Title: RIT Dubai Celebrates Graduation of NOMU Al Ghurair Women in AI Program
Intro
Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai (RIT Dubai) recently hosted the graduation ceremony for the inaugural cohort of the NOMU Al Ghurair Women in AI Program. This milestone event underlines a shared commitment by RIT Dubai and the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education to empower a new generation of female artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners across the Middle East and North Africa.
I. Program Overview
• Partnership and Purpose
– In late 2024, RIT Dubai joined forces with the Al Ghurair Foundation to launch the NOMU Women in AI initiative.
– “NOMU,” meaning “growth” in Arabic, aims to bridge the gender gap in STEM by offering women rigorous AI training and professional mentorship.
• Cohort Profile
– The inaugural cohort comprised 50 women from eight countries, including the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.
– Participants held diverse academic backgrounds—from computer science and engineering to business and the social sciences—but shared a common aspiration: to harness AI for social and economic impact.
II. Graduation Ceremony Highlights
• Dignitaries and Speakers
– Dr. Yasser Ismail, Chancellor of RIT Dubai, presided over the ceremony. In his keynote address, he emphasized the institute’s mission to foster innovation and diversity: “By equipping women with advanced AI skills, we are sowing the seeds for tomorrow’s breakthroughs in healthcare, agriculture, finance and beyond.”
– Sara Al Ghurair, Vice Chair of the Al Ghurair Foundation, congratulated the graduates for their determination and urged them to become ambassadors for women’s empowerment in technology.
– Guest speaker Layla Ataya, co-founder of a regional edtech startup, shared her own journey from novice coder to CEO, underscoring the transformative power of mentorship and lifelong learning.
• Awards and Recognitions
– Certificates of completion were presented to all 50 participants.
– Three graduates received special awards for outstanding capstone projects:
1. Best Machine Learning Model: Hanan El-Gendy (Egypt) for her AI-driven breast cancer detection tool.
2. Innovation in Computer Vision: Nour Al-Rahman (Jordan) for her fruit quality inspection system for smallholder farmers.
3. Social Impact Award: Salma Chebani (Morocco) for her natural language processing chatbot that facilitates mental health counseling in Arabic.
III. Program Curriculum and Skills Acquired
• Core AI Modules
– Python programming essentials
– Data analytics and visualization
– Machine learning fundamentals: supervised and unsupervised learning
– Deep learning architectures and neural networks
– Natural language processing and computer vision
• Workshops and Soft Skills
– Team collaboration, agile project management and design thinking
– Ethical considerations in AI: bias mitigation, data privacy and responsible deployment
– Communication skills for presenting technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Mentorship and Industry Exposure
– Each participant was paired with an industry mentor from leading technology firms in the UAE.
– Monthly “AI in Practice” panels featured speakers from healthcare, finance, energy and government, illustrating real-world AI applications and career pathways.
IV. Graduate Projects and Success Stories
• Capstone Project Showcase
– Over a two-month period, graduates worked in teams to develop AI solutions addressing regional challenges:
• Smart Water Management: An AI system predicting water demand and optimizing distribution in arid climates.
• Financial Inclusion Chatbot: A multi-lingual assistant guiding micro-entrepreneurs through loan applications and regulatory requirements.
• Precision Agriculture: Drone-enabled image analysis to monitor crop health and detect pest infestations.
• Alumni Testimonials
– “Before NOMU, I had only dabbled in programming. Now I’m launching my own AI consultancy to serve nonprofits,” said Najlaa Al-Saadi (UAE).
– “The mentorship opened doors for internships at a global data science firm—an opportunity I never imagined,” added Rania Matar (Lebanon).
V. Future Opportunities and Impact
• Advanced Studies and Career Pathways
– Graduates are eligible for tuition waivers at RIT Dubai’s master’s programs in Data Science and Software Engineering.
– Several have already secured internships and full-time positions across the region’s burgeoning AI ecosystem.
• Scaling the Initiative
– Building on this success, RIT Dubai and the Al Ghurair Foundation plan to double cohort size in 2026, extend mentorship programs and introduce specialized tracks in robotics and autonomous systems.
• Long-Term Vision
– By 2030, the NOMU Women in AI Program aims to train 500 women, contributing to a more inclusive, innovative workforce. As Dr. Ismail noted, “Diversity is not just a value; it’s a competitive advantage. We anticipate that these women will lead the next wave of AI breakthroughs in the region and beyond.”
Key Takeaways
1. Empowerment Through Education: The NOMU Al Ghurair Women in AI Program provides intensive AI training, industry mentorship and career support to women from across the MENA region.
2. Real-World Impact: Graduates delivered capstone projects tackling healthcare, agriculture, finance and environmental challenges, demonstrating AI’s potential to address societal needs.
3. Sustainable Growth: With plans to expand cohort size and introduce advanced specializations, the program is poised to nurture hundreds of female AI professionals by 2030.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the NOMU Al Ghurair Women in AI Program?
It’s a 12-week intensive training program launched in partnership by RIT Dubai and the Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. NOMU equips women with core AI skills, industry mentorship and project-based learning to foster gender diversity in the AI workforce.
2. Who is eligible to apply?
Women aged 21 and above with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, basic programming knowledge and a passion for AI can apply. Selection criteria emphasize academic potential, leadership qualities and commitment to social impact.
3. What opportunities do graduates receive?
Graduates earn a certificate of completion, gain access to RIT Dubai’s master’s programs with tuition waivers, receive mentorship for career development and connect with regional employers for internships and job placements.
