AUBH Students Win 2nd Place at MECC 2025 AI Hackathon
Students from the American University of Bahrain secured second place in the first edition of the AI Hackathon at the 19th Middle East Corrosion Conference and Exhibition (MECC 2025).
The event took place in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and brought together more than 1,500 student participants from across the region, marking a highly competitive and prestigious platform dedicated to corrosion and materials innovation.
AUBH team consisted of Jana Abu Sarhan, Laurence Mascarenas, Abdulaziz Ajlan, and Malak Alsalam. The team selected the challenge titled Material Failure Analysis and developed an AI based model designed to identify the root causes of material failure, whether resulting from corrosion or ruptures or various forms of degradation. The project also provides preventive recommendations and proposed solutions, and contributes to reducing the need for direct human intervention in inspection, decreasing the burden of manual inspection processes, and enhancing industrial safety and operational efficiency. This makes it a promising solution with considerable potential impact across engineering-related industries.
The team was awarded USD 7,500, in addition to USD 10,000 worth of incubation program access, nanodegree grants, and opportunities to collaborate with research and industrial partners. These benefits strengthen the project’s sustainability and support its transformation into a scalable and applicable solution.
Dr. Wafa Almansoori, Interim President and Provost at the American University of Bahrain, commented, “We take great pride in the accomplishments of our students, and their second-place result at MECC 2025 showcases their ability to excel on an international stage. This achievement reflects the strength of the outcomes of our academic offerings and the effectiveness of our learning and research environment. It also demonstrates our students’ capacity to develop impactful, technology-driven solutions which align with the university’s mission to advance innovation, academic distinction, and the preparation of national talent for future leadership.”
The winning students expressed their appreciation to the American University of Bahrain for its continuous support, as well as to the faculty members who played a key role in preparing them for advanced challenges of this level. They noted that the hackathon provided an enriching experience that allowed them to apply their knowledge and skills within a practical and meaningful project. They also affirmed their ambition to further develop the model and advance it into an accredited tool that enhances industrial safety in Bahrain and the broader region.
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