Birzeit university’s civil engineering students receive Zuhair Hijjawi Award for Scientific Research

Birzeit University’s civil engineering student, Sujood Hamayel, Mohannad Shannak, and Mohannad Shabaro, won the 2023 Engineer Zuhair Hijjawi Award for Scientific Research granted by the Arab American University. The students won in the engineering category after presenting their research titled “Prediction of Loaded Slope Failure Utilizing Artificial Neural networks.”

The research was supervised by Dr. Khalil Al-Qattu, lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The stability of the slopes was measured numerically and modelled using the artificial neural networks (ANN), through the development of a database containing 2560 case where different values affected the stability of the slope. Each case was studied individually through establishing computerized modules to calculate the threshold for the security factor, and the coordinates of the collapsing surface. The database was initially used to train the artificial neural network, and after that two modules were developed that rely on artificial intelligence in prediction the stability of the slopes. One was to determine the threshold of the security factor, and the other was to identify the coordinates of the critical failure surface. Both modules were able to predict these outputs with a statically high percentage. Finally, a graphical user interface (GUI) was established in order to assist engineers on site in analyzing and predicting the possibility of failure in simple, easy, and time-saving steps.

The Engineer Zuhair Hijjawi award is an annual award that targets Palestinian undergraduate students. It covers four categories: informational technology, biomedical tech, engineering, and environmental, water and renewable Energy sciences. This award can be applied to by submitting research abstracts and summaries, which are then evaluated by a committee in the Scientific Research Deanship in the Arab American University. The names of the award recipients are announced in the Arab American University graduation ceremony. The reward for each category is 2000 US dollars.