2012 November Beacon

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

BEACON ‫املنـارة‬ at Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

November 2012 / Muharram 1434 Volume 3, Issue No. 3

the

www.kaust.edu.sa

Advanced Imaging in Biology

International Workshop

Ironing Out The Kinks in organic transiStors

‫تقنية جديدة تزيل العوائق‬ ‫أمام الشحنات الكهربائية يف‬ ‫أغشية الرتانزستور‬

Professor Amassian's paper was selected to be featured on the cover of Advanced Materials on November 2, 2012. The art for this cover was created by Katya Mikhaylova, a scientific illustrator and artist who works for the Office of Academic Writing Services at KAUST.

imaging workshop KAUST hosted the first International Workshop on Advanced Imaging in Biology in November. The three-day workshop provided a forum for preeminent scientists from across the relevant disciplines in physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering. The multidisciplinary group came together to identify and promote scientific breakthroughs, innovative technologies, and novel applications of microscopy in bio- and nano-technologies.

Participants included eighteen international researchers, and invited colleagues from King Abdulaziz University, as well as KAUST faculty, staff, and students. One area of particular focus was the development of, and future applications for, state-of-the-art multi-modality imaging to tackle compelling questions related to the life sciences. Other presentations ranged from the use of digital holographic microscopy to explore neural cell dynamics, to new advances in super high-resolution microscopy that enables the visualization of single molecules at nanoscale. A popular item of discussion was the capability and potential of KAUST’s world-class facilities, including the Advanced Nanofabrication, Imaging and Characterization Core Laboratory, which contains the electron microscopes and NMR suite, as well as the Advanced Computation & Visualization Facility.

The workshop was part of an initiative to support the establishment of strong competency in advanced bioimaging at KAUST, with the aim of expanding research programs in fields at the interface of technology and biology. This inaugural gathering of such a distinguished group of academics provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and discussion around potential collaborations in one of the focal research areas of the Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE). It is anticipated that the International Workshop on Advanced Imaging Imaging workshop | Continued on p2

INSIDE:

News 1-3

‫ أن سرعة‬،‫ األستاذ المساعد في علوم وهندسة المواد‬،‫يقول البروفسور أرام أماسيان‬ ‫الشحنات الكهربائية عبر القنوات تحدد زمن استجابة أغشية الترانزستور الرقيقة‬ the speed of the display on your smartphone or e-book,” explains ‫وبصورة جوهرية سرعة عرض المعلومات على شاشة الهواتف الذكية أو الكتب‬ Aram Amassian, Assistant Professor of Materials Sciences and ‫ ولكي تتحرك الشحنات بسرعة كما هو الحال في شريط الفيديو يجب‬،‫االلكترونية‬ Engineering. “For charges to move fast, such as in a video, the ‫ ويتمثل أحد األسئلة المليئة‬.‫أن ال توفر المادة التي تتحرك عبرها الكثير من العوائق‬ material they move through should not offer too many obstacles. ‫بالتحديات بالنسبة لاللكترونيات المطبوعة في كيفية طباعة أشباه الموصالت على‬ One of the challenging questions for printed electronics has been ‫األسطح غير الملساء دون أن يترتب على ذلك تغيرات في البنية تؤدي إلى إعاقة‬ .‫أداء أغشية الترانزستور الرقيقة‬ how to print semiconductors on patterned surfaces without causing ‫وتعالج تقنية جديدة لألشعة السينية الدقيقة هذه المشكلة من خالل أحداث‬ structural changes that can stifle TFT performance.”

A new x-ray microbeam technology addresses this problem by ‫اختراق في الطريقة التي تتم بها دراسة التركيبات المتجانسة داخل قناة من أغشية‬ providing a breakthrough in the way structural heterogeneities are ‫ وقد قام بهذا العمل الجديد والمبتكر الدكتور رويبنق لي مع‬.‫الترانزستور العضوية‬ studied within the channel of organic TFTs. The groundbreaking ‫ رئيس مجموعة االلكترونيات والخاليا الضوئية العضوية في‬،‫البروفسور أرام أماسيان‬ work was conducted by Dr. Ruipeng Li and Prof. Aram Amassian, ،‫ بالتعاون الوثيق مع الدكتور ديتلف سميلقيز‬،‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‬ the head of KAUST’s Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics group, ‫من كورنيل هاى إنرجي سينكروترون سورس وباحثين من جامعة ويك فورست‬ in a close collaboration with Dr. Detlef Smilgies of the Cornell High ‫ وتم نشر الورقة التي تصف هذا البحث في مطبوعة‬.‫وجامعة كنتكي في ليكسنكتون‬ .‫” وفي صفحة الغالف من عدد نوفمبر‬Advanced Materials“ Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), as well as researchers from Wake Forest University (NC, US) and the University of Kentucky ‫ويقول البروفسور أماسيان أنه عند طباعة أشباه موصالت عضوية على أسطح‬ in Lexington (KY, US). The paper describing the research was pub- ‫خشنة فإن الشخص يشرع بصورة بديهية في عملية التحول المرحلية بسبب وجود‬ lished in Advanced Materials and is featured on the front cover of ‫ وأحد النتائج المترتبة على ذلك هي أن‬.‫التعرجات السطحية والتغيرات الكيميائية‬ .‫ال متعددة غير مرغوبة وتشكل البلورات‬ the November 2 issue of the journal. ً ‫الغشاء يمكن أن ينتج أشكا‬ “When printing an organic semiconductor on a patterned surface,” ‫وقد شك الباحثون منذ مدة طويلة أن عدم انتظام السطح داخل الهيكل‬ Prof. Amassian says, “by definition, you initiate phase transforma- ‫الميكرسكوبي لغشاء أشباه الموصالت يعمل كخانق يؤدي إلى إبطاء عملية انتقال‬ tion in the presence of surface corrugations and chemical changes. ‫ ويقول البروفسور أماسيان إنهم جميعا شكوا في وجود مشكلة ولكنهم‬.‫الشحنة‬ One of the consequences is that the film can form undesirable poly- ‫لم يتمكنوا من تحديدها وربطها بأي قدر من اليقين ومن هنا كانت فائدة األسلوب‬ .‫الجديد الذي طوره الدكتور لي‬ morphs and crystal orientations.” Researchers have long suspected that irregularities within the microstructure of the semiconductor ‫والدكتور لي هو أحد الباحثين المؤسسين لما بعد مرحلة الدكتوراه في جامعة الملك‬ film act as bottlenecks to slow down charge transport. “All of us ‫عبداهلل وقد قدم إليها من (كورنيل هاى إنرجي سينكروترون سورس) حيث تخصص‬ suspected a problem but could not locate it and correlate it with any ‫ ويصف الدكتور لي هذا اإلشعاع بأنه مصدر المع للغاية‬.‫في علوم اشعاع السنكترون‬ certainty,” Prof. Amassian says. “This is where the new technique ‫لألشعة السينية وأنهم يستخدمون شعيرة رقيقة جدا لتركيز األشعة السينية على‬ ‫ ويقول إنه من خالل الجمع بين أشعة‬.‫نقطة من مقاس أصغر بكثير من الترانزستور‬ developed by Dr. Li came in very handy.”

