Seyed Ali Foad Madani wants to become a robotics engineer to build inventions that help make people’s life better. An experience from his youth demonstrated the power that engineering has in changing people’s lives.
Madani’s friends in school would call him “robot arm” — not because of his passion in robotics engineering but because Madani is unable to fully extend one of his arms due to an accident that happened during his birth. Despite having full function of that arm, Madani would get upset from all the teasing. It wasn’t until he met a man moving around in a wheelchair that made him realize just how fortunate he was and how modern engineering could help people.
The first step towards becoming a robotics engineer is to get through certain required courses such as calculus, especially since having a strong foundation in mathematics is important. Thankfully numbers do not intimidate Madani. “Math is my favorite subject,” he added.
The first-year student loves creating things and says the process helps him to learn.
The way I love to learn is by creating things.
While Madani was no stranger to the NYUAD campus and community thanks to his sister, a currently second year student, the Emirati enjoyed going through the induction during Marhaba week. In particular, the First Year Dialogue discussions with his peers really left an impression.
Not only was Madani able to speak about the traditions and heritage of the UAE with his peer group, he was also learning about the cultures from Romania, South Korean, Mexico, Pakistan, India, and Tunisia. While Madani is focused on his academic goals, the diversity of the Class of 2024 is another exciting aspect of discovery during his first year journey that he looks forward to immersing himself in.
