DUBAI, UAE, 17 February, 2025 – UAE’s school students put their engineering skills to the test at Emirates Aviation University’s (EAU) eighth Water Rocket Competition, held in collaboration with Boeing [NYSE: BA]. The annual competition at EAU campus in Dubai aims to inspire innovation, encourage hands-on problem-solving, and ignite interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Students in grades 11 and 12 worked in groups of four to build rockets using materials at hand. Participants launched their rockets at a 45-degree angle, powered solely by water and air pressure.

Professor Ahmad Al Ali, Vice Chancellor of Emirates Aviation University, said: “The Water Rocket Competition is part of our corporate social responsibility initiatives. Not only does the competition ignite curiosity in young minds but it also equips future industry leaders with the skills and passion needed to drive the world forward. We hope they are inspired to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering or maths. We’re delighted with this opportunity to give back to the local community and proud to partner with Boeing.”

Kuljit Ghata-Aura, President of Boeing Middle East, Türkiye, Africa, and Central Asia, added: "With the UAE experiencing growth in aviation and space exploration, there continues to be a rising demand for aerospace talent. Partnering with Emirates Aviation University allows us to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals and provide students with the opportunity to gain technical skills from Boeing engineers during this competition."

The panel of judges from Emirates Aviation University and Boeing announced the winning team – It’s Not Rocket Science from Dubai English Speaking College – who broke all previous records with their rocket reaching 120 meters. Rocket Riders from Dubai Scholars Private School were first runners-up touching 117 meters, and Eagle 1 from Islamiya English School followed as second runners-up with 115 meters.

Since the first competition held in 2017, over 1,000 students from 100 schools have successfully completed the challenge and 8 have climbed the winners’ podium.

Boeing has partnered with Emirates Aviation University since 2017, supporting key initiatives such as the installation of a wind tunnel in the university’s lab, alongside other investments.

About Emirates Aviation University

Since its founding in 1991, EAU, the education arm of the Emirates Group, has established itself as the leading university for aviation studies in the region. The university offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programmes in aeronautical engineering, aviation management, logistics and supply management, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science, aviation safety, and aviation security studies. Over the past three decades, EAU has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its facilities, faculties, learning resources, and earning global accreditations, including recognition from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK. EAU also provides a one semester internship program with the Emirates Group for undergraduate students. For more information, please visit https://www.eau.ac.ae/en.

About Boeing

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Boeing’s relationship with the Middle East extends back to 1945. Since then, Boeing has established offices across the region including in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, and Riyadh. For more information, visit boeing-me.com.

Students in grades 11 and 12 from schools across the UAE built rockets using materials at hand. Each year, the challenge for participants is to launch water rockets at a 45-degree angle, powered solely by water and air pressure. Students design creative nose cones and fins for enhanced impact protection. During the competition they also learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. This year, teams had two hours to complete the task and were given two attempts to launch their rockets.

Professor Ahmad Al Ali, Vice Chancellor of Emirates Aviation University, said: “Emirates Aviation University is committed to innovating and fostering creativity in young minds. Our annual Water Rocket Competition is not just exciting for the student community, it’s also an opportunity to bring in the best and brightest young minds of the country together, challenge them, and encourage them to think about STEM careers. Watching students brainstorm, collaborate, and construct these rockets is an eye-opening experience every year. We hope they are inspired to become leaders in science and engineering. We thank Boeing for their support and for making this challenge a success once again.”

Kuljit Ghata-Aura, Boeing President in the Middle East, Türkiye, Africa, and Central Asia, added: "From launching the Arab world’s first uncrewed mission to Mars to signing the Artemis Accords, the UAE is rapidly emerging as a leader in space exploration. At Boeing, we have been part of every major U.S. endeavor to escape Earth’s gravity. We are excited to continue to partner with Emirates Aviation University to inspire a new generation of aerospace scientists and provide students with the opportunity to learn new technical skills from Boeing engineers during the competition."

Following the water rocket launches, the judging panel from Emirates Aviation University and Boeing announced Eagle 1 from Islamiya English School, Abu Dhabi as the winning school, after the team launched their rocket to a distance of 99 meters. Eagle 2 from Islamiya English School, Abu Dhabi secured the first runner-up position with 93 meters, and OOW – Volts from Our Own High School, Dubai followed as the second runner-up with 92 meters.

The annual competition aims to inspire young aeronautical enthusiasts by combining creativity with the principles of rocketry and flight.

About Emirates Aviation University

Since its founding in 1991, EAU, the education arm of the Emirates Group, has established itself as the leading educational institution for aviation studies in the region. The university offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs in aeronautical engineering, aviation management, logistics & supply management, aviation safety, and aviation security studies. Over the past three decades, EAU has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its facilities, faculties, learning resources, and earning global accreditations, including recognition from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK. EAU also provides a six-month internship program with the Emirates Group for students who demonstrate exceptional academic performance. For more information, please visit https://www.eau.ac.ae/en.

About Boeing

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality, and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Chancellor of the EAU conferred the graduates with their well-earned certificates. Joining him to honour each graduate were dignitaries, Emirates Group executives, graduates and their guests, and the academy’s faculty.

Held at the EAU campus, the graduation ceremony showcased the rich diversity of the student body with graduates representing 50+ nationalities. The graduates were from a range of disciplines, including aviation management, aeronautical engineering, aviation safety/security, logistics and supply chain management, mechanical and aircraft maintenance engineering, and software engineering.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: “Both aviation and the world of work are evolving and transforming rapidly. As leaders in aviation, we want to shape the future of the industry and groom the next generation with the knowledge and competencies that equip them to be trailblazers in aviation. Fostering excellence, technical skills and leadership qualities in our students are the cornerstones of our approach and these are important for the industry’s progress and development.

