2017 April Beacon

April 2017 Rajab, 1438 Volume 8, Issue No. 4 ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‬

‫ المملكة العربية السعودية‬،‫ثول‬

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

www.kaust.edu.sa

‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل تنظم الملتقى‬ ‫العالمي لتقنية المعلومات‬

KAUST hosts Global IT Summit Page 6

The best and the brightest Page 10

Combining polymer expertise Page 14

Faculty new faces on campus Page 26

At the forefront of epigenetics research Page 16

Dr. William J. Koros named inaugural Champion of KAUST Page 28

Realizing a new materials horizon Page 20

Engineering for a new era Page 30

Startup teams chosen for first TAQADAM Accelerator Cohort Page 24

Sustainable solutions for Saudi Arabia Page 31

In brief

The University Library offers a variety of trainings and classes designed to help researchers and students get the most from the Library’s wide array of resources and to improve their research skills. Sessions are available to all members of the KAUST community. To reserve your seat, visit libguides.kaust.edu.sa/libtraining.

The University's Workshop Core Laboratory organized a series of training sessions for users. These sessions are offered every semester to provide hands-on instruction for lab users. This semester, training sessions include information on how to use basic electronic lab equipment, introduction to LabVIEW and data acquisition, the importance of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), basic and advanced solid works and building parts with 3-D printers. The first session started on February 7. Visit https:// corelabs.kaust.edu.sa/Events for more information.

The Chemical Warehouse held an open house event on March 8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for all students, faculty, staff and members of the KAUST scientific and research community. Participants toured the facilities, browsed through research materials and lab equipment and interacted with service departments and partners that assist in research. The warehouse stocks over 5,000 items for laboratory research. For more information, visit http://chemicalwarehouse. kaust.edu.sa.

The High Performance Computing Saudi Arabia conference (HPC Saudi) took place on March 13 to 15 on the KAUST campus. It was a premier regional event where participants met each other, shared ideas and discussed collaborations. This was the seventh HPC Saudi event, and this year it focused on coordinated efforts for the advancement of the HPC ecosystem in the Kingdom. Visit HPCSaudi.org for more information.

The Beacon Volume 8, Issue No. 4 PUBLISHED BY MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Beacon Staff Managing Editor: Nicholas Demille Arabic Editor: Salah Sindi English Editor: Caitlin Clark Designer: Mahjubeh R. Mashhadi Writers: David Murphy, Meres J. Weche Translator: Adel Alrefaie Photographers: Ginger Lisanti, Lilit Hovhannisyan The Beacon is published monthly. Š 2017 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

The University's Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) held the 2017 KAUST Research Conference: New Combustion Concepts on March 6 to 8. The conference brought together leading experts from academia, national laboratories and industry to promote international collaborations in establishing the research and development direction for diverse new ideas towards clean and efficient combustion systems.

KAUST President Jean-Lou Chameau hosted the President's Town Hall on March 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the Al-Marsa Amphitheater. The event also included a Community Life Panel Update by Patricia Hughes, vice president of Community Life; information booths on departments, self-directed booths (SDGs) and community services; and entertainment for the entire community starting at 7:00 p.m.

The University's Red Sea Research Center (RSRC) hosted the KAUST Research Workshop: Blue Carbon - the role of coastal ecosystems in climate change mitigation and adaptation on March 20 and 21. The workshop functioned as a forum to discuss the progress in the scientific underpinnings of blue carbon, referring to the strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change through the conservation and restoration of seagrass, mangroves, salt marshes and seaweed.

The KAUST community learned about mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes and seaweed at the Sci-CafĂŠ: Forests of the sea and their role in climate change on March 22 from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. in the University Library.

Experts from KAUST, Aarhus University and the University of Queensland spoke on how these natural allies help in the fight against climate change and how we can work with them for our benefit.

The University's Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC) hosted the 2017 KAUST Research Conference: Changing Paradigms of Wastewater Treatment - From Waste to Resource on March 27 to 29. The conference highlighted recent developments in efficient and innovative technologies and microbes to recover resources (water, nutrients and energy) from wastewater in a safe and sustainable fashion.

The community delighted in beautiful music played by KAUST musicians at a Sunset Concert on April 9 from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the University Library. Music included pieces

by J.S. Bach, Manfred Schmitz, Yiruma and others. The event was the final concert of the Spring 2017 season.

Artists of KAUST Junior, a new exhibition of visual artwork by children 13 years old and under who reside on the KAUST campus, will take place from May 1 to 14 in the Harbor Library. After completing an online registration, artwork must be submitted on April 10 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Harbor Library. For more information, visit https:// artsoffice.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/Artists-ofKAUST-Junior.aspx.

Preliminary Auditions for the 8th Annual Talent Show will be held on April 12 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium (building 20). The Talent Show, a yearly display of the exciting abilities of the KAUST community, will take place on May 4 from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. in the Auditorium. For more information, contact talentshow@kaust.edu.sa or visit http://artsoffice.kaust.edu.sa.

www.kaust.edu.sa

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Accolades Professor Mark Tester and researchers sequence quinoa genome Mark Tester, KAUST professor of plant science, and a team of researchers from four continents, including 20 people from seven research groups at KAUST, completed the first high-quality sequence of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) genome. Their work was published on the cover of the February 16 issue of Nature.

1. Mark Tester, KAUST professor

of plant science (pictured), and a team of researchers sequenced the quinoa genome, with their work published on the cover of the February 16 issue of Nature.

File photo.

2. The University won the

Technology and Innovation Award at the recent 2017 Saudi & Water Environment Forum in Riyadh.

3. New 2017 executive and

committee appointments for the KAUST Saudi Arabian Alumni Chapter were made earlier this year from the University's Saudi Arabian alumni community.

File image.

Quinoa thrives in harsh environments and grows well on poor-quality marginal lands, making it a crop that could hold the key to feeding the world's growing population.

Through the plant's genome sequence, the researchers have begun pinpointing genes that could be manipulated to change the way the plant matures and produces food, yielding insights into quinoa’s traits and growth mechanisms.

"Quinoa was the staple ‘mother grain’ that fueled the ancient Andean civilizations, but the crop was marginalized when the Spanish arrived in South America and has only recently been revived as a new crop of global interest," noted Tester. "It has never been fully domesticated or bred to its full potential, even though it provides a more balanced source of nutrients for humans than cereals.

“We already know that the quinoa plant family is incredibly resilient—it can grow in poor soils and salty soils and at high altitudes. It really is a very tough plant. Quinoa could provide a healthy, nutritious food source for the world using land and water that currently cannot be used. Our new genome takes us one step closer to that goal, and it also helps us to develop a new agricultural system based on the irrigation of salt-tolerant crops by brackish water."

KAUST wins Technology & Innovation Award A KAUST delegation attended the 2017 Saudi & Water Environment Forum in Riyadh from February 12 to 14, where the University was recognized with the Technology & Innovation Award. KAUST Professor TorOve Leiknes accepted with the award on behalf of KAUST from the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture His Excellency Abdulrahman Al-Fadley; Deputy Minister for Water Dr. Mohammed Al-Saud; and the Water Minister of Singapore His Excellency Masagos Zulkifli.

The conference was organized by H.E. Al-Fadley, and the event included a keynote, an exhibition and a strategic conference. KAUST was involved in several key aspects. The University had a large booth presence in the exhibition hall where Arabic and English language information was available and demonstrations of research took place by the University's Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC). The University also sponsored a series of technical sessions that featured lectures from KAUST Professors Himanshu Mishra, Peiying Hong and Pascal Saikaly.

A main feature of the three-day conference was the panel discussions. KAUST speakers were involved in several panel discussions, and speakers included KAUST Professors Kim Choon Ng and Leiknes. Ng talked about recent advances in adsorption cooling and desalination research and the MEDAD facility in Riyadh. Lieknes discussed the burgeoning field of urban agriculture, highlighting the need for cities to bring the production of food closer to the consumption of food as urban density grows larger and as a means of reducing costs and increasing security of supply.

The WDRC sponsored two days of technical sessions at the forum, with KAUST speakers including Hong, Saikaly and Mishra. The talks gave KAUST researchers the opportunity to discuss some of their latest findings and answer questions from academic peers and industry.

The KAUST speakers were joined by technical presenters from Dow, UVGermi, Xylem, Bürkert Fluid Control Systems and AMIANTIT.

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Alumna Sarah Al-Aqeel appointed 2017 Saudi Arabian Alumni Chapter president KAUST 2015 Ph.D. graduate Sarah Al-Aqeel was appointed the 2017 Saudi Arabian Alumni Chapter president, with nominations for executive and committee positions for the chapter for 2017 closing on January 26. Al-Aqeel will oversee a new governance structure of the executive and board with support from her deputy and president-elect (2018) Noura Shehab (Ph.D. 2014).

Lea Sublett, manager of alumni affairs, noted that the eight executive appointees were selected from over 30 exceptional nominations from the University’s Saudi Arabian alumni community who represent a cross-section of alumni in industry, research, innovation and academia.

“Alumni were chosen following a rigorous recruitment process by a selection committee,” Sublett said.

Al-Aqeel has served KAUST as a volunteer and representative since graduating and now works as a scientist with Saudi Aramco in Dhahran.

“It is my great honor and pleasure to serve the Saudi Arabian Alumni Chapter in 2017 as president,” she said.

During the chapter’s first meeting on March 1, members drafted a vision to give direction to the chapter’s activities, which is: To develop a lifelong connection among alumni, postdoctoral fellows and current students and to strengthen their commitment to KAUST, the Kingdom and the community, starting with the Thuwal community.

The goal of increasing engagement in Saudi Arabia will soon be aided by a new networking portal plus volunteerbased activities covering various topics from innovation to careers.

Chapter members also proposed a variety of activities for the year ahead, including: strengthening the communication between alumni through better communication, stories and involvement with KAUST; alumni speaker opportunities; and mentoring students and possibly postdoctoral fellows. The chapter’s next meeting will take place on April 21.

Experts from IT visited the KAUST campus for the University's Global IT Summit from February 8 to February 10. Check out some of the Twitter accounts connected to this special event.

Dr. Khaled Biyari, group CEO from the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), gave a keynote address at the event. Follow him @Khaled_Biyari and STC @STC_KSA.

Charles Araujo, principal analyst at Intellyx and founder of the Institute for Digital Transformation, discussed both digital and life transformation at the summit. Follow him @charlesaraujo.

Cray, a global leader in supercomputing and HPC platforms, is also the provider of the University's supercomputer. Follow the company @cray_inc.

Following Cisco, one of the world's leaders in IT and networking, @Cisco will give you updates on their news, events and technology innovation.

Follow IBM @IBM to learn more about their advanced products and services.

Follow NVIDIA, a manufacturer of graphics processor technologies for computing, mobile devices and consumer electronics, @nvidia.

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KAUST Official

www.kaust.edu.sa

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KAUST hosts Global IT Summit

By Nicholas Demille

A Global IT Summit was held on the KAUST campus from February 8 to February 10, with the event headlined by three high-profile keynote speakers: Dr. Khaled Biyari, group CEO at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC); Dr. Thomas Sterling, director and professor of informatics and computing at Indiana University; and Charles Araujo, principal analyst at Intellyx and founder of the Institute for Digital Transformation.

The summit brought together CIOs, CTOs and IT thought leaders to evaluate the University's current state of IT and benchmark it against peers and global industry standards.

The summit was also held to contribute to a strategic roadmap focused on providing academics, researchers and University administration with advanced, progressive IT resources.

"We try to motivate creative research from very smart and intellectual people who come here to focus on their research and teaching. We want to continue this as we move towards a knowledge-based economy," said KAUST CIO John Larson during the Global IT Summit opening ceremonies.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

A who's who of IT celebrity The event featured speakers, panelists and attendees from Cisco Systems, Dell EMC, Cray, GE Digital, Google, IBM, Georgia Tech, Intel, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), King Saud University (KSU), Microsoft, NVIDIA, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Aramco, Siemens, UC San Diego and Yale University, among others.

"KAUST helps to shape the digital agenda of the Kingdom. Academia is being heavily impacted by the digitalization phenomenon that is taking place. The heart of digitalization is innovation, and innovation comes from the labs and research of places like KAUST," said Biyari during his keynote address.

A dedication to IT excellence In 2007, the University invited global IT thought leaders and researchers to help define the tools needed to turn a fledgling institution into a tier-one research university.

The Global IT Summit was intended to be a thorough review and planning opportunity for the next five-year IT Strategic Plan.

"Connect things that are not connected today and make them smart for humans—make them function in a smart way. This is where the IT world is going in the next five to 10 years," said Lakshmi Talluru, director of IOT Solutions at Intel.

Along with panels, workshops and keynotes, the IT Summit also included an Innovation Fair, where IT and tech-related startups got the chance to show off their products and services. Notable startup teams included FalconViz, the Saudi Aramco inspection robots team, Sadeem, NOMADD and Visual Experience.

"We need to bring in new technologies to test and use as our scientists continue to push the boundaries of what we already have,� said Larson.

KAUST helps to shape the digital agenda of the Kingdom.

Academia is being heavily impacted by the digitalization phenomenon that is taking place.

The heart of digitalization is innovation, and innovation comes from the labs and research of places like KAUST." - Dr. Khaled Biyari, group CEO at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

Khaled Biyari, group CEO at the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), speaks during the KAUST IT Summit.

www.kaust.edu.sa

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1. CIOs, CTOs and IT thought leaders assembled on the KAUST campus for the IT Summit to evaluate the University's current state of IT and benchmark it against peers and global industry standards. Photo

by Caitlin Clark.

