6
Initiatives
September 2012
The Beacon
Pathway for Young Saudi Scientists Brings Success Recent campus activity has been a practical demonstration of how the Saudi Initiatives Program has built a pathway to identify, recruit, and nurture exceptional science students throughout the Kingdom. It has been a special pleasure to welcome the first five graduates from the KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP) to KAUST this September, following their undergraduate studies at Harvard University, the University of Nottingham, and University College London.
KGSP Now in its fourth year, the KAUST Gifted Student Program continues to grow exponentially. The new 2012 intake of 120 students effectively doubles the number of students in this program that is a critical stage along the pathway for young Saudi students with ambition in science to reach their potential through education. Some of the 2012 intake will go directly into undergraduate
This year 40 bright and ambitious Saudi high school students from across the Kingdom attended the program. The students followed a rigorous program of lectures, college and career workshops, scientific paper writing, presentations, and extracurricular activities. This was made possible by 30 KAUST faculty members,
Moatasim Zawawi said, “We learned how to conduct scientific research … and radically developed our communications skills with presentations and poster sessions. The academic atmosphere at SRSI is an outstanding experience.”
who offered their time, expertise, and laboratory resources, as they mentored the students with postdoctoral fellows and graduate students from their teams.
Mentoring Professor Nina Fedoroff explained, “My job with the young students… is to alert them to the big picture… Students really need to know that science isn’t just a collection of facts and books… it’s about discovery, it’s about going places that no one has ever been before, and it’s about solving problems, small problems in the laboratory, and big problems for humanity.”
A Celebration of Saudi Talent: July 26, 2012 Over 200 KGSP members including the first five KGSP graduates and their parents gathered with 40 SRSI students to attemd the Young Talent Award Ceremony. KAUST welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Mishaal Bin Abdullah and His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, Saudi Minister of Education; KAUST
programs this fall, while others will begin foundation or English
Chairman of the Board - Minister Ali Ibrahim Al Naimi, Khalid
language programs. Of the established KGSP students, 43 have
Al Falih, Ali Al Tuwairqi, and Jamil Dandany of Saudi Aramco;
completed their foundation year. All of them were admitted to
SRSI Board Members Dr. Khalid Al Sabti, Huda Al Ghoson, Amal
undergraduate programs in top science and engineering universities in the US including MIT, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Georgia Tech.
Current KGSP student Durah Almansour said, “It has been an amazing year. Having to adjust to a new style of learning was not an easy thing to do, but … the world became a better, brighter place.”
KAUST srsi Mentors:
Fatani, Nasir Al Nafisee, Joann Diginerro; Dr. Adel Abdulrahman Al Keaid and Abdulattif Al Othman. The theme of the evening was "Transforming people; transforming a nation." Dr. Najah Ashry, Vice President for Saudi
Professors Husam Al Shareef, Aram Amassian, Osman
Initiatives, explained that Saudi youth cannot achieve transfor-
Bakr, Christian Claudel, Jorge Eppinger, Aamir Farooq,
mation in isolation. She spoke of world-class opportunities in
Nina Federoff, Christoph Gehring, Samir Hamdan, Suk
science and the access to mentors and role models for young peo-
Ho Chung, Kuo-Wei (Andy) Huang, Muhammed Hussein,
ple who represent, in King Abdullah’s words, a "beacon of bright
Xabier Irigoien, Niveen Khashab, Jurgen Kosel, Gilles
hope for the future." Minister Al Naimi encouraged the scholars
Lubineau, Jasmeen Merzaban, Klaus-Viktor Peinemann,
to profit from their experiences and make a difference to the eco-
Vivek Polshettiwar, Iman Roqan, Pascal Saikaly, Ravindra
nomic success and social progress of the Kingdom.
Samtaney, Udo Shwingenschlogl, Atif Shamin, Ulrich
Mahmoud Ghulman, who has just begun his undergraduate studies at MIT, said, “The KGSP experience has helped me create a strong work ethic, it cemented my interest in science, and it helped integrate me into a community of young Saudi scientists… I’d like to thank KGSP for the gift of community, the gift of brothers and sisters, and close college colleagues.”
Stingl, Kazuhiro Takanabe, Christian Voolstra, Xiangliang Zhang, and Associate Director of Computational Bioscience Research Center John Archer.
SRSI student, Redha Al Ibrahim said, “Professor Keyes opened his heart to us and our minds to science.”
HH Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, the Minister of Education, said that he felt “…proud to be part of this opportunity to serve the Kingdom and to support these young men and women in these programs which address the future needs of the Kingdom.” With the successful establishment of SRSI, KGSP, and other supporting programs, a pathway for young Saudis with talent and
Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) The six-week SRSI summer program is a key step on the academic pathway that nurtures talented young Saudi Arabians from diverse backgrounds to become scientists, researchers and leaders. The program, modeled on MIT’s annual Research Science Institute, gives gifted high school juniors the opportunity to conduct university-level research under the mentorship of KAUST and visiting professors.
The SRSI program included poster presentations of the stu-
ambition in science is now open. The event marked an important
dents’ work and a graduation ceremony on July 26, which
step in the nation's scientific and educational evolution that will
offered SRSI students the chance to meet and interact with
have a significant and positive impact on the future growth of
their KGSP peers.
KAUST and on the economic development of Saudi Arabia.
One of the students, Ammar Al-Ameer said, “SRSI is a one-of-a-kind program. It really gave me the opportunity to discover what my real passions are. It is a great experience that could alter one’s life path.”
Abdullah Kanee, a KGSP graduate who has just completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard spoke of his roots in a sheep herding family and the opportunities the program afforded him. “This experience has been a dream for me,” he said. “For which KAUST has given me beautiful tools.”