Students and academic professionals gathered at Ajman University of Science & Technology (AUST) where Microsoft held a presentation on Imagine Cup 2009. "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world's toughest problems," is this years Imagine Cup theme, an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft. Microsoft's competition aims to bring together young technologists and inventors worldwide to help come up with solutions and ideas to resolve some of the world's toughest challenges and issues. Some of the speakers who addressed the students and attendees included Dr. Khaled Al Khaja and Dr. Ahmad Dabbagh of AUST. Dr. Khaled Al Khaja, Dean of the College of Information, Mass Communications and Humanities, encouraged the students to participate and stated that they all have the potential to "be the first Middle Eastern students winning this cup." As the competition commences in the region, students are given the opportunity to explore their creative skills to achieve a position at the regional finals of Gulf Imagine Cup 2009. The winners of the regional finals will advance to the Imagine Cup worldwide finals where they will face their counterparts from around the world next summer in Cairo, Egypt.