2. KAUST Chief Information Officer John Larson gives remarks during the IT Summit event.

3. Visitors to the IT Summit Innovation Fair learned

about KAUST IT Research Computing's Raspberry Pi minicluster. Photo by Caitlin Clark.

4. KAUST startup Sadeem presented their flood sensing technology at the KAUST IT Summit Innovation Fair. Photo by Meres J. Weche.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫تنظم الملتقى العالمي‬ ‫لتقنية المعلومات‬ ‫استضافت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية أعمال الملتقى العالمي الثاني‬ ‫لتقنية المعلومات‪ ،‬والذي نظمته الجامعة واستمر ثالثة أيام بحضور ومشاركة‬ ‫عدد من الخبراء والقادة في تقنية المعلومات من منسوبي كبرى الشركات‬ ‫والمؤسسات السعودية والعالمية ذات االختصاص‪.‬‬ ‫ويهدف الملتقى إلى بحث المستجدات في مجاالت الحوسبة وتقنية المعلومات‬ ‫للمساهمة في وضع الخطة االستراتيجية الخمسية لتقنية المعلومات لجامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل‪ ،‬وذلك بما يخدم الجامعة بشكل أساسي ويساهم في خدمة واثراء‬ ‫المجتمع البحثي والعلمي بالمملكة العربية السعودية‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عددا من الموضوعات المهمة المتعلقة بالحوسبة وأمن‬ ‫وناقش الملتقى‬ ‫المعلومات مثل الحوسبة السحابية لألبحاث‪ ،‬والبنية التحتية واستراتيجيات الجيل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فضال عن االستخدام االستراتيجي‬ ‫القادم من أجهزة الكومبيوتر فائقة األداء‪،‬‬ ‫األمثل لموارد الحواسب المستخدمة لمجموعة األبحاث الكبيرة كالمعالجات‬ ‫والمسرعات ووحدات معالجة الرسومات‪ ،‬وموضوعات أخرى مثل الشبكات‬ ‫العالمية ذات السرعة العالية ودورها في البحث التعاوني العالمي‪ ،‬وإدارة‬ ‫البيانات البحثية وتخزين البيانات واألرشفة طويلة األجل‪ ،‬إضافة إلى أمن‬ ‫المعلومات ودوره في التعاون البحثي بين الجامعات ذات التصنيف العالي‪.‬‬ ‫ويسعى "الملتقى العالمي لتقنية المعلومات ‪ "٢٠١٧‬إلى تبادل اآلراء واألفكار‬ ‫بشأن العوامل المحركة والسياق التشغيلي والمنهجيات الالزمة لدعم جامعة‬ ‫بحثية من المستوى األول‪ ،‬ومن ثم تحسين تلك الخطة في ضوء أفكار المشاركين‬ ‫ورؤاهم وخبراتهم لوضع خطة استراتيجية لتقنية المعلومات في جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبد اهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬قادرة على مواصلة دعم باحثي وطلبة الجامعة وأعضاء‬ ‫هيئتها التدريسية وأفراد المجتمع ببنية تحتية متطورة وقوية لتقنية المعلومات‪-‬‬ ‫من أجل التشجيع على التعاون واالكتشاف وتطوير حياة المجتمع‪.‬‬

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‫وتضمن الملتقى إضافة إلى الندوات واللقاءات وورش العمل‪ ،‬ثالث محاضرات‬ ‫رئيسية‪ ،‬ألقاها ثالثة متحدثين هم الدكتور خالد البياري الرئيس التنفيذي‬ ‫لشركة االتصاالت السعودية‪ ،‬والبروفيسور توماس ستيرلنج مدير عام الحوسبة‬ ‫والمعلومات في جامعة انديانا‪ ،‬واألستاذ تشارلز أروهو الذي يعد أحد االستشاريين‬ ‫المتميزين في تقنية المعلومات‪ ،‬حيث سيتناولون الحوسبة السحابية والتحديات‬ ‫التي تواجه بناء أي جامعة بحثية وكيفية تجاوزها‪.‬‬ ‫وكانت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬وبعد وضع حجر أساسها قبل عشر‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وتحديدا في ‪ ٢٠٠٧‬قد نظمت الملتقى األول لتقنية المعلومات‪ ،‬وحرصت‬ ‫سنوات‬ ‫حينذاك على دعوة رواد الفكر والباحثين العالميين في مجال تقنية المعلومات‬ ‫للمساهمة في وضع خططها االستراتيجية وتحديد البنى التحتية التقنية الالزمة‬ ‫لجامعة أبحاث عالمية من الطراز األول‪.‬‬ ‫وقد حققت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية في السنوات السابقة‪،‬‬ ‫وفق خطتها االستراتيجية لتقنية المعلومات‪ ،‬العديد من اإلنجازات في مجاالت‬ ‫دراسة البيئة والمناخ وعلوم المواد والطاقة‪ ،‬والتي من ضمنها ما قامت به‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أخريا باستخدام حاسوبها العمالق شاهين كراي ‪ ،XC٤٠‬من تمكين شركة‬

‫أرامكو السعودية من إكمال محاكاة هجرة النفط في باطن األرض عبر العصور‬ ‫الجيولوجية الممتدة لماليين السنين‪ ،‬باستخدام نماذج محاكاة معقدة تمتاز بدقة‬ ‫فائقة غير مسبوقة مكونة من تريليون خلية حسابية مما سيساعد المملكة على‬ ‫االستفادة العظمي من هذا المخزون‪.‬‬

‫وترغب جامعة الملك عبداهلل في الوقت الحالي في تطوير خطتها االستراتيجية‬ ‫في مجال تقنية المعلومات للمرحلة المقبلة‪ ،‬وإثراء ذلك بمداخالت ودعم النخبة‬ ‫المشاركة في الملتقى‪ ،‬وذلك بما يخدم التوجهات البحثية للجامعة ويعزز قدرتها‬ ‫على المساهمة في التنمية االقتصادية بالمملكة العربية السعودية‪.‬‬

The best and the brightest

By Caitlin Clark The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and KAUST jointly organized the KAUST-NSF Research Conference on Interactive Electronics held on the University’s campus from January 30 to February 1.

The conference was sponsored by the KAUST Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), the NSF, the KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP) and the University’s Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division.

Sharing research, building networks “The conference brought the best and the brightest in the general area of interactive electronics to share their views and research and to build a collaborative network with our KAUST faculty and research community to connect people, process, data and devices for a better world to bring tomorrow to today,” said Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, KAUST associate professor of electrical engineering and conference organizer.

Featuring three days of technical talks, presentations, networking sessions and a poster presentation session, the conference also included a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) event to promote the greater participation of women in science and a Nex-gen in Science and Engineering (NISE) session with students from The KAUST School.

Research and industry leaders on campus Twenty-eight speakers, including KAUST alumni Ahmed Alfadhel (M.S. 2012, Ph.D. 2016) and Maha Nour (M.S. 2014); researchers from outstanding international and Saudi universities, including Purdue University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, the University of Pavia, Umm Al-Qura University and King Saud University (KSU); speakers from industry, including from Saudi Aramco, imec Belgium and the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC); and young “Bright Minds” scholars from world-leading universities gave presentations at the conference.

“The conference increasingly serves as the bridging point to display our research strength, the University’s beautiful campus and the rich culture and commitment of Saudi Arabia to science and technology. It also shatters many previous perceptions and allows our community to network extensively,” Hussain said.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

Boon Ooi, KAUST professor of electrical engineering and the general chair of the 2017 conference, noted, “We were thrilled to host the KAUST-NSF conference, as it attracted many senior and junior academic, research and industry leaders from both in the Kingdom and internationally to speak and interact with our KAUST research community.

“Throughout the three days of the conference, we exchanged many new ideas, and I was particularly impressed to see a significantly high number of female high school students participating in the WISE session.

I hope that some of them will be inspired to develop a successful science and engineering career in the future.”

After Moore’s law Mark Lundstrom, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University and a U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member, discussed the “new electronics,” a term coined in 1960 by Frederick Terman, an American professor considered to be the father of Silicon Valley, in his conference plenary talk.

“We are now seeing the end of device scaling and the end of Moore’s law,” he said. “Electronics will continue to advance and their impact on society will grow, but things are changing—this raises a lot of questions for us in electronics. Increasingly, progress will be driven by technology integration, system design and software.

We need to ask ourselves if 21st century electronics will be about realizing the potential of Terman’s ‘new electronics,’ or whether there will be a ‘new, new electronics.’ We must discover a vision to propel electronics through the next 40 to 50 years.”

The ‘new, new electronics’ Lundstrom noted to students and young career scientists in the audience that he feels “tremendously lucky to have played a part in developing modern technology. I hope in the next 30 to 40 years that you will also have a similar experience and feeling. We must continue, however, to think about how we provide new and enduring knowledge that impacts research down the line. The key metric of technologies is how much of an impact they have on the lives of people in the real world. This impact is slow to develop and harder to measure.”

1. Mark Lundstrom, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, speaks to the audience during his plenary talk at the KAUST-NSF Research Conference on Interactive Electronics.

Photo by Meres J. Weche.

2. Students and researchers take part in the KAUST-NSF Research Conference poster session on the University's campus.

Photo by Pietro Orciuolo.

1 “Our ‘new, new electronics’ will be much broader than in the past and will touch a wide range of science,” he continued. “These will be done by teams who transcend disciplines, and they will be driven by problems, will reshape disciplines, create new ones and identify fundamental research questions. Problem-driven research will energize a new generation of researchers and will provide them with the experiences and education they need to become modern technology leaders. There is no roadmap to this new electronics, but the opportunity is there. Striving to make a difference in the real world is what we should all hope for.”

Grace Huili Xing, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science and engineering at Cornell University, echoed Lundstrom’s remarks in her keynote talk.

“Moore’s law is coming to an end, and we must come up with new materials or devices or new applications,” she said. “To try to solve this problem, we have to ask ourselves if we can actually come up with these new devices, and we must look at multiple options to do this.”

In-Kingdom technology development In his industry talk, Dr. Ghaithan Al-Muntasheri, chief technologist from EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC) in Saudi Aramco, outlined EXPEC ARC’s investigation and development of advanced sensors to economically complete, control, monitor and sustain well production.

“Oil and gas will continue to be the backbone of global energy supply, and natural gas will become even more important in decades to come,” he said. “The industry’s challenge is to employ the right technologies to ensure reliable production and sustainable supply. EXPEC ARC has been steered to create innovative and high-impact solutions in wide domains. When it comes to downhole monitoring applications, we deal with extremely harsh environments, and we need timely, accurate and reliable information about how our reservoirs are performing.

For this, we need advanced technologies with new capabilities for sensing a wide range of parameters.”

2 “I see challenges as opportunities for all of you here,” he continued. “Challenges are opportunities for you to solve problems in your field. At Saudi Aramco, collaborations are very important to us, and to accomplish our R&D mission, we seek to engender the local research and technology ecosystem. We are now collaborating with KAUST research centers to develop new and cutting-edge upstream technologies. We cannot be a global enterprise unless we are a technology leader.”

An impressive event Conference attendees and speakers were overwhelmingly positive about the event’s impact on research and collaborations.

“The KAUST-NSF conference was an extremely wellorganized event that integrated cutting-edge research presentations, outreach activities with schoolchildren and candid discussions on women in science and engineering,” noted Xing. “The University has breathtaking views and infrastructure, but the most exciting part of my trip was meeting people with great aspirations at KAUST.” “I see a lot of potential for the oil and gas industry to benefit from the University’s research, ideas and R&D programs, and I was impressed with the KAUST facilities and the recognition the University has received from the international R&D community. The number of attendees and the distances they had to travel to attend was an excellent indicator of how international researchers view KAUST,” Al-Muntasheri added.

“After hearing so much about KAUST, it was a real pleasure to visit and see for myself all the exciting work underway at the University,” said Lundstrom. “I was impressed with the facilities and programs, but most of all I was impressed by the students and faculty and their vision for a new era of materials and devices that address the challenges of the 21st century.”

www.kaust.edu.sa

11

‫‪3. Students and researchers take part in the‬‬ ‫‪KAUST-NSF Research Conference poster‬‬ ‫‪session. Photo by Pietro Orciuolo.‬‬ ‫‪4. Attendees from around the world assembled‬‬ ‫‪on campus for the KAUST-NSF Research‬‬ ‫‪Conference on Interactive Electronics held‬‬ ‫‪from January 30 to February 1. Photo by Pietro‬‬ ‫‪Orciuolo.‬‬

‫‪3‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نطاقا من ذي قبل‪ ،‬وتتصل‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬ستكون (اإللكترونيات الجديدة) الجديدة أوسع‬ ‫بمجموعة واسعة من العلوم‪ .‬وستنجزها فرق تتخطى الحدود الفاصلة بين العلوم‪،‬‬ ‫وستكون قائمة على حل المشاكل التي تظهر‪ ،‬ومن شأنها أن تعيد صياغة المجاالت‬ ‫حدث مجاالت جديدة‪ ،‬وتطرح أسئلة أبحاث أساسية‪ .‬ومن شأن األبحاث‬ ‫العلمية‪ ،‬وتُ ِ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تمدهم بما‬ ‫وأن‬ ‫الباحثين‪،‬‬ ‫من‬ ‫جديدا‬ ‫جيال‬ ‫ط‬ ‫تنش‬ ‫أن‬ ‫المشاكل‬ ‫حل‬ ‫القائمة على‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫رواد التقنية الحديثة‪ .‬وليس ثمة خريطة طريق‬ ‫يحتاجونه من تجارب وتعليم ليصبحوا ّ‬ ‫لهذه اإللكترونيات الجديدة‪ ،‬ولكن الفرصة موجودة‪ .‬فالسعي إلى إحداث فارق على‬ ‫أرض الواقع هو ما ينبغي أن نطمح له"‪.‬‬ ‫ورددت غريس هويلي شينغ‪ ،‬بروفيسور الهندسة الكهربائية وهندسة الحاسبات‬ ‫وعلوم وهندسة المواد في جامعة كورنيل صدى كالم لوندستورم في‬ ‫كلمتها الرئيسية‪.‬‬