Dr. Li, one of KAUST’s founding postdocs, joined the University ‫سينية متغيرة مع مجهر بصري وأجهزة كشف أشعة سينية ثنائية األبعاد عالية‬ from CHESS, where he specialized in synchrotron science. ‫السرعة أصبحوا اآلن في وضع يمكنهم من تشكيل خريطة دقيقة التفاصيل ألشباه‬ .‫الموصالت في العشرات من األجهزة المطبوعة دون إتالفها أو اصابتها بأي ضرر‬ “Synchrotron is a very bright x-ray source,” Dr. Li says. “We used a “The speed of electrical charges across the channel determines

the response time of a thin film transistor (TFT), and essentially

organic transiStorS | Continued on p2

Research Awards 4-5

2 ‫تتمه صفحة‬

Student Research 6-7

Community 8

2

News

November 2012

The Beacon

The start of the new Hijri year brings with it the promise of cooler

This month, we offer stories about work on thin film transistors

weather and natural pause for reflection. These kinds of moments

and a new geophysical method to measure the tensile strength of

are welcomed amidst the day-to-day challenges of developing the

rock, the recent international workshop on advanced imaging in

University, as it is sometimes possible to lose sight of the remark-

biology, and our latest SABIC postdoctoral winners. We also focus

able progress our students, researchers, and faculty members are

on the accomplishments of our students, who are the heart of our

making in fulfilling KAUST’s fundamental research mission.

University, with news on the results of the 2012 Dow Sustainability

With each issue, The Beacon offers a glimpse into the exciting research, activities, and scientific work currently taking place.

SUNSET CONCERT MUSICIANS

Innovation Challenge and highlights of student papers from across all academic divisions.  —THE BEACON Editorial

The Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 3, November 2012. Published by The Communications Department, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

Contact Salah Sindi salah.sindi@kaust.edu.sa, or Caroline Kingdon caroline.kingdon@kaust.edu.sa © King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Printed on partially recycled paper.

organic transiStorS | Continued from p1 very thin capillary to focus x-rays to a spot size much smaller than the transistor; combining the high flux x-ray beam with an optical microscope and fast 2D x-ray detectors, we are now in a position to stitch together a detailed microstructural map of the semiconductor in dozens of printed devices without destroying them.”

With the newly developed tools, the researchers were able to identify the source of the defects and correlate them to device

1‫تابع ص‬

‫وباستخدام األدوات التي تم تطويرها مؤخرا تمكن الباحثون من التعرف على‬ ‫ وقد عرض الفريق من ويك فورست‬.‫مصدر العيوب وربطه بأداء األجهزة‬ ‫أجهزة ذات أداء محسن من خالل معالجة عدم االنتظام الذي اكتشفه فريق‬ .‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫ويقول البروفسور أماسيان إنهم يشعرون باإلثارة إزا ء الخطوات التالية لهذا‬ ‫ وقد برزت امكانيات التصوير عالي السرعة التي وفرتها‬.‫المشروع التعاوني‬ ‫مجموعة البروفسور سيقوردور ثورودسون كوسيلة فعالة لمشاهدة تحول‬  .‫أشباه الموصالت إلى بلورات على األسطح الخشنة‬

performance. The team from Wake Forest subsequently demonstrated improved device performance by addressing the structural irregularities identified by the KAUST team.

Professor Aram Amassian with Dr. Ruipeng Li

in brief S unset Concert The view of the setting sun created a perfect backdrop to the second Sunset Concert of the academic year, when musicians serenaded a packed crowd at the University Library on October 13.

Jessica Bouwmeester, PhD candidate, BESE, violin; her brother, Daniel Bouwmeester, guest artist, TUDelft, the Netherlands, clarinet; and Eduardo Regula, TKS ECC Performing Art teacher, piano, performed Trio 2 in A minor

by C.P.E. Bach followed by Regula on the piano playing Schumann’s lovely Phantasiestucke Op. 12 No.1, Der Abends.

Bass/baritone Wassim W. Ayass, MS candidate, PSE, accompanied on piano by Regula, transported the audience

“We’re very excited about the next steps of this collaborative

to mid-twentieth century France with Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En

project”, says Prof. Amassian. “The high-speed imaging capa-

Rose," and then wowed the audience with Paride’s aria, “O

bilities of Prof. Sigurdur Thoroddsen’s group have emerged as a

del mio dolce ardor," from Gluck’s opera, Paride and Elena.

The evening closed with a series of foot-tapping Swiss folk

particularly powerful way to watch as semiconductors crystal-

songs. The two Bouwmeesters on clarinet and violin were

lize on patterned surfaces!” 

joined by Wendy Keyes, Coordinator of Arts Programming, viola; Ann Scott, MS candidate, CEMSE, double bass; and IMAGING WORKSHOP | Continued from p1

Aloysius Wong, PhD candidate, BESE, piano, transporting

will provide the platform for pioneering research and technol-

Dean of BESE; Colin Sheppard of National University of

ogy development in cellular and molecular imaging.

Singapore; and Christian Depeursinge of École Polytechnique

The event was jointly organized by Professors Pierre Magistretti,

the audience to the mountains of Europe. 

Fédérale de Lausanne. 

Conferral of Toastmaster Plaque to Osamah Fakieh presented by former Area Governor Abdullah Niaz.

A Toast from the KAUST Toastmasters In October, Klemens Katterbauer, president of KAUST’s Al-Manarah Toastmasters Club, joined with other local Toastmasters presidents to thank Osamah Fakieh, Petro Rabigh’s Vice President of Human Resources, for the support he has given to the KAUST club and others in the region. Mr. Fakieh’s practical support and encouragement to the Rabigh Left to Righ Back row: Mohamah Yassin Saka, King Abdulaziz University (KAU); Mathias Fink, École Supérieure De Physique et de Chimie (ESPC); Peter Nellist, Oxford University; Claude Boccara, ESPC; Pierre Marquet, University of Lausanne; Samir Hamdin, KAUST; Bennett Goldberg, Boston University (BU); Adnan Memic, KAU Middle row: Rainer Heintzmann, Jena University; Keith Nugent, University of Melbourne; Ernst Stelzer, Goethe University; Qingming Luo, Huazhong University; Yves De Koninck, Laval University Front row: Peter So, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Paul Campagnola, University of Winconsin; Jermone Mertz, BU; Alberto Diaspro, Instituto Italiano di Technologia (IIT); Colin Sheppard, IIT; Pierre Magistretti, KAUST; Christian Depeursinge, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne; Enzo Di Fabrizio, IIT; Satoshi Habuchi, KAUST; Musab AlZehri, KAU Attendees not in photo: Adel Chaudhary, KAU; Farid Ahmed Syed Taha Yasin, KAU; Paul Matsudaira, National University of Singapore

Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) 2013

area Toastmasters clubs has helped further their development and expand overall membership since 2008.

Toastmasters International is a worldwide nonprofit organization that helps club members improve their public speaking and leadership skills. The KAUST chapter of Toastmasters currently has 25 members and was formed in 2009 as the very first student-led group on campus. 

November 19: Schedule posted online at wep.acadox.com November 19: Presentation and registration for students: Auditorium (building 20), 12:45-2:45 p.m November 23: Science Fun Fair proposal deadline November 28: WEP registration opens for the KAUST community Take time to register for the exciting events and fascinating lectures offered at WEP 2013!

