A group of students from Al-Hijjawi Faculty of Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University participated in the opening of the Special Operations Equipment Exhibition SOFEX 2024, which was sponsored by His Majesty the King in Aqaba, in the presence of His Highness the Crown Prince. The participation of Yarmouk students in the exhibition came through two projects, within the section of creative projects for Jordanian university students.
The first project, entitled "Smart Helmet for Military Purposes", is a graduation project for students, Lina Al-Quran, Mohammed Gharaibeh from the Department of Electronics Engineering, Omar Khatatbeh from the Department of Computer Engineering, and Lama Al-Khatib from the Department of Communication Engineering, under the supervision of Dr. Yousra Obeidat from the Department of Electronics Engineering, considering that this project received financial support from King Abdullah II Fund for Development in cooperation with the Jordan Design and Development Center.
The second project, entitled "Versatile Robot for Safety Systems", supervised by Dr. Ghazi Maqbala from the Department of Industrial Engineering, is a graduation project for students, Abdul Rahman Al-Masei, Fatima Al-Arsan and Sarah Al-Daabsa from the Department of Industrial Engineering, and Rama Daqamseh from the Department of Architecture Engineering.
For his part, the Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zubaidi, stressed that the participation of students in such exhibitions comes as an embodiment of the University's philosophy of involving its students in events that link their creative projects to the industrial and modern technology market in a way that enhances national belonging through projects that have military applications.
It is noteworthy that the exhibition was held over 3 days, with the participation of 73 countries and more than 300 international exhibiting companies specialized in defense and security industries. Also, it is noteworthy that the exhibition was attended by military leaders and civilian officials from Arab and international countries.
The Vice President of Yarmouk University for Academic Affairs, Professor Mousa Rababah, sponsored the cultural meeting organized by the Al-Hussein Bin Talal Library and Abdul Hameed Shoman Cultural Forum, in which the Saudi author, translator and critic, Dr. Saad Al-Baze’e, spoke about the landmarks of modernity.
Al-Baze’e said that his book Milestones of Modernity includes texts of some Western thinkers, writers, critics and artists who contributed to the establishment and formulation of Western modernity, indicating that the texts in the book amount to sixty texts that extend over a knowledge area covering wide scientific fields from philosophy to plastic arts, music, literature, sociology, psychology, politics and history. He said that these texts represent a depiction of the landmarks of Western modernity, in an effort to introduce the Arab reader to those landmarks and texts and their authors. He then said that the book seeks to enable the reader to identify the texts themselves within their broader contexts, through their connection to each other, through introductions that introduce them linked to modernity.
At the end of the meeting, which was attended by the Director of the Library, Dr. Ahmed Abu Dalu, and moderated by Dr. Youssef Bakkar, an extensive discussion took place between Al-Baze’e and the attendees on the ideas and intellectual and cultural topics included in the book.
- Maaytah: The choice for young people is the Ballot box.
- Massad: The idea of the youth summer came from the royal interest in youth, as evident in the royal discussion papers calling for activating youth role in public life.
- Gharaibeh: Jordanian women are essential and active partners in the process of development and political reform.
- Naamneh: The electoral and party laws constitute a positive step to meet the aspirations of young people and show their ability to bring about change.
The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission, Mousa Al-Maaytah, stressed the importance of the active participation of youth in the electoral process and society, calling on them not to allow anyone to thwart them: "This is your project, do not let anyone frustrate you or steal it from you". During his sponsorship of the launch of the Youth Summer 2024 activities in its third edition, which was organized by Yarmouk University this year under the title "Participation and Empowerment", Al-Maaytah pointed to the importance of positive action and active participation, indicating that the choice for youth is the ballot box, which enhances their vital role in the electoral process and society.
He continued: "We are now on the cusp of the test and the basic test of the parties, regardless of what we hear, considering that what we have reached is a great achievement in the political modernization project. He then stressed that the political project Jordan started is positive, and there is no turning back from it. Moreover, Al-Maaytah pointed out that change requires time and a transformation in culture, customs and traditions, noting that "the efforts made will lead to positive results, and in the end, Jordanians have started the journey and will continue”. In addition, he stressed the importance of women's electoral participation, pointing out that there are women with great potential and that the Jordanian law enhances their role in parliament through the selection of parties for strong candidates, highlighting that the number of party members is not important, but the number of votes it gets is what makes the difference.