‫وقالت‪" :‬سيصل قانون مور إلى نهايته‪ ،‬وينبغي أن نخرج بمواد أو أجهزة أو تطبيقات‬ ‫جديدة‪ .‬وكي نحاول ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حقا‬ ‫حل هذه المشكلة‪ ،‬علينا أن نسأل أنفسنا إن كان بوسعنا‬ ‫اختراع هذه األجهزة الجديدة‪ ،‬وينبغي أن ندرس خيارات متعددة للقيام بذلك"‪.‬‬

‫تطوير التقنيات في المملكة‬ ‫وفي سياق كلمته‪ ،‬تحدث د‪ .‬غيثان المنتشري‪ ،‬وهو قائد فريق في تقنية اإلنتاج‬ ‫بمركز األبحاث التابع لمركز التنقيب وهندسة البترول (‪ )EXPEC ARC‬في "أرامكو‬ ‫السعودية"‪ ،‬بإيجاز عن األبحاث والتطوير في المركز في مجال الحساسات المتطورة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫اقتصاديا‪.‬‬ ‫المستخدمة في إكمال إنتاج البئر والتحكم به ومراقبته واستدامته‬ ‫وقال‪" :‬سيبقى النفط والغاز بمثابة العمود الفقري إلمداد الطاقة على مستوى‬ ‫العالم‪ ،‬وسيصبح الغاز الطبيعي أكثر أهمية في العقود المقبلة‪ .‬ويتمثل التحدي‬ ‫الذي يواجه القطاع في توظيف التقنيات المناسبة لضمان اإلنتاج الموثوق‬ ‫واإلمداد المستدام بالطاقة‪ .‬لقد جرى توجيه مركز األبحاث المتقدمة التابع لمركز‬ ‫التنقيب وهندسة البترول (‪ )EXPEC ARC‬على نحو يشجع على استحداث اإلبداع‬ ‫ووضع حلول عالية األثر في مجاالت واسعة‪ .‬وعلى صعيد تطبيقات رصد الحفرة‬ ‫السفلية‪ ،‬فنحن نتعامل مع بيئات قاسية إلى حد بعيد‪ ،‬ونحتاج إلى معلومات دقيقة‬ ‫وموثوقة في الوقت المناسب عن أداء مخزوناتنا‪ .‬كما نحتاج في هذا المجال إلى‬ ‫تقنيات متطورة ذات إمكانيات جديدة قادرة على تحسس مجموعة واسعة من‬ ‫المتغيرات"‪.‬‬

‫مهمتنا في األبحاث والتطوير‪ .‬ونحن اآلن نتعاون مع مراكز األبحاث في جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية على تطوير تقنيات متطورة وجديدة في مجال أعلى‬ ‫ً‬ ‫روادا في التقنية"‪.‬‬ ‫المجرى‪ .‬وال يمكننا أن نكون شركة عالمية ما لم نكن‬

‫مناسبة مميزة‬ ‫لقد أثار المؤتمر وتأثيره على األبحاث والتعاون انطباعات إيجابية إلى حد كبير لدى‬ ‫الحضور والمتحدثين في المؤتمر‪.‬‬ ‫وأشارت شينغ إلى أن‪" :‬مؤتمر جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية ومؤسسة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عروضا‬ ‫تضم‬ ‫العلوم الوطنية األمريكية كان مناسبة جيدة التنظيم إلى أبعد حد‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫تقديمية بحثية متطورة‪ ،‬وأنشطة توسع مع أطفال المدارس‪ ،‬ومناقشات صريحة عن‬ ‫دور المرأة في العلوم والهندسة‪ .‬وتمتاز الجامعة بمناظر وبنية تحتية رائعة‪ ،‬ولكن‬ ‫لقاء أشخاص في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية يحملون طموحات عظيمة‬ ‫كان الجانب األكثر إثارة في رحلتي"‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف المنتشري‪" :‬أرى إمكانيات كامنة كبيرة في قطاع النفط والغاز يمكن أن‬ ‫تستفيد من أبحاث الجامعة وأفكارها وبرامج األبحاث والتطوير فيها‪ .‬لقد تركت‬ ‫مرافق الجامعة‪ ،‬والتقدير الذي حصلت عليه من مجتمع األبحاث والتطوير العالمي‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫لدي‪ .‬وكان عدد الحضور والمسافات التي قطعوها كي يحضروا‬ ‫رائعا‬ ‫انطباعا‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫المؤتمر مؤشرا ممتازا على نظرة الباحثين العالميين إلى جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية"‪.‬‬

‫وأضاف لوندستورم‪" :‬بعد أن سمعت الكثير عن جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حقا أن أزورها كي أرى بنفسي كل العمل المثير‬ ‫والتقنية‪ ،‬كان من دواعي سروري‬ ‫المنتظر في الجامعة‪ .‬لقد أثارت المرافق والبرامج إعجابي‪ ،‬ولكن الطلبة والهيئة‬ ‫التدريسية ورؤيتهم لعصر المواد واألجهزة الجديدة‪ ،‬التي تتصدى لتحديات القرن‬ ‫لدي"‪.‬‬ ‫الواحد والعشرين‪ ،‬تركوا أفضل انطباع‬ ‫ّ‬

‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فرصا كي‬ ‫جميعا‪ .‬فالتحديات تمثل لكم‬ ‫فرصا لكم‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬أنا أرى في التحديات‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حلوال للمشاكل التي تواجهكم‪ .‬إن التعاون في أرامكو السعودية بالغ‬ ‫تجدوا‬ ‫األهمية لنا‪ ،‬ونحن نسعى إلى إنشاء نظام إيكولوجي لألبحاث والتقنية بغية إنجاز‬

‫‪THE BEACON | APRIL 2017‬‬

‫‪12‬‬

‫األفضل واأللمع‬ ‫نظمت مؤسسة العلوم الوطنية األمريكية (‪ )NSF‬وجامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مؤتمرا يتناول أبحاث اإللكترونيات التفاعلية‪ ،‬في الحرم الجامعي من ‪30‬‬ ‫والتقنية‬ ‫يناير إلى ‪ 1‬فبراير‪.‬‬ ‫ُعقد المؤتمر برعاية مكتب الجامعة لرعاية األبحاث (‪ )OSR‬ومؤسسة العلوم‬ ‫الوطنية األمريكية وبرنامج التعاون الصناعي في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية (‪ ،)KICP‬وقسم العلوم والهندسة الحاسوبية والكهربائية والحسابية‬ ‫(‪.)CEMSE‬‬

‫تبادل األبحاث وبناء الشبكات‬ ‫وفي هذه المناسبة‪ ،‬قال البروفيسور محمد مصطفى حسين‪ ،‬األستاذ المشارك‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ومنظم‬ ‫في الهندسة الكهربائية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪،‬‬

‫المؤتمر‪" :‬استطاع المؤتمر أن يستقطب أفضل الباحثين وأبرزهم في مجال‬ ‫اإللكترونيات التفاعلية بهدف تبادل اآلراء ومناقشة األبحاث وبناء شبكة تعاونية‬ ‫مع الهيئة التدريسية في الجامعة ومجتمع األبحاث‪ ،‬وتأمين الربط بين األشخاص‬ ‫والعمليات والبيانات واألجهزة لتحقيق عالم أفضل واستشراف المستقبل"‪.‬‬ ‫واشتمل المؤتمر‪ ،‬الذي امتد لثالثة أيام من المحادثات التقنية والعروض التقديمية‬ ‫وجلسات التشبيك وجلسة عرض تقديمي للملصقات‪ ،‬على فعالية "المرأة في‬ ‫العلوم والهندسة" (‪ ،)WISE‬التي تهدف لتشجيع مشاركة أكبر للمرأة في العلوم‪،‬‬ ‫وجلسة عن "الجيل القادم في العلوم والهندسة" (‪ )NISE‬مع طلبة من مدارس‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪.‬‬

‫رواد األبحاث والميدان العملي في الحرم الجامعي‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫متحدثا يتوزعون بين خريجي جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫شارك في المؤتمر ‪28‬‬ ‫والتقنية أحمد الفاضل (درجة الماجستير في ‪ 2012‬ودرجة الدكتوراه في ‪)2016‬‬ ‫ومها نور (درجة الماجستير في ‪)2014‬؛ وباحثين من جامعات مرموقة سعودية‬ ‫وعالمية‪ ،‬ومنها جامعة بيردو وجامعة كورنيل وجامعة نورث ويسترن وجامعة‬ ‫بافيا وجامعة أم القرى وجامعة الملك عبدالعزيز؛ ومتحدثين من القطاع المعني‬ ‫من شركة "أرامكو السعودية" و"التعاونية الدولية للمعدات الطبية" (‪ )IMEC‬في‬ ‫بلجيكا والشركة السعودية للصناعات األساسية "سابك"؛ وباحثين شباب من أصحاب‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عالميا‪.‬‬ ‫"العقول الالمعة" من جامعات رائدة‬ ‫وأضاف حسين‪" :‬لقد بات المؤتمر‪ ،‬على نحو متزايد‪ ،‬بمثابة وسيلة إلظهار تطور‬ ‫أبحاثنا وروعة حرم الجامعة وغنى الثقافة في المملكة العربية السعودية‬ ‫والتزامها بالعلوم والتقنية"‪.‬‬

‫‪13‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪4‬‬ ‫ومن جهته‪ ،‬قال بون أووي‪ ،‬أستاذ الهندسة الكهربائية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية والرئيس العام لدورة هذا العام من المؤتمر‪" :‬شعرنا بسرور غامر‬ ‫الستضافة مؤتمر جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية ومؤسسة العلوم الوطنية‬ ‫ورواد‬ ‫األمريكية‪ ،‬ألنه استقطب العديد من كبار األكاديميين والباحثين الشباب ّ‬ ‫األبحاث والقطاع العملي في المملكة والعالم للتحدث والتفاعل مع مجتمع‬ ‫األبحاث في جامعتنا"‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬لقد تبادلنا على مدار أيام المؤتمر الثالثة العديد من األفكار الجديدة‪،‬‬ ‫ولفت انتباهي مشاركة عدد كبير من طالبات المدرسة الثانوية في جلسة (دور‬ ‫المرأة في العلوم والهندسة)‪ .‬وأتمنى أن بعضهن قد تشجعن للبدء بمسيرة مهنية‬ ‫في العلوم والهندسة في المستقبل"‬

‫ما بعد قانون مور‬ ‫المميز في جامعة‬ ‫ناقش مارك لوندستورم‪ ،‬أستاذ الهندسة الكهربائية والحاسبات‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫بيردو‪ ،‬وعضو األكاديمية الوطنية للهندسة (‪ )NAE‬في الواليات المتحدة‪ ،‬في‬ ‫سياق حديثه في الجلسة العامة للمؤتمر‪ ،‬موضوع "اإللكترونيات الجديدة"‪،‬‬ ‫الملقب بأبي وادي‬ ‫وهو مصطلح نحته البروفيسور األمريكي فريدريك تيرمان‪ُ ،‬‬ ‫السيليكون‪ ،‬في ‪.1960‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حاليا أفول عصر زيادة حجم األجهزة ونهاية حقبة قانون مور‪ .‬لن‬ ‫وقال‪" :‬نحن نشهد‬ ‫تتوقف اإللكترونيات عن التطور‪ ،‬وسينمو تأثيرها على المجتمع‪ ،‬ولكن الظروف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫واضحا أن دمج‬ ‫بدأت تتغير‪ ،‬مما يطرح علينا أسئلة كثيرة في هذا الصدد‪ .‬وبات‬ ‫التقنية وتصميم النظام وبرمجياته سيقود التقدم على نحو متزايد‪ .‬وينبغي أن نسأل‬ ‫أنفسنا إن كان الغرض من إلكترونيات القرن الحادي والعشرين استغالل إمكانيات‬ ‫(اإللكترونيات الجديدة) التي تحدث عنها تيرمان‪ ،‬أم أن (إلكترونيات جديدة) جديدة‬ ‫ستظهر‪ .‬وينبغي أن نتوصل إلى رؤية جديدة لدفع اإللكترونيات في غضون‬ ‫السنوات األربعين إلى الخمسين المقبلة"‪.‬‬

‫"اإللكترونيات الجديدة" الجديدة‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬أنا محظوظ ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جدا‬ ‫ولفت لوندستورم انتباه الطلبة والعلماء الشباب الحاضرين‬ ‫ً‬ ‫دورا في تطوير تقنية حديثة‪ .‬وأتمنى أن تكونوا في غضون السنوات‬ ‫ألنني لعبت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مماثال‪ .‬ولكننا‬ ‫تجربة مشابهة‪ ،‬وشعرتم شعورا‬ ‫الـ ‪ 30‬إلى الـ ‪ 40‬المقبلة قد أنجزتم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ينبغي أن نواصل التفكير بكيفية تقديم معرفة جديدة راسخة تؤثر على األبحاث‬ ‫في المستقبل‪ .‬والمعيار الرئيسي في نجاح هذه التقنيات هو مدى تأثيرها على‬ ‫حياة الناس على أرض الواقع‪ .‬فهذا التأثير بطيء التطور ويصعب قياسه"‪.‬‬

Combining polymer expertise

1

By David Murphy The University recently held the KAUST Research Conference on Polymers: Designing Macromolecules for Applications from February 5 to February 7. The conference, which was chaired by Distinguished Professor Nikos Hadjichristidis from the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), drew attention to the ubiquitous role polymers play in industry, nature and everyday life and the design/synthesis, processing and application of polymers that constitute an important strategic research area worldwide.