News

www.kaust.edu.sa

a) ALOS Interferogram

3

November 2012

b) 3D Displacements

11 m

C B

2800

2800 Northing [km]

P2

P3

2790

Northing [km]

P1

A Harrat Lunayyir

30˚

2790

D

Vertical Displacement [cm] 0

370

Easting [km] 380

20˚

ea dS

LOS

Arabia

Re

2780

Easting [km] 375

390

40˚

50˚

Dr. Sigurjón Jónsson, Associate Professor of Geophysics, made a successful diversion in his research to collect some unique in-Kingdom data using a novel methodology, attested by the recent publication of his paper in Geophysical Research Letters http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053309. Typically his research concentrates on large earthquakes and volcanoes, but in this case he used novel methods to estimate the strength of large-scale rock mass. Prof. Jónsson focused on the spectacular legacy of the 2009 earthquake swarm to the lava field at Harrat Lunayyir, northwest of Yanbu; some 40,000 of the sparse population were evacuated when this ancient volcanic field reawakened.

During this particular type of earthquake activity, magma (the mixture of molten and semi-molten rock and gases found beneath the earth’s crust) fights to get to the surface. If it gets near enough during this process, the crust actually stretches under the enormous pressure from below, causing tensional cracks which inevitably weaken the surface rock (see fig. above). At Harrat Lunayyir, the resulting fractures were up to 10 km long.

Until now, there has been little agreement on how to measure the tensional strength of large-scale rock mass – integral to engineering projects including mining and tunneling. Large-scale strength of rock is known to be lower than the strength determined from small-scale samples compatible with laboratory work. Historically, engineers have relied on empirical assessments and estimated tensile strength based on the number of visible cracks.

In this paper, Prof. Jónsson discusses the estimation of the tensional rock-mass strength of granitic rocks at a kilometer scale by using multiple Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations from non-military satellites to map 3D surface displacement. The satellite transmits a radar signal and measures how long it takes to return, building up a picture of surface irregularity. Using these results, Prof. Jónsson is able to calculate the different components of the surface strain tensor.

The combination of this information with occurrences of tensional fractures provides an estimate of the tensional strength of kilometer-scale rock mass.

Mapping ground movements has important applications other than mining. When aquifers are rapidly depleted, subsurface layers collapse causing surface depression; this is evident in areas of Yemen where large quantities of water are used for agriculture. In oil recovery, by examining 3D surface displacement around existing oil wells, the subsurface structure and permeability can be estimated,

0

380

385

‫حبث علمي يرصد قوة كتل الصخور‬ ‫الربكانية مشال ينبع‬

‫أجرى الدكتور سيغورجون جونسن األستاذ املساعد يف علوم اجليوفيزياء حتويرا ناجحا يف أعماله البحثية‬ ‫بهدف جتميع بعض البيانات الفريدة من داخل اململكة مستخدما يف ذلك منهجية مبتكرة حسبما اتضح‬ ”Geophysical Research Letters“ ‫مؤخرا من نشر ورقته البحثية يف مطبوعة‬ http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053309 ‫وكان الدكتور جونسون يركز يف حبثه عادة على الزالزل والرباكني الكبرية ولكنه رغب يف احلالة األخرية‬ 2009 ‫يف تقدير قوة كتل الصخور الضخمة باستخدام طرق مبتكرة ركز فيها على اهلزات املتتابعة يف زلزال‬ ‫) مشال غرب ينبع حيث مت إجالء السكان البالغ‬Lunayyir( ‫إىل حقول احلمم الربكانية يف حرة الشاقة‬ .‫ نسمة عندما نشط هذا احلقل الربكاين القدمي‬40000 ‫عددهم حوايل‬ ‫وهذا النوع من الزالزل عبارة عن خليط من الصخور الذائبة وشبه الذائبة والغازات املوجودة حتت القشرة‬ ‫األرضية تصارع ( املاقما ) للصعود إىل السطح وإذا اقرتبت إليه بدرجة كافية فإن القشرة تتمدد بفعل‬ ‫ وقد وصل طول التصدعات‬،‫الضغط الكبري الذي يسبب تصدعات مما يؤدي إىل إضعاف الصخور السطحية‬ .‫ كيلومرتات‬10 ‫الناجتة يف هذه املنطقة إىل‬ ‫وحىت اآلن ال يوجد اتفاق تام على الكيفية اليت جيب بها قياس قوة الشد يف كتل الصخور الضخمة وهي من‬ .‫املسائل اجلوهرية يف مشاريع اهلندسة مبا يف ذلك أعمال التعدين واألنفاق‬ .‫واملعروف أن قوة الصخور الضخمة تقل عن القوة اليت يتم حتديدها يف الصخور الصغرية ىف أعمال املخترب‬ ‫وقد اعتمد املهندسون تارخييا على التقييمات اليت يتم احلصول عليها من خالل املالحظات والتجارب‬ .‫وتقدير قوة الشد على أساس عدد التصدعات املرئية‬ ‫وتناول الربوفيسور جونسون يف ورقته البحثية تقدير قوة الشد يف كتل صخور اجلرانيت عند مقياس الكيلومرت‬ ‫بإستخدام املالحظات من جهاز رادار يعمل بفرز حزم الضوء بفتحة اصطناعية من األقمار االصطناعية غري‬ ‫ ويقوم القمر االصطناعي ببث إشارة رادار ويقيس‬، ‫العسكرية إىل سطح إزاحة على خريطة ثالثية األبعاد‬ ‫ وباستخدام هذه النتائج متكن‬.‫ وبذلك يتم بناء صورة للسطح غري املنتظم‬، ‫الطول الذي يستغرقه للعودة‬ ‫ وتوفر جمموعة هذه املعلومات مع‬.‫الربوفيسور جونسون من قياس املكونات املختلفة لشد السطح‬ .‫حدوث التصدعات الضغطية تقديرا لقوة كتل الصخور ملسافة كيلومرت‬ ‫ولعمل خرائط حركات األرض تطبيقات هامة خبالف أعمال التعدين كما ان استهالك املياه بشكل سريع‬ ‫يف الطبقات احلاملة للماء بسرعة يؤدي إىل انهيار الطبقات مث اخنفاضات يف سطح األرض وهو ما يتضح‬ ‫ ويف عمليات استخالص‬.‫يف أماكن يف اليمن حيث يتم استهالك كميات ضخمة من املياه ألغراض الزراعة‬ ‫ ميكن تقدير الرتكيبات حتت السطح والنفاذية للمساعدة يف حتديد مواقع اآلبار بهدف حتسني‬،‫الزيت‬  .‫اإلنتاجية‬

helping to place new wells for enhanced productivity. 

WEP Keynote Lecture Highlight – Philippe Cousteau Jr.

of EarthEcho International, a nonprofit organization

“Our Oceans, Ourselves”

that engages and empowers youth to take action for a brighter future. His tools are simple: education, bal-

Explorer, social entrepreneur, and environmental

50

Professor Sigurjón Jónsson

Figure 1. Surface deformation above the 2009 Harrat Lunayyir dike intrusion in western Saudi Arabia. The inset shows the location of the study area as well other lava provinces (dark). (a) InSAR data with each color-fringe representing 11.8 cm of ground displacement into the line-ofsight (LOS) direction (arrow) of the imaging ALOS satellite. The area covered in Figure 1b is shown with a dashed rectangle. (b) Derived horizontal (arrows) and vertical (colormap) surface displacements, mapped faults and fractures (black lines). Coordinates are in UTM-km, zone 37R.

