2017 October Beacon

October 2017 Safar, 1439 Volume 8, Issue No. 10 ‫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

‫الكوارث الطبيعية المدمرة‬

Sadeem: Flood mitigation around the world Page 6

KAUST and Gulf Data Hub break ground Page 22

A 'silver bullet' awakening Page 14

Giving back to celebrate Eid Page 24

Saudi startups pitch the 9/10ths Accelerator showcase Page 18

Alumni focus Page 26

Developing gifted Saudi students Page 20

Community Open Day and Artisan Fair 2017 Page 28

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 Beacon Volume 8, Issue No. 10 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 Writers: David Murphy, Meres J. Weche Translator: Adel Alrefaie Photographer: Lilit Hovhannisyan The Beacon is published monthly. Š 2017 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

The Sixth Annual Back to School campaign ran from August 14 to September 18. The campaign supports the University's neighbors in Thuwal and Qadimah by providing essential school supplies to local children to start the year off right. KAUST community members supported the campaign by purchasing gift cards from venues around the campus, or by volunteering to help assemble the school kits, publicize the effort and distribute the school kits to children. The campaign was organized

by Social Responsibility and is part of the Young Learners Development Program (YLDP). Over 150 volunteers from the KAUST community helped assemble school bags and supplies for the children and delivered them to 700 local students. Social Responsibility thanks The KAUST School (TKS) teachers and students for their additional support of the program this year. For more information and to learn how to become a volunteer, email volunteer@kaust.edu.sa.

Community Life hosted the Community Open Day & Artisan Fair on September 14 at the Island Recreation Center. The event included information booths about activities on campus, including the Self-Directed Groups (SDGs); KAUST departmental booths; an Artisan Fair with handmade jewelry, bags, ceramics and more; and fun for all ages, including bouncy castles, food trucks, a tea shop, calligraphy, face painting, henna, bubble football, live music and a grand prize draw featuring airline tickets to Europe.

Three guided bird walks took place in September on the University's campus. The walks coincided with the peak migration period and were a perfect opportunity to meet some of the birds passing through KAUST. The first two walks took place on the evenings of September 17 and September 24 at the Golf Course. A third Island Mangrove Walk took place during the early morning of September 30 to view passage water birds. The walks were led by Brian James, HSE biodiversity coordinator. For more information, email brian.james@kaust.edu.sa.

The Library hosted an Open House on September 27. Highlights included the services and resources available at the Library; partner division booths; games and competitions; tours; giveaways; and refreshments. Library staff also answered whatever questions attendees had.

The event was open to all members of the KAUST community. For more information, visit library.kaust.edu.sa.

A Vocal Gala - An Evening of Music and Song took place on September 18 in the Auditorium (bldg. 20). It was the first concert of the 2017 2018 season, and featured vocalists from the KAUST community singing a variety of familiar songs from the classical and popular genres.

Community Life held a Saudi National Day celebration on September 28 in honor of the country's National Day on September 23 at the Amphitheater near Al Marsa, during which attendees learned more about Saudi Arabia's rich culture, history and heritage. Arabic music, coffee, Saudi delicacies and food, a children's show and dances, traditional Bedouin tents, Saudi antiques and falcons, food trucks, henna, a horse parade, a children's choir, traditional folklore performances and free giveaways were also on offer.

The online Learning Management System recently kicked off and can be accessed at humanfirewall.kaust.edu.sa. To use the system, enter this URL in your browser and sign in with your KAUST credentials.

Successful completion of all 31 learning modules enters you in a monthly raffle drawing starting in September for a chance to win great prizes like an Amazon Alexa, Samsung Gear Watch, Apple Watch, Google Chromecast Ultra, Apple TV, BOSE wireless headphones, Google Home and much more.

If you have any questions, please contact askinfosec@kaust.edu.sa.

Visiting performers Nathan Medley, countertenor, and Scott Ewing, pianist, gave a lunchtime lecture and performance on October 2 and an evening concert on October 3 celebrating the works of William Shakespeare. The "Shakespeare through the Ages" performance on October 3 offered a fascinating vocal journey through Shakespeare's ballads and sonnets written for his theatrical works. Both performances were sponsored by the Office of the Arts.

The Office of the Arts invites community members to join the University's three music groups, the Orchestra, the Chorus and the Angklung Ensemble. All three groups will prepare for this semester’s KAUST Ensemble Concert, which is scheduled for November 20 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Orchestra rehearses on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium (bldg. 20) starting on September 25. The Chorus rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium starting on September 19. The Angklung Ensemble rehearses on Sunday evenings from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Auditorium starting on September 24. For more information about the Orchestra, Chorus or Angklung Ensemble, please view the Office of the Arts website at artsoffice.kaust.edu.sa or contact the Arts Office at artsoffice@kaust.edu.sa.

KAUST community members (including children age 14 and over) are invited to submit their original works of visual art for display at the Artists of KAUST 2018 Exhibition sponsored by the Office of the Arts. The popular exhibition is held in the University Library and attracts many artists each year.

Artwork should be ready for submission on February 7, 2018. Examples of work sought for the exhibit include paintings, photography, textiles, jewelry, sculpture and ceramics.

Work displayed in previous KAUST art exhibits is ineligible. The exhibition will run for two weeks in 2018, with an opening on February 27 and closing with the People’s Choice Award on March 12.

An original poetry reading of KAUST poets' work took place on October 18 in the University Library. Poets included students from the community in grades 11 and 12, and a committee made of community members reviewed each piece for selection. The event was sponsored by the Office of the Arts.

www.kaust.edu.sa

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Accolades Ph.D. student Mohammad Shaqura chosen as finalist for IEEE Best Student Paper Award Mohammad Shaqura, a Ph.D. student in KAUST Professor Jeff Shamma’s Robotics, Intelligent Systems & Control (RISC) research group, was selected as a finalist for the Best Student Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Mechantronics and Automation (ICMA) 2017, held in Takamatsu, Japan, from August 6 to 9. He was one of 10 finalists chosen from 500 submissions for various ICMA awards at the event.

1. Ph.D. student Mohammad

Shaqura was a finalist for the Best Student Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Mechantronics and Automation (ICMA) 2017. Photo by Francesca Serra.

2. Ph.D. students Sherif

Tella (left) and Amal Hajjaj won best paper awards at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2017 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. Photo by Meres J. Weche.

3. Ph.D. student Sofya Mudrova

won the best poster award at the 4th International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology. Photo

by Meres J. Weche.

His paper entitled “A Novel Gripper Design for Multi Hand Tools Grasping Under Tight Clearance Constraints and External Torque Effect” is part of his research to “develop robotic solutions to assist human-based operations in a vast array of precision and hazardous applications,” Shaqura explained. “Today, robotic manipulators can commonly be found along industrial assembly lines, employed in medical applications and used wherever environmental conditions are so extreme as to make exploration impossible for humans.”

“We targeted providing our gripper with ways to perceive and navigate the environment as well as measure and control the effects of its movements,” he noted. “What makes our robotic gripper versatile is that it is able to handle tools of different sizes in limited clearance space and—most importantly—with reduced control requirements.”

The design and performance of the gripper were tested at the inaugural Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) organized by Khalifa University and held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in March. There, a team from RISC, KAUST Assistant Professor Bernard Ghanem’s Image and Video Understanding Lab (IVUL) and KAUST Assistant Professor Ganesh Sundaramoorthi’s Computational Vision Lab (CVL) won third place in the ground robotics challenge.

“The challenge was an opportunity to check our system’s performance in a controlled environment and benchmark the efficacy of our solutions against other models,” Shaqura said. “I believe that my nomination for the Best Student Paper Award at ICMA was the result of our performance at MBZIRC, and I feel proud to belong to KAUST and RISC.”

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

KAUST Ph.D. students Amal Hajjaj and Sherif Tella win best paper awards KAUST Ph.D. students Amal Hajjaj and Sherif Tella, who are supervised by KAUST Associate Professor Mohammad Younis, principal investigator of the University's Nano/Micro Mechanics and Motion (NM3) lab, won best paper awards in August at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 2017 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2017), which took place from August 6 to 9 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. According to the ASME website, the conferences "highlighted emergent technologies that impact the critical engineering issues of product design and development, manufacturing and the management and integration of information systems throughout the product life-cycle." The events are important meetings for design engineers in academia, industry and government.

