Undergraduate Students Turn Coding Skills into Tools for Real-World Impact听
Khalifa University hosted its 3rd Sustainability and Social Responsibility E-Gaming Competition at the Main Campus that brought together a large number of undergraduate students across various teams to design digital games and applications that raise awareness of global issues linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).听
Organized by the University鈥檚 Center for Teaching and Learning, the competition marked the culmination of a month-long program integrating sustainability education with digital innovation. Participants attended several workshop sessions, covering game development, design, and programming, and received mentoring to support their projects.听
The competition challenged students to apply their technical and creative skills to develop interactive platforms that highlight environmental and social challenges. Game concepts addressed topics such as climate change, food security, water conservation, mental health, and inclusive education.听
E-gaming and digital technologies are increasingly seen as effective tools to promote sustainability and civic awareness. This initiative leveraged those tools to cultivate innovation, collaboration, and a deeper sense of global responsibility among students.听
Final projects were assessed based on creativity, technical execution, and potential impact. Winning team members included undergraduate students Mohammad Arwani and Abdulla Almehairbi from the Computer Science program who won first place for their project titled, 鈥楨co Galaxy.鈥� In second place was the project 鈥榃hat the Island Gives鈥� which included six undergraduate students from the Computer Science and Industrial and Systems Engineering program, while the project titled 鈥楨-Coffee鈥� won the third place including two students from Computer Science. The winning projects were recognized for their ability to effectively communicate sustainability issues and engage users through digital storytelling and gameplay.听
The competition forms part of Khalifa University鈥檚 broader strategy to align academic and co-curricular experiences with the UN SDG framework, while equipping students with the tools to contribute meaningfully to global challenges.听
Dr. Ali Almansoori, Associate Provost for Education, and Professor, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University, said: “We are delighted to witness the creativity and innovation demonstrated by our undergraduate students during this year’s Social Responsibility E-Gaming Competition. By integrating sustainability education with digital technologies, we empower Khalifa University students to become proactive agents of change, addressing critical global issues through interactive platforms. Initiatives like these not only enhance their technical skills but cultivate a deeper sense of global responsibility aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”听
Alisha Roy听
Science Writer听