USING Insar to estimate rock-mass strength

-50

anced advocacy, and a commitment to action. 

advocate Philippe Cousteau is the 32-year-old son of Philippe Cousteau Sr., and grandson of Jacques Yves Cousteau. He is the President and co-founder

wep.acadox.com

4

November 2012

Research Awards

The Beacon

2012 ‫ باحثًا حيصدون جوائز منح سابك ملا بعد الدكتوراه للعام‬13 sabic postdoctoral fellowship awards 2012 Dr. Rakhi Raghavan Baby, India Advisor: Professor Husam Alshareef Physical Sciences and Engineering Division “Nanostructured Electrodes for Energy Storage Devices”

Dr. Yin Chen, China

Advisor: Professor Jean-Marie Basset Catalysis Research Center “Silica-supported Trisiloxy Tantalum (≡SiO)3Ta(III) as Self-activated Catalyst for Ethylene Oligomerization and Polymerization”

Dr. Hailin Dong, China

Advisors: Professor Jean-Marie Basset and Dr. Jeremie Pelletier Catalysis Research Center “Preparation and Catalysis Investigation of Surface Niobium-Oxo Complexes”

Dr. Kenneth Graham, US

Advisor: Professor Aram Amassian Physical Sciences and Engineering Division “Improving the Performance of Organic Solar Cells by Controlling Molecular Conformation at the Donor-Acceptor interface”

Dr. Yulia Medvedeva, Russia

Advisor: Professor Vladimir Bajic Computational Bioscience Research Center “Improved Recognition of Industrially Important Enzymes: Application to Metagenomic Data from Red Sea Samples”

Dr. Mousumi Upadhyay Kahaly, India

Advisor: Professor Udo Schwingenschlögl Physical Sciences and Engineering Division “Graphene/Polymer Interaction: Effect of Composition and Controlled Structural Defects Leading to New Device Applications and Solar Energy Harvesting”

Dr. Yichang Pan, China

Advisor: Professor Zhiping Lai Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center “Development of High-performance Membranes for Separation of Hydrocarbon Mixtures”

Dr. Kihong Park, Republic of Korea

Advisor: Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini Physical Sciences and Engineering Division “Energy-Efficient Cooperative Communications Toward Green Wireless Networks”

Dr. Umesh PATIL, India

Advisor: Professor Jean-Marie Basset Catalysis Research Center “Catalytic Oxidation of Methane to Acetic Acid Over Silicasupported Heteropolyacids”

Dr. Luke Thompson, US

Advisor: Professor Uli Stingl Red Sea Research Center “Adaptation of Marine Cyanobacteria to Possible Global Warming Scenarios”

Dr. Krishna Katuri, India

Advisor: Professor Pascal Saikaly Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center “Bioelectrochemical System Coupled With Conductive Membrane Filtration Technology: Biotechnology Advancements Providing Sustainable Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse”

Dr. Venu M. Margam, India

Advisors: Professors Arnab Pain and Vladimir Bajic Computational Bioscience Research Center “Understanding Biology and Management of the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Genomic Approach”

Dr. Jiming Jiang, China

Advisor: Professor Christian Claudel Physical Sciences and Engineering Division “Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Detection”

Thirteen KAUST postdoctoral fellows were granted fellowships as part of the second annual SABIC Postdoctoral Awards at a ceremony on October 17.

The award winners are outstanding researchers whose projects address the long-term research strategies of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), KAUST, and the Kingdom in areas such as solar energy, feedstock and catalysis, separations, biorenewables, computation, and environmental sciences.

SABIC, a KAUST Strategic Partner since 2009, was founded by Royal Decree in 1976 to convert oil byproducts into useful chemicals, polymers, and fertilizers. The company has since grown to be one of the most successful chemical companies in the world. SABIC is committed to sponsoring and promoting cutting-edge research at higher education institutes in the Kingdom, and to supporting the University’s mission via several key avenues.

At the ceremony, Professor Choon Fong Shih, President of KAUST, thanked SABIC for their partnership and support. “The future of KAUST is embedded in our commitment to enquiry, openness, and excellence,” he said. “Our research is focused on the big problems facing humanity: water, food, energy, and the environment. SABIC’s continued philanthropic support of pioneering research is most welcome. SABIC and KAUST share a desire to harness science and technology for the benefit of the people of Saudi Arabia and beyond.”

In his address, Mr. Mohammed Al Mady, the Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC, talked about KAUST’s importance both as a regional center of teaching and research, and as an important Strategic Partner. “SABIC is committed to encouraging new ideas and to seeking effective solutions,” he said. “We believe in the power of human ingenuity, which is why we are committed to encouraging scientists and promoting cutting-edge research at higher education institutes in Saudi Arabia.”  (See page 5 Student Innovation for further SABIC involvement.)

‫ باحثًا من جامعة امللك عبداهلل منح سابك ألحباث ما بعد الدكتوراه واليت تأيت كجزء من دورة‬13 ‫نال‬ .‫ أكتوبر املاضي‬17 ‫اجلوائز السنوية الثانية يف احتفال نظم يف‬ ‫ويعد الفائزون باجلوائز من الباحثني املميزين أصحاب األحباث اليت تتناول اسرتاتيجيات األحباث بعيدة‬ ‫املدى ذات األهمية لسابك وجامعة امللك عبداهلل املتمثلة يف الطاقة الشمسية والتحفيز الكيميائي‬ .‫وعمليات الفرز والوقود احليوي املتجدد واحلوسبة وعلوم البيئة‬ ‫ وتأسست مبوجب املرسوم‬2009 ‫وسابك هي شريك اسرتاتيجي جلامعة امللك عبدااهلل منذ العام‬ ‫ بهدف حتويل منتجات الزيت الثانوية إىل مواد كيميائية مفيدة ومواد‬1976 ‫امللكي الصادر يف العام‬ ‫ ومنذ ذلك الوقت منت الشركة لتصبح واحدة من أجنح شركات البرتوكيميائية يف‬.‫بوليمر وأمسدة‬ ‫ وهي شركة ملتزمة كل االلتزام يتطوير األحباث املتقدمة يف معاهد التعليم العايل يف اململكة‬.‫العامل‬ .‫ومساندة رسالة جامعة امللك عبداهلل من خالل العديد من الوسائل‬ ‫ عن شكره لسابك على شراكتها‬،‫ رئيس جامعة امللك عبداهلل‬،‫وأعرب الربوفسور تشون فونغ شيه‬ ‫ودعمها للمناسبة وقال إن مستقبل اجلامعة يكمن يف التزامها بإثارة األسئلة واالنفتاح والتميز وذكر‬ ‫أن أحباث اجلامعة تركز على املشاكل الكربى اليت تواجه البشرية واملتمثلة يف املاء والغذاء والطاقة‬ ‫ كما أعرب الربوفسور شي عن ترحيبه التام مبساندة سابك اخلريية للمشاريع الرائدة واختتم‬.‫والبيئة‬ ‫حديثه بالقول إن سابك واجلامعة جيمع بينهما الرغبة يف حشد العلوم والتقنية واستغالهلما خلري شعب‬ .‫اململكة والعامل قاطبة‬ ‫ يف كلمته إىل أهمية‬،‫ نائب الرئيس وكبري اإلداريني التنفيذيني يف سابك‬،‫وتطرق السيد حممد املاضي‬ ‫ كما أكد اميان‬،‫اجلامعة كمركز اقليمي ملتزم بتشجيع األفكار اجلديدة والبحث عن احللول الفعالة‬ ‫سابك بالعبقرية اإلنسانية وهي السبب وراء التزامها بتشجيع العلماء ودعم األحباث املتقدمة يف‬  .‫مؤسسات التعليم العايل يف اململكة العربية السعودية‬

Research Awards

www.kaust.edu.sa

November 2012

Dow suStainability

Prototype Thermoelectric Glass Panel

Salman Bin Inayat, a student who has almost

if you focus on the big picture, confident

completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering

that your idea can make a contribution to the

(EE), took first prize in the 2012 Dow

world, and not allowing intermediate failures

Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge

to distract you.”

