A Raspberry Pi board, a set of electronic components, and a few hours to turn newly acquired skills into a working solution.

On September 19, 2026, Antonine University’s (UA) Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) hosted “Getting Into Raspberry Pi,” bringing together 96 students in 48 teams, representing 14 Lebanese universities and higher education institutions, for a full day of hands-on training, experimentation, teamwork, and competition at the Hadat–Baabda Campus.

Organized in collaboration with the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Lebanon Chapter, IEEE Lebanon Section, UA IEEE Student Branch, Coder-Maker, and the International Education Association (IEA), and sponsored by Beirut Electro City, the event gave students from across Lebanon the opportunity to explore the potential of Raspberry Pi and put their newly acquired skills into practice that same day.

Participants represented Al Maaref University, American University of Beirut (AUB), American University of Science and Technology (AUST), Antonine University (UA), Beirut Arab University (BAU), Conservatoire national des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL), Lebanese American University (LAU), Lebanese University (LU), Rafik Hariri University (RHU), Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), Université La Sagesse (ULS), and University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon (USAL). LU participants included students from the Fanar Campus and the Faculty of Engineering, Branches II and III.

From Training to Application

The day opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Roger Achkar, Dean of the FET at UA, followed by contributions from Prof. Jacques Demerjian, Chair of the IEEE ComSoc Lebanon Chapter; Mr. Karim Abu Haydar, Co-Founder and Board Member of IEA; and Dr. Zahi Al Chami, Full-Time Faculty Member at UA. Participants were then introduced to the competition objectives, rules, and instructions before moving into the technical training session.

Led by the Coder-Maker team, the training introduced students to the Raspberry Pi platform through guided activities using boards and electronic components. Participants worked directly with the technology, exploring how programming and electronics can come together to transform an idea into a functional project.

By the afternoon, the focus shifted from learning to application.

Working in teams of two, students entered an intensive two-hour competition that challenged them to apply what they had learned only hours earlier. The 48 teams combined programming, electronics, problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and time management to develop their own Raspberry Pi-based projects.

At the end of the competition, teams presented their projects before the jury, explaining their concepts, technical approaches, challenges, and solutions as part of the evaluation process.

Competition Winners

Following the jury’s evaluation, the winning teams were announced, with cash prizes of $300, $200, and $150allocated to first, second, and third place, respectively.

First place went to Team J&N from Al Maaref University, composed of Nour Mehdi and Jana Alayan.

Second place was awarded to Serena’s Team from LU’s Faculty of Engineering, Branch II, represented by Serena Chamoun and Serena Bou Abdallah.

Third place resulted in a tie between Team MJ from the AUST, composed of Mounir Rizkallah and James Youna, and Team Cooked Circuit from BAU, represented by Qamar Al Khateeb and Malek Abou Hawili.

All 96 participants also received a certificate of participation, recognizing their engagement throughout the training and competition.

Building More Than a Project

Beyond the final rankings, “Getting Into Raspberry Pi” gave students the opportunity to experience engineering as an active process of testing, adapting, collaborating, and creating. Participants began the day by learning the foundations of a technology and, within only a few hours, applied that knowledge to functional projects of their own.

Bringing together students from 14 institutions extended that experience beyond a single classroom or university. The event reflected a shared commitment to experiential learning, innovation, technical skill development, and cross-institutional collaboration, creating an environment where students could move directly from knowledge to experimentation and from experimentation to tangible solutions.

By fostering opportunities of this kind, UA continues to support a learning environment in which technical competence develops alongside adaptability, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving, strengthening students’ capacity to respond to real-world challenges.

Through its focus on practical technical education, innovation, and cross-institutional collaboration, this workshop contributed to SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.