The cross-disciplinary conference attracted global researchers and scientists and covered the most appealing topics in contemporary polymer science and technology, including recent developments, trends and perspectives in catalytic polymerization and polymer catalysis, macromolecular architecture and characterization, properties-structure relationships and high-tech applications for solar cells, membranes and biomaterials, for example.

The problem of energy In his opening remarks, Jean-Marie Basset, KCC director, pointed out the current global energy supply and demand constraints and the role scientists and the University can play in addressing these issues.

In her keynote address entitled "‘Cool’ Plastics: Towards Heat and Light Management Concepts based on Inorganic/Organic polymer Hybrid systems," Professor Natalie Stingelin from the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech highlighted the role that the organic polymers and polyethylene plays in cell construction and generation.

“Most of the organic cells you encounter will be a thin film. We would ideally like to go to thicker cells, and with polyethylene we can get a lot of different blends. We can change the microstructure with polyethylene—the more crystalline the structure is, the more we can add to it,” she said.

“When you make films, many of your materials like to go to the electrode and not onto the substrate, and when we add the nucleating element, this doesn't happen.

This is helpful as it makes things substrate-independent.

Assigning a tiny bit of the nucleation agent gives us decent films, and with a nucleating agent added, crystallization proceeds much faster,” she continued.

‘Customers buy solutions—they don't buy polymers’

“We scientists are facing a very interesting time in the world with the problem of energy. We aspire to be a world-leading center in the Kingdom and in the Middle East,” he said.

Jay Farmer, director of New Technology and IP at Aramco Performance Materials, described in his conference remarks how Saudi Aramco has aggressively been pursuing innovation in the Kingdom since 2012.

Robert Waymouth, professor in chemistry and chemical engineering at Stanford University, opened his keynote address by highlighting that natural gas production has gone up and that new polymer architecture needs to be availed of to harness CO2.

“Innovation is really the future for Saudi Aramco. There was a need to develop new catalyst systems with high turnover rates, excellent selectivity and high productivity.

This required a lot of development to find catalysts suitable for commercial polymer production, and it was a non-trivial challenge to find real applications for the polymers," he noted.

“If we don't use hydrocarbons, they will flare them and they will go to CO2," he said. "We should come up with new polymer architectures that allow these to be utilized. As polymer scientists, we sometimes stumble on designs and figure out how they work later on."

14

Cell construction and generation

THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

Farmer also spoke about the need to create costeffective polymers and the continued use of CO2 in their production.

1.Professor Natalie Stingelin from the School of

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech speaks during her keynote address at the KAUST Research Conference on Polymers: Designing Macromolecules for Applications.

2. Distinguished Professor Nikos Hadjichristidis from the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC) chaired the KAUST Research Conference on Polymers: Designing Macromolecules for Applications.

2

“If you can find productive uses for CO2, this is very attractive. CO2 also provides a cost advantage—making a polymer with CO2 means up to 50% of the mass of the polymer can be made from CO2," he said. "This has a big impact on the sustainability story of the polymer. These materials really impart some very fascinating properties in the marketplace, and the applications for these are wideranging. Customers buy solutions—they don't buy polymers."

Advancing manufacturing “Polymers is a space that is attracting so much attention worldwide," noted Professor Timothy Long from Virginia Tech at his keynote on multifunctional polymers for additive manufacturing. “Chemists can't use molecules discovered in 1950 for advanced manufacturing—if we do, we will fail. In our field, you have to think boldly and we have to think of the in between."

Long also spoke about his Virginia Tech team's research and development work in materials science with 3-D printing.

“We're interested in small things for biomedical applications. Ionic liquids have no smell or odor and you can 3-D print them. However, there is always concern about 3-D printing layer by layer. If you 3-D print energy sources, there are many applications. There are all kinds of opportunities and applications galore,” he said.

Combining expertise Ingo Pinnau, professor of chemical and biological engineering and director of the KAUST Advanced Membranes & Porous Materials Center (AMPMC), discussed the role of his center and how it adds to the overall University’s goal and vision.

“Our center is focused on the development of energy, materials and processes for energy-intensive separations.

At KAUST, we have custom-designed equipment to carry out membrane studies. We have large expertise in our center combining the polymer group's expertise with the metal organic framework group,” he said. "At this conference, we want to try to align our research activities better with industry."

Pinnau introduced closing speaker Jean M. J. Fréchet, KAUST distinguished professor of chemical science and the University’s vice president for research, as the "most creative polymer scientist and an amazing scientist."

Fréchet highlighted the need for ongoing collaboration to spark new ideas and outlooks.

“Bringing people here is the way to start collaboration and hear about new ideas,” he said.

The conference's poster session winners were also announced in the closing remarks. Yahya Alzahrany, a Ph.D. student in the Polymer Synthesis Laboratory, won best poster prize for his poster entitled “A powerful initiating system for alternating copolymerization of CO2 with epoxides."

Johannes Brendel from Friedrich Schiller University, Germany, and Saheli Chakraboty from the Indian Institute of Science won second and third places, respectively.

"The level of the posters was so good that we would have liked to have given prizes to everyone," Hadjicristidis said.

The conference was organized with financial support from the KAUST Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), and additional support provided by the KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP), Industry Partnerships Office.

www.kaust.edu.sa

15

At the forefront of epigenetics research

By David Murphy The University hosted the first international 2017 KAUST Research Conference on Environmental Epigenetics from February 12 to February 15. The conference marked a strategic collaborative research program between the KAUST Environmental Epigenetics Program (KEEP), the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism (CEM) at the University of California, Irvine, and the Gene Expression Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, U.S. The event covered the multifaceted, mechanistic roles that the epigenome and phenotypic variation play in development, cell and tissue identity, adaptation, tissue regeneration and inheritance.

In his opening address, KAUST Professor of Bioscience Valerio Orlando, head of KEEP, discussed the aims and vision of KEEP. "Every cell or organism’s identity and performance is the result of a dynamic process comprising a continuous dialogue between the genome and the environment ending with the building of what we call 'cell memory.'

This memory contains several layers or programs enabling adaptation to naturally changing environmental condition," Orlando explained.

"Epigenetics research investigates how a given cell or organism can fix and regulate the switch on or off for those different programs, revealing the multifaceted nature of genetic information and biodiversity. We can now measure the molecular and chemical parameters behind these processes, making it possible to unravel the molecular basis of genome function in diverse organisms as well as in human health and disease," he continued.

"We would also like the interdisciplinary and multisystems flavor of the conference to be an original cultural proposal in the field that we hope will make this event unique, and we hope that it will take place again in the future," he added. “The study of biodiversity also reflects the spirit of our University, a place where we promote a culture beyond science, but which highlights how science contributes to bringing us together."

New epigenetic information Conference speaker Professor Azim Surani from the University of Cambridge focused his keynote lecture on the human germline, the specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in humans and mammals and the consequences this may have on human evolution and diseases.

“The reprogramming stage of the human germline cycle is quite important,” he noted. “We want to get closer to what we think is happening in the human cell process, and we must take the cells and find conditions that trigger the expression of a particular marker. The first thing we wanted to do is find out what the gene sequence was at the individual cell level. Only two percent of the genome is coding and the rest is a lot of repetitive elements. The genome is not a static set of instructions passed on from one generation to the next.”

“Imprinted genes regulate mammalian growth, behavior and physiology—these imprints are transmitted intergenerationally, and reset in every human germline,” he added.

KAUST Professor of Bioscience Valerio Orlando, head of KEEP, speaks during the University's First International 2017 KAUST Research Conference on Environmental Epigenetics.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

www.kaust.edu.sa

17

2. Professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi from

the University of California, Irvine, speaks during his address as part of the KAUST epigenetics research conference.

3. From L to R: Professors Valerio Orlando, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Emiliana Borrelli, Ueli Grossniklaus and Juan Carlos Belmonte take part in the conference’s roundtable discussion.

2

From one cell to another EPFL Lausanne Professor Johannes Graff’s keynote lecture entitled “Histone acetylation - molecular memory aids on the chromatin” concentrated on the role histone deacetylation plays in neurodegeneration and post-traumatic stress disorder and the chemical compounds that inhibit histone deacetylase. He noted how this epigenetic modification might become a new template for therapeutic interventions against cognitive frailty.

“For me, the field of epigenetics and neurobiology started with an essay by Sir Francis Crick. In the simplest terms, memory is the transferral of signals from one cell to another—our brains aren't built to hold memory for too long. Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the world today, and through our research we have found that the cognitive blockade related to Alzheimer's is potentially reversible,” he said.

The role nature and the environment play in gene modification Iّt is understood that the environment of relatives who came before us can have a significant impact on the legacy of our genes. The diet of a mother during pregnancy can affect her baby’s epigenetic profile, for example, and the diet of your parents, grandparents and great-grandparents can have a direct effect on you. In turn, you will pass this genetic information onto future generations.

KAUST Professor of Bioengineering Timothy Ravasi discussed the legacy of gene inheritance in his keynote address entitled “Rapid transgenerational adaptation of a reef fish to climate change.”

“Environment can shape the (epi)genome; a component interacts with the environment and this can shape the phenotype. Chemicals and pollutants induce epigenetic alterations and diet and food can shape the epigenome.

The poor diet of the parents can increase the chance of their children inheriting obesity, for example,” Ravasi said.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

Ueli Grossniklaus from ETH Zurich discussed how climate change poses a direct threat to biodiversity and agriculture, as well as acknowledging the large unknown degree plants can adapt to changing environment.

Our meeting is the expression of the philosophy of our epigenetics program—a program that is a mission to investigate phenotype variations.

You are the scientific representations of this mission in the wider world."

- Valerio Orlando, KAUST professor of bioscience

“We are slowly coming to an understanding of what happens in plants. In mammals, there are very few clear cut examples of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; however, in plants this is quite different.

Epigenetic variation exists and can be very stable and contribute to ecological variation. In plants, epialleles can be inherited over several generations,” he noted.

‘A great place for science’ Professor Paolo Sassone-Corsi from the University of California, Irvine, discussed epigenetics, nutrition and the circadian clock in his keynote address.

He noted the circadian clock controls an array of physiological and metabolic functions and how it is vital to understand the interaction of circadian rhythms and metabolic processes on a cell- and tissue-specific level. He expanded on the evidence for the role of the circadian clock in linking enzymatic control and cellular metabolism and how this research has far-reaching implications for human physiology and disease.

3 “We have a clock in our head, but we also have clocks all over our body, and these are directly linked to your metabolism, with thousands of genes linked to these clocks. The sleep cycle is controlled by the circadian cycle and disruption of the clock may lead to various pathological conditions. Disrupting the circadian cycle can lead to weight gain and will influence our metabolism. If you eat three pizzas per day, you still have a circadian cycle, but it is different than if you're eating healthily,” Sassone-Corsi said.

The conference was organized by the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division with financial support from the KAUST Office of Sponsored Research. Additional support was provided by the KAUST Industry Collaboration Program (KICP), Industry Partnerships Office.

During his talk on gene regulation and histone modifications in the yeast metabolic cycle (YMC), Professor Alberto Merchante Gonzalez from the University of Oxford spoke about histone modifications (HMs). According to Merchante Gonzalez, if HMs are prevented by amino acid substitutions, the YMC cycle stops, suggesting that HMs could be the regulators of transcript cycling.

“Histones can be modified at lysine residues by covalent acetylation and methylation—acetylation and methylation have different distributions along genes.

The amplitude of oscillations is much larger for RNA and acetylation than for methylation. There is strong evidence for histones controlling the metabolic cycle.

At Oxford, we are interested in developing a system control for our research,” he explained.

Scientific representations of the mission Sassone-Corsi pointed out how impressed he was with the growth of KAUST and the role it plays—and can continue to play—in science and technology globally.

“KAUST is just a great place for science, and I hope meetings like this continue,” he said.

In his closing remarks, Orlando noted, “Our meeting is the expression of the philosophy of our epigenetics program—a program that is a mission to investigate phenotype variations. You are the scientific representations of this mission in the wider world.”

www.kaust.edu.sa

19

Realizing a new materials horizon

1

By Caitlin Clark

The KAUST Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center held the Research Conference: New Materials Horizon for Energy-Intensive Industrial Separations on the University’s campus from February 20 to 23. It brought together international experts from academia and industry from the membranes and porous materials fields for three days of discussion and events, including a poster session on February 21.

“The conference was aimed at providing a unique forum for academic and industrial researchers to discuss high-impact research topics related to advanced materials science, with a specific emphasis on potential solutions for more energyefficient industrial separation processes,” said Ingo Pinnau, founding director of the AMPM Center and KAUST professor of chemical engineering. “With a focus on topics related to high-impact separation processes and clean environment processes performed in Saudi Arabia, the conference featured specific sessions on natural gas separations, petrochemical separations and CO2 capture and storage.”

“It is very difficult to introduce new technologies into a conservative market like petroleum processing,” continued Pinnau. “With about 10 percent of the energy in the U.S. being used for industrial separations, one of the technologies that needs to be introduced is energy-efficient separation.”

A ‘love’ of membranes “I love membranes—I’ve worked with them for half of my life,” said conference keynote speaker William Koros, the Roberto C. Goizueta chair for excellence in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar in membranes. Koros was also recently named the inaugural Champion of KAUST for his contributions and partnership as part of the historic journey of the University.

Koros’ keynote focused on carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes, including their structure and applications for gas separations.

“To have a real-world impact, advanced materials must be translated into large-scale membrane units that are economical,” he explained. “However, the issue of scalability is an inconvenient truth, giving the translation to industry a high priority for the separation community.”

