Jordan won a bronze medal in the individual competition at the second International Olympiad on Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2025), hosted by the Chinese capital, Beijing. This medal was won by Islam Daraghmeh, a student from the Model School of Yarmouk University, after the Model School team qualified for this international Olympiad, having won gold and silver medals in the local competitions of the Olympiad, organized by the Applied Science University earlier this year. This is Jordan's first victory in this competition at the international level.

The idea behind this Olympiad, a new global competition launched by Google and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, is to test the skills of high school students in three areas of artificial intelligence: machine science, computer vision, and natural language processing, through competition in the three tracks. In the Artificial Intelligence and Applications Knowledge Track, the competition used multiple-choice questions to measure the students' knowledge of artificial intelligence. The second track involved solving a set of problems using Python (a programming language used in internet applications, software development, data science, and machine learning) in the form of a question for a problem to be solved using the student's skills in this language.

The third track involved using a dataset and building a model to make a prediction, whether for a specific goal or within a specific domain.

Student Daraghmeh emphasized that the participation in this international Olympiad was highly competitive, with the participation of 284 students from 60 countries around the world, including the United States, China, Japan, Canada, Australia, France, and Sweden.

He added that this achievement embodies the spirit and determination of the Jordanian people, emphasizing that this would not have been possible without the support and care that the Model School provides to its students. This is achieved by honing and enhancing students' scientific and educational skills and providing opportunities to participate in such local, regional, and international competitions. It is noteworthy that student Islam Draghmeh, a few days ago, achieved first place in the Yarmouk University Model School in the General Secondary Education Examination, with a score of 98.6.

17 August 2025

Yarmouk University has started classifying its academic, administrative, and community activities according to the Sustainable Development Goals, in furtherance of its vision to achieve these goals and develop its digital infrastructure. These activities will be systematically presented to the public through the university’s official website and social media platforms.

The President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Islam Massad, said that this approach shows the university’s efforts to align its policies and programs with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. It also embodies Yarmouk’s commitment as a university to its national and human role in supporting education for all, industry, innovation, economic growth, and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

He added that the university, through a specialized team led by the Vice President for Development and International Rankings, Dr. Muwaffaq Al-Atoum, along with the Director of the Computer and Information Center and the Director of the Public Relations and Media Department, worked on identifying and classifying various activities, programs, research projects, and community initiatives, and directly linking them to the relevant goals, which allows students, researchers, and both local and international partners to see how Yarmouk University contributes to supporting sustainable development.

Massad emphasized that this step represents an integral part of Yarmouk University's digital transformation strategy and an effective tool for highlighting its institutional impact on humanitarian issues, aiming to strengthen the integration between education, research, and community service to achieve real sustainable development, and to use media as an active partner in reaching these goals through awareness and spreading knowledge.

10 August 2025

Participants in the first conference on SustainableDevelopment , organized by Yarmouk University through the Queen Rania Center for Jordanian Studies and Community Service in cooperation with the Center for Sustainable Development, entitled "From Vision to Reality: Assessing the Process of Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab World", recommended the need to establish a joint Arab platform to monitor the progress made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab countries, and promote education for sustainable development to become a community culture and practice.

The participants also called for funding small projects and community initiatives, expanding regional and international partnerships, by building bridges of cooperation between universities, the private sector, governments, and civil society institutions, and activating regional dialogue platforms.

The President of the University, Dr. Islam Massad, who attended part of the activities of the closing session of the conference, stressed that the vision of the university is that this scientific meeting will remain an annual platform for dialogue and joint planning for a sustainable Arab future, stressing that Yarmouk University extends the hand of partnership to Arab universities and international organizations related to sustainable development issues to organizing the second edition of the conference.

He continued: In light of the recommendations of the conference, it is necessary to develop a regional electronic platform to collect and analyze development data in the Arab countries, so that it is a reference tool for decision makers and researchers.

Masad pointed to the importance of integrating the concepts of sustainability in educational curricula at all stages, and developing training programs to build the capacities of teachers and the educational community.

The conference, whose final statement was delivered by the Director of the Center, Dr. Abdelbaset Athamneh , started its work last Tuesday under the auspices of the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan, witnessed the holding of 15 sessions in addition to the main dialogue session, in which 76 working papers were presented. The activities of the conference also witnessed parallel sessions represented by training workshops, and a collection of institutional successes stories.

03 August 2025

The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Yarmouk University, Professor Dr. Rawida Al-Maaytah, decided, based on Article 12/C of the Jordanian Universities Law No. 18 of 2018, to assign the Vice President of the University for Academic Affairs, Professor Dr. Musa Rababa’a, to carry out the duties of the President of the University, effective from the morning of Sunday, August 10, 2025, until a President of the University is appointed.

13 August 2025

The President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Islam Massad, sponsored the opening of the exhibition "From Neglect to Beauty: Creativity in the Design of Recycled Furniture" organized by the students of the Department of Design and Applied Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts, under the supervision of Dr. Assem Obaidat, Dr. Yaman Sakneh, and Dr. Omar Al-Shaboul.