During the dialogue session entitled "Youth Political Participation and Empowerment", which was moderated by the President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, and in which Batoul Gharaibeh from the Faculty of Law and Abdullah Naamneh from Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology participated, Massad stressed that the seven discussion papers of His Majesty the King represent a beacon that carries with them a roadmap for comprehensive ideas and visions for the process of development and political reform, pointing to the lofty values of the seventh paper on human capacity building and developing the educational process, which confirms His Majesty's keenness not to waste our human energies and invest them in the development of our society. Massad then stated that the activities of the Youth Summer, which is launched by Yarmouk University for the third year in a row, came from the royal interest in the youth sector viewing it as a real and influential partner in public life. Also, he pointed out that we are approaching in the next stage an important entitlement, which is the parliamentary elections, which require every citizen to participate either by candidacy or election, stressing his call on university students to choose their representatives in parliament, whether individuals or parties, based on the programs and goals they seek to achieve that meet the aspirations of youth and are compatible with their orientations.
For her part, Gharaibeh pointed to what the youth group needs from the next parliament, stressing the importance of the presence of young people in the parliament due to their importance in Jordanian society and the remarkable presence they represent. She also stressed the importance of empowering Jordanian women in political and partisan life, as they are key partners in the process of development and comprehensive political and administrative reform. Moreover, Gharaibeh praised the efforts of Yarmouk University in activating the role of its students in various fields, activities and political and partisan events, indicating that the Youth Summer, in its third season, is the best piece of evidence of this trend from Yarmouk towards empowering its students and motivating them to participate in politics.
In the same context, Naamneh presented his experience as a student at Yarmouk University in contributing to the organization of the electoral process, through his membership in the Higher Committee for the Elections of the Student Union in its 29th session, praising the civilized image presented by his fellow Yarmouk students from all faculties in these elections, which was embodied in the positive interaction with its course, starting from the candidacy process and electoral propaganda through the election day and ending with the announcement of the official results. Naamneh then praised the great value left by the visions of economic modernization and the laws of parties and elections in enhancing the participation of Jordanian youth in national political life, stressing the need for youth to engage in political life so that they can play their role in the development of the country and creating its future.
The session also included an extensive dialogue and discussion between students and Al-Maaytah, covering various aspects related to elections and political and national party work. Moreover, on the sidelines of the launch of the Youth Summer 2024 activities, Al-Maaytah, in the presence of Massad, inaugurated the art exhibition for Jordanian universities, organized by the Deanship of Student Affairs, entitled "Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein: 25 Years of Giving" with the participation of nine Jordanian universities, which included a group of paintings that reflected in the values of belonging and loyalty.
The Higher Education Council decided to approve the establishment of the undergraduate program of Art Education in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Yarmouk University, starting from the first semester of the academic year 2024-2025. The Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Ali Al-Rabiat, said that this program includes visual arts, music education and drama education, indicating that this program is the first of its kind at the level of Jordanian universities, and the first of its kind also at the level of Arab universities in terms of the content of study plans. He added that the study plans for this program were designed according to the references of a number of leading international universities in the field of arts, such as the German University of Berlin and Ohio University, stressing that the development of this program comes in response to the growing need to develop technical and educational skills that depend on teaching creativity and innovation skills, social skills, mental, physical and academic skills among students.
He then stated: This program will contribute to providing the community with specialized competencies in the field of various arts, pointing out that the study plan includes a set of theoretical and practical courses that cover multiple aspects of visual arts, music and drama, in addition to language communication skills related to German, English, French, Spanish, Turkish and Chinese.
Moreover, Al-Rabiat stressed that the Faculty of Fine Arts is provided with the latest facilities and equipment necessary for the teaching process, such as technical studios equipped with the latest tools and technologies, modern theaters and exhibition halls, advanced music laboratories, computer laboratories and a specialized library that contains various resources in various technical fields, in addition to the Faculty’s professors and technicians who are experienced enough to achieve the academic and artistic vision of establishing this program
The President of the National Society for the Conservation of Petra and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Heritage, HRH Princess Dana Firas, sponsored at Yarmouk University, in the presence of HRH Prince Hashem bin Firas, and the President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, the closing ceremony of the training program "Promoting Cultural Heritage – Our Heritage" implemented by the University through the Deanship of Student Affairs and the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology in cooperation with the Jordan Museum and the Terra Sancta Society.
