Re-affirming its commitment to the development to science and technology in the Middle East, Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (“DUBAL”), the seventh largest producer of primary aluminium in the world, has announced that it is the sole sponsor of the American University of Sharjah's 5th International Symposium on Mechatronics and Its Applications (“ISMA 08”), which takes place in Amman, Jordan, from 27 to 29 May 2008. This is the third year that DUBAL has sponsored this key event, having first done so in 2006. Defined as the synergetic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics, intelligent control, and design and manufacturing of industrial products and processes, Mechatronics has been identified recently in a leading publication as one of the top ten emerging technologies that will change the world. Indeed, by integrating a variety of disciplines so as to serve the needs of industries, education and communities, Mechatronics has direct application in the automotive, locomotive and aerospace industries; as well as a variety of other applications. Held under the patronage of Jordan's HRH Princess Sumaya bint El-Hassan, ISMA 08 will focus on both the theoretical and practical aspects of Mechatronics. A broad range of topics of will be covered, many of which will address the interest of local industry, including process control systems, smart sensors and actuators, remote monitoring and control, industrial automation, robotics and autonomous systems, and modelling (simulation and virtual reality). Abdulla A Al Zarouni (Senior Process Engineer: Operations and Development in DUBAL's Technology Development & Transfer Department) will deliver the opening remarks at ISMA 08. His address will focus on DUBAL's commitment to the development of science and technology, the company's ongoing investments in advancing technologies and the rationale behind DUBAL's third sponsorship of an ISMA event. Commenting on DUBAL's ongoing support for the ISMA series of events, Yousuf Abdulla Bastaki, from Major projects at DUBAL and EMAL project Director, said: “Being a large industrial corporation, the research and development of new technologies is a core focus at DUBAL, where a commitment to innovation is displayed through ongoing efforts to improve and sustain new methods of smelting that are not only more productive, but also less harmful to the environment. __