Award (SISCA), with Mahmoud Ouda, also

In contrast, Ouda’s entry, “RF energy har-

pursuing his doctorate in EE, taking second

vesting chip for biomedical implantable

prize. A total of 28 graduate students from

wireless sensor,” provides a platform for bat-

eight programs competed for the US$10,000

tery-less, miniaturized wireless sensors that

first prize, and the US$2,500 runner up award,

can be implanted inside the human body to

both of which can be used entirely at the stu-

monitor physical properties such as intraocu-

dent’s discretion.

lar pressure or body temperature, sending the

These awards recognize and reward students

measurements wirelessly to an external reader.

for their research in developing sustainable

As a battery-less device, it is implanted only

solutions to pressing global economic, social,

once with no need for invasive operations to

and environmental issues. The award encour-

replace the sensor battery.

ages innovative thinking, economic and

Apart from its use in biomedical implants,

social responsibility, academic excellence, and

this sensor platform has diverse applications

interdisciplinary collaboration, and seeks to

including asset management, tracking goods

acknowledge the commitment and enthusiasm

in the supply chain, contactless smart cards,

of the dedicated students and universities that

and wireless sensors for smart buildings and

support such efforts.

home automation.

The winning ideas were actually quite dif-

“It was a very useful experience to partici-

ferent, reflecting the diversity in the Electrical

pate in the DOW SISCA this year,” said Ouda. “I

Engineering program.

feel further motivated to continue my research

Inayat’s winning entry, “Thermoelectricity

sors and drive them into the real world.”

ings,” capitalizes on the naturally occurring

The prizes were presented by Dr.

temperature gradient between sun warmed

Ilham Kadri, General Manager, Dow

external surfaces of buildings and their cooler

Advanced Materials Division,

internal walls to generate thermoelectric-

and Commercial Director, Dow

ity. The building doesn’t even need to be air

Water and Process Solutions.

conditioned, as even a minimal temperature

Dr. Khadri also gave an

gradient between the outdoor and indoor envi-

engaging and informative

ronment can be used to generate electricity.

lecture entitled “Chemistry

Nano-manufactured pellets from nanoscale

Fueling Possibility: How

3 mm vitreous body ora serrata ciliary muscle

pupil anterior chamber cornea iris

Chemistry Solutions Can

the entire depth of window thickness glass and

Bring a Sustainable Future,”

interconnected using custom built copper con-

as part of the day highlighting student research in the areas of

“This award has strengthened my belief in

Dr. Ilham Kadri, General Manager, Dow Advanced Materials Division, and Commercial Director, Dow Water and Process Solutions with Professor Brian Moran

ciliary zonules canal of Schlemm

thermoelectric powders are inserted through

‘daring to dream’,” said Inayat. “The unex-

Student runner-up Mahmoud Ouda

towards sustainable, battery-less, wireless sen-

from windows for energy efficient build-

tacts (see fig. at top right).

5

lens cortex lens nucleus ciliary process conjunctiva ** Real chip size relative to Saudi coin

sustainability and innovation in

* Not to scale

Micro-photograph for the battery-less, implantable wireless sensor chip

Saudi Arabia. 

plored frontiers in science can be conquered

STUDENT DESIGNS INNOVATIVE MEMORY DEVICE

The memory device comprises nanoscale phase-separated blends of two different materials: a ferroelectric and semiconducting polymer. This concept of phase-separated polymers has been used in the field of bulk heterojunction solar cells but is novel to memory devices. These transparent devices are ideal for flexible and plastic electronics.

Polymer memories targeting

They can be fabricated at low temperatures over large

next generation transparent and

areas, and are suitable for low-cost printing.

flexible electronics are expe-

Further, the memory devices exhibit

riencing unprecedented levels

excellent performance with high

of research activity. They are

ON/OFF ratios, low operat-

expected to be a leading tech-

ing voltages, and excellent

nology in flexible electronics,

retention properties.

estimated to be a US$80 billion

Under the supervision

industry by 2025. Researchers

of Prof. Husam Alshareef,

worldwide are using different

Khan and postdoctoral fel-

materials and device designs to

low Dr. Unnat Bhansali

fabricate the ultimate polymer memory system with high performance,

have been performing high

large storage density, and good stability. Mohammad Adnan Khan, a

caliber research on polymer

founding class PhD student in the Functional Nanomaterials and Devices

electronics at KAUST, (D0I:

Laboratory, has recently designed and fabricated a novel high perfor-

10.1002/adma.201200626).

mance all-polymer memory device. The work was done entirely at KAUST

Khan, whose research is being supplemented by a SABIC grant,

in close collaboration with industry partner SABIC. The work has been

is working on developing polymeric electronics and solid-state

accepted for publication in the high impact journal Advanced Functional

energy storage devices on plastic substrates provided by SABIC.

Materials and has been selected for highlighting on their materials sci-

“The grant from SABIC is definitely helping to accelerate my

ence news website, MaterialsViews.com. (http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/

research," says Khan. “We have already filed three patent applica-

adfm.201202724)

tions with SABIC around this work.“ 

Schematic 3-D cross section of all polymer memory devices with phase separated network of P(VDF-TrFE) and PCBM polymers, and PEDOT:PSS electrodes (blue-colored). The top PEDOT:PSS electrodes were ink-jet printed

6

Student Research

November 2012

The Beacon

Student-authored papers This two-page spread celebrates the work of our graduate scholars in a snapshot of recent pub-

publications may impact their chances of success as they look for subsequent funding and posi-

lications to which students have made significant contributions. A quick glance reveals that

tions. Solo-authored papers or papers in which the student is first author are the gold standard,

the papers are wide-ranging, encompassing research from basic science to the development

while co-authored papers demonstrate that the student can work effectively and collaboratively as

of computational tools and further to medical and industrial applications. Some of the incre-

part of a team. At universities with international partnerships, such as KAUST, inter-institutional

mental research represented has required hard graft; other papers reveal the results of careful

publications demonstrate that the student is already part of a global network of researchers.

observation over long periods of time; in one case a publication resulted from a serendipitous

A more inclusive list of recent publications featuring student contributing authors can be

observation. This is a reflection of how the body of knowledge we draw from has developed for

accessed at http://www.kaust.edu.sa/thebeacon/Student-Publications-2011-to-2012.pdf or by

centuries past.

using the QR code at the end of the article. The names of the student authors are in bold and the

As part of a postgraduate degree, students are encouraged to publish research papers and these

name of his/her supervisor is underlined. 

pathogen frequently causes cattle to miscarry, costing the

http://dx.doi.org/10.3755/galaxea.13.23 Most hard corals are known to reproduce only once a year, at night, mostly in the hours following sunset. This paper follows a serendipitous observation by PhD candidate Jessica Bouwmeester, a student in Professor Michael Berumen's Coral Reef Ecology Lab. One morning, while Bouwmeester was diving for one of her monthly coral surveys, she witnessed the simultaneous spawning

Seasonal variations in vertical migration of glacier lanternfish, Benthosema glaciale Eivind Dypvik, Anders Røstad, and Stein Kaartvedt.