“Characterization beyond traditional microscopy, scattering and spectroscopy is needed to engineer the sub-angstrom discrimination between penetrants in CMS membranes. The use of carbon overcomes hurdles that limit other advanced

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

materials. I believe that the CMS membrane will change everything—these membranes are the leading edge of the new membrane age and they will provide technological advantages in energy-intensive gas separations,” he said.

Exploring metal-organic frameworks In his lecture “Inorganic Chemistry in Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) Pores,” Associate Professor Christian Doonan from University of Adelaide (Australia) outlined the properties of MOF materials, which are well-known for their ultra-high surface area and gas storage and separation properties and are a focus area of research at the AMPM Center.

“One strategy for enhancing the performance characteristics of MOFs is to post-synthetically line the pores with metal ions,” Doonan explained. “We are working to understand the reactivity of the metal ions in the pore spaces, and we now know that reactions in confined spaces can lead to unexpected results. MOFs can be flexible, and through the use of X-ray crystallography, we can further explore this flexibility. Many new insights can be gleaned from the structural insights of X-ray crystallography for MOFs.”

MOF work at KAUST Dr. Youssef Belmabkhout, a KAUST senior research scientist and a member of KAUST Professor Mohamed Eddaoudi’s Functional Materials Design, Discovery & Development (FMD3) group, also spoke about MOFs in his talk “MOF Molecular Sieves to Address Challenging Gas/Vapor Separations: Myth or Fact?”

“The separation of molecules with close physical properties is a challenging task and is commonly performed using highly energy-intensive techniques,” Belmabkhout noted. “After more than six decades of the revolutionary use of zeolite molecular sieves for the separation of physically similar molecules within 1 angstrom difference in size, researchers have now been pushing the limit of sieving separation to fractions of an angstrom. This offers the potential for extremely energyefficient adsorption technologies."

“In the FMD3 group, we’ve developed tunable MOF platforms with many interesting intrinsic properties to target the challenging separation of important isomers in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. Our platforms exhibit optimal structural control at the molecular level, and this is useful because different applications have different requirements.

Our work now focuses on the third generation of MOFs,” he said.

2

Collaborative work Speaker Professor Eric Favre from the University of Lorraine (France) noted that membrane gas separation is a key process for industrial separations.

“The energy requirement is one of the key issues for separation efficiency, as these processes are costly.

Membrane gas separation grew up from a close coordination of materials science and chemical engineering, but there are very few membrane materials and equipment suppliers for this process,” Favre said.

“I believe membrane gas separation is a new playing ground for the future—it can offer breakthroughs in product efficiency.

However, there is a long and complex road to industrial development from materials science research work,” he continued. “We must use process system engineering (PSE) to improve the separation process, evaluating membranes selectively through PSE. Our work is collaborative by nature, as we must work together with materials scientists to create energy-efficient membrane gas separations, taking into account not only the energy efficiency but also the overall cost of the process and purity, recovery and productivity.”

‘Game-changing alternatives’ “Membranes have a huge impact in molecular separations in aqueous systems, especially in desalination,” said Professor Andrew Livingston, director of the Barrer Centre, Chemical Engineering Department at Imperial College London, during his lecture “Advanced Polymer Membranes for Molecular Separations in Organic Liquids.”

“Around 40 to 70 percent of capital and operating costs in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are dedicated to separations, with a substantial fraction of the cost related to the processing of organic liquids,” he noted.

“Membrane technology has the potential to provide gamechanging alternatives to conventional concentration and purification technologies such as adsorption, chromatography, liquid extraction, evaporation and distillation through the process of organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN). In order to do this, the membranes must offer resilience in organic environments, display attractive selectivities, have good permeance and ideally be resistant to aging and fouling under use,” Livingston said.

3

“Once the useful permeance has been achieved, further materials innovations that result in better processes are needed—these are in the areas of more accurate separations and better in-service lifetime performance and improved chemical stability,” he added.

Better membranes—a better future “We need better membranes and materials for the future, and we must think more about challenging new applications for these membranes, focusing on more selective membranes for these applications,” stated Pinnau. “Our AMPM Center is designed for collaborative effort so we can combine our chemistry knowledge with our engineering knowledge for research advances. It is essential for us to understand the membranes’ chemistry and their applications, and we also appreciate that many steps must be carried out before commercializing a material.”

“KAUST has become a global leader in membranes and porous materials research, becoming part of the world research network dealing with energy-related items,” noted Koros. “With the AMPM Center, the University has the depth, breadth and expertise required for this highly important field.”

1. Ingo Pinnau, founding director of the AMPM

Center and KAUST professor of chemical engineering, speaks on February 20 during the University's Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials (AMPM) Center Research Conference: New Materials Horizon for Energy-Intensive Industrial Separations.

2. William Koros, the Roberto C. Goizueta chair for

excellence in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar in membranes, speaks during the New Materials Horizon for EnergyIntensive Industrial Separations conference.

3. Students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers and visiting academics participated in the poster session on February 21 as part of the New Materials Horizon for Energy-Intensive Industrial Separations event.

www.kaust.edu.sa

21

‫‪4, 5. KAUST welcomed international experts‬‬

‫‪from the membranes and porous materials fields‬‬ ‫‪for the AMPM Center Research Conference:‬‬ ‫‪New Materials Horizon for Energy-Intensive‬‬ ‫‪Industrial Separations.‬‬

‫"لقد طورنا في فريق تصميم واكتشاف وتطوير المواد الوظيفية منصات أطر‬ ‫معدنية عضوية انضباطية المجال تمتاز بخواص جوهرية عديدة مثيرة لالهتمام‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫بغية السعي إلنجاز عملية الفصل الصعبة إليزوميرات هامة في الصناعات البترولية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫هيكليا أمثل على المستوى الجزيئي‪ ،‬وهذا‬ ‫تحكما‬ ‫والبتروكيماوية‪ .‬وتبدي منصاتنا‬ ‫مفيد ألن لكل تطبيق مستلزماته الخاصة‪ .‬ويركز عملنا اآلن على الجيل الثالث من‬ ‫األطر المعدنية العضوية"‪.‬‬

‫عمل تعاوني‬ ‫وأشار المتحدث البروفيسور إيريك فافر من جامعة لورين (فرنسا) إلى أن عملية فصل‬ ‫الغاز باستخدام األغشية عملية هامة في عمليات الفصل الصناعية"‪.‬‬ ‫وقال فافر‪" :‬تعتبر متطلبات الطاقة من القضايا الهامة بالنسبة لكفاءة الفصل‪ ،‬ألن‬ ‫هذه العمليات مكلفة‪ .‬لقد تطورت عملية فصل الغاز باألغشية بفضل تنسيق عن‬ ‫كثب بين علم المواد والهندسة الكيميائية‪ ،‬ولكننا نعاني من ندرة موردي مواد‬ ‫ومعدات األغشية الالزمة لهذه العملية"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جديدا للمستقبل‪ ،‬قد‬ ‫مجاال‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬أعتقد أن فصل الغاز باألغشية يمثل‬ ‫وتابع كالمه‬ ‫يتمخض عن تطورات مفاجئة على صعيد كفاءة المنتج‪ .‬ولكن طريق الوصول إلى‬ ‫التطوير الصناعي طريق طويل معقد يستلزم الكثير من العمل البحثي في علم‬ ‫المواد‪ .‬ويجب أن نستخدم هندسة نظام العمليات في تحسين عملية الفصل وتقييم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫انتقائيا‪ .‬وعملنا تعاوني بطبيعته‪ ،‬ألننا ينبغي أن نعمل مع علماء المواد‬ ‫األغشية‬ ‫على ابتكار عمليات فصل للغازات تمتاز بكفاءة في ترشيد استهالك الطاقة‪ .‬وال‬ ‫ينبغي أن نراعي كفاءة ترشيد استهالك الطاقة فحسب‪ ،‬بل ينبغي أن نراعي الكلفة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا"‪.‬‬ ‫اإلجمالية للعملية والنقاء واإلصالح واإلنتاجية‬

‫كاالمتزاز والفصل الكروماتوغرافي واستخالص السائل والتبخر والتقطير من خالل‬ ‫عملية الترشيح النانوي باستخدام مذيب عضوي (‪ .)OSN‬ومن شأن هذه البدائل أن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫رأسا على عقب‪ .‬ويستلزم ذلك أن تتمتع األغشية بالمرونة في البيئات‬ ‫تقلب الوضع‬ ‫العضوية‪ ،‬وأن تمتاز باختياريات جذابة ومنافذة جيدة‪ ،‬وأن تكون‪ ،‬في الحالة المثالية‪،‬‬ ‫مقاومة للتأثر بمرور الزمن ولالنسداد بفعل االستخدام"‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬عندما تتحقق المنافذة المفيدة‪ ،‬ستبرز الحاجة إلى المزيد من االبتكارات‬ ‫لمعالجة تأثر المواد بمرور الزمن‪ ،‬مما يؤدي إلى عمليات أفضل‪ ،‬أي على صعيد‬ ‫تحسين دقة الفصل وإطالة عمر الخدمة وزيادة االستقرار الكيميائي"‪.‬‬

‫أغشية أفضل – مستقبل أفضل‬ ‫قال بيناو‪" :‬نحتاج إلى أغشية ومواد أفضل من أجل المستقبل‪ ،‬وينبغي أن نفكر أكثر‬ ‫بتجريب تطبيقات جديدة لهذه األغشية‪ ،‬مع التركيز على أغشية أكثر انتقائية لهذه‬ ‫التطبيقات‪ .‬لقد ُصمم مركز األغشية المتطورة والمواد المسامية للقيام بجهود‬ ‫تعاونية‪ ،‬ولذلك يمكننا الجمع بين معرفتنا الكيماوية ومعرفتنا الهندسية لتحقيق‬ ‫إنجازات في مجال األبحاث‪ .‬ومن الهام أن ندرك كيمياء األغشية وتطبيقاتها‪ ،‬ونحن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا أننا ينبغي أن تتخذ عدة خطوات قبل طرح أي مادة لالستثمار التجاري"‪.‬‬ ‫ندرك‬ ‫وأشار كوروس إلى أن‪ " :‬جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية باتت رائدة على‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جزءا من شبكة‬ ‫مستوى العالم في أبحاث األغشية والمواد المسامية‪ ،‬وأصبحت‬ ‫األبحاث العالمية‪ ،‬وتتعامل مع بنود ذات صلة بالطاقة‪ .‬وبفضل مركز األغشية‬ ‫المتطورة والمواد المسامية‪ ،‬تتمتع الجامعة بالعمق واتساع األفق والخبرات الالزمة‬ ‫لهذا الحقل فائق األهمية"‪.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫رأسا على عقب"‬ ‫"بدائل تقلب الوضع‬ ‫قال البروفيسور أندرو ليفنغستون‪ ،‬مدير مركز بارر وقسم الهندسة الكيميائية في‬ ‫كلية لندن اإلمبراطورية أثناء محاضرته التي كان عنوانها‪" :‬أغشية البوليمر المتطورة‬ ‫من أجل عمليات الفصل الجزيئية في السوائل العضوية"‪" :‬تمتاز األغشية بتأثر كبير‬ ‫على عمليات الفصل الجزيئية في األنظمة المائية‪ ،‬وخاصة في عملية تحلية‬ ‫المياه المالحة"‪.‬‬ ‫وأشار إلى أنه ُ"يخصص ما يتراوح بين ‪ 40‬و‪ 70‬بالمئة من رأس المال والنفقات‬ ‫التشغيلية في الصناعات الكيماوية والبتروكيماوية لعمليات الفصل‪ ،‬مع تخصيص‬ ‫جزء ال يستهان به من الكلفة لمعالجة السوائل العضوية"‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬تمتاز تقنية األغشية بإمكانية تقديم بدائل لتقنيات التركيز والتنقية التقليدية‬

‫‪THE BEACON | APRIL 2017‬‬

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‫رئيس الجامعة يتحدث‬ ‫عن المستقبل‬

‫‪4‬‬ ‫‪5‬‬

‫عقد مركز األغشية المتطورة والمواد المسامية (‪ )AMPM‬في جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية مؤتمر األبحاث‪" :‬أفق المواد الجديدة من أجل عمليات‬ ‫الفصل الصناعي ذات االستهالك الكثيف للطاقة" في الحرم الجامعي‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫من ‪ 20‬إلى ‪ 23‬فبراير‪ .‬وجمع المؤتمر خبراء عالميين من الوسطين األكاديمي‬ ‫والصناعي في مجال األغشية والمواد المسامية لثالثة أيام من المناقشات‬ ‫والفعاليات‪ ،‬تشمل جلسة ملصقات في ‪ 21‬فبراير‪.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫شارحا‪" :‬ال بد من التوصيف الذي يتخطى التصوير المجهري التقليدي والتبعثر‬ ‫وقال‬ ‫والتصوير الطيفي‪ ،‬وذلك لهندسة التمييز من مرتبة أجزاء األنغستروم لدى المواد‬ ‫المخترقة ألغشية منخل الكربون الجزيئي‪ .‬ويتغلب استخدام الكربون على العقبات‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫تحد من استخدام المواد المتطورة األخرى‪ .‬وأعتقد أن غشاء منخل الكربون‬ ‫التي ّ‬ ‫سيغير كل شيء‪ ،‬فهذه األغشية هي الرائدة في عصر األغشية الجديد‪،‬‬ ‫الجزيئي‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وستقدم تطورات تقنية في عمليات فصل الغاز ذات االستهالك الكثيف للطاقة"‪.‬‬