Tella's winning paper entitled "Electrothermally Actuated Microbeams with Varying Stiffness" won the best paper award under the 11th International Conference on Microand Nanosystems (MNS).

"I feel very great and happy for my achievement, and I appreciate the efforts of my co-author and supervisor," he said. "KAUST has given me great opportunities to work with state-of-the-art equipment in my dream academic career—this is my main motivation and has helped me to win the award."

Hajjaj's paper entitled "Effect of Initial Curvature on the Static and Dynamic Behavior of MEMS Resonators" won the best paper award under the 13th International Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics and Control (MSNDC).

"I presented my paper in front of a committee and lead scientists in the field," Hajjaj said. "It was really amazing when they announced the winner, and I was the first female student to win such a competition at the MSNDC conference."

"Working at KAUST gives me the opportunity to enjoy the freedom of pursuing curiosity-driven research and achieving my goals," she continued. "My achievements couldn't be attained without the endless support, encouragement and inspiration of my advisor Professor Younis."

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KAUST Ph.D. student Sofya Mudrova wins best biology poster award KAUST Ph.D. student Sofya Mudrova won the best poster award at the 4th International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology (ICIM4) in Moscow, Russia. The congress was held at the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) from August 18 to 23. The event, which was organized

by MSU's faculty of biology, brought together members of the global scientific community to discuss and share ideas in the field of invertebrate morphology and to highlight modern achievements in the field of functional morphology and paleontology.

Mudrova, a former alumna of MSU, is currently a Ph.D. candidate in marine science and engineering and is based in the University's Reef Ecology Lab under the supervision of Michael Berumen, associate professor of marine science. She completed her master’s degree at the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at MSU. Her winning poster at ICIM4 focused on the taxonomic diversity of copepods associated with Galaxea corals in the Indo-Pacific.

“I was happy to present results of my research at the ICIM4 because there was not much study in the area [of my winning poster]. Most of the research presented at the congress was on morphology, and I was surprised to win my poster award, seeing as most of my study of invertebrates focuses mostly on genetics,” Mudrova said.

“It was the fourth conference, so it is still pretty new, but there were some really big scientists in attendance," she continued. "Among them were zoologists responsible for discovering new phyla of microscopic animals and creating new theories of invertebrate evolution. It was nice to be part of such an esteemed crowd."

This month's Beacon features Sadeem (@sadeem_wss), a KAUST startup aiming to use smart sensors to save money and lives during floods. Visit the Twitter accounts of related organizations that monitor severe weather events and reduce risk in the face of natural disasters.

The U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researches and studies the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere to warn of dangerous weather and protect life and property; helps protect and conserve the Earth's environment, oceans and natural resources; and charts the seas. Follow them @NOAA.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection (PME) is the country's body for weather, meteorology and the environment and sustainable development, and also provides an automated early warning system for severe weather, including flooding and atmospheric disturbances, in the Kingdom. Follow them in Arabic @PmeMediacen.

The U.K.'s Met Office functions as the official national weather service for the U.K., carrying out weather forecasting and warnings, including flood warnings and seasonal forecasts; creating weather prediction models and models for climate change; and monitoring air quality. The Met Office uses some of the world's most powerful supercomputers to create their models. Follow them @metoffice.

UNISDR, the United Nations' Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, serves as "the focal point in the UN system for the coordination of disaster reduction and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the UN system and regional organizations and activities in socio-economic and humanitarian fields," according to the UN. Follow them @unisdr.

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership managed by the World Bank that helps support disaster risk management projects around the world. It also assists developing countries to better understand and reduce their vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters.

Follow them @GFDRR.

/KaustOfficial

kaustofficial

@KAUST_News

/kaust

/kaustedu

/company/kaust

kaustofficial

KAUST Official

www.kaust.edu.sa

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Sadeem: Flood mitigation around the world

By Caitlin Clark

In 2011, three KAUST Ph.D. students—Mustafa Mousa, Esteban Canepa and Ahmad Dehwah—began working together in the research group of former KAUST Assistant Professor Christian Claudel on an ambitious project involving sensors for smart cities. They did not realize that by the time they graduated in 2016, the project would become startup company Sadeem, with a vision and mission to save money and lives in real-time during floods.

A damaging natural disaster Floods are one of the world’s most damaging natural disasters, with few places on Earth immune to their risks. Most commonly occurring from heavy rains, they can also take place due to storm surge from hurricanes, tropical cyclones or tsunamis in coastal areas, high tides, dam failures or rapid ice melting.

Flood damage is extremely costly and extends far beyond the originally inundated areas, affecting human lives, health and property, public infrastructure, industry, the economy, ecological systems, the environment and cultural heritage. In the U.S., where flood prediction and mitigation are advanced, yearly damage from floods is estimated at over $6 billion.

Mitigation focuses on structural and non-structural methods, including building levees and dams, flood-proofing homes and the installation of early warning systems.

Flood information Mousa, Canepa and Dehwah have all been personally affected by floods. Flooding hit the Western Province of Saudi Arabia, including the cities of Jeddah and Makkah, in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014, while the three were living there. In 2007, before Canepa came to KAUST from his native Mexico, his home state of Tabasco suffered from a major flood.

“I saw what the flood did in Tabasco to urban areas,” Canepa said. “When I came to Saudi Arabia in 2009 and there was a serious flood in Jeddah, I thought to myself, ‘The floods are following me and I have to do something about this.’”

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

“The problem with flooding lies in the lack of information— information about the flood, the severity, the magnitude, the propagation—of the flood in the streets in real-time,” noted Mousa. “We started as a research group to address all of these issues, knowing that, until Sadeem, there was not a sensor out there that could be deployed in the streets and get information about floods.”

‘Plug-and-play’ device Sadeem’s technology functions as a wireless sensing device that can be installed in urban areas and in drainage systems in a plug-and-play manner. It is powered by its own solar panel and does not interfere with the power grid or the cellular network, which are usually down during flood events.

Until Sadeem, there was not a sensor out there that could be deployed in the streets and get information about floods.”

- Mustafa Mousa, Sadeem co-founder

“Sadeem is the world’s first multi-patented flood and traffic information system,” Dehwah said. “It offers a novel early detection and monitoring flood system that includes a sensor network, mobile applications and visualization tools to face floods in better ways and mitigate their effects.

“The network communicates with the internet, where data is visualized in a suite of apps for flood management, flood forecasting and safe traffic routing during flood events—and, when floods are not taking place, Sadeem’s system monitors traffic flow and congestion. We aim to avoid casualties during floods and reduce the economic losses of floods by 30 percent.”

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‫الكوارث الطبيعية المدمرة‬ ‫كيتلين كالرك‬ ‫تعتبر الفيضانات من أكثر الكوارث الطبيعية المدمرة في العالم‪ ،‬حيث ال يوجد على األرض سوى‬ ‫أماكن قليلة يمكن أن تكون محصنة من خطرها‪ .‬وتعتبر األمطار الغزيرة والعواصف واألعاصير‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا نتيجة موجات المد في المناطق‬ ‫المدارية من أكبر مسببات الفيضانات‪ ،‬إال أنها قد تحدث‬ ‫الساحلية أو موجات التسونامي أو إخفاقات السدود أو ذوبان الجليد السريع‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سلبا على حياة البشر وصحتهم‬ ‫وتعتبر األضرار التي تخلفها الفيضانات مكلفة للغاية‪ ،‬وقد تؤثر‬ ‫وممتلكاتهم‪ ،‬وكذلك على البنية التحتية العامة‪ ،‬والصناعة‪ ،‬واالقتصاد‪ ،‬والنظم البيئية‪ ،‬والتراث‬ ‫الثقافي‪ .‬وحتى في بعض الدول الكبرى‪ ،‬كالواليات المتحدة األمريكية التي تمتلك أنظمة‬ ‫متطورة للتنبؤ بالفيضانات وبنية تحتية مجهزة من سدود وحواجز ومنازل مقاومة للفيضانات‬ ‫ونظم اإلنذار المبكر‪ ،‬إال أنها ال تستطيع الحد من أضرار الفيضانات بشكل كامل‪ .‬حيث تقدر األضرار‬ ‫والخسائر السنوية فيها والناجمة عن الفيضانات بأكثر من ستة مليار دوالر‪.‬‬