In her opening speech, Her Highness expressed her happiness to be at Yarmouk University, "that ancient scientific edifice, which is one of the most prominent and important Jordanian universities, where our meeting today comes to celebrate the graduates of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology who successfully completed the training program "Promoting Cultural Heritage - Our Heritage", expressing Her pride in this partnership with the Jordan Terra Sancta Association, the Jordan Museum, and Yarmouk University in implementing this project, which contributes to the preservation and sustainability of Jordanian cultural heritage and its transmission to future generations. Her Highness added that the National Society for the Conservation of Petra is a non-governmental and non-profit association established in 1989 as a leading association for the preservation of cultural heritage, its efforts focused upon its establishment on the Petra World Heritage Site. She then pointed out that Jordan is the cradle of civilization and from this land spread the ways of life that we know today - from agriculture, water harvesting, settlement, architecture and construction - Jordan is the home of the monotheistic religions, and on this holy land sat prophets and coexisted man with different beliefs and rituals and built his tolerant human values based on justice, mercy and equality. She also addressed students saying said that youth have a vital role in preserving civilization and cultural heritage, especially university graduates from faculties of archeology and other related disciplines, as this generation contributes to enhancing knowledge and understanding of history and building bridges between the past and present in a way that enhances the continuity of cultural heritage in an innovative and sustainable way. Moreover, Her Highness called on young people to submit new and innovative ideas in the field of preserving cultural heritage, creating a vibrant cultural economy, and participating in projects to restore and rehabilitate historical buildings to be cultural and social centers that contribute to promoting cultural tourism and achieving sustainable development, stressing that involving young people in these processes enhances their leadership capabilities and increases their sense of responsibility towards their cultural heritage.
In his turn, Massad said: this celebration comes as a culmination of the mission of Yarmouk University and the efforts of its Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Deanship of Student Affairs in preserving our cultural heritage and involving local communities in preserving and sustaining it. He added that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, has been able to transfer Jordanian heritage from its local arena to the world by adopting projects that promote tourism development and national heritage, thus the Royal Decree was issued to establish the Jordan Museum and the Royal Jordanian Hashemite Documentation Center to devote national goals to preserve and publicize Jordanian heritage, praising His Majesty's interest and keenness to present Jordan and set it in the proper place it deserves for its past, civilized history and bright future. Massad then called for the continuation of this fruitful cooperation between Yarmouk University and the various institutions concerned with this field in the future to achieve more successes in the service of education and provide distinguished field training for students to achieve sustainable development in the preservation of national heritage.
For his part, the Director General of the Jordan Museum, Ihab Amarin, pointed out the focus of this training program and its importance in building capacities in terms of enhancing knowledge of Jordan's history and its contributions to human civilization through the ages and the results and benefits of this enhancement, the most important of which is stimulating creativity among young people within the framework of strengthening belonging and national identity. He added that this program included practical training, rehabilitation and capacity building by 280 training hours over a period of four months, in addition to field visits to selected archaeological sites, lectures on preserving archaeological finds, documentation and restoration, methodologies for dealing with school students, and leading tours inside archaeological sites. While providing the necessary explanations about the training program, Amarin praised the great efforts of the program viewing it as part of a cumulative and cooperative national effort to manage Jordan's heritage and show it in the best ways based on global standards.
The opening ceremony also included a dialogue session on the training program "Our Heritage", moderated by the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Yari Al-Nimri, in which the Country Director of the Jordan Terra Sancta Association, Tariq Rizkallah, the Dean of the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology, Dr. Mustafa Al-Naddaf, the curator of the Main Museum / Jordan Museum, Dr. Yoshua Al-Omari, the Director of Training at the National Society for the Conservation of Petra, Huda Amarin, and Muhammad Al-Lami, one of the students participating in the training program. It also included the presentation of a short video about the students and graduates of the University participating in the training program. At the end of the ceremony, Her Highness honored the students and graduates who completed the training requirements of the "Promoting Cultural Heritage – Our Heritage" program.
On the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the program, Her Highness also inaugurated a heritage art exhibition of artworks by students from the Deanship of Student Affairs, the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, inaugurated the activities of the Language Week organized by the Faculty of Arts, with the aim of increasing students' awareness of the importance of learning international languages.
