Birzeit students, faculty begin 2019 with slew of awards and achievements

Birzeit University capped 2018 with a number of achievements and awards that showcased the innovative spirit of its students and faculty members. The university finalized a new engineering program that focuses on infrastructure and construction; ranked first in environmental sustainability in Palestine; and received national and international awards, courtesy of its pioneering students and professors. 

Birzeit Ranked First Nationally in Environmental Sustainability Ranking

Birzeit University has been ranked as the most sustainable university in Palestine, and 305th in the world, in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2018 edition, which ranks universities by their commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Protecting and sustaining the environment has always constituted one of Birzeit University’s main goals since its inception in 1924. The university’s green efforts continue today with the installation of five solar-power stations on campus, which provide 442 kilowatts and cover 22 percent of the university’s energy needs. 

New Master’s Program in Civil Engineering 

Starting in the 2019/2020 academic year, the new master’s program in civil engineering will hone the skills of engineers in infrastructure and construction planning, design, and implementation, in addition to expanding their efforts in research, academia, and public and private institutions.

Engineering Student Wins First Place in Graduation Project Competition 

The graduation project, carried out by Raghad Saqf Al-Hait, an architectural engineer who graduated from Birzeit University in 2018, explores the function of the cemetery beyond its utilitarian role and aims to exploit the potentials of the cemetery’s program, high spiritual experience, and collective symbolism to establish facts on the ground in politically-contested territories. 

Professor Wins Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding 

Dr. Ibrahim Abu Hashhash was awarded the top prize of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding in the category for German-to-Arabic Translation for his translation of Ernst Cassirer’s “The Philosophy of the Enlightenment.”