‫"سديم"‪ :‬الحد من كوارث الفيضانات في العالم‬ ‫تم في عام ‪ 2011‬البدء بمشروع لتطوير نظام أجهزة استشعار للمدن الذكية بواسطة ثالثة من‬ ‫طلبة الدكتوراه في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية وهم مصطفى موسى وإستيبان‬ ‫كانيبا وأحمد دحوة‪ .‬حيث عمل الطالب ً‬ ‫معا ضمن الفريق البحثي للبروفيسور كريستيان كلوديل‪،‬‬ ‫األستاذ المساعد السابق في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪ .‬وبعد تخرجهم في عام ‪ ،2016‬تحول هذا‬ ‫المشروع إلى شركة ناشئة ذات رؤية طموحة ورسالة تهدف إلنقاذ األرواح والحد من الخسائر‬ ‫المادية أثناء الفيضانات‪.‬‬

‫بيانات الفيضانات‬ ‫على المستوى الشخصي‪ ،‬تأثر كل من الدكتور مصطفى والدكتور إستيبان والدكتور أحمد‬ ‫بالفيضانات التي ضربت المنطقة الغربية من المملكة العربية السعودية‪ ،‬بما في ذلك مدينتي‬ ‫جدة ومكة المكرمة‪ ،‬في األعوام ‪ 2009‬و‪ 2010‬و‪ 2011‬و‪ ،2014‬حيث كانوا حينها ال يزالون‬ ‫طلبة في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪ .‬كما أن الطالب إستيبان وقبل التحاقه بالجامعة‪ ،‬خاض تجربة‬ ‫الفيضانات في عام ‪ 2007‬عندما ضرب فيضان كبير موطنه المكسيك‪ ،‬وعانت منه بصورة خاصة‬ ‫والية تاباسكو ‪ ،‬مسقط رأسه‪ .‬يقول الدكتور إستيبان‪" :‬رأيت ما خلفته الفيضانات في تاباسكو‬ ‫من دمار في المدن والمساكن والبنية التحتية‪ . ،‬وعندما زرت المملكة العربية السعودية في عام‬ ‫‪ ، 2009‬كان هناك فيضان كبير في مدينة جدة‪ ،‬حتى أنني ظننت أن الفيضانات تتبعني أينما‬ ‫ً‬ ‫شيئا حيالها"‪.‬‬ ‫ذهبت لذلك كان على أن أفعل‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪1. The Sadeem team (from left to right: co-founders‬‬ ‫‪Esteban Canepa, Ahmad Dehwah and Mustafa‬‬ ‫‪Mousa) aims to give back to and benefit Saudi‬‬ ‫‪Arabia and the world through their lifesaving flood‬‬ ‫‪mitigation technology. Photo by Nicholas Demille.‬‬

‫‪2. Floods are an extremely damaging natural disaster‬‬ ‫‪worldwide, costing billions of dollars of damage‬‬ ‫‪every year. In this image, a Houston, Texas, U.S.,‬‬ ‫‪street floods from major Hurricane Harvey that hit‬‬ ‫‪the state from August 25 to 30 this year, causing‬‬ ‫‪catastrophic and life-threatening flooding. Photo‬‬ ‫‪courtesy of Shutterstock.‬‬

‫‪3. Sadeem co-founders Esteban Canepa (left) and‬‬ ‫‪Ahmad Dehwah (right) work on installing one of their‬‬ ‫‪company's flood and traffic sensors on the KAUST‬‬ ‫‪campus. Ten nodes currently operate on-campus.‬‬ ‫‪Photo by Lilit Hovhannisyan.‬‬

4 ‘An ambitious project’ Sadeem’s path to inception was not a clear one. Both Canepa and Dehwah joined KAUST in 2009 as founding class master’s degree students, with Mousa starting his master’s degree at KAUST in 2010. By 2011, Claudel had joined the University’s Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division as an assistant professor, that year becoming the Ph.D. advisor of all three.

“Everything started as a Ph.D. project in electrical engineering,” Canepa explained. “We needed smart cities technologies to do our research and write our papers for our Ph.D.s, but it was difficult to find this technology, so we developed our own, and as we did, we began realizing that this was something we could actually commercialize—it was bigger than just a research project.”

“Our advisor talked to us about a wireless sensing networks project, and I knew it was an ambitious project—a huge project. I told him that I would be excited to join such a project, but that it was definitely a three- to five-year project for our Ph.D.s, which was what we jumped into,” Dehwah said.

“Originally we didn’t have a special target,” noted Mousa, “but we knew that wireless sensor networks were becoming a trend and that they can solve complex problems, enhancing the quality of life in cities. We shaped these ideas into specific projects we led independently in our research, and found soon afterwards that we shared a common goal, which by 2014 became Sadeem.”

Becoming entrepreneurs On March 10, 2016, the team won the award for best IPbased technology startup at KAUST from the University’s Entrepreneurship Center, part of Innovation & Economic Development. Dehwah, Canepa and Mousa all agreed that this was the “life-changing moment,” as Dehwah said, when they began prioritizing their new startup over all else and embraced the roles of full-time entrepreneurs.

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

What matters the most is the team spirit. Entrepreneurial work is never relegated to one person—it involves our whole team working together to comprehensively take the next steps."

- Ahmad Dehwah, Sadeem co-founder “I will never forget that moment. Beyond the economic prize we received, it was also the recognition of something we worked on for such a long time,” Canepa said. “That year was the tipping point in terms of us all saying, ‘This is what I am going to be doing for the years to come.’ The timing was perfect for us, because we also received our Ph.D.s together in December of 2016, and we were already a fully committed team. When everything aligns, things start happening, and you really see this.”

Mousa agreed, noting, “It was a great feeling when we graduated together. By that time, we had already started our dream of Sadeem and we were already so passionate, with each of us adding his own field of research to our work. We’re still pursuing this with the same energy.”

In 2016, Sadeem ranked 13th in the top 50 most promising Saudi startups by Forbes magazine, indicating how far the team had come from the start of their journey.

Although Claudel left KAUST in 2015 to move to The University of Texas at Austin, he still remains an important part of the Sadeem team and is the fourth co-founder of the company. He and Dehwah, Mousa and Canepa continue their work together on a daily basis.

‫‪4. (From left to right): Sadeem co-founders‬‬

‫‪Mustafa Mousa, Ahmad Dehwah and Esteban‬‬ ‫‪Canepa work in the KAUST lab on modifying‬‬ ‫‪their technology for their traffic and flood sensor‬‬ ‫‪system.‬‬

‫‪5. The technology for Sadeem began as the three‬‬ ‫‪co-founders' Ph.D. project at KAUST. Photos by‬‬ ‫‪Nicholas Demille.‬‬

‫‪5‬‬ ‫يقول الدكتور مصطفى موسى‪" :‬تكمن المشكلة في افتقارنا للبيانات األساسية عن‬ ‫الفيضانات وقت وقوعها‪ ،‬كحجمها وشدتها واتجاه جريانها والحركة المرورية في الطرق‬ ‫والشوارع‪ .‬وكانت هذه أولى القضايا التي عكفت مجموعتنا البحثية على دراستها‬ ‫ومعالجتها‪ .‬وكان التحدي أنه قبل ""سديم""‪ ،‬لم يكن هناك أي نظام استشعار متوفر يمكن‬ ‫نشره في الشوارع والحصول على البيانات الالزمة منه عن الفيضانات‪".‬‬

‫نظام سهل التشغيل‬

‫يثنيني عن إخبار البروفيسور كريستيان بمدى حماسي للعمل به‪".‬‬

‫ويقول الدكتور مصطفى موسى‪" :‬لم يكن لدينا هدف محدد في بادئ األمر‪ ،‬ولكن كنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خصوصا في‬ ‫مهتمين بتقنية شبكات االستشعار الالسلكية ألنها أصبحت تحظى باهتمام بالغ‬ ‫تطبيقات وحلول مشاكل المدن المعقدة وتحسين جودة الحياة العامة‪ .‬جمعنا كل أفكارنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جميعا نتشارك في‬ ‫وطبقناها في مشاريع محددة بشكل مستقل‪ ،‬وتبين لنا بعد ذلك أننا‬ ‫نفس الهدف الذي أصبح بحلول عام ‪ 2014‬نظام "سديم" "‪.‬‬

