In a remarkable achievement and an embodiment of cooperation and innovation, a team of students from the College of Computer and Information Technology and the College of Agriculture at Jordan University of Science and Technology managed to achieve first place in the third category of the Dutch Prize for Youth Creativity (Dia’a). This competition came within the framework of the project "Providing Attractive Opportunities for Youth Livelihoods in the Agriculture Sector", which was implemented in partnership with the Finnish Relief Organization, the Jordan University of Science and Technology, the Association of Agricultural Engineers, and the Jordanian Association for Exporters and Producers of Vegetables and Fruits, and was funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan. The competition witnessed active participation from four leading universities in Jordan, namely the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Al-Balqa Applied University, and Jerash Private University. Where it started in November 2022 and ended in August 2023 with a closing ceremony held under the auspices of the Vice President of Jordan University of Science and Technology, Prof. Ahmed Al-Ajlouni, who stressed the importance of activating the role of students in developing the sectors of the local community, indicating that the award provides an opportunity for students who have creative projects, to find solutions In post-harvest problems in the Jordanian agricultural sector to complete the study and development of these projects.
(26) teams competed in this competition, divided into (6) different categories, and financial prizes worth 4,000 Jordanian dinars were handed over to the first-place winning team in each category. A team consisting of three students from the Computer Science Department at the College of Computer and Information Technology and a female student from the College of Agriculture won first place in the third category of this competition, under the supervision of Dr. Malak Abdullah, Head of the Computer Science Department. Their participation consisted in designing a smartphone application and an artificial intelligence application aimed at developing and improving the agricultural sector in Jordan. The Dean of the College of Computer and Information Technology, Prof. Mounir, congratulated the winning team's assistance and emphasized the importance of agriculture benefiting from computer technologies and artificial intelligence.
During the closing ceremony, Prof. Anas Al-Nabulsi, Dean of the College of Agriculture, referred to the vital role of youth in developing and strengthening the agricultural sector and urged the promotion of effective communication between academic institutions, the private sector, and organizations working to improve the quality of this sector in Jordan. On the other hand, Mrs. Jihan Al-Zaben, Director of the Finnish Relief Organization's office in Jordan, praised the efforts and achievements of the students and praised the role played by the professors in guiding the students toward innovative technological solutions to the challenges of agriculture in Jordan. In a related context, Ms. Enas Al-Saeed, representative of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan, stressed the importance of supporting and developing the skills of youth, and the importance of the vital role of technology in the development of agriculture. She highlighted the importance of the role of women in this sector and the importance of strengthening communication with the local community. The award coordinator, Raneen Naimi, provided all the details related to the award during the ceremony. At the end of the event, the winning teams were honored and prizes and memorial shields were presented.