Marine Biology. 2012 Aug;159(8):1673-1683

(release of sperm and eggs) of every visible colony of a widelydistributed Indo-Pacific coral common in the Red Sea: Pocillopora verrucosa, popularly known as "raspberry coral." The reproductive event lasted no more than 30 minutes and was the first time that this particular coral species was observed spawning in the wild.

Few coral species are known to spawn in the daytime and this

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1953-2

particular timing raises more questions on the environmental trig-

Lanternfish are small fish found in all the world's oceans, hiding

gers involved in the spawning event; these are still not clear even

in dark waters several hundred meters deep during the day, and

for the more common nocturnal spawning corals. Moreover, it

migrating to upper, productive layers to forage in the shelter of

was previously understood that the main reason coral reproduce

darkness. Until now, studies of lanternfish have been short, with

at night is to protect the highly nutritive eggs from hungry fish.

farming industry US$ millions every year. As part of a large consortium of scientists, a comparative analysis of the genomes of the two organisms was undertaken to understand why one organism chooses one host over another. The two genomes were sequenced and annotated using automated methods and a list of genes unique to each species produced. KAUST PhD candidate Grant Hill-Cawthorne played a critical role in reviewing and correcting the annotations of both genomes to produce a final list of genomic differences between the two species. This manual process necessitated extensive knowledge of both protozoan genetics and biology. The results showed significant changes in secreted proteins related to genes involved in entry of the parasites within the host cell between the two organisms. This indicates that ecological niches can be defined by only a few genomic changes, and that the two genomes, which diverged approximately 28 million years ago, are still remarkably similar.

results only representing snapshots in time. In this study, PhD

Knowing when corals reproduce is vital to the development

student Eivind Dypvik, his supervisor, Professor Stein Kaartvedt,

of informed conservation strategies, especially when this spawn-

Defining the protein interaction network of human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

and KAUST research scientist Anders Røstad took advantage of

ing event happens just once a year. For example, coral eggs and

Abhinay Ramaprasad, Arnab Pain, and Timothy Ravasi

the unique opportunity afforded by the depth of Norwegian fjords

sperm, as well as newly fertilized eggs, are very sensitive to

Genomics. 2012 Feb;99(2):69-75. Epub 2011 Dec 8.

to study deep-sea organisms in a simple and logical way with

changes in water chemistry, so avoiding any form of water pollu-

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2011.11.006

some unexpected results.

tion during the first few days after spawning can greatly enhance

PhD student Abhinay Ramaprasad originally wrote the core of

the survival rate of coral larvae.

this paper as part of an exercise in a taught course for his mas-

The authors deployed an upward facing echo sounder at about 400 m depth to study the behavior of the glacier lanternfish. The

ter’s degree at KAUST. High-throughput sequencing technologies

The data unveiled surprisingly diverse behavior patterns among

C ompara t i v e genomics of t he Apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum: Coccidia differing in host range and transmission strategy

the lanternfish; the population separated into different migration

Adam James Reid, Sarah J. Vermont, James A. Cotton, David

tein interaction network with varying levels of accuracy. At the

patterns, which varied throughout the year with the abundance and

Harris, Grant A. Hill-Cawthorne, Stephanie Könen-Waisman,

same time, some protein interactions are conserved across differ-

distribution of prey.

Sophia M. Latham, Tobias Mourier, Rebecca Norton, Michael A.

ent organisms - making it easy to predict these interactions in a newly studied organism.

echo sounder was powered by an onshore cable, eliminating limitations on power and data storage capacity; this paper presents results from the continuous high-resolution data of 16 months of study with data collected every second.

allow the identification of an organism’s complete repertoire of genes and the proteins they encode. But how do these proteins interact with each other to form the internal machinery of the cell? Various experimental techniques help to answer this question but each covers only a part of the complete pro-

This study forms just one part of Dypvik's PhD thesis, which

Quail, Mandy Sanders, Dhanasekaran Shanmugam, Amandeep

also includes studies of lanternfish in the Red Sea. The aim is to

Sohal, James D. Wasmuth, Brian Brunk, Michael E. Grigg,

These different sources of information can be integrated

reveal general mechanisms governing lanternfish behavior under

Jonathan C. Howard, John Parkinson, David S. Roos, Alexander

computationally to get a bird’s eye view of a more accurate

different environmental conditions.

J. Trees, Matthew Berriman, Arnab Pain, and Jonathan M.

and complete protein interaction network. Many such studies

Wastling.

have been recently carried out in Plasmodium falciparum, the

PLoS Pathogen. 2012;8(3):e1002567. Epub 2012 Mar 22.

malaria pathogen that poses a grave threat to global health. In

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1002567

this publication, Ramaprasad reviewed the different approaches,

Although Toxoplasma gondii infects a third of the human popu-

their key findings, and their pros and cons. It is hoped that this

Day t ime broadcas t spawning of Pocillopora verrucosa on coral reefs of the central Red Sea Jessica Bouwmeester, Michael Lee Berumen, and Andrew

lation and is found in a large range of different vertebrates, the

will aid in developing better computational methods of infer-

Hamilton Baird. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies.

closely related parasite Neospora caninum never infects human

ring Plasmodium falciparum’s protein interaction network in

2011;13(1):23-24 (Released 2012)

and is only found in dogs and cattle. This important veterinary

the future.

Eivind Dypvik

Jessica Bouwmeester

Abhinay Ramaprasad

Ronell Sicat

Thaneshwor P. Kaloni

Grant A. Hill-Cawthorne

www.kaust.edu.sa

Student Research by heating them using lasers instead of conventional ovens. He further demonstrated novel and efficient designs based on this new and exciting technology.

Inkjet printing technology makes the large-scale production of electronics more cost effective than the existing fabrication processes. The future of this technology will enable printing of electronics such as wearable devices for medical monitoring, cheap and flexible RFID tags for inventory and personnel tracking, and foldable TV screens, etc. Finally, this is an environmentally friendly

PyClaw: accessible, extensible, scalable tools for wave propagation problems David I. Ketcheson, Kyle T. Mandli, Aron Ahmadia, Amal

("green") technology, which due to its low cost and organic nature is very suitable for futuristic disposable electronics devices. Further information is available at impact.kaust.edu.sa

Alghamdi, Manuel Quezada, Matteo Parsani, Matthew G.

November 2012

7

The paper explains the origin of the different doping states and the transition conditions. Depending on the intercalation pattern, both p- and n-type states and their possible coexistence can be tailored, opening a potential for constructing new graphene-based lateral p-n junctions.

Fullerene-catalyzed reduction of azo in water under UV irradiation Yong Guo, Wengang Li, Jingjing Yan, Basem Moosa, Ma’an Amad, Charles J. Werth, and Niveen M. Khashab. Chemistry – An Asian Journal. 2012; (Epub ahead of print) http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asia.201200701 Catalysts are used to accelerate chemical reactions and are vital to

SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing. 2012;34(4):C210-C231

Nano-materials enabled thermoelectricity from window glasses

http://dx.doi.org/10.1137/110856976

Salman B. Inayat, Kelly R. Rader, and Muhammad M. Hussain.

metals is important not only because of their scarcity and conse-

The work of student authors Amal Alghamdi (MS Computer

Scientific Reports. 2012;2:841. Epub 2012 Nov 13.

quent expense, but also because the leaching of the metals in the

Science, 2012) and Manuel Quezada (MS Applied Mathematics and

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep00841

process can be a threat to the environment and to human health.