‫تعتمد تقنية "سديم" على تثبيت أجهزة استشعار السلكية داخل المدن وفي أنظمة تصريف‬ ‫المياه بطريقة سهلة ومباشرة‪ .‬وال تحتاج هذه األجهزة للتوصيل بأي مصدر طاقة ألنها‬ ‫مزودة بألواح شمسية وغير مرتبطة بالشبكة الكهربائية أو شبكات االتصاالت الالسلكية‬ ‫الخاصة بالهاتف‪ ،‬والتي عادة ما تكون معطلة أثناء الفيضانات‪.‬‬

‫ريادة األعمال‬

‫ويقول الدكتور أحمد‪"" :‬سديم" هو أول نظام معلومات متطور لرصد حركة المرور والكشف‬ ‫المبكر عن الفيضانات في العالم باستخدام شبكة من أجهزة االستشعار وتطبيقات الهاتف‬ ‫المحمول وأدوات التصوير‪ .‬ويهدف نظام "سديم" لتحليل بيانات الفيضانات والتنبؤ بالطرق‬ ‫المثلى للحد من آثارها الكارثية وفي نفس الوقت ضبط الحركة المرورية داخل المدن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أمانا أثناء الفيضانات‪ .‬هدفنا في نهاية المطاف الحد‬ ‫وتوجيه المركبات نحو الطرق األكثر‬ ‫من الخسائر البشرية للفيضانات وتقليل األضرار االقتصادية بنسبة ‪ 30‬بالمئة‪".‬‬

‫حقق فريق "سديم" جائزة أفضل شركة تقنية ناشئة في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية من مركز ريادة األعمال في الجامعة بتاريخ ‪ 10‬مارس ‪ ،2016‬وكان هذا الفوز‬ ‫نقطة تحول محورية ألعضاء الفريق الذين قرروا إعطاء مشروعهم األولوية القصوى وأن‬ ‫يواصلوا العمل فيه كرواد أعمال بدوام كامل‪ .‬وفي نفس العام‪ ،‬احتل "سديم" المركز‬ ‫الثالث عشر من بين أفضل ‪ 50‬شركة سعودية ناشئة واعدة بحسب مجلة فوربس‪ ،‬األمر الذي‬ ‫يؤكد الجهود الكبيرة التي بذلها فريق المشروع منذ انطالقه‪.‬‬

‫مشروع واعد‬

‫وعلى الرغم من مغادرة البروفيسور كريستيان كلوديل جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مهما‬ ‫جزءا‬ ‫والتقنية في عام ‪ 2015‬للعمل في جامعة تكساس في أوستن‪ ، ،‬إال أنه ال يزال‬ ‫من فريق "سديم" وهو رابع مؤسس للشركة‪ ،‬وعلى تواصل مستمر بأعضاء الفريق بصورة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جدا في ريادة‬ ‫يومية‪ .‬يقول الدكتور أحمد دحوة ‪" :‬العمل الجامعي وروح الفريق مهمه‬ ‫األعمال‪ ،‬فهي ال تنحصر في شخص واحد فقط‪ .‬ألن الفريق بأكمله معني باتخاذ الخطوات‬ ‫التالية بصورة شاملة‪ ،‬حتى لو اضطر أحد أفراد الفريق للعمل عن بعد‪ .‬جميعنا يعرف نقاط‬ ‫قوتنا وضعفنا ويمكننا العمل ً‬ ‫معا بانسجام من أي مكان‪".‬‬

‫التحق كل من الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا والدكتور أحمد دحوة بجامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية في عام ‪ 2009‬كطلبة ماجستير مؤسسين‪ ،‬أما الدكتور مصطفى موسى فبدأ‬ ‫دراسته لدرجة الماجستير في جامعة الملك عبداهلل في عام ‪ .2010‬وانضم البروفيسور‬ ‫كريستيان كلوديل في عام ‪ 2011‬إلى قسم العلوم والهندسة الحاسوبية والكهربائية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مشرفا على مشروعهم البحثي لدرجة‬ ‫والحسابية في الجامعة كأستاذ مساعد وأصبح‬ ‫الدكتوراه‪.‬‬ ‫يقول الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا‪" :‬بدأ األمر كمشروع بحثي لدرجة الدكتوراه في الهندسة‬ ‫الكهربائية‪ ،‬وكنا حينئذ نفتقر إلى تقنيات المدن الذكية الالزمة إلجراء أبحاثنا وكتابة أوراقنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كثيرا منها وأدركنا‬ ‫لدرجة الدكتوراه‪ .‬لذلك قمنا بتطوير هذه التقنيات بأنفسنا والتي استفدنا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تجاريا – كان األمر بالنسبة لنا أكبر من مجرد‬ ‫أيضا تسويق هذه التقنيات‬ ‫وقتها أنه يمكننا‬ ‫مشروع بحثي"‪.‬‬

‫‪9‬‬

‫ويضيف الدكتور أحمد دحوة‪" :‬اقترح البروفيسور كريستيان كلوديل ‪ ،‬المشرف على مشروعنا‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كبيرا‬ ‫مشروعا‬ ‫استخدام تقنية شبكات االستشعار الالسلكية‪ ،‬وتأكدت وقتها أن هذا سيكون‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫طويال‪ ،‬ما بين ثالث إلى خمس سنوات‪ ،‬إال أن هذا لم‬ ‫وقتا‬ ‫وواعدا‪ .‬كنت أعلم أنه سيستغرق‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫تقنية ال مثيل لها‬ ‫"سديم" هي أول تقنية من نوعها في العالم تضم براءتي اختراع‪ ،‬األولى لرصد الفيضانات‬ ‫والثانية لرصد وإدارة حركة المرور‪ ،‬حيث ال تتوفر في األسواق الحالية أي تقنية تقدم‬ ‫هذه الوظيفة المزدوجة‪ .‬وفي هذا السياق يقول الدكتور أحمد دحوة‪" :‬قمنا منذ اليوم‬ ‫األول بتحديد جميع الضروريات األساسية لرصد الفيضانات ولتحمل الظروف البيئية القاسية‪.‬‬

6. Sadeem's sensors can be installed anywhere,

as they feature solar-powered batteries and their own transceivers.

7. Sadeem co-founder Mustafa Mousa pitches

for the startup at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank Group in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in May.

8. Sadeem won the award for best IP-based

technology startup at KAUST from the University’s Entrepreneurship Center on March 10, 2016.

Photos courtesy of Sadeem.

6 “What matters the most is the team spirit,” Dehwah said. “Entrepreneurial work is never relegated to one person—it involves our whole team working together to comprehensively take the next steps, even if one person works remotely. We know our individual weaknesses and strengths and how to work together from any location.”

First on the market Sadeem’s technology has been granted two patents, with Canepa noting, “Except for Sadeem, the dual solution of monitoring floods and traffic is currently nonexistent in the market.”

“The sensor locations, their shape, the technology we use, and then the decentralized networking scheme that gathers the information in a database—all these are part of the patents,” Mousa said.

“From day one, we put in all the basic essentials that we needed for flood monitoring and for surviving extreme environmental conditions. You can install the devices anywhere—in cities, in valleys, in remote areas— because they have their own transceivers and solar-powered batteries.

We have produced something that is flexible and can be installed in a city in a matter of days,” said Dehwah.

“One of the main advantages of this system is that it is non-invasive, which cities value,” Canepa added. “There is no hassle of drilling or construction—the devices are easy to install.”

Capturing in-Kingdom floods The team began testing their sensor devices in deployments around the KAUST campus from 2012 to 2015, conducting three major tests and a 2014 test in Makkah headed by Mousa with assistance from Saudi Arabia’s Umm Al-Qura University. Throughout this time, the device continued to evolve, transforming from, as Dehwah noted, “the size of 4 meters to a size that a baby can carry, weighing less than 1 kilogram.”

We aim for a reliable system that can work for years and reaches the standards customers have been waiting for—since yesterday.” - Mustafa Mousa “Our deployments were originally a research approach for us to validate the hardware outside in the harsh temperatures, sun and environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia,” Canepa said. “After many years of research, we know that it works, but we’re now conducting deployments to polish the technology itself and optimize and fine-tune it for the cities.”

10

THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

With a current network of 10 nodes operating across the KAUST campus, the team has a real-time, working example of their product on-site for demonstrations.

“We can show anyone with interest what to expect in terms of parameters to help manage city resources and operations when flood disasters happen,” Mousa said. “If someone wants our devices today, we can deliver them. We are also proud of the fact that over the last six months, we’ve arrived at the industrial standard of resiliency we wanted to achieve for our nodes.”