The students participating in the exhibition presented the stages of design from the initial idea to the final product, through display panels and visual media, and provided technical explanations about recycling and reuse methods, supported by samples of the materials used.

During His tour at the exhibition, Massad listened to a detailed explanation from the participating students about the objectives of the exhibition that are in line with the vision of the Department of Design and Applied Arts in promoting a sustainable design culture, in response to the growing environmental challenges facing the world and providing innovative models that combine functional beauty and environmental awareness, and providing an educational and interactive platform that integrates academic practice and the  Community exhibition.

Masad praised the outstanding level of the works on display, which embodied various models of recycled household furniture pieces, and the use of various materials such as consumed wood, plastic, metals, and textiles to produce new functional furniture.

It is noteworthy that the organization of this exhibition came with the aim of highlighting the creative and technical capabilities of students in the design and manufacture of recycled furniture, consolidating the concepts of sustainable design and environmental innovation within the curricula of the Department of Design and Applied Arts, providing students with the opportunity to apply the skills they have acquired in real contexts through productive projects, raising awareness of the importance of recycling materials in design and furniture manufacturing, and highlighting the role that design can play in the service of environmental issues.

07 August 2025

The President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Islam Massad, launched the new website of the Language Center to align with academic standards and digital communication needs. The site aims to achieve the goals of both the university and the center, provide clear and up-to-date information to its audience, and promote the Arabic program for speakers of other languages. The site is available in identical Arabic and English versions to help increase the number of visitors and users benefiting from its services.

 Dr. Massad praised the efforts of the Language Center, which always works hard to keep up with rapid changes and developments, consistently offers new and updated services to its students, and uses modern methods in teaching and training. These efforts have helped and continue to help the center become one of the leading language centers in the region.

Massad emphasized the key role the center plays in fulfilling the mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Yarmouk University in disseminating and teaching the Arabic language, through its outstanding and successful Arabic program for speakers of other languages, which attracts many students from around the world each year.

Dr. Rana Qandeel, the Director of the Center, pointed out that the different courses content that are offered in the center is taught by the center across its various academic tracks in Arabic and English, language packages, and the Arabic program for speakers of other languages have been carefully updated.

She also indicated that the new website included goals, a vision, and academic plans, all based on the university’s quality standards.

Qandeel added that the website now includes an updated version of the language package program, which the center has been offering since the 2022/2023 academic year. It also lists the colleges and majors the program covers. She noted that the update focused on improving how the center communicates with the public, making it easier for people to find information about its work and activities, especially the Arabic program for speakers of other languages.

She highlighted that the new website features the center’s free plans, activities, and events, all carried out by the center, as well as a collection of photos and videos available through the center’s dedicated YouTube channel.

Regarding the newly launched APasol platform, part of the Arabic program for speakers of other languages, Qandeel stated that a dedicated icon has been added to the website. It includes detailed information about the platform, as well as application and registration forms for courses offered to students and professors from around the world.

03 August 2025

The Steel team from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology – Yarmouk University, won second place in the Bridge Competition for wooden bridge design. The competition was organized by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) student chapter at the Faculty of Engineering at Al-Balqa Applied University, with broad participation from various Jordanian universities.

The team consisted of students Abdullah Shdefat, Qusai Al-Jarrah, Abdulrahman Amayreh, Mais Bani Khalaf, and Noor Al-Rabee’. The project was carried out under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Al-Tamimi.

Dr. Al-Tamimi praised the efforts of the student team and expressed his pride in the high level of professionalism and innovation they demonstrated throughout all stages of the competition. He also commended the distinguished spirit of healthy competition that brought together students from Jordanian universities.

The Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Mohammad Al-Zubaidi, expressed his pride in this achievement, congratulating the students on their outstanding performance, which reflects the academic excellence and creativity of the faculty’s students. He emphasized that this accomplishment is the result of a stimulating educational environment and the ongoing support of the university administration, which spares no effort in empowering both students and faculty members.

13 August 2025

The activities of the initiative “Digital Interaction Week to Empower Youth in Political Participation” were launched at Yarmouk University. The initiative is organized by the Faculty of Business through the Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Skills course, in cooperation with the Independent Election Commission, and attended by the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission, Engineer Musa Maaytah, and the President of the University, Prof. Islam Massad.

Al-Maaytah stressed the importance of this initiative, describing it as a new innovation that should be invested in and developed—especially as we live in an era of digital interaction, where artificial intelligence has become a foundation.

He added that political and party work reflects the lofty Royal Vision of establishing parties that represent diverse political ideologies and move forward, as parties are a means rather than an end in themselves. He noted that the foundation of party work lies in collective action within the framework of the Constitution and the law.

Al-Maaytah called on students to recognize the importance of participating in party work, to play an active role in shaping their own future, and to contribute to preserving national unity and Jordan’s stability.

He also pointed out that the Commission is in the process of launching an educational platform, Jahez, which will prepare and qualify the cadres working with the Commission in the electoral process. The platform will provide training and testing, leading to an official certificate accredited by the Commission—a prerequisite for participation in election, polling, and counting committees.