Massad stressed the University's interest and constant keenness to organize the activities of the Language Week annually to increase students' awareness of communicating with others and opening up to the world, and the positive influence of this on refining their personalities, developing their skills, and preparing them optimally to enter the labor market in a way that meets their ambition and responsibility. He added that the University has provided a wide range of independent academic programs covering various international languages and has worked on developing international language packages, namely Turkish, German, French, Spanish, and Chinese, as an optional university requirement for undergraduate programs of 12 credit hours, indicating that this comes in the context of the University’s continuous efforts to update its study plans, so that it keeps pace with developments in the local, Arab, regional and international labor market. Massad then pointed to Yarmouk University's keenness to network with many internationally prestigious universities, in addition to organizing many events and activities to promote awareness of the importance of languages and their role in building a bright future.
In his turn, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Muhammad Anaqrah, indicated the interest of the Faculty of Arts in languages in line with the University's vision and interest in languages, which is evident by offering packages for some international languages as optional university requirements for some disciplines since the academic year 2022/2023, with the aim of qualifying students and providing them with language skills that contribute to achieving their hopes and aspirations.
Anaqrah pointed out that this week will include distinguished programs for each of the participating languages, introductory sessions on the importance of learning each language, explanations on the mechanism of studying each language, and how to obtain opportunities to continue studying in native speaking countries, explaining that the most important feature of this event is that it is held with the participation of embassies and cultural attachés of the concerned international countries and the active participation of students of different language departments.
Thus, the activities of the Language Week began with the activities of the Turkish Language Day, in the presence of the Director of the Turkish Cultural Institute, Yunus Emre in Amman, Ansar Furat, and the Educational Counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Amman, Hassan Kalali. The activities began with a speech by the Head of the Department of Semitic and Oriental Languages at the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Hassan Al-Zayout, in which he stressed the need for students to immerse themselves in the Turkish language, which demands that the Department, in coordination with the Turkish Cultural Center Yunus Emre, needs to increase the number of Turkish-speaking faculty members. He added that networking has been made with Turkish universities, including Osmangazi University, Anadolu University, May 19 University, Karadeniz Technical University, Istanbul Medenet University, and Yildiz Technical University, by attracting many memorandums of understanding and academic exchange agreements within the Erasmus Plus program through Yarmouk’s Department of International Relations and Projects.
For his part, Furat valued Yarmouk’s efforts in organizing the Language Week, expressing the Institute's support for the Turkish language program at the Faculty of Arts to build bridges of cooperation between the Faculty and its counterpart colleges in Turkish universities and research institutions. However, the activities of the Turkish Language Day included various student sessions, including the performance of some poems and songs in Turkish and the introduction of the most famous Turkish traditional cuisine.
The Higher Education Council in Jordan decided to approve the establishment of an undergraduate program in applied Arabic language at the Faculty of Arts at Yarmouk University, beginning in the first semester of the academic year 2024-2025. The Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Muhammad Al-Anqra, said that this program is the first of its kind at the level of universities in the Middle East, indicating that it is a unique and pioneering specialization in academic and applied terms and is able to provide the best professional competencies in the field of applied Arabic language. He then pointed out that the establishment of this program at Yarmouk University came with the aim of preparing qualified graduates to the labor market in the fields of teaching Arabic, proofreading, journalistic work, and areas of daily life in which the Arabic language is used.
Al-Anqra also pointed out that the development of the program is an urgent necessity, given the contemporary global trend towards applied sciences, including languages, indicating that the Arabic language is one of the rapidly spreading languages globally and that it is deadly needed to develop the education of Arabic to cope with technical developments and the international diversity in the fields of work, whether in education, media, courts, etc. He stated: The new program of Arabic seeks to disseminate theoretical and applied linguistic knowledge within an educational system characterized by integration, development and openness. It also aims at preparing specialists in applied Arabic language studies, equipped with sufficient communicative skills and qualified enough to apply this knowledge and experience in the fields of research and all fields of work that require the employment of applied Arabic and its techniques. In addition, the program tries to consolidate the values of belonging, develop critical thinking skills, self-learning, teamwork by focusing on the four language skills: Reading, writing, speaking and listening.
With regard to the fields of work available to graduates of this major, Al-Anqra pointed out that they include working as a teacher of the Arabic language, in addition to proofreading, linguistic editing, and presenting radio and television programs.
