Prof. Muhammad Hussein: An academic and research partnership aims to modernize engineering programs and expand joint supervision of postgraduate students

    On the sidelines of the Chinese and African University Presidents Forum to Foresee the Future of Education Development, held in Changsha, People's Republic of China, Prof. Mohamed Hussein, President of Tanta University, held a bilateral session with a delegation from Hunan University in China, headed by Prof. Han Lin Wang, to discuss ways to enhance academic and research cooperation between the two universities, and open new horizons for partnership in the fields of engineering education, scientific research and modern technologies, in the presence of Prof. Marwan Shaheen, Professor of Structural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University. The Chinese delegation included Professor Han Lin Wang (Han-Lin Wang), Professor and Vice Dean of the National Postgraduate School of Distinguished Engineers at Hunan University; Chihua Chen (Zhihua Chen), Director of the College's Office of University-Industry Partnerships; Jinji Wan (Jingyi Wan), Director of the Office of Engineer Preparation and Qualification; and Cheng Hu (Zheng Hu), Director of the College's Engineering Technology Center.

    The session discussed the possibility of establishing joint centers of excellence in a number of priority engineering and technological fields, which would contribute to supporting applied scientific research, exchanging experiences, and benefiting from the academic, research, and technical capabilities of both sides.

    The two sides also discussed mechanisms for developing study programs in engineering specializations at Tanta University, and integrating artificial intelligence technologies and applications into academic programs and courses, in a way that keeps pace with rapid technological developments, increases the efficiency of the educational process, and contributes to preparing graduates who possess the skills required to deal with future transformations in the fields of engineering, industry, and technology.

    Discussions included enhancing cooperation in the field of postgraduate studies through joint scientific supervision of master's and doctoral students in engineering fields, in addition to exchanging faculty members and researchers, forming joint research teams, and encouraging the implementation of scientific and applied projects that contribute to producing innovative solutions to issues of common interest.

    Prof. Mohamed Hussein stressed that Tanta University aims, through its international partnerships, to move academic and research cooperation to deeper and more sustainable institutional models, in implementation of the directives of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research led by Prof. Abdel Aziz Qansouh, noting that cooperation with Hunan University opens promising areas for benefiting from advanced expertise in engineering education, artificial intelligence and applied scientific research.

    The President of Tanta University added that integrating artificial intelligence applications into academic programs is no longer an additional option, but has become one of the main axes for developing the university education system, explaining that the university is working to update its programs in a way that achieves integration between academic knowledge, modern technological applications, and the needs of the labor market.

    He pointed out that the university looks forward to transforming the results of the discussions into joint executive programs and projects that include centers of excellence, developing engineering curricula and programs, joint supervision of postgraduate students, and forming international research teams, in a way that enhances the internationalization of education and scientific research at Tanta University and supports its academic presence at the international level.