Congratulations to our graduates! I look forward to them taking their rightful place in the local and global economy and to their many remarkable successes.”

Professor Ahmad Al Ali, Emirates Aviation University Vice-Chancellor said: “We are witnessing a new era in aviation, and we need to not only impart skills and knowledge to our students, but we need to inspire and engage them for success.

“At the heart of EAU is our commitment to keep our programmes world-class and futuristic, empower our students to navigate their programmes and careers with confidence, and blend technology and knowledge for a deep understanding of aviation. As a result, our students enjoy an incredible 85% employability once they graduate.”

The graduates’ future is bright as the aviation industry is projected to record over US$25.7 billion net profit in 2024, according to IATA. According to the Airport Council International, 2024 is expected to be a milestone for global passenger traffic recovery as it touches 9.4 billion passengers, surpassing the 9.2 billion passengers in 2019.

This year, Emirates Aviation University honoured 26 exemplary students across all disciplines. Their accomplishments reflected EAU’s commitment to delivering future aviation leaders.  

The cohort of 302 graduates includes 77 postgraduates and 225 bachelor students, of which 72 are Emirates-sponsored students – both fresh graduates and employees pursuing further qualifications.

With a focus on blending industry and academia, over 100 students received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern with the Emirates Group for over one semester. The sought-after internship programme has one of the region’s largest organisations helping students apply their academic knowledge and skills to everyday, practical corporate work, which makes it relevant to their education and career plans.

About Emirates Aviation University

Since its founding in 1991, EAU, the education arm of the Emirates Group, has become the leading educational institution for aviation studies in the region. The University offers a wide spectrum of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes in aeronautical engineering, aviation management, logistics & supply management, aviation safety and aviation security studies. It has grown phenomenally in the last three decades, especially across its facilities, faculties, learning resources and global accreditations, including from The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK. EAU offers a six-month internship programme with the Emirates Group for students who demonstrate extraordinary academic performance. Visit https://www.eau.ac.ae/en

•           Three teams blazed a trail to win exciting prizes

Dubai, March 13, 2023 – More than 160 students from 21 high schools across the UAE made a huge splash at Emirates Aviation University’s (EAU) sixth annual Water Rocket Competition, held in collaboration with Boeing.

Emirates Aviation University warmly welcomed the 35 teams, who collaborated and constructed water rockets at the university’s workshop. What’s more, the teams then launched these rockets at an angle of 45 degrees to the greatest distance possible.

Students built the rockets with materials like plastic bottles, foot pumps, clay blocks, electrical wiring tape, grocery bags and plastic sheets – which also brought home the message on repurposing and recycling everyday items. Teams could only power the rockets using water and air pressure propulsion, and were encouraged to design and experiment with creative nose cones and fins.

Working in groups of four or five, the students were given two hours to design, construct, and create optimal aerodynamic conditions. Every team was given two attempts to launch their rockets to the longest distance possible. 

While there were some spectacular successes and some dismal failures, there was a whole lot of learning and fun for everyone. The judging panel from EAU and Boeing had their work cut out for them to deliberate and calibrate the day’s proceedings. The Lance team from St Mary’s Catholic High School won top honours for launching the rocket to a distance of 103 metres. The Eagle 2 team from Islamiya English School came in as first runners up for reaching 96 metres, and the Icarus team from Merryland International School were second runners up for touching 84 metres.

Dr Ahmad Al Ali, Vice Chancellor of Emirates Aviation University, said: “As a premier educational institution, we take our responsibility to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills seriously, and we feel that’s best done in a fun, engaging way. This is the sixth edition of the competition, and watching students brainstorm, collaborate, conceive and construct these rockets is an eye-opening experience every year. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who participated – they are among the best and brightest future scientists and engineers. A big thank you to Boeing for their continued support and for making this challenge meaningful and successful yet again.”

Kuljit Ghata-Aura, Boeing President Middle East, Türkiye and Africa, commented: “I am continually inspired by the dedication and innovation of Boeing engineers, and the hope is that more young people decide to embark upon careers in this exciting industry with its significant opportunities. At Boeing we are strong advocates of aligning STEM education with sustainability, and the Emirates Aviation University Water Rocket Competition is a perfect example of that. While learning new technical skills from Boeing engineers during the competition, the students also learned how to reduce, reuse and recycle.” 

The main aim of the Water Rocket Competition is to prepare prospective aviation engineers who are looking to enroll in Emirates Aviation University’s engineering and aviation related programmes.

About Emirates Aviation University (EAU)

Since its founding in 1991, EAU, the education arm of the Emirates Group, has become the leading educational institution for aviation studies in the region. The University offers a wide spectrum of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes in aeronautical engineering, aviation management, logistics & supply management, aviation safety and aviation security studies. It has grown phenomenally in the last three decades, especially across its facilities, faculties, learning resources and global accreditations, including most recently from The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, UK. EAU offers a six-month internship programme with the Emirates Group for students who demonstrate extraordinary academic performance. The University has played a major role in meeting increasing demand for skilled and professional aviation specialists regionally and globally. EAU has also helped companies train and develop employees to be at the forefront of trends, technology and transformative forces. At its 32nd graduation ceremony held recently, EAU ushered more than 474 highly qualified graduates, representing 56 nationalities, into the workforce. Visit https://www.eau.ac.ae/en

About Boeing

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.