During the Makkah test, the team’s sensors captured a flash flood event in real-time that caused $135 million in losses.

“Had our sensor system been in use in the city at that time, we could have reduced the losses dramatically,” Mousa added. “We aim for a reliable system that can work for years and reaches the standards customers have been waiting for—since yesterday.”

The KAUST Entrepreneurship Center: a key to success The KAUST Entrepreneurship Center has been a crucial component of the four co-founders’ Sadeem journey. The three Ph.D. graduates received mentorship from the Entrepreneurship Center team and were also part of the KAUST Hikma IP-based Startup Accelerator program, a precursor to the new, expanded all-Kingdom TAQADAM startup accelerator program.

“As scientists, converting our engineering research and technology into a company is challenging, requiring us to learn the basics of business,” Dehwah said. “Without the help we’ve received from the Entrepreneurship Center, this would have been a much harder path

Having a novel technology is great, but this will not succeed alone.

You need a well-established team behind your technology with an understanding of how to bring it to the market. Support from the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center has been priceless.” - Ahmad Dehwah

‫‪8‬‬ ‫واستطعنا تصميم أجهزة استشعار متطورة يمكنها إرسال واستقبال اإلشارات الالسلكية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سهال للغاية وتحت‬ ‫ومدمج معها بطاريات تعمل بالطاقة الشمسية‪ ،‬األمر الذي يجعل تثبيتها‬

‫سواء في المدن‪ ،‬أو الوديان‪ ،‬أو حتى المناطق النائية‪ .‬لقد طورنا تقنية‬ ‫أي ظرف ومكان‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مرنة للغاية يمكن تركيبها داخل المدينة في غضون أيام‪" .‬‬

‫رصد الفياضات في المملكة‬ ‫بدأ الفريق باختبار أجهزة االستشعار الخاصة به داخل حرم جامعة الملك عبد اهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية في الفترة من ‪ 2012‬إلى ‪ ،2015‬وقام بإجراء ثالثة اختبارات رئيسية أحدها كان‬ ‫في عام ‪ 2014‬في مكة المكرمة بواسطة الدكتور مصطفى موسى وبتعاون من جامعة‬ ‫أم القرى‪ ،‬وتمكنت أجهزة استشعار الفريق من عمل رصد جزئي ألحداث فيضانات مكة التي‬ ‫تسبب في خسائر قدرت بـ ‪ 135‬مليون دوالر‪ .‬يقول الدكتور مصطفى‪" :‬كنا نجرب نظام‬ ‫"سديم" عندما حدث الفيضان ولو كانت أجهزة االستشعار مثبته بالكامل في جميع أرجاء‬ ‫المدينة لكان من الممكن الحد من الخسائر بشكل كبير"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫منصبا على التأكد من إمكانية عمل‬ ‫يقول الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا ‪" :‬في البداية كان عملنا‬ ‫أجهزتنا في الخارج تحت أشعة الشمس ودرجات الحرارة المرتفعة والظروف البيئية الشديدة‬ ‫في المملكة‪ .‬وبعد سنوات من العمل تمكنا من تحقيق ذلك بفاعلية وتبقى لنا اآلن أن‬ ‫نستمر في تحسين وتطوير التقنية وجعلها أكثر فعالية داخل المدن‪".‬‬ ‫ويقول الدكتور مصطفى‪" :‬بإمكان الجهات المهتمة بتقنية "سديم" مشاهدتها على أرض‬ ‫الواقع والتعرف على إمكانياتها في إدارة موارد المدن والعمليات في حال كوارث‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا أننا على‬ ‫الفيضانات‪ .‬كما يمكننا تسليم أجهزتنا للعميل في نفس اليوم‪ .‬ونحن فخورون‬ ‫مدى األشهر الستة الماضية تمكنا من الوصول إلى المعيار الصناعي واستطعنا تطوير نظام‬ ‫موثوق يمكنه العمل لسنوات طويلة ويلبي كافة احتياجات وطموحات العميل‪".‬‬

‫مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪ :‬مفتاح النجاح‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فاعال في رحلة المؤسسين‬ ‫دورا‬ ‫لعب مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫األربعة لشركة "سديم"‪ ،‬حيث تلقوا فيه اإلرشاد وكانوا أيضا جزءا من برنامج "حكمة" لتسريع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تمهيدا لبرنامج "تَ َق َّدم" لتسريع المشاريع والشركات الناشئة‬ ‫الشركات الناشئة والذي كان‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تماما مدى‬ ‫في جميع أنحاء المملكة‪ .‬يقول الدكتور أحمد‪" :‬كعلماء وباحثين‪ ،‬فإننا نعي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جيدا‬ ‫صعوبة تحويل أبحاثنا الهندسية وتقنياتنا إلى شركة‪ ،‬إذ يتطلب األمر أن نتعلم ونفهم‬ ‫أساسيات األعمال التجارية‪ .‬وبدون المساعدة التي قدمها لنا مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة‬

‫‪11‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪7‬‬ ‫كاف بدون فريق‬ ‫تعذر علينا تطوير شركتنا‪ .‬فامتالكك لتقنية جديدة غير‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل‪ ،‬لكان ّ‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫متمرس في شؤون تسويق التقنيات‪ .‬ال شك أن دعم مركز ريادة األعمال لنا ال يقدر بثمن "‪.‬‬ ‫ويضيف الدكتور مصطفى‪ ":‬ساعدنا فريق مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل في‬ ‫تحديد نقاط القوة في تقنيتنا وفي فهم لغة األعمال التجارية‪ ،‬من خالل مراجعة وتعديل‬ ‫خطة عملنا حيث انتقلنا من منصة إنترنت األشياء لتطبيقات المدن الذكية إلى نظام لإلنذار‬ ‫المبكر بكوارث الفيضانات "‪.‬‬ ‫ويقول الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا‪" :‬يمتلك مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل فريق‬ ‫عمل متميز ً‬ ‫جدا يمتلك الخبرة الكافية لتحديد عوامل نجاح المشروعات‪ .‬وباإلضافة إلى ذلك‪،‬‬ ‫توفر جامعة الملك عبداهلل المرافق والمختبرات المتطورة والمساحات المكتبية في مدينة‬ ‫العلوم والتقنية والتمويل التأسيسي والدعم لبدء األعمال التجارية‪ .‬وجميعنا في ""سديم""‬ ‫مستمرون في تعلم مهارات التسويق والعالقات العامة والمحاسبة والمالية والجوانب‬ ‫القانونية لألعمال التجارية "‪.‬‬

‫تقنية "سديم" حول العالم‬ ‫عمل كل من الدكتور مصطفى موسى والدكتور إستيبان كانيبا والدكتور أحمد دحوة‬ ‫على التسويق لتقنيتهم خارج المملكة في دول منطقة الشرق األوسط والعالم‪ ،‬وحضورا‬ ‫مختلف الفعاليات والمؤتمرات ذات العالقة‪ ،‬وقاموا بالتعريف بتقنيتهم للمدن والبلديات‬ ‫والدوائر الحكومية المهتمة‪ ،‬وتعزيز التواصل مع شريحة واسعة من العمالء باعتماد عدة‬ ‫لغات كالعربية واألسبانية والفرنسية‪ .‬يقول الدكتور مصطفى‪" :‬نعمل على تطوير مفهومنا‬ ‫ألسواق المناطق والمدن المختلفة بهدف تحديد طبيعة احتياجاتها الخاصة‪ ،‬ثم نحلل بيانات‬ ‫األسواق وننظر لحاالت الفيضانات الحالية والحلول المستخدمة اليوم بهدف دراسة مدى‬ ‫مناسبة تقنيتنا لحاجة هذه األسواق"‪ .‬ويضيف الدكتور استبيان‪" :‬نحن في "سديم" مهتمون‬ ‫بتسويق تقنيتنا داخل المملكة العربية السعودية وفي بقية دول الشرق األوسط‪ ،‬وجنوب‬ ‫شرق آسيا‪ ،‬وأمريكا الشمالية‪ ،‬وأمريكا الالتينية والتي تعاني بصورة خاصة من كوارث‬ ‫الفيضانات المستمرة بسبب تغير المناخ‪ ،‬واالفتقار إلى البنية التحتية المتطورة‪ .‬ولقد رأينا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كبيرا في تقنيتنا من عدة مدن‪".‬‬ ‫اهتماما‬

‫"سديم" في األمم المتحدة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أخيرا بتمثيل ""سديم"" في منتدى األمم المتحدة لالستراتيجيات‬ ‫قام الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا‬ ‫الدولية للحد من الكوارث (‪ )UNISDR 2017‬في المكسيك‪ ،‬وهو من أكبر المنتديات‬

9 to take. Having a novel technology is great, but this will not succeed alone. You need a well-established team behind your technology with an understanding of how to bring it to the market. Support from the Entrepreneurship Center has been priceless.”

