UOWD team shines at ‘Arabian Business' Achievement Awards for their app for cancer patients

Final year students beat competition from 1400 entries to be crowned ‘Young Achievers of the Year’ at annual awards ceremony

Dubai, November 20, 2014:Four final year students from the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) have been crowned Arabian Business magazine’s Young Achievers of the Year for their work developing “Heroes”, a motivational smartphone app which has been designed to empower cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.

Initially created as part of the students’ undergraduate Computer Science degree at UOWD, Fariha M. Khan, AbdulBasit, Artaza Aziz and AshiqurRahman’s project was among1400 entries to this year’s annual Arabian Business Achievement Awards. After a rigorous process which saw the total entries shortlisted to 300, the innovative smartphone application project was one of just 14 winners praised at the lavish ceremony at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel, Dubai.

The “Heroes” application stood tall amongst a list of global blue-chip companies honored at the awards, including The Abraaj Group (who were crowned Financial Services Company of the Year), Gulf Bank (Bank of the Year) and Ethiad Airways (Airline of the Year).

Fariha Khan, the student project manager behind “Heroes”, said of the evening: “We are honored and humbled to be alongside other category winners who are such important industry leaders and humanitarians. It has really motivated us to take the project to the next level. We are currently working with interested parties to source investment and begin the business plan roll-out process which will allow us to bring the app to everyone. ‘Heroes’ is a small step in bringing together people who have experienced similar things to us and our aim is to build an empathetic and supportive community for cancer sufferers and their families.”

The award win comes on the back of other recent success and accolades for the group, among which was a third place win at this year’s prestigious Microsoft Imagine Cup (dubbed as “the world’s premier student technology competition”).

The students behind the application acknowledged the support of UOWD staff members - DrFarhadOrouchian, Acting Dean of the Engineering and Information Sciences Faculty, Instructor Zeenath Khan, and Andrea Little, Student Counsellor - who helped the team focus on the latest approaches to cancer care.
More information about the Heroes application can be found at: http://www.heroesofcancer.com/