‫قال إنغو بيناو‪ ،‬المدير المؤسس لمركز األغشية المتطورة والمواد المسامية‬ ‫وأستاذ الهندسة الكيميائية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪" :‬كان‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فريدا من نوعه للباحثين من الوسطين األكاديمي‬ ‫الهدف من المؤتمر تقديم منتدى‬ ‫والصناعي لمناقشة مواضيع األبحاث عالية التأثير في علم المواد المتطورة‪ ،‬مع‬ ‫تركيز خاص على حلول محتملة لعمليات الفصل الصناعية عالية الكفاءة في ترشيد‬ ‫وتميز المؤتمر‪ ،‬الذي ّ‬ ‫ركز على عمليات الفصل عالية التأثير والبيئة‬ ‫استهالك الطاقة‪.‬‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫النظيفة التي تجرى في المملكة العربية السعودية‪ ،‬بجلسات خاصة عن عمليات‬ ‫فصل الغاز الطبيعي وعمليات الفصل البتروكيماوية واستخالص غاز ثاني أكسيد‬ ‫الكربون وتخزينه"‪.‬‬

‫استكشاف األطر المعدنية العضوية‬

‫وأضاف بيناو‪" :‬من الصعب ً‬ ‫جدا طرح تقنيات جديدة في سوق محافظة كمعالجة‬ ‫البترول‪ .‬وكانت تقنية الفصل عالية الكفاءة في ترشيد استهالك الطاقة من‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نظرا إلى أن عمليات الفصل الصناعية تستهلك حوالي‬ ‫التقنيات التي يجب طرحها‬ ‫‪ 10‬بالمئة من الطاقة في الواليات المتحدة"‪.‬‬

‫"حب" لألغشية‬ ‫قال وليام كوروس‪ ،‬أحد المتحدثين الرئيسيين في المؤتمر‪ ،‬وأستاذ كرسي أبحاث‬ ‫روبرتو سي جويزويتا للتميز في الهندسة الكيميائية في معهد جورجيا للتقنية‪،‬‬ ‫والعالم البارز في مجال األغشية في تحالف أبحاث جورجيا‪" :‬أحب األغشية‪ ،‬فقد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مؤخرا‬ ‫قضيت نصف حياتي وأنا أعمل في هذا المجال"‪ .‬ويذكر أن كوروس حصل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نظرا إلى إسهاماته‬ ‫على جائزة التميز من جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‬ ‫الكبيرة وشراكته كجزء من الرحلة التاريخية للجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫وركزت الكلمة الرئيسية لكوروس على أغشية منخل الكربون الجزيئي‪ ،‬بما يشمل‬ ‫بنيتها وتطبيقاتها في عمليات فصل الغاز‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫شارحا‪" :‬علينا أن نترجم المواد المتطورة إلى وحدت أغشية اقتصادية كبيرة‬ ‫وقال‬ ‫الحجم‪ ،‬إذا أردنا إحداث تأثير فعلي‪ .‬ولكن قضية قابلية التطوير تمثل حقيقة مزعجة‪،‬‬ ‫مما يعطي الترجمة إلى المجال الصناعي أولوية كبيرة بالنسبة للمهتمين‬ ‫بعملية الفصل"‪.‬‬

‫وفي محاضرته "الكيمياء الالعضوية في مسامات األطر المعدنية العضوية"‪ ،‬شرح‬ ‫األستاذ المشارك كريستيان دونان من جامعة أديليد (أستراليا) بإيجاز خواص مواد‬ ‫األطر المعدنية العضوية‪ ،‬المشهورة بمساحة سطحها فائقة االتساع وخواص تخزين‬ ‫الغازات وفصلها‪ ،‬التي تمثل أحد المجاالت التي تركز عليه أبحاث مركز األغشية‬ ‫المتطورة والمواد المسامية‪.‬‬ ‫الصف ما بعد االصطناعي للمسامات بأيونات معدنية من‬ ‫عد‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫وشرح دونان‪"ُ :‬ي ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حاليا على‬ ‫استراتيجيات تعزيز خواص أداء األطر المعدنية العضوية‪ .‬ونحن نعمل‬ ‫إدراك تفاعلية األيونات المعدنية في فراغات المسام‪ ،‬ونعلم أن التفاعالت في‬ ‫الفراغات المقيدة قد تفضي إلى نتائج غير متوقعة‪ .‬وقد تكون األطر المعدنية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫علما أننا نستطيع استكشاف هذه المرونة أكثر من خالل استخدام‬ ‫العضوية مرنة‪،‬‬ ‫تصوير البلورات باألشعة السينية‪ .‬ومن الممكن إدراك رؤى عديدة من الرؤى‬ ‫الهيكلية الناتجة عن تصوير البلورات باألشعة السينية لألطر المعدنية العضوية"‪.‬‬

‫أعمال األطر المعدنية العضوية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية‬ ‫في كلمته التي عنوانها "المناخل الجزيئية لألطر المعدنية العضوية للتصدي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا الدكتور يوسف‬ ‫لتحديات عمليات فصل الغاز‪ /‬البخار‪ :‬حقيقة أم خيال؟"‪ ،‬تحدث‬ ‫بلمبخوت‪ ،‬وهو عالم أبحاث رئيسي في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪،‬‬ ‫وأحد أعضاء مجموعة تصميم المواد الوظيفية واكتشافها وتطويرها (‪)FMD3‬‬ ‫التي يرأسها البروفيسور محمد الداوودي‪ ،‬عن األطر المعدنية العضوية‪.‬‬ ‫وأشار د‪ .‬بلمبخوت إلى أن‪" :‬فصل الجزيئات التي تمتاز بخواص فيزيائية متقاربة‬ ‫مهمة صعبة‪ ،‬وتجرى عادة باستخدام تقنيات ذات استخدام كثيف للطاقة‪ .‬وبعد‬ ‫أكثر من ستة عقود من االستخدام الثوري لمناخل الزيوليت الجزيئية لفصل الجزئيات‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فيزيائيا ضمن حدود فرق في الحجم ال يزيد عن أنغستروم واحد‪ ،‬بدأ‬ ‫المتشابهة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حاليا بتطوير الفصل بالتنخيل ليصل إلى أجزاء من األنغستروم‪ .‬ويفسح هذا‬ ‫الباحثون‬ ‫إمكانية استخدام تقنيات االمتزاز ذات الكفاءة في ترشيد استهالك الطاقة إلى‬ ‫حد بعيد"‪.‬‬

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Startup teams chosen for first TAQADAM Accelerator Cohort Twenty-eight student- and faculty-led startup teams were chosen in January to join the first TAQADAM University Entrepreneur Accelerator program based at KAUST and sponsored by the Saudi British Bank (SABB). TAQADAM aims to develop early stage entrepreneurs and their concepts into new high-potential startups and is part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) outreach across the Kingdom.

The early stage startups work in a wide range of technologies and industries including healthcare, bioinformatics, new materials, the internet of things and software. These teams represent co-founders from 13 Saudi universities, including KAUST. The entrepreneurs were accepted into the TAQADAM cohort after participating in a competitive application process. Over 600 applications were received, and out of these, 168 teams advanced to the second round of judging. The TAQADAM program is the only multi-university startup accelerator in the Middle East.

The early stage startup teams completed the one month pre-accelerator program leading to a pitch event at KAUST on January 7. The entrepreneurs will spend the next five months participating in the intensive startup accelerator program designed to help them execute their business models, deliver valuable products or services and create local jobs. The program will end with a Startup Showcase at the end of May.

Teams from the Kingdom Each year, the TAQADAM program chooses up to 30 startup teams from universities across Saudi Arabia. The successful teams receive seed grant funding and go through a mentor-led development program that includes access to office space at the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center, support from members of the KAUST international mentor group and training to help launch and scale their new ventures. The most promising startups are eligible for additional seed funding from the KAUST Innovation Fund that is matched by an equal amount from SABB.

24

THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

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We were impressed by the scope and ambition level of the teams that applied for this first TAQADAM program, which says a lot about how entrepreneurship and innovative thinking is growing in universities across the Kingdom."

- Amal Dokhan from the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center “We were impressed by the scope and ambition level of the teams that applied for this first TAQADAM program, which says a lot about how entrepreneurship and innovative thinking is growing in universities across the Kingdom,” said Amal Dokhan from the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center. “The accelerator team is excited by the wide range of technologies and solutions that these university entrepreneurs want to bring to the market.”

KAUST-powered accelerators make an impact TAQADAM is a major expansion of the KAUST-based HIKMA and New Ventures award-winning accelerator programs delivered to KAUST students and faculty for the past two years. Startups that completed these programs have received numerous accolades over the past year. KAUST startups Sadeem and SONATE competed at the Asia-Pacific competition Slush Singapore in September of 2016, with Sadeem making the final 45 startups and SONATE the final six out of 750 startups that originally applied for the competition, for example. In addition, KAUST startups Sadeem, NOMADD and Visual Experience were featured in the Forbes Middle East list The 50 Most Promising Saudi Startups.

‫‪1, 2. Twenty-eight student- and faculty‬‬‫‪led teams have been chosen to join the‬‬ ‫‪first TAQADAM Accelerator Cohort.‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫مشاركة الفتة وطموح كبير‬ ‫يعكسان مدى نمو ثقافة‬ ‫ريادة األعمال واالبتكار في‬ ‫الجامعات السعودية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فريقا للشركات الناشئة من طلبة وهيئة تدريس ‪ 13‬جامعة سعودية‪،‬‬ ‫تم اختيار ‪28‬‬ ‫"تقدم"‬ ‫بما في ذلك جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية لالنضمام إلى برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫من بنك ساب (‪ )SABB‬لتسريع رواد األعمال والذي أقيم في حرم جامعة الملك‬ ‫"تقدم" إلى تسريع ومساندة رواد األعمال وأفكارهم‬ ‫عبداهلل‪ .‬ويهدف برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ونماذجهم في مرحلة مبكرة ثم تحويلها إلى شركات ناشئة جديدة ذات إمكانات‬ ‫عالية في مجال التقنيات والصناعات‪ ،‬والرعاية الصحية‪ ،‬والبيولوجيا الحاسوبية‪،‬‬ ‫والمواد الجديدة‪ ،‬وإنترنت األشياء‪ ،‬والبرمجيات‪ .‬وتأتي هذه المبادرة كجزء من‬ ‫المسؤولية االجتماعية (‪ )CSR‬لبنك ساب في جميع أنحاء المملكة‪.‬‬ ‫"تقدم" بعد مشاركتهم في عملية قبول‬ ‫تم قبول رواد األعمال في برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عرضا إلى الدور‬ ‫تنافسية‪ ،‬حيث تم استالم أكثر من ‪ 600‬عرض‪ ،‬تأهل منها ‪168‬‬ ‫"تقدم" هو برنامج تسريع رواد األعمال الوحيد في الشرق‬ ‫الثاني‪ .‬ويعتبر برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫األوسط الذي يتضمن جامعات متعددة‪.‬‬ ‫أكملت الفرق فترة الشهر األول ما قبل البرنامج والذي انتهى بطرحهم ألفكار‬ ‫مشاريعهم في حدث أقيم في جامعة الملك عبداهلل في السابع من يناير‬ ‫الماضي‪ .‬وسيقضي رواد األعمال األشهر الخمسة المقبلة في المشاركة المكثفة‬ ‫في برنامج تسريع رواد األعمال بهدف مساعدتهم على تنفيذ نماذج أعمالهم‪،‬‬ ‫وسينتهي البرنامج بمعرض عن الشركات الناشئة المشاركة في نهاية مايو القادم‪.‬‬

‫الفرق المشاركة من المملكة العربية السعودية‬ ‫"تقدم" في كل عام ما يقارب من ‪ 30‬فريق رواد أعمال من مختلف‬ ‫يختار برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫جامعات المملكة‪ .‬وتمنح هذه الفرق التمويل األساسي لبدء مشاريعها ومن ثم‬ ‫يتم ضمها إلى برنامج تطوير إرشادي يقدم لهم مساحات عمل مكتبية مع كامل‬ ‫دعم ومساندة المدربين الدوليين في مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫عبداهلل‪ .‬الجدير بالذكر أن المشاريع والشركات الناشئة الواعدة ستكون مؤهلة‬ ‫مساو لمبلغ‬ ‫للحصول على تمويل إضافي من صندوق االبتكار في الجامعة يكون‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫التمويل من بنك ساب‪ .‬تقول أمل دخان من مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل‪" :‬سررنا بمستوى المشاركة والطموح الذي لمسناه في الفرق المشاركة‬ ‫"تقدم"‪ ،‬األمر الذي يعكس مدى نمو ثقافة ريادة‬ ‫في النسخة األولى لبرنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫األعمال واالبتكار في الجامعات السعودية‪ .‬ونحن في غاية الحماس لرؤية التقنيات‬ ‫والحلول التي ستقدمها هذه الفرق إلى السوق‪".‬‬

‫تأثير برامج التسريع في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫"تقدم" إضافة كبيرة لبرامج التسريع القائمة في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫يعتبر برنامج‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫والحائزة على عدة جوائز مثل برنامج حكمة وبرنامج تسريع المشاريع الجديدة‬ ‫والتي أطلقتها الجامعة خالل السنتين الماضيتين وتكللت بإنشاء عدة شركات‬ ‫ناشئة خالل العام الماضي مثل شركة سديم وسونيت اللتين تنافستا في مسابقة‬ ‫سلوش سنغافورة للشركات الناشئة من آسيا والمحيط الهادىء في سبتمبر من‬ ‫عام ‪ ،2016‬وحققتا مراكز متقدمة‪ .‬وباإلضافة إلى ذلك‪ ،‬احتلت الشركات الناشئة‬ ‫سديم‪ ،‬ونوماد‪ ،‬وفيجوال إكسبيرينس قائمة فوربس الشرق األوسط كأكثر ‪50‬‬ ‫شركة سعودية واعدة‪.‬‬

1

Faculty new faces on campus

By David Murphy Xiaohang Li

Deanna Lacoste

Xiaohang Li is an assistant professor of electrical engineering in the University’s Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division. He received his B.S. in applied physics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China); his M.S. in electrical engineering from Lehigh University (U.S.); and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech (U.S).

