Education Without Borders is a biennial international student conference hosted by the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates. Its purpose is to create networks across cultures in order to understand, and generate solutions for some of the world's greatest challenges. This is achieved by engaging the world's most innovative students and leaders of business, technology, education, and the humanitarian sector in a collaborative forum that culminates with commitment to action. The following are photos taken by students during the event.

MISSIONTo engage students and experts from countries around the world in active dialogue about the globe's most pressing social challenges and empower them to create and implement solutions

The theme in 2009 was Innovative Solutions to Global ChallengesWho is responsible for implementing change in the affected areas? What are the roles of governments, organizations, universities, the media and individuals? How can we bring about change that is sustainable in the long-term?

Welcome speech by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor

of the HCT

Dr. Tayeb KamaliVice Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology

Key note speakers includedDr Abdul Kalam Former President of India

Princess Astrid of BelgiumChairwoman, Belgium Red Cross

Special Representative, Roll Back Malaria Partnership

Sir John Rose Chief Executive Rolls Royce plc, UK

Over 1,000 students attended of which 552 came nations other than the UAE

Students at conference checking messages

University Students from 122 nations attended EWB 2009

Students visited The Burj Al Arab a luxury hotel in Dubai At 321 m (1,050 ft), it is the second tallest building in the world used exclusively

as a hotel.

Nearly 4,000 students expressed interest in attending of which 552 were accepted

Student photo of Downtown Dubai

Following an extensive refereeing process, 44 papers and multimedia presentations were delivered at the conference by

student delegates of 19 different nationalities studying at institutions across the world, including two UAE national students

from the HCT.

The conference highlighted the work of students - there were a total of 36 paper presenters, and 8 multi media presentations were chosen out of more than 1,000 submissions.

The Tobisha Award for the most outstanding paper was won by Irina Pleva, a Latvian student studying at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland. In addition to her award, she received a Toshiba computer and an internship at the Toshiba laboratories in Oxford, UK.