22 to 26. Recognized by the UN General Assembly and established in 2006, the event is the world’s “foremost gathering of stakeholders committed to reducing disaster risk and building the resilience of communities and nations,” according to the UN.

“The Entrepreneurship Center team is always tweaking the action plan inside of our heads to get us to use the right language and understand business. They helped us as we pivoted from an Internet of Things or IoT platform for smart cities to a flood early warning system, identifying the actual strength and edge of our technology,” Mousa said.

“We applied to give a statement at the Global Platform from the private sector, but few from the private sector were chosen,” he explained.

“Speaking for Sadeem and explaining our vision to governments, heads of state and UN representatives was really a standout moment for me.

Learning how to interact with and listen to governments and politicians is completely outside of my comfort zone, but it’s a good challenge because you discover how to represent technological solutions at a scalable point of view.”

“Bringing together the right people with the right mindset and experience is so important,” Canepa noted. “The Entrepreneurship Center team identified the combination of factors creating a successful story, and their passion for the entrepreneurial world has been contagious. In addition, the University provides us with a lab and office space at the KAUST Research & Technology Park and pre-seed funding, which helps us to feel like a real company with the opportunities and support to get ready to start doing business. With their support, we’re continuing to learn the marketing, public relations, accounting, finance and legal aspects of business together.”

Taking Sadeem to the world Canepa, Dehwah and Mousa have been busy traveling the Middle East and the world, attending different events to promote their technology and pique the interest of governments, city planners and municipalities. They also bring language skills in French, Arabic and Spanish to their travels, enabling them to communicate with a wide variety of audiences.

“We’re developing an understanding of different zones’ and cities’ markets, each of which has its own needs,” Mousa explained. “We carry out a market fit analysis where we look at the existing cases of floods and the current solutions used to mitigate the flood problem, and then we examine how the features and benefits of our system can fit in these market segments.”

“Outside of Saudi Arabia, we’ve had interest shown in the rest of the Middle East and in Southeast Asia, North America and Latin America,” Canepa said.

“Latin America suffers greatly from floods due to climate change, lack of infrastructure and urbanization. We’ve seen high interest there from cities in applying our technology to optimize the resources already available.”

“No matter how amazing a technology is, if you don’t know how to present it to the society you are going to be benefitting in the right way, it might fail,” Canepa said. “This isn’t because of the technology—it’s because of the logistics and the presentation approach. We know now that we need to rely on local knowledge to bring a global project to cities.”

Benefiting the Kingdom—and beyond Although the co-founders are looking outwards for the future, they are also cognizant of the role KAUST—and Saudi Arabia—played in their journey so far. Both Dehwah and Mousa lived in Saudi Arabia their whole lives, and all three received their master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University.

We’re really proud of developing our technology in Saudi Arabia...it’s a piece of the complete solution [for floods] that can complement other aspects of flood management.”

On October 10, Sadeem won the Best Global Startup award at the 37th GITEX Technology Week in Dubai, UAE, taking home a prize of $100,000.

- Esteban Canepa, Sadeem co-founder

“This means that our team’s hard work is really paying off, and it also puts a lot of commitment on our shoulders to deliver the projects we have and bring more cities to a safe scenario for floods,” Mousa noted.

“We want to provide our technology to the Kingdom as payback to the places we came from and the people and institutions that enabled us to reach this level,” Mousa said. “Sadeem was developed here in the Kingdom for the benefit of Saudi Arabia and the world, and KAUST supported us through the journey. It only makes sense to give back in this way.”

Sadeem at the UN Canepa recently traveled to Mexico to represent Sadeem at the UNISDR 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Cancun from May

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The Global Platform also highlighted the Sadeem team’s need to understand the social aspects of technology implementation.

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“We aim to prepare the Kingdom for the weather challenges of the coming years,” Canepa continued. “We’re really proud of developing our technology in Saudi Arabia—although it’s not the complete solution for floods, it’s a piece of the complete solution that can complement other aspects of flood management.”

“Each one of us comprehensively completes Sadeem, but in the future we will need manpower with the right skills and resources to take us further," Mousa added. "People are by far the most valuable asset in any system, and transferring our vision to the people we bring to the company is highly important. Talented and committed people make the difference in a team—and Sadeem is a multicultural team from a unique background.”

The most important thing you learn is that nothing is impossible.

You work hard and you find a way to make it happen.” - Ahmad Dehwah “For me, the highlight has been all of us jumping into this and committing to taking the risk of going forward with Sadeem after finishing our Ph.D.s,” Dehwah said. “This was the moment we all had to make a decision, and I’m so glad we jumped into it. Along the way, the most important thing you learn is that nothing is impossible. You work hard and you find a way to make it happen.”

‫في العالم التي تجمع أصحاب رؤوس األموال والمهتمين في الحد من مخاطر الكوارث‬ ‫ ويشرح‬.‫ومساعدة المجتمعات والدول على مواجهتها باستخدام التقنيات والطرق الحديثة‬ ،‫ "تم اختيار عدد قليل من ممثلي القطاع الخاص للتحدث إلى الحضور في المنتدى‬:‫كانيبا‬ ‫ ولن أنسى لحظة وقوفي بين‬.‫ولحسن الحظ كنا من بين الفرق التي وقع عليها االختيار‬ .‫الجمهور للتحدث عن رؤيتنا عن "سديم" للحكومات ورؤساء الدول وممثلي األمم المتحدة‬ ‫لقد كانت لحظة عظيمة في حياتي تعلمت من خاللها مهارات التعامل والتواصل مع‬ ."‫ممثلي الحكومات والسياسيين وكيفية تقديم حلول التقنية للعمالء‬

‫االستفادة من "سديم" في المملكة وحول العالم‬ ً ‫أيضا‬ ‫ إال أنهم يدركون‬،‫وعلى الرغم من أن مؤسسي "سديم" يتطلعون إلى مستقبل تقنيتهم‬ ‫الدور الكبير الذي لعبته جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية والمملكة العربية السعودية‬ ‫ "نسعد بتقديم هذه التقنية لخدمة المملكة‬:‫ يقول الدكتور مصطفى‬.‫في رحلتهم حتى اآلن‬ ً ‫عرفانا منا لترابها الذي نشأنا عليه ولكل من ساهم في إيصالنا إلى هذا‬ ‫العربية السعودية‬ ‫ طورنا ""سديم"" هنا في المملكة لخير المملكة‬.‫المستوى المتقدم من أفراد ومؤسسات‬ ‫ ولن ننسى الدور المشرف لجامعة الملك عبداهلل ودعمها السخي لنا في هذه‬،‫والعالم‬ ".‫الرحلة‬ ُ ‫ "نحن فخورون‬:‫ويقول الدكتور إستيبان كانيبا‬ ‫جدا بتطوير تقنية ""سديم"" في المملكة‬ ‫ والتي نطمح أن تساهم في استعدادات المملكة لمواجهة تحديات‬،‫العربية السعودية‬ ‫ وعلى الرغم من علمنا أن نظام "سديم" ليس الحل الكامل‬.‫المناخ في السنوات القادمة‬ ‫ إال أنه جزء كبير من الحل الذي يتكامل مع الحلول األخرى إلدارة‬،‫والشامل للفيضانات‬ ."‫الفيضانات والحد من آثارها المدمرة‬

9. (From left to right): Sadeem co-founders Esteban Canepa, Ahmad Dehwah and Mustafa Mousa began their startup during their Ph.D. studies at KAUST, with a goal to mitigate damage and save lives from floods. Photo by Caitlin Clark.

10. Sadeem co-founder Esteban Canepa presents the startup to the UN at the UNISDR 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico, in May. Photo courtesy of Sadeem. ​​ Scan here to watch a video covering the Sadeem team's innovative journey at KAUST.

