The SWaTH project within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Balamand celebrated for the second year in a row the #ErasmusDays at the University of Balamand’s (UOB) main campus in Koura. The Erasmus days are three days of celebrating the Erasmus+ programme in Europe and beyond. In 2021, 5670 events were held in 67 countries!
This year, the celebrations were extended over 13 and 14 October 2022, targeting university students. Not only the Balamand students but the students of the 5 Lebanese higher education institutions.
A special involvement was recognized by the Vice-President of Internationalization and Engagement and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UOB, Prof. Rami Abboud, the coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) in Lebanon, Dr. Aref Al Soufi, and the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Youssef Bassim.
The first day revolved around international, regional, and modified national games to be competitive, educational, enriching, interactive, and fun games about the water sector in general and Lebanon’s water and wastewater sectors. For instance, the “من سيربح المليون” game was a challenging game where the participants had to call a friend, seek the help of the audience, and remove two answers to reach the final question.
A phenomenal rally paper was organized on 14 October 2022 and is renowned as the first of its kind in Lebanon. 5 teams (3 from LU, 1 from NDU, and 2 from UOB) compete against each other, performing challenging physical quests, answering stimulating riddles, and solving testing problems, while hunting rare treasures across the UOB campus to get the highest points. SWaTH Rally Paper tested the participants’ limits with exciting physical challenges and stimulating brain-teasing problems. The SWaTH Rally Paper has an environmental impact as it demands teams to perform eco-friendly activities such as recycling.
Both days were concluded with prize distribution to the winning groups as an appreciation for their efforts.
The event’s success is due to the support of Professor Abboud, the SWaTH members, and the commitment of the participating students.
