Each year, the LAU School of Engineering invites a select group of academically gifted high schoolers to put their skills to the test at its Scholarship Awards Competition.

Designed to challenge their problem-solving abilities, quick thinking, and creativity under pressure, the dynamic, hands-on competition offers more than just a chance for aspiring engineers to earn partial scholarships, which, when combined with other LAU scholarships, can cover up to 100 percent of tuition. It also provides high-school students with a firsthand look at the university’s ABET-accredited engineering programs and impactful learning environment.

This year’s competition, held on April 5 at the Byblos campus, brought together 81 students who took on two challenges: designing and building earthquake-resistant towers with limited materials and developing optimized software solutions focused on speed and performance.

“The competition allowed participants to take on real-world engineering challenges, explore our state-of-the-art labs, meet with faculty, and experience the kind of academic setting that supports innovation and critical thinking,” said Dr. Dani Tannir, assistant dean at the School of Engineering and chair of the organizing committee.

Students independently tested their tower structures using earthquake simulations at the Structures Lab, while their software codes were evaluated in the school’s computer labs. They earned points based on structural integrity in the first challenge and real-time responsiveness in the second.

The organizing committee, composed of faculty from various engineering departments, also included 10 senior undergraduate students who volunteered to assist with the smooth execution of the all-day challenge.

At the end of the competition, the winners were announced as follows:

• First-place winner, Ashraf Dham, who had applied to Mechanical Engineering, earned a 30 percent scholarship
• Second-place winner, Luna Shaaban, who had applied to Computer Engineering, earned a 20 percent scholarship (tie).
• Second-place winner, Riwa Al Houssari, who had applied to Computer Engineering, earned a 20 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Rania Mahmoud, who had applied to Electrical Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Ali Mohammad El Zein, who had applied to Petroleum Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Jawad Dheini, who had applied to Computer Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Karim Marwan Malaeb, who had applied to Computer Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Joe El Hayek, who had applied to Mechanical Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Samuel Geara, who had applied to Mechanical Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).
• Third-place winner, Ghadi Sarieddine, who had applied to Computer Engineering, earned a 10 percent scholarship (tie).