For his part, Prof. Massad emphasized that what distinguishes this initiative—which involves nearly one thousand students from the university—is that it is not a traditional seminar or standard workshop, but rather a unique experience based on genuine interaction using the tools of the digital world.

He explained that the initiative works to build real awareness among students about the importance of political participation and to familiarize them with the roles and responsibilities of the Independent Election Commission, using interactive digital tools that keep pace with the spirit of the age and open new horizons for dialogue, discussion, and critical thinking.

Prof. Massad added: “Yarmouk University’s vision for this initiative is to equip students with the tools and mechanisms needed to participate in political life and to engage in party and political work, so they can confront challenges and contribute to comprehensive development.”

For his part, Dean of the Faculty of Business Prof. Michel Sweidan stated that the initiative aligns with the university’s vision of preparing a conscious and proactive generation capable of positively engaging with public affairs and participating in decision-making through the tools of democracy and modern technology. He stressed that political awareness is no longer an intellectual luxury, but a national responsibility entrusted to our educational institutions and ambitious youth.

Course coordinator Dr. Kholoud Al-Zoubi noted that the initiative seeks to enhance young people’s awareness of the importance of political participation and to introduce them to the responsibilities of the Independent Election Commission, but in a modern and interactive manner that relies on technology, dialogue, and discussion instead of rigid traditional methods. She highlighted that the student takes the lead in this digital week, initiating and driving the discussion, and that the initiative will serve as an active and inspiring space filled with interactive digital activities.

The first day’s activities included the implementation of awareness scenarios, workshops, and interactive motivational digital games.

05 August 2025

On behalf of the Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Secretary-General Dr. Ali Khawaldeh, and in the presence of the President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Islam Massad, the launch ceremony of the project titled “Women in Political Parties: Towards Effective Leadership” was held. The event was organized by the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies in cooperation with “We Rise” Center for Sustainable Development and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation – Jordan Office.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Khawaldeh commended the efforts of civil society institutions and universities in supporting citizen engagement, especially among youth and women, in the political process. He stressed the importance of encouraging all political parties to empower women across various sectors, provide them with opportunities, and regard them as essential and genuine partners in the decision-making process, in line with the aspirations of the Jordanian state.

He added that anyone following the development of Jordan’s political movement will recognize a genuine interest in women’s issues, as reflected in legislative progress. He noted that legislative reforms have facilitated women’s presence in the political arena, and that there is a growing societal consensus on the need for their active participation in sustainable development. He also highlighted several indicators showing that Jordanian women are making rapid strides in strengthening their role in political life — with women’s participation in Jordanian political parties now reaching 44%.

For his part, Dr. Islam Massad emphasized that the project reflects Yarmouk University’s strong belief in the role of Jordanian women as active partners in shaping a promising future. He pointed out that the university, through this initiative, aims to empower women in political party work as a strategic step toward building a political landscape that amplifies the voices of all segments of society.

He also noted the university’s commitment to raising awareness among the younger generation about the importance of engaging with societal issues and participating in the political process, as well as empowering women in various fields. The university strives to harness its resources to develop joint programs with active community partners, in alignment with the Royal vision and Jordan’s distinctive national identity — with its unique social, intellectual, and political character.

Dr. Massad emphasized the need for unified efforts by all institutions and decisionmakers to support and empower educated and aware Jordanian women, enabling them to

reach the highest levels through their knowledge, dedication, and determination to succeed.

In turn, Amer Abu Dalou, Director General of “We Rise” Center for Sustainable Development, stated that the “Women in Political Parties: Towards Effective Leadership” project carries strategic dimensions that go beyond traditional empowerment. It seeks to reshape the reality of Jordanian women’s political participation. He noted that the partnership with the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies represents a national alliance that aims to create new political pathways to highlight active female leadership across sectors.

He further noted that the project will produce a national guide of best practices for empowering women within political parties — to serve as a practical reference supporting the development of internal party policies. In addition, a digital media campaign will be launched to showcase inspiring female figures within parties and break stereotypes surrounding women’s political roles.

The launch ceremony included a panel discussion titled: “Four Years Since the Launch of the Royal Committee for Modernizing the Political System: Where Does the Jordanian Woman Stand in the Political Scene?” Panelists included Hala Al-Jarrah, Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Islamic National Party; Secretary-General of the Ministry of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Ali Khawaldeh; Member of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission, Dr. Abeer Dababneh; and Director of the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies, Dr. Batoul Al-Muhaisen. The session was moderated by the Center’s Deputy Director, Dr. Tareq AlNasser.

The event was attended by MP Abdul Nasser Al-Khasawneh, MP Shahir Al-Shatnawi, and MP Tareq Bani Hani, Vice Presidents of Yarmouk University Dr. Mousa Al-Rababaa and Dr. Fadia Mayyas, as well as a number of faculty and administrative staff members and local community representatives.

03 August 2025