Computational Science, 2011) formed the basis for this recent pub-

[Winner of DOW SISCA 2012]

Knepley, and Matthew Emmett.

the production of end products as diverse as fertilizers, drugs, and gasoline. Finding alternative catalysts to the non-renewable noble

PhD students Wenglang Yi and Jingjing Yan were part of the

lication in the SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing. Alghamdi's

Salman Bin Inayat, an Electrical Engineering PhD stu-

team, under the supervision of Postdoctoral Fellow Yon Guo,

thesis work focused on development of a massively parallel solver

dent in Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain’s Integrated

looking for alternative metal-free catalysts for the reduction of

for hyperbolic partial differential equations. In Quezada's the-

Nanotechnology Laboratory group, is the first author of a paper

industrial dyes. This paper discusses the replacement of noble

sis, Alghamdi's code was used to enable multi-scale simulations

that was published in the latest issue of Scientific Reports, an

metal catalysts by fullerene (C60), a carbon allotrope, to catalyze

of nonlinear solitary waves in periodic media, revealing new

online journal from the Nature Publishing Group.

the reduction of azo dye compounds, for example methyl orange

kinds of wave behavior not previously observed. The paper com-

The paper, "Nano-Materials Enabled Thermoelectricity from

bines these developments, describing a new approach to scientific

Window Glasses," describes how Inayat and the research team devel-

theoretical results show that C60 may catalyze this reaction by using

software design that is demonstrated through Alghamdi's state-of-

oped a novel nanomaterial-based thermoelectric device that harvests

its vacant orbital to accept the electron in the bonding orbital of

the-art PyClaw package; its effectiveness is demonstrated through

energy from a window glass using the temperature gradient between

azo dyes, which leads to their activation. This work provides new

the results obtained by Quezada. The computations in the paper

solar heated outdoor and relatively cold inside of a building.

insight on the catalytic performance of fullerene and furthers the

were run on Shaheen, using approximately 3 million core-hours.

The researchers explored how to integrate micro to nano-scale

The article, which the students co-authored with researchers from

thermoelectric pellets within the composition of a glass window,

KAUST and abroad, was actively solicited by the journal's editor-in-

and how to generate and harness thermoelectricity that results

chief and appeared in a new section focusing on scientific software.

from even a slight temperature gradient that exists between the

- widely used as a pH indicator. The detailed experimental and

quest for novel green metal-free catalysts.

Sparse PDF Maps for Non-Linear MultiResolution Image Operations

When using a 9 m2 window glass with a 20°C temperature gradi-

The seismic cycle at subduction thrust faults: 2. Dynamic implications of geodynamic simulations benchmarked with laboratory models

ent, the new method has the potential to generate over 300 watts

Ylona van Dinther, Taras V. Gerya, Fabio Corbi, Luis A. Dalguer,

Markus Hadwiger, Ronell Sicat, Johanna Beyer, Jens Krüger, and

of usable power. The electricity could then be used as a supplemen-

Francesca Funiciello, and P. Martin Mai. Revised for Geophys.

Torsten Möller.

tary power source for small appliances. The research work secured

Res. (to appear fall 2012)

ACM Transactions on Graphics, 31(6). (Proceedings ACM

Inayat the first prize at the recent 2012 Dow Sustainability and

One benefit for students and faculty at a university with strong

SIGGRAPH Asia 2012) pp. 198:1-198:12.2012.

Innovation Student Challenge (see page 5).

international cooperation is the opportunity for highly innovative

two opposite faces of a glass window panel.

http://faculty.kaust.edu.sa/sites/markushadwiger/Documents/

research that would otherwise be impossible in a single-investi-

sparse_pdf_maps.pdf

gator lab. Results of such an exciting collaboration are currently

PhD student Ronell Sicat works in the area of petascale visuali-

under revision for Journal of Geophysical Research, to be pub-

zation at the Geometric Modeling and Scientific Visualization

lished in a set of two papers by PhD student Ylona van Dinther,

(GMSV) Center. One important goal of this research is the design

her advisor, Professor Mai, and an international team of scien-

of new multi-resolution representations and operations for

tists at Roma Tre University, Italy, and Eidgenössische Technische

large-scale image and volume data.

Hochschule (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland. The study investigates the

Sicat has contributed significantly to the Sparse PDF Maps

physics and properties of mega-earthquakes, such as the 2011

paper to be presented at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 in Singapore

Tohoku (Japan) and the 2004 Sumatra event, by combining novel

this month. The representation described in the paper enables the

analog laboratory experiments with high-end computer simula-

accurate and scalable evaluation of non-linear image operations at

tions using a visco-elasto-plastic numerical modeling approach.

gigapixel images. Integral to such representations is the initial con-

Ge-intercalated graphene: The origin of the p-type to n-type transition

version of the high-resolution input image into a Sparse PDF Map.

Thaneshwor P. Kaloni, Mousumi Upadhyay-Kahaly, Y.C. Cheng,

institutions. Her work illuminates the conditions for earthquake

and Udo Schwingenschlögl. EPL. 2012;99:57002

nucleation, the preferred rupture propagation towards the Earth

mobile devices and desktops to large display walls such as those in

http://dx.doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/99/57002

surface (which may then lead to large tsunamis), and how the

KAUST’s Visualization Lab. Sparse PDF Maps enable a wide range

Inserting foreign atoms or molecules into the graphene layers of

earthquake cycle behaves over long periods of time. While this

of filters and other operators that are important for processing

graphite gives the material properties that are distinctly differ-

work cannot help to “predict” earthquakes, it helps us to under-

and visualizing high-resolution imagery such as satellite images

ent from those of pristine graphite. In a recently published paper

stand how the Earth “prepares” for the next big quake – such that

(e.g., the NASA Blue Marble collection), and microscopy images

"Ge-intercalated graphene: The origin of the p-type to n-type

potentially we can be better prepared. 

in neuroscience, materials science, or biology. In the future, it is

transition," PhD student Thaneshwor Kaloni and colleagues

hoped to extend this representation to petascale volume data, for

describe how germanium (Ge) atoms affect the structural and

example electron microscopy volumes in neuroscience.

electronic properties of graphene. The paper was published

any output resolution – a novel representation of high-resolution

Such imagery is used on a wide range of output devices, from

Being involved in the laboratory measurements and leading the numerical work herself, van Dinther spent time at all three

in EPL, a peer-reviewed journal published on behalf of 18

A more inclusive list of recent

Inkjet printing of novel wideband and high gain antennas on low-cost paper substrate

European physical societies.

publications featuring student

– and his colleagues addressed the effect of Ge on the electronic

accessed at http://www.kaust.

Benjamin S. Cook and Atif Shamim.

structure by studying Ge-intercalated freestanding C6 and C8

edu.sa/thebeacon/Student-

IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. 2012 Sept;

bilayer graphene, bulk C6Ge and C8Ge, and Ge-intercalated gra-

Publications-2011-to-2012.

60(9):4148-4156.

phene. The study was done on a SiC(0001) substrate using density

pdf or by using this QR code.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2012.2207079

functional theory. Under these conditions there were three ways

Student author Benjamin Cook uses inkjet printing with inks

to obtain n-type graphene: i) intercalation between C layers; ii)

composed of metal or semiconductor, learning these techniques

intercalation at the interface to the substrate in combination with

on the job. Experimenting with these nano-particle based inks, he

Ge deposition on the surface; and iii) cluster intercalation. All

reduced the processing time from several hours to a few minutes

other configurations resulted in p-type states.