11. The three Sadeem co-founders Mustafa Mousa, Ahmad Dehwah and Esteban Canepa (pictured, front row, second, third and fourth from left) received their Ph.D.s from KAUST together at the University's seventh Commencement ceremony in 2016. Photo by Helmy Al Sagaff. ​​

www.kaust.edu.sa

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A 'silver bullet' awakening

By David Murphy Mani Sarathy, associate professor of chemical engineering in the University’s Physical Science and Engineering Division, has recently been appointed associate director of the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC).

"I feel very fortunate to be given this new opportunity as the associate director of the CCRC," he said. "With this new position, I will connect not only with the many talented individuals within the Center and the University but also with the broader combustion research community."

Coupled with the aforementioned interactions with his peers, Sarathy perceives an immense opening for personal learning and development.

“The CCRC is already a well-oiled machine thanks to the leadership of our founding director Professor Suk Ho Chung and current director Professor William Roberts. Our faculty team works together like finely tuned gears in a powertrain. My first goal will be to expand the translation of CCRC’s expertise with industry and government stakeholders so we can have greater impact within the Kingdom and abroad,” Sarathy emphasized.

My first goal will be to expand translation of CCRC’s expertise with industry and government stakeholders, so we can have greater impact within the Kingdom and abroad."

- Mani Sarathy, associate professor of chemical engineering and associate director of the University's Clean Combustion ResearchCenter

“In addition, I will make the CCRC a hub for recruiting the highest quality students and training them to be world-class engineers. Finally, I aim to bridge CCRC with other KAUST research centers so we can solve the most pressing technical problems with true interdisciplinary expertise.

This last point is what I think will take CCRC and other KAUST research centers to the next level of excellence,” he added.

A spark to a flame The seed of Sarathy’s love of science—and combustion—can be traced back to his youth growing up in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and specifically to the year 1993. It was during this year that the 13-year-old Sarathy was amazed as he read an article describing the hydrogen fuel cell. “[The article] was about the hydrogen fuel cell, a technology that would provide efficient energy with zero emissions—a ‘silver bullet!' Wow, I was fascinated by it and it motivated me to become an engineer so I could work on fuel cells. But, by the time I finished my undergraduate degree

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in 2004, the hydrogen fuel cell was still not a mature technology and research on it was diminishing. I had a passion to work on improving energy systems, so looked into various alternative energy fields.

However, I chose combustion because that is the source of our energy problems, so that is where we need solutions. We must face this fossil fuel addiction we have head-on. We have to improve combustion technologies to have a minimum impact on our environment and stop waiting for a silver bullet,” Sarathy said.

Fast-forward to 2017, and a 37-year-old Sarathy still sees the hold science can create on a young mind. He relishes seeing the young students who visit KAUST—and specifically the KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP) students and the Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) students—benefiting from the University's many facilities and bright minds to expand their knowledge of the sciences.

“The KGSP students are amazing and are the future of KAUST and Saudi Arabia," Sarathy noted. "One of the most rewarding things is seeing the SRSI high school students that were in my team four years ago now as KGSP students completing their degrees in top U.S. colleges. Currently I have some KGSP students doing Ph.D. research in my team. When these students complete their Ph.D.s, I will feel so fulfilled, and someday these students will be leaders in the Kingdom and abroad. They will transform societies. King Abdullah’s vision will be a reality, and then I will feel so happy.”

The necessity of combustion Sarathy’s research explores the environmental impact of conventional and alternative fuels—biofuels, synthetic fuels, etc.—and their combustion systems. He develops fundamental chemical kinetic models and experiments to predict fuel combustion and pollutant formation in energy systems. Sarathy is also interested in applying his chemical kinetics expertise to study a wide range of chemical engineering systems, including atmospheric air pollution, biomass energy and catalysis.

I will make the CCRC a hub for recruiting the highest quality students and training them to be world-class engineers. Finally, I aim to bridge CCRC with other KAUST research centers, so we can solve the most pressing technical problems with true interdisciplinary expertise." - Mani Sarathy

‫‪1.‬‬

‫‪Mani Sarathy is associate professor of chemical engineering in the‬‬ ‫‪University’s Physical Science and Engineering Division and was recently‬‬ ‫‪appointed as associate director of the Clean Combustion Research Center‬‬ ‫‪(CCRC). Photo by Nicholas Demille.‬‬

‫‪2. Mani Sarathy, associate professor of chemical engineering and recently‬‬ ‫‪appointed associate director of the Clean Combustion Research Center‬‬ ‫‪(CCRC), works with his students on the University's campus. Photo by‬‬ ‫‪Meres J. Weche.‬‬

‫إيقاظ "الحل السحري"‬ ‫ديفيد مورفي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مؤخرا تعيين ماني ساراثي‪ ،‬األستاذ المشارك في الهندسة الكيميائية بقسم العلوم‬ ‫جرى‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مشاركا لمركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف‪.‬‬ ‫مديرا‬ ‫والهندسة الفيزيائية في الجامعة‪،‬‬ ‫"أشعر بأنني محظوظ ً‬ ‫جدا لمنحي هذه الفرصة الجديدة كمدير مشارك في المركز‪ .‬فهذا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فضال‬ ‫نطاقا‪،‬‬ ‫الموقع الجديد سيتيح لي فرصة التواصل مع أوساط أبحاث االحتراق األوسع‬ ‫عن العديد من األفراد الموهوبين في المركز والجامعة"‪.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫حاليا طلبة في‬ ‫للعلوم البحثية‪ ،‬الذين كانوا في فريقي قبل أربعة أعوام‪ ،‬وقد أصبحوا‬ ‫برنامج جامعة الملك عبداهلل للطلبة الموهوبين يكملون شهاداتهم في أفضل الجامعات‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حاليا بعض طلبة برنامج جامعة الملك عبداهلل للطلبة الموهوبين‬ ‫األمريكية‪ .‬ويضم فريقي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الذين يكملون أبحاث الدكتوراه‪ .‬سأشعر بالرضا عندما يكملون درجة الدكتوراه‪ .‬ويوما ما‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تحقيقا لرؤية‬ ‫سيصبحون قادة في المملكة وخارجها‪ ،‬ويسهمون في تطوير مجتمعاتهم‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل (رحمه اهلل) الطموحة"‪.‬‬

‫ويرى ساراثي تعيينه في المنصب الجديد فرصة هائلة للتعلم والتطور الشخصي إلى جانب‬ ‫التفاعل مع أقرانه في المركز‪.‬‬

‫ضرورة االحتراق‬

‫ً‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬يسير العمل في مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف على قدم وساق‪ ،‬وذلك بفضل‬ ‫وأكد‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫قيادة المدير المؤسس البروفيسور سوك هو شونغ والمدير الحالي البروفيسور وليام‬ ‫ً‬ ‫معا كما تعمل التروس المضبوطة بدقة في‬ ‫روبرتس‪ .‬ويعمل فريق هيئتنا التدريسية‬ ‫المحرك‪ .‬ويتمثل هدفي األول في توسيع ترجمة خبرات المركز مع األطراف المعنية في‬ ‫الحكومة والقطاع‪ ،‬بحيث نتمكن من إحداث تأثير كبير في المملكة وخارجها"‪.‬‬

‫تتمحور أبحاث ساراثي على التأثير البيئي للوقود التقليدي والبديل ‪ ،‬الذي يشمل الوقود‬ ‫الحيوي واالصطناعي‪ ،‬وأنظمة احتراقها‪ .‬كما يضع ساراثي نماذج وتجارب كيميائية حركية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫أيضا‬ ‫وتشكل الملوثات في أنظمة الطاقة‪ .‬وساراثي مهتم‬ ‫أساسية للتنبؤ باحتراق الوقود‬ ‫بتطبيق خبرته في الجوانب الحركية الكيميائية في دراسة مجموعة واسعة من األنظمة‬ ‫الكيميائية الهندسية كتلوث الهواء الجوي وطاقة الكتلة الحيوية والحفز الكيميائي‪.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫محورا لتوظيف طلبة‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬عالوة على ذلك‪ ،‬سأجعل من مركز االحتراق النظيف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وأخيرا‪ ،‬سأسعى إلى وصل‬ ‫متفوقين وتدريبهم ليصبحوا مهندسين ذوي مستويات عالمية‪.‬‬ ‫المركز مع مراكز األبحاث األخرى في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية على نحو‬ ‫يمكننا من خالله التصدي ألكثر المشاكل التقنية الملحة بخبرات كبيرة متعددة المجاالت‪.‬‬ ‫وأظن أن النقطة األخيرة هي التي سترفع المركز وباقي مراكز األبحاث في الجامعة إلى‬ ‫مستوى يفوق االمتياز"‪.‬‬

