering faculties participating in the competition are those of: “Zewail University, Japanese University, Canadian University, Zagazig University, Kafr Al-Sheikh University, Misr University of Science and Technology, Higher Institute of Aviation, Naval Academy – Aswan Branch, Naval Academy – Smart Village Branch … in addition to other educational institutions.”

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Seddiq, a lecturer in the Department of Communications Engineering at the ERU, who supervised the participating students, explained that the university administration is keen to motivate students to participate in various events and competitions. This is in order to help develop their skills and refine their talents. He praised the level of students, members of the participating team that won the first place, their dedication and their eagerness to win the competition. The students are: “Mohamed Wael Hamada, Noha Wael Azab, and Nada Wael Azab.” He expressed his best wishes to all the university students for achieving excellence in the various “scientific, research, and sports” fields.

In the same context, Dr. Tamer Saleh, a lecturer in the Department of Communications Engineering at the ERU, confirmed that obtaining the first place in the competition among this large number of engineering faculties from Egyptian universities comes as a result of the university’s keenness to implement its strategies in the field of developing the students’ applied skills and raising their capacities. The aim is to empower them in the area of modern technology and to provide them with the skills which the local, regional, and global labor markets require. He thanked the students of the Faculty of Engineering for honoring the university and wished them continuous success and standing on the honoring podium in all local and international competitions.

Dr. Tamer Saleh added that the university team carried out the experiment in the presence of the Director of the Military Technical College and the President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. The team completed the flight and maneuvering experiment of the “Quadcopter” aircraft – which was designed and made by the students of the participating team – with attention-capturing success. He pointed out that this great interest of the university in the students’ projects comes with the aim of stimulating creativity, spreading the culture of innovation, transferring knowledge, acquiring and transferring skills, in addition to actively contributing to finding creative solutions to the challenges encountered by the society and achieving sustainable development.