Kaloni – who studies under Professor Udo Schwingenschlögl

contributing authors can be

8

October 2012

Community

The Beacon

Garth Tissington and Unnat Bahansali, Men's Doubles Winners

Prof. Boon Ooi competing in Men's Singles

The President’s Cup Badminton Tournament No fewer than 51 KAUST community members, including President Shih himself, took part in the Badminton Tournament one October weekend.

There was fierce competition in a series of exciting matches with the young‫قام كل من كريسرت فوجليسانج و هيلني شارمني و ميجيل لوبيز اليجريا مستكشفي الفضاء بزيارة اململكة حلضور مؤمتر رابطة‬ .‫ كما قاموا بزيارة جلامعة امللك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية وقدموا عرضا مشوقًا عن رحالت الفضاء‬،‫مستكشفي الفضاء يف الرياض‬ Christer Fuglesang, Helen Sharmin, and Miguel Lopez-Alegria, space explorers in Kingdom for the ASE Planetary Congress in Riyadh, recently visited the University and gave an enlightening presentation on their space exploits to a packed auditorium. They are shown above with Rachid Sougrat in the Nanotechnology Laboratory.

est competitor just 16 years old.

The event drew a diverse audience of community members of all ages. The championship was made up of four categories: Men’s and Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. The tournament was sponsored by Graduate Affairs, the Office of the President and the University Badminton Association; it was organized by KAUST Recreation.

President Shih feels passionately about the sport, which he hopes to popularize further in the community. He spoke to The Beacon about the many

my university

health benefits of badminton, a game that has its origins in Pune, India, and was originally played not with a shuttlecock, but with a ball of wool. Asian

Haitham Ashoor

nations now dominate the sport at Olympic-level play. Not only does the

Haitham Ashoor, a Jordanian from Karak, is a PhD student in Computer Science. A

aerobic exercise involved promote physical fitness, but also the format of the

founding and Discovery Scholarship student, Haitham has completed a MS degree at

game contributes to mental and emotional well being. Players must develop

KAUST in computer science and is now pursuing his doctoral degree in the same field.

agility of both mind and body in a game known as “physical chess,” where

His research involves developing computational algorithms to solve biological problems.

decisions must be made quickly to achieve results. Above all, badminton is

He has been working with Yulia Medvedeva, one of the SABIC Postdoc Award winners,

a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and is enormous fun.

(see page 4) trying to identify transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) for a specific transcription factor using ChIP-seq data. TFBSs work as switches to control genes in DNA. When the switch is on, the gene is either activated or deactivated.

Haitham is employing motif finding, a computational method to find over-represented DNA patterns in a group of DNA sequences, in order to find binding sites. The method developed uses data from ChIP-seq, but

Xiaojuan Huang, the Women's Singles Runner Up

Xixiang Zhang and Glenn Carney, Men's Doubles Runner Ups

needs computational processing. In essence, by modeling sequences to determine where proteins bind to DNA to make cells perform a particular function, the molecular mechanism behind fundamental biological processes are explored.

Haitham is an equally contributing first author of “Dragon TIS Spotter: an Arabidopsis-Derived Predictor of Translation Initiation Sites in Plants.” Bioinformatics, 2012; doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/bts638. Other contributors to the article are Arturo M. Mora, Boris J. Janovic, Allan Kamau, Karim Awara, Rajeesh Chowdhary, John A. C. Archer, and Vladamir B. Bajic. 

David Keyes Named Inaugural Fellow of American Mathematical Society Professor David Keyes, Dean of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE), was recently named to the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society, a professional society of 30,000 members worldwide.

The Fellows designation recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics. According to AMS President Eric M. Friedlander, “Recent advances in mathematics include solutions to age-old problems and key applications useful for society. The new AMS Fellows Program recognizes some of the most accomplished mathematicians —AMS members who have contributed to our understanding of deep and important mathematical questions, to applications throughout the scientific world, and to educational excellence." 

FAHAD Khan RECEIVES POSTER AWARD Fahd Ahmed Khan, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering, received the best poster award at the IEEE Symposium on New Frontiers in Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks in Bellevue, Washington, US, in October. Khan’s work, “Outage and SER Performance of an Opportunistic Multi-User Underlay Cognitive Network," was co-authored by his PhD advisor, Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini, and Dr. Kamel Tourki and Prof. Khalid Qaraqe from Texas A&M University, Qatar.

Khan received his BSc in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan, and his MSc in Communications Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. His research interests include design and performance analysis of cooperative and cognitive relaying systems. 

‫تسمية الربوفسور ديفيد كييز كواحد من أوائل‬ ‫الزمالء يف مجعية الرياضيات األمريكية‬

‫ عميد قسم علوم وهندسة احلاسوب والعلوم الكهربائية‬،‫جرى مؤخرا تسمية الربوفسور ديفيد كييز‬ ‫يف جامعة امللك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية ضمن الفصل االفتتاحي جلمعية الرياضيات األمريكية اليت‬ ‫ وتأيت هذه الزمالة تقديرا لألعضاء ممن أسهموا‬.‫ عضوا على نطاق العامل‬30000 ‫تضم يف عضويتها‬ ‫ ويأيت برنامج الزمالة اجلديد‬.‫بصورة مقدرة يف تطوير واستعراض وتقدم واستخدام علوم الرياضيات‬ ‫يف اجلمعية تقديرا ألكثر علماء الرياضيات إجنازا ولألعضاء ممن أسهموا يف فهمنا لألسئلة العميقة‬  .‫واهلامة املتعلقة بالرياضيات والتطبيقات يف كامل عامل العلوم والتميز يف التعليم‬

‫فهد خان حيصل على جائزة أفضل مطوية‬

‫ قسم علوم وهندسة‬،‫ وهو أحد طالب درجة الدكتوراه يف اهلندسة الكهربائية‬،‫حصد فهد أمحد خان‬ ‫ جائزة أفضل مطوية بوسرت يف ندوة معهد مهندسي الكهرباء‬،‫احلاسوب والكهرباء والرياضيات‬ ،‫” اليت نظمت يف بيلفيو‬New Frontiers in Dynamic Access Networks" ‫وااللكرتونيات حول‬ ‫ وتعد هذه الندوة املؤمتر الدويل األول املكرس لتطوير‬.‫ يف شهر أكتوبر‬،‫ الواليات املتحدة‬،‫واشنطن‬ .‫التقنيات الالسلكية املتقدمة واألنظمة والسياسات اخلاصة بها‬ ‫وجاء عمل خان حتت عنوان‬ Outage and SER Performance of an Opportunistic Multi-User Underlay Cognitive" "Network ‫ والدكتور‬،‫ الربوفسور حممد سليم العويين‬،‫وقد شارك يف إنتاج العمل املشرف على درجة الدكتوراه‬ .‫كامل تركي والربوفسور خالد قاراق من جامعة تكساس أ أند م يف قطر‬ ‫وقد حصل خان على درجة بكالوريوس علوم يف اهلندسة الكهربائية من اجلامعة الوطنية للعلوم‬ ‫ وأكمل دراسته لنيل درجة املاجستري يف هندسة االتصاالت من‬،‫ باكستان‬،‫والتقنية يف اسالم اباد‬ .2009 ‫جامعة تشاملرز للتقنية يف جوتنربج يف السويد قبل التحاقه جبامعة امللك عبداهلل يف العام‬  .‫وتشمل اهتمامات خالن البحثية تصميم وحتليل أداء نظم النقل التعاونية واإلدراكية‬