On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Mousa Rababah sponsored launching the "Fourth Industrial Revolution from a Legal Perspective: Challenges and Solutions" conference, which was organized by the Faculty of Law, with the participation of researchers and lawyers from seven Arab countries. Rababah said that the Fourth Industrial Revolution put the labor market to the test setting humans as its focus, which necessitates that humans possess renewable knowledge to be able to engage in an accelerated technological world, pointing out that the wheel of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is moving at a rapid pace and that its effects on institutions and governments are great. He then stressed the need for jurists to play their active role in facing the challenges and problems that emanate from employing the data of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, indicating that the legal framing of thorny issues resulting from the repercussions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has become an important matter that cannot be overlooked. Moreover, Rababah stressed that Yarmouk has taken it upon itself to catch up with technological developments, taking the royal vision as its starting point with the aim of improving the educational process.
The Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Youssef Obeidat, stressed that the organization of this conference came to answer a set of questions, including: Does the current national and international legislative system fully and adequately cover the effects cast as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Are the traditional legal rules sufficient to face the data of the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Do we need to refine these rules and make them more compatible with these developments? He then pointed out that the term Fourth Industrial Revolution first appeared in 2016 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, the Internet of Things, three-dimensional printing and autonomous vehicles got addressed as the most prominent models of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Obeidat also said that the Fourth Industrial Revolution has become an inevitable part of the reality of societies and a tangible phenomenon that no one can ignore, highlighting a set of challenges related to human rights, intellectual property rights, human body integrity, cybersecurity, and crimes resulting from the technologies of this revolution. Moreover, He stressed that the Faculty of Law maintains the covenant in dealing with topics dictated by developments in an attempt to consolidate legal culture as a life requirement in society.
The Dean of the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences at Sidi Mohamed bin Abdullah University in the Kingdom of Morocco, Dr. Mohamed Bouzlafa, gave a speech on behalf of the participants in the conference, in which he praised the efforts of the Faculty of Law at Yarmouk University for organizing this conference, which addresses the problem of the relationship between the Fourth Industrial Revolution and all aspects of legal, administrative and moral life, where many experts from multiple fields of knowledge participate, including judges, diplomats, doctors, intellectuals, and jurists. Bouzlafa stressed the importance of discussing the topic of the Fourth Industrial Revolution from a legal perspective and its relationship with various fields of knowledge such as the judiciary, medicine, artificial intelligence, human rights, protection of intellectual property and personal data, and financial management.
However, the activities of the first day of the conference included two scientific sessions, the first was chaired by Dr. Youssef Obeidat, and it included a set of legal scientific papers. A member of the Constitutional Court, Judge Taghreed Hikmat, presented a paper entitled "Can Artificial Intelligence Replace a Judge in Court?" while the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Dr. Bashir Khasawneh, presented a paper entitled "Medicine and Artificial Intelligence", and Dr. Muhammad Bouzlafa presented a paper entitled
"The digital experience at the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of the University of Fez". In the second session, entitled "Legal Challenges Resulting from the Use of Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies", which was chaired by the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Yarmouk University, Dr. Maha Khasawneh, Dr. Ahmed Rashid Al-Mutairi, from the Faculty of Commercial Studies in Kuwait, presented a paper entitled "The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Supporting the Governance of Public Joint Stock Companies". Dr. Ibrahim Kamel Al-Shawabkeh, from the United Arab Emirates University, presented a paper on "Legal Challenges for Issuing Administrative Decisions Using Artificial Intelligence Systems". Besides, a paper entitled "The extent of criminal responsibility of the manufacturer of the smart medical machine for the crimes resulting from it in the Jordanian and the Emirati laws" by Ms. Baraa Al-Qawasmeh and her coauthor from Yarmouk. In addition, Wajd Kifah Al-Qassab, from the companies of the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, presented a paper entitled "The role of national and international institutions in educating individuals about the negative effects of the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. Overall, 28 researchers, from seven Arab countries: Iraq, Morocco, Palestine, Kuwait, the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman in addition to Jordan, participated in the Conference.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar announced the accreditation of Yarmouk University to study at private expense, among 16 Arab universities in the disciplines of social sciences, arts, humanities and management. The ministry declared in a piece of news on its official website that this accreditation was linked to the classification of universities according to study tracks, which would facilitate access to the most suitable universities for study by specialization.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, stressed that the re-accreditation of Yarmouk University by the Qatari Ministry of Education and Higher Education reflects the merit of the strategic plan that the University is implementing, which is represented in a pioneering and distinguished University that achieves sustainable development and contributes to building a knowledge society by deepening the values of quality and academic excellence.
The preparation of scientific competencies in various fields of knowledge, and the production of innovative scientific research aims to serve society by providing exemplary education in an intellectually stimulating university environment.