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Deanna Lacoste was appointed to her position at KAUST in November of 2016 from École Centrale Paris (France), where she had worked previously for 12 years. Her research focuses on plasmaassisted combustion and flame dynamics, with special emphasis on control of thermoacoustic instabilities by non-equilibrium plasma discharges. Lacoste is also interested in detonation and development of optical diagnostics for combustion and electrical discharges.

Li, who came to KAUST in February of 2016, focuses his interdisciplinary research activities on the investigation of the growth, simulation, fabrication and characterization of III-nitride structures for next-generation devices. Devices of particular interest include LEDs, lasers, solar cells, transistors and sensors.

Due to the excellent properties of III-nitrides, these devices are expected to become the enabling technologies to revolutionize the energy, communication, biochemical, biomedical and data storage industries, among others.

"Some of my projects are 'blue-chip’ with specific goals, and the others are ‘blue-sky’—those that bear some risks but have huge returns if successful," Li noted.

“Because of the novelty and versatility of the III-nitride semiconductor, a very large research playground has been formed. Some fellow KAUST faculty members, including Professors Boon Ooi, Kazuhiro Ohkawa and Imal Roqan, are also working in this area. My group collaborates with them, but we focus more on the ultraviolet LED and lasers that are critical for water treatment, food safety, biochemical sensing and covert communication. Some of them are strategic areas in the Kingdom and around the world.”

Li chose KAUST as the next stepping stone in his professional and personal development for a number of reasons.

“I was attracted to the University because it offers strong financial support so that I can spend sufficient, meaningful time advising students and discussing ideas. Saudi Arabia is also transforming into a modern society, leading to numerous opportunities—I witnessed a similar process in China since the 1980s, with huge opportunities generated for the people. KAUST is also such a beautiful place, with the Red Sea just steps away— the campus is perfectly designed, making commuting, living and working a great pleasure.”

Li noted that although KAUST is a research university, “the teaching aspect is very important, as it helps students learn knowledge necessary for their research. In my role as an academic advisor, I have witnessed the students in my group growing and becoming more capable researchers and mature human beings. These experiences give me joy and a sense of accomplishment as a faculty member.”

“My time at KAUST has been a blessing,” Li added. “Every day I am learning new ideas and knowledge from discussions, seminars and conferences on campus. I have also had ample opportunities to travel to different conferences and institutions to build academic connections and collaborations.”

26

THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

Lacoste completed her M.S. in mechanical engineering at the French Institute for Advanced Mechanical Engineering in 1998, and did her M.S. in aerodynamics, combustion and thermodynamics and her Ph.D. in combustion at the University of Poitiers (France) in 1999 and 2002, respectively. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in optical diagnostics at the École Centrale Paris from 2003 to 2004.

“After École Centrale Paris, I was looking for new challenges and new opportunities in research. I met KAUST Professor Suk Ho Chung at a conference, and at the time, he was the director of the University’s Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC).

He introduced me to KAUST, and after looking at the website, I found that the University was amazing, so I applied to come work here,” she said.

Lacoste’s research focuses on plasma-assisted combustion and detonation.

“I try to investigate if non-equilibrium plasma discharges can be used to control combustion dynamics and assist the deflagration-to-detonation transition. I do experimental work to try to understand the physics of the coupled phenomenon in which I’m interested. I also develop and implement optical and laser diagnostics adapted to flames and electrical discharges phenomena. My ultimate goal is to try to offer new combustion concepts that are more efficient and less able to pollute than the current ones,” she said.

“I’m currently building my research group and my experimental setups,” Lacoste noted. “I will try as soon as possible to have significant results in plasma-assisted combustion at high pressure, because the studies in this field are very scarce and good results could have a major impact for industrial applications as well as for the scientific community.”

2

3

4 1. Xiaohang Li, assistant professor of electrical engineering

2. Deanna Lacoste, assistant

professor of mechanical engineering

3. Mo Li, assistant professor of bioscience

4. Stefaan De Wolf, associate professor of material science and engineering

Mo Li

Stefaan De Wolf

Mo Li is an assistant professor of bioscience in the University’s Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division. Prior to joining KAUST in November of 2016, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and then a staff scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences (U.S.), where his research interests focused on somatic cell reprogramming, genome editing technology and pluripotent stem cell models of human monogenic diseases. Li received his Ph.D. in cellular biology from the University of Georgia (U.S.) in 2007.

Stefaan De Wolf joined KAUST in September of 2016 as an associate professor of material science and engineering in the University’s Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division.

He obtained his Ph.D. degree in silicon solar cells at IMEC, a large nano-electronics institute in Belgium. De Wolf then spent several years at The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) (Japan), followed by almost nine years as a team leader responsible for high-efficiency solar cells at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland).

His research at KAUST attempts to understand the molecular basis of the regenerative mechanisms that maintain the proper form and function of the human body.

His expertise lies in the science and technology of photovoltaics for terrestrial applications, with his research focusing on the fabrication of high-efficiency silicon-based solar cells. He specifically concentrates on the fundamental understanding of interface structures and electrical contact formation relevant to solar cells and electronic devices.

“My research programs build on a multidisciplinary platform that integrates stem cell models with genome engineering, functional genomics, bioengineering and chemical screening to gain a holistic understanding of regeneration in its broadest sense while keeping a commitment to fulfilling the translational promise of stem cell research,” Li said.

“My vision is to develop stem cell-based therapeutics for human diseases. Some examples include developing cures for diseases such as sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia based on precise genome editing technologies, discovering disease diagnostic biomarkers or new drugs and in vitro generation of blood cells for cell-based therapy,” he added.

The multidisciplinary research program at KAUST, the quality of the University’s faculty, generous research funding, excellent research facilities and independence in pursuing fundamental and innovative research questions are some of the factors that attracted Li to join KAUST. “I think the dynamic culture of a multinational and young university offers exciting opportunities to do things outside the box,” he said. “I’ve been warmly welcomed by students and faculty members of several divisions, and I’ve received support from multiple support teams in building my lab. I’ve already had many opportunities to interact with scientists from many institutes around the world.

“Everyday starts with exciting new opportunities and new challenges. Growth would be the one keyword to describe my experience so far in terms of scientific research and personal career development.”

“The core of my activities is based around silicon heterojunction solar cells, a technology that uses silicon wafers to absorb the sunlight. In these devices, the electric contacts are made by scalable thin-film deposition techniques. Here at KAUST, I am particularly interested in tailoring this technology to develop high-efficiency solar cells that perform very well in hot climates,” he said.

De Wolf is also interested in new device architectures and applications, such as back-contacted solar cells and siliconbased multi-junction solar cells aimed at the improved utilization of the full solar spectrum for electricity generation.

“Being based at the KAUST Solar Center, I am also very interested in finding strategies to combine silicon solar cells with other solar technologies,” he said. “A very promising combination is the stacking of a so-called perovskite solar cell on top of silicon one. This way, sunlight can be absorbed and converted into electricity even more efficiently. With this, we hope to develop silicon-based solar cells with ultra-high performance at affordable cost. As these devices better convert the light into electricity and not into heat, we also think they will become the ideal solution for hotter climates.”

De Wolf noted that as soon as he heard of the University, “I knew I had to be here because of the KAUST commitment to addressing grand challenges, including the one for sustainable energy supply. At KAUST, time flies, and every day I meet inspiring people—it couldn't be better.”

www.kaust.edu.sa

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Dr. William J. Koros named inaugural Champion of KAUST

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By Michelle D’Antoni

Dr. William (Bill) J. Koros, the Roberto C. Goizueta chair for excellence in chemical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar in membranes, was named the inaugural Champion of KAUST. The Champions of KAUST award honors an individual or institution for outstanding contributions and partnership as a part of the historic journey of KAUST. At a reception on January 12 in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., colleagues from KAUST and Georgia Tech and friends from the surrounding science and technology academic community came together to honor Koros for his efforts in supporting the vision of KAUST.

Gratitude for Koros “At KAUST, we are continually grateful to our friends at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and it was an honor to be joined

by President G.P. ‘Bud’ Peterson and many of our colleagues from Georgia Tech, Emory University, Spelman and Morehouse College for this memorable evening,” said KAUST President Jean-Lou Chameau. “Together our partnership continues to expand the reach of science and technology in the world.”

A champion and collaborator to KAUST faculty, researchers and students since 2008, Koros helped guide the initial strategy of the KAUST Advanced Membranes & Porous Materials Center (AMPMC). Before KAUST was built and while the University's research agenda was still being shaped, Koros proposed research to globally reduce CO2 emissions and increase energy efficiency in processes. Applying successful membrane technology beyond the area of water and into producing hydrocarbon fuels and petrochemicals was of great interest to KAUST, even though it had yet to become a focus of global interest.

High-risk, high-reward research “The main impact of this collaboration is that it has allowed us to dig deeper into research topics,” Koros explained. “The work with KAUST kept us a vibrant research operation while the rest of the world caught up with the idea that hydrocarbons are actually a very valuable source—not just for fuel, but also for raw materials and for chemicals. It allowed me to do what I thought needed to be done at a time when it was not in vogue.”

“It has been very satisfying to see that together we were able to continue growing, developing and now spreading that vision to many people working in academia in the U.S., because now membranes beyond water is a very active and fertile area for

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

research," he continued. "Not everything we proposed worked, but much did, and these areas have been a powerful influence for additional programs we have undertaken with U.S. industries.

KAUST trusted us to push the limits, and that has paid off enormously well.”

A relationship of connectivity The collaboration with Koros has been marked by a shared commitment to scientific discovery and excellence as well as collegial respect and partnership spanning across borders and institutions.

"Our collaboration has been a very complementary and positive relationship,” Koros explained. “The way that KAUST is organized and the vision that it has disentangles bureaucracy from technology. There is definite connectivity, but I don’t think we are one in the same fabric. KAUST has its own perspective, but what weaves us together is an absolute demand for excellence and a requirement that you do something that has an impact.”

Dr. Ingo Pinnau, founding director of the AMPMC, is a former Ph.D. student of Koros who returned to industry after completing his doctoral degree. However, he stayed connected to academia as an adjunct faculty member at Stanford, and his experience in academia and industry distinguished him as the top choice to lead the new center.

“When I was appointed as director in 2008, the center was a blank slate, and Bill gave valuable input. While our relationship and our research have evolved through the years, both have always been extremely positive and cooperative,” Pinnau said.

“Since the AMPMC was established, we seen 28 master’s degree and 17 doctoral students graduate, and we've published more than 400 papers and filed 63 patent applications, with six granted patents.”

The value of diversity When asked about the personal impact of this collaboration, Koros said, “The collaboration and interaction with KAUST has definitely had a big impact on me in a variety of ways. One of those was opening my mind to the concept that everything doesn’t need to be done in the same way. In fact, there is some value in things not being done in the same way as long as people can talk to each other and realize there is value in this diversity.”

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‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية تمنح الدكتور وليام‬ ‫كوروس جائزة التميز‬ ‫منحت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية الدكتور ويليام (بيل) كوروس جائزة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نظرا إلسهاماته الكبيرة وشراكته في دعم رؤية الجامعة منذ تأسيسيها‪.‬‬ ‫التميز‬ ‫والدكتور وليام هو أستاذ كرسي أبحاث روبرتو سي جويزويتا للتميز في الهندسة‬ ‫الكيميائية من معهد جورجيا للتقنية وعالم بارز في مجال األغشية في تحالف‬ ‫أبحاث جورجيا‪.‬‬ ‫وأقيم حفل تكريم الدكتور كوروس بتاريخ ‪ 12‬يناير ‪ 2017‬في مدينة أتالنتا‪ ،‬بوالية‬ ‫جورجيا‪ ،‬الواليات المتحدة‪ ،‬بحضور ممثلين من جامعة الملك عبد اهلل ومعهد جورجيا‬ ‫للتقنية وزمالء من المجتمع األكاديمي للعلوم والتقنية‪ .‬وقال رئيس جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل الدكتور جان‪-‬لو شامو بهذه المناسبة‪" :‬نحن في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫جدا ألصدقائنا من معهد جورجيا للتقنية‪ ،‬وقد تشرفت ً‬ ‫ممتنون ً‬ ‫جدا بانضمامي إلى‬ ‫الدكتور جورج بيترسون‪ ،‬رئيس معهد جورجيا للتقنية والزمالء من جامعة إيموري‪،‬‬ ‫وسبيلمان وكلية مورهاوس في هذه األمسية الرائعة‪ .‬وبشراكاتنا المستمرة‬ ‫سنتمكن من دعم وتشجيع العلوم والتقنية في العالم‪".‬‬ ‫تمتد شراكة الدكتور كوروس وتعاونه الوثيق مع جامعة الملك عبد اهلل وأعضاء‬ ‫هيئة تدريسها وباحثيها وطلبتها منذ عام ‪ ،2008‬حيث ساعد كوروس في وضع‬ ‫االستراتيجية المبدئية لبناء مركز األغشية المتطورة والمواد المسامية (‪)AMPMC‬‬ ‫في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪ .‬كما اقترح المبادرة في أبحاث الحد من انبعاثات‬ ‫غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون (‪ )COs‬في العالم ورفع كفاءة استهالك الطاقة في‬ ‫العمليات قبل بناء جامعة الملك عبد اهلل أو تحديد هيكلها البحثي‪ .‬كما ساهم في‬ ‫تطبيق التقنية الناجحة لألغشية خارج مجال المياه إلنتاج الوقود الهيدروكربوني‬ ‫والبتروكيماويات وهي مجاالت بحثية بالغة األهمية لجامعة الملك عبداهلل وباتت‬ ‫محور االهتمام العالمي‪.‬‬ ‫يقول الدكتور كوروس‪" :‬تمكنا من خالل أبحاثنا التعاونية مع جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫من مواصلة النمو وتطوير ونشر ثقافة التعاون البحثي بين مختلف الناس الذين‬ ‫يعملون في المؤسسات األكاديمية في الواليات المتحدة‪ .‬لقد عزز تعاوننا مع‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبد اهلل من ثقتنا على بذل المزيد وتخطي آفاق حدودنا في العلوم‬ ‫والتقنية وكانت النتيجة مثمرة‪".‬‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫بناء العالقات والتواصل‬ ‫اتسم التعاون البحثي بين الجامعة والدكتور ويليام كوروس بالتزام الطرفين بدعم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فضال عن االحترام المتبادل والشراكة التي تمتد عبر‬ ‫والتميز العلمي‬ ‫االكتشافات‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الحدود والمؤسسات العلمية المختلفة‪ .‬ويوضح الدكتور كورس ذلك بقوله‪" :‬كانت‬ ‫عالقتنا التعاونية تكاملية ً‬ ‫جدا وإيجابية‪ .‬وأشيد بطريقة تنظيم جامعة الملك عبد اهلل‬ ‫ورؤيتها في فصل البيروقراطية عن التقنية‪ .‬هناك تواصل واضح بيننا على الرغم من‬ ‫اختالف االهتمامات‪ .‬إال أن ما يجمعنا ً‬ ‫معا هو سعينا المشترك للتميز‬ ‫وإحداث التأثير"‪.‬‬

‫ميزة التنوع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫شخصيا‪ ،‬قال كوروس‪" :‬ال شك أن‬ ‫وردا على سؤال حول تأثير هذا التعاون عليه‬ ‫تعاوني البحثي مع جامعة الملك عبداهلل أحدث تأثيرات إيجابية كبيرة في حياتي‬ ‫على المستوى الشخصي‪ .‬فمن خالل التعاون مع المجتمع البحثي المتنوع في‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل أدركت أنه ليس بالضرورة القيام بأي عمل بنفس الطريقة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وأحيانا غير متوقعه في حال قمت بالعمل‬ ‫حتما بنتائج قيمة‬ ‫المتبعة‪ .‬ألنك ستخرج‬ ‫بطريقة مختلفة ولكن بشرط التواصل والتحدث مع الناس المختلفة واإليمان بقيمة‬ ‫هذا التنوع الفريد"‪.‬‬

‫‪1. Dr. William J. Koros (left), the Roberto C. Goizueta‬‬ ‫‪chair for excellence in chemical engineering at the‬‬ ‫‪Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia‬‬ ‫‪Research Alliance eminent scholar in membranes,‬‬ ‫‪was named the inaugural Champion of KAUST.‬‬ ‫‪Here he receives thanks from KAUST President‬‬ ‫‪Jean-Lou Chameau.‬‬

‫‪2. Dr. William J. Koros (second from right) received‬‬

‫‪congratulations from KAUST President Jean-Lou‬‬ ‫‪Chameau (left) and KAUST Professors Mohamed‬‬ ‫)‪Eddaoudi (second from left) and Ingo Pinnau (right‬‬ ‫‪when named as the inaugural Champion of KAUST.‬‬

Engineering for a new era As a center of innovation, KAUST continually pushes boundaries in terms of research efforts and physical space.

As evidenced by the rapidly developing Research Park, where industrial partners are setting up a footprint, the community along the shores of the Red Sea continually grows in terms of research facilities and also through the building and maintenance of school facilities and various other community building projects.

At the forum, Al-Nasr noted, “As engineers, designers, construction engineers and everyone at E&PM, we should be the custodians of the quality of work and every project we undertake in this institution. Standards are not matters that should only be comprehended by engineers. Standards should be clear to the users, the implementers and to the quality controllers. Even if you are not an engineer, it’s your right to understand the standards.”

“KAUST is embarking on a huge construction era—and eras—for many years to come,” said Nadhmi Al-Nasr, KAUST executive vice president for administration and finance.

A strong engineering team is needed to take on these ambitious challenges.

Roadmap for the future

Established in March of 2015, the Engineering Team of the KAUST Engineering and Project Management (E&PM) Department was created under the leadership of Marc Jackson, director of E&PM, to establish the standards and design criteria needed for the institution to embark on this bold era.

“Why do we need to develop our own standards at KAUST? We need to do this to establish a common language of standards for all KAUST stakeholders and organizations to avoid contradictions. We also would like to have standards that fulfill the requirements of KAUST for good quality in terms of safety, optimum cost and reliability,” said Mohammad A. Balamesh, engineering head of the engineering team at E&PM.

KAUST is embarking on a huge construction era—and eras—for many years to come.”

- Nadhmi Al-Nasr, KAUST executive vice president for administration and finance

Setting the standards “Compliance is key. It’s really important to adhere to engineering and design standards. These minimum standards are meant to ensure that we build safely and cost-effectively,” said Jackson during his opening remarks at a recent Engineering Forum held on January 23 and organized

by E&PM. The aim of this forum was to share the latest developments in KAUST Standards and Design Criteria. E&PM developed an intranet website for the KAUST standards and design criteria, which have been made accessible to all KAUST stakeholders and organizations.

Some of the projects that are already implementing the KAUST standards and design criteria include residential projects, facilities management projects, academic projects and non-academic projects.

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THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

As KAUST embarks on a huge construction era, the entire E&PM group recognizes the importance of having ownership in the journey to excellence.

As the custodian of KAUST Standards, it is expected that E&PM Engineering will spearhead standardization using KAUST standards and design criteria for all new projects at KAUST together with all stakeholders from Facilities Management; Health, Safety and Environment; Government Affairs; Security; Innovation and Economic Development; and Engineering and Project Management.

Other speakers at the Engineering Forum included Sami I. Sarhan, engineering & project controls manager, and Mohsen M. Ibrahim, technical supervisor, described how the teams within E&PM are providing technical support and services to stakeholders. Most importantly, they highlighted that while the KAUST standards and design criteria have been completed and made accessible on an intranet website, this is a live document that needs to be updated on a continual basis and improved and enhanced.

1. All Technical Committee members recognized during the Engineering Forum event on January 23 for providing great support for completing KAUST standards are pictured here.

2. The KAUST Entrepreneurship Center and

The Dow Chemical Company held the STEAM innovation challenge for more than 150 university students from the Jeddah area on the KAUST campus from January 19 to 21 as part of the University's 2017 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP). Photo courtesy of KAUST Innovation and Economic Development.

2

Sustainable solutions for Saudi Arabia More than 150 university students from across the Jeddah area participated in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) innovation challenge from January 19 to 21 on the KAUST campus as part of the University's 2017 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP).

“I was overwhelmed by the number of great ideas brought forward to generate demand for energy-efficient homes in Saudi Arabia," said Margherita Fontana, Dow Building & Construction global marketing director. "We look forward to supporting those ideas to the next level of implementation.”

Led by the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center in coordination with leaders and subject matter experts from The Dow Chemical Company, the event saw 30 student teams from KAUST, King Abdulaziz University, the University of Business and Technology (UBT), the University of Jeddah, Effat University, Umm Al-Qura University and Dar Al-Hekma University come together to find solutions addressing major real-world challenges. The themes of this year’s event were “Living Spaces, A Better World and Energy.”

The first runners-up produced a solution to improve and increase shelf life and maintain the quality of fish and fish packaging. The second runners-up presented a proposal on how to improve energy efficiency in Saudi homes.

“I was pleased to see the high level of energy and enthusiasm from the participating students,” said Tristan Walker, vice president of KAUST Innovation & Economic Development.

Diverse student teams The students selected for the STEAM challenge all had backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, art or mathematics. Each team included four to six members and had students from different universities with different majors to ensure that each team would benefit from a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.

“We are truly impressed with the passion and creativity of the students as well as the solutions they proposed," said Chuck Swartz, president of Dow Saudi Arabia. "I want to thank the students for their dedication and participation and the KAUST and Dow teams for their outstanding effort in putting the event together.”

At the conclusion of the event, teams presented to three different panels of judges and a winning team was selected for each theme. The three final teams made a presentation to a new panel of judges, and this panel picked the final winner.

The teams were judged on how well they understood and explained the problem they were trying to solve; how well they articulated the solution to solve some or all of the problem; and how well they explained what was needed in terms of the execution of their idea in the real world.

“It’s a pleasure to see how eager the students were to develop sustainable solutions for energy efficiency in buildings, water supply and renewable energy to contribute to a better future for Saudi Arabia and the region," said Wiltrud Treffenfeldt, chief technology officer for Dow Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. "The STEAM challenge is a unique event that has strengthened the excellent partnership between KAUST and Dow for the benefit of the entire country, and it will have a lasting impact.”

Collaborative university-industry partnerships Dow has a strong history of partnering with KAUST. In June 2009, Dow became a founding member of the University’s Industry Collaboration Program (KICP). In June 2011, Dow established an R&D Center at the KAUST Innovation Cluster focusing on ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology for water treatment and oil and gas technologies and infrastructure materials such as coatings. A new Dow Innovation Center is currently under construction on the University’s campus and is expected to be in operation in 2018.

“When coupled with strong support and engagement from Dow, one of the University’s founding strategic partners, this proved to be an extremely effective way to tap into the imagination and creativity of this diverse group," said Walker.

"The STEAM challenge provided a fantastic opportunity for our students to work in interdisciplinary teams alongside students from a number of partnering Saudi universities to develop and present well-defined solutions to major realworld challenges. The event also gave a flavor of what can be achieved from successful and innovative university and industry partnerships.”

Energy-efficient solutions The winning team came up with a comprehensive and innovative proposal to improve energy efficiency in Saudi Arabia by using state-of-the-art Dow technologies coupled with relevant incentives and education for the public. A key feature of their proposal was a digital platform that connects government, property owners, construction companies and insulation manufacturers to promote the insulation of residential homes.

www.kaust.edu.sa

31

On March 2, the KAUST community joined together on campus for the 2017 Parade of Nations and picnic, a colorful cultural display of the over 100 different nationalities making up the University.

Photos by Lilit Hovhannisyan.

32

THE BEACON | APRIL 2017

Pioneers #SEP2017

APRIL

14-19

2017

From April 14 to 19, the third Enrichment in the Spring program will explore the theme of “Pioneers” through a large array of events.

Lectures, exhibitions and workshops will take us over our collective and personal boundaries to discover new territories. International and in-Kingdom speakers will share their own experiences of pioneering and will give us insightful perspectives into their areas of knowledge.

1

Enrichment in the Spring offers many opportunities to get inspired and entertained.

There is something for every age and interest.

Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15 Celebrate Pioneers • Film Festival to celebrate the world’s pioneers through time

3

• Pioneering Plastic Painting workshop with the artist Mbongeni Buthelezi

Sunday, April 16 The opening night • Cocktail reception

• Musical performance by Abdulrahman Mohammed

4

• Celebrate Saudi Arabia art competition: the opening of the exhibition

Monday, April 17 Pioneering in Science • Alan Lightman, physicist and writer: "The Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th Century Science" • L aurent Lantieri, who performed the first full-face transplantation: Restoring Bodies to Restore Humanity

7

• Pioneering Plastic Painting with Mbongeni Buthelezi: opening of the exhibition and a lecture

Tuesday, April 18 Pioneering in the Exploration of Arabia • Alastair Humphreys, adventurer and author who walked across the Empty Quarter on Wilfred Thesiger’s route • Mike Bruton: Quest for Perfection: the Contributions of Muslim Scientists to the Golden Age of Islam

2

• Old Maps of Arabia, an exhibition presented by Emmie Mollard • Women in Science and Engineering mentoring • Museum of Science and Technology in Islam (MOSTI) tours guided by Mike Bruton, designer of the museum • Discover and build your own astrolabe, a workshop led by the KAUST astronomy group

Wednesday, April 19 Pioneering in Technology • Professor Eric R. Fossum, inventor of the CMOS image sensor “camera-on-a-chip” used in billions of cameras

Enrichment in the Spring is an educational program open to all members of the KAUST community and invited guests.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter:

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5

• Awards ceremony

1. Musician Abdulrahman Mohammed will play as part of the opening night of the 2017 Spring Enrichment Program. Photo courtesy of Abdulrahman Mohammed.

2. Artist Mbongeni Buthelezi will conduct a Pioneering Plastic Painting

workshop on campus and will also give a lecture on his artwork. Photo courtesy of Mbongeni Buthelezi.

3. Author Mike Bruton will give a lecture entitled "Quest for Perfection: the Contributions of Muslim Scientists to the Golden Age of Islam."

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

4. Alan Lightman, physicist and writer, will discuss his book

"The Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th Century Science."

5. Learn about astrolabes (pictured) during the 2017 Enrichment in the Spring program as part of the Museum of Science and Technology in Islam (MOSTI) guided tours and at a workshop led by the KAUST astronomy group. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

6, 7. Alastair Humphreys, the adventurer and author who walked across the Empty Quarter on Wilfred Thesiger’s route, will discuss his travels.

Photo courtesy of Alastair Humphreys.

8. Laurent Lantieri, who performed the first full-face transplant,

8

will give a lecture entitled "Restoring Bodies to Restore Humanity."

Photo courtesy of Laurent Lantieri.