‫لقد كان اهتمام ساراثي بالتأثير البيئي السلبي لألنشطة اإلنسانية‪ ،‬والسيما تشكل‬ ‫الملوثات‪ ،‬المحرك الرئيسي لعمله البحثي‪ .‬وال يخفى على أحد مدى ضرر نواتج االحتراق‬ ‫وعملياته المختلفة‪ .‬فقد تؤدي عملية االحتراق بأنواعها المختلفة‪ ،‬كإحراق كميات كبيرة‬ ‫من الوقود وانبعاثات المصانع‪ ،‬إلى آثار بيئية حادة كتلوث المياه والتربة والهواء‪ .‬وهذه‬ ‫اآلثار البيئية هي اآلثار التي ينوي ساراثي تخفيضها عن طريق دراسة عملية احتراق الوقود‬ ‫على المستوى الجزيئي‪.‬‬

‫ُ‬ ‫شرارة اللهب‬

‫ً‬ ‫كثيرا الستمرار الحياة‪.‬‬ ‫"االحتراق معروف بآثاره البيئية السلبية‪ ،‬ولكن البشرية تعتمد عليه‬ ‫وهناك تحسينات كثيرة يمكن إجراؤها في مختلف تقنيات احتراق كمحركات اآلليات‬ ‫وعنفات الطائرات ومحطات الطاقة الثابتة‪ .‬ويمكننا تحسين الكفاءة وتخفيض االنبعاثات‬ ‫إلى حد كبير بفهم عمليات احتراق الوقود على المستوى الجزيئي‪ ،‬الذي يتحقق عن طريق‬ ‫النمذجة الحركية الكيميائية األساسية التي تقترن بتجارب عالية الدقة"‪.‬‬

‫بدأ حب ساراثي للعلوم واالحتراق منذ نشأته في مدينة الظهران في المملكة العربية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عاما بمقالة‬ ‫تحديدا‪ .‬خالل ذلك العام‪ ،‬افتتن فتى بعمر ‪13‬‬ ‫السعودية‪ ،‬في عام ‪1993‬‬ ‫قرأها تصف خلية وقود الهيدروجين‪.‬‬ ‫وقال ساراثي‪" :‬كانت [المقالة] تتحدث عن خلية وقود الهيدروجين‪ ،‬وهي تقنية ستقدم‬ ‫طاقة بكفاءة عالية دون انبعاثات‪ ،‬أي أنها (حل سحري)! يا للروعة‪ ،‬لقد سحرني ذلك‪،‬‬ ‫وحفزني على دراسة الهندسة كي أعمل في خاليا الوقود‪ .‬ولكن تقنية وقود الهيدروجين‬ ‫لم تكن ناضجة عندما أنهيت دراستي الجامعية في ‪ ،2004‬وكانت أبحاثها تتالشى‪.‬‬ ‫ودفعني شغفي بالعمل على تحسين أنظمة الطاقة إلى متابعة ميادين متعددة للطاقة‬ ‫البديلة‪ .‬ولكنني اخترت االحتراق ألنه مصدر مشاكلنا في مجال الطاقة‪ ،‬والموضع حاسم‬ ‫يحتاج إلى حلول‪ .‬ينبغي أن نواجه هذا اإلدمان على الوقود األحفوري مواجهة مباشرة‪،‬‬ ‫نكف عن‬ ‫وعلينا تحسين تقنيات االحتراق وتخفيض تأثيرها على بيئتنا إلى الحد األدنى‪ ،‬وأن ّ‬ ‫انتظار (حل سحري)"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سريعا إلى ‪ ،2017‬ما زال بإمكان ساراثي الذي يبلغ السابعة والثالثين من‬ ‫وباالنتقال‬ ‫العمر أن يرى مدى التعلق الذي يمكن للعلم أن يحدثه في عقل شاب‪ .‬فهو يسعد برؤية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وتحديدا طلبة برنامج جامعة الملك عبداهلل للطلبة‬ ‫الطلبة الشباب الذين يزورون الجامعة‪،‬‬ ‫الموهوبين وطلبة المعهد السعودي للعلوم البحثية‪ ،‬ليستفيدوا من مرافق الجامعة‬ ‫المتعددة‪ ،‬وينهلوا من عقولها الالمعة بغية توسيع معارفهم وعلومهم‪.‬‬ ‫"طلبة برنامج جامعة الملك عبداهلل للطلبة الموهوبين رائعون ويمثلون مستقبل الجامعة‬ ‫والمملكة‪ .‬ومن أكثر األشياء المجزية هي رؤية طلبة المدرسة الثانوية للمعهد السعودي‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫التواصل العالمي في أبحاث االحتراق‬ ‫يتمخض الكثير من عمل ساراثي وفريقه عن نماذج حركية كيميائية ألنواع مختلفة من‬ ‫الوقود النفطي والبديل‪ .‬ويطبق المهندسون والمعنيون في العالم بأسره نماذج الوقود‬ ‫الكيميائية ويستخدمونها كمدخالت لعمليات محاكاة متعددة لتصميم المحركات‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا في مجاالت‬ ‫وأضاف‪" :‬يتيح لي عملي في كيمياء احتراق الوقود االتصال بالباحثين‬ ‫احتراق أخرى عديدة‪ ،‬كالتشخيص والمحركات وآليات الكوانتم والحوسبة فائقة األداء‬ ‫وغيرها‪ .‬وتمتاز فرصة التواصل هذه بأهمية كبيرة في حل مسائل معقدة"‪.‬‬ ‫وفي عام ‪ ،2014‬اكتشف فريقه فجوة في األبحاث العالمية‪ ،‬وسعوا إلى تصحيحها‬ ‫من خالل إنشاء موقعهم اإللكتروني "‪ ،"Cloudflame‬وهو منصة مجانية تتيح الوصول‬ ‫إلى بيانات االحتراق التجريبية وأدوات محاكاة لجامعات ومعاهد وبلدان األبحاث التي‬ ‫يتعذر عليها الوصول إلى مثل هذه البيانات واألدوات بسبب ارتفاع كلفة مرافق التجارب‬ ‫واشتراكات المجالت والمعدات الحاسوبية والبرمجيات‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعال بشعبية كبيرة‪ ،‬لدرجة أن عدد مرات الدخول‬ ‫"بات موقعنا اإللكتروني يحظى‬ ‫فاق آالف المرات في األسبوع‪ .‬ويمكنك إجراء عمليات المحاكاة مباشرة من الموقع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سبيال إلطالع الناس على االحتراق‪ .‬ويستخدم الموقع اإللكتروني‬ ‫اإللكتروني‪ ،‬ويعتبر هذا‬

3 The main driver behind Sarathy’s research work has been his concern for the negative environmental impact of human activities and particularly pollutant formation. It is well-known how damaging the products of combustion and their various processes can be. Offshoots of the combustion process, such as burning large quantities of fuel, factory emissions and exhaust gases, can cause severe environmental impacts like air, soil and water pollution. It’s these impacts on the environment that Sarathy intends to reduce in the combustion process by studying fuel combustion at a molecular level.

“Combustion is notorious for its negative environmental impacts, but humanity relies on it greatly for survival. There are lots of improvements that can be made in various combustion technologies, such as automobile engines, aircraft turbines and stationary power plants. We can significantly improve efficiency and reduce emissions by understanding fuel combustion processes at the molecular level, which is achieved by fundamental chemical kinetic modeling combined with high-fidelity experiments,” he said.

Seeking to democratize combustion research Much of Sarathy and his team’s work results in chemical kinetic models for various types of petroleum and alternative fuels. The fuel chemistry models are implemented and used by both engineers and industry worldwide as inputs into numerical simulations to design engines.

“My work on fuel combustion chemistry also allows me to connect with researchers in many other combustion areas, such as diagnostics, engines, quantum mechanics, high-performance computing, etc., and this networking opportunity is valuable for solving complex problems,” he said.

In 2014, his team spotted a gap in global research collaborations which they sought to correct through the development of their Cloudflame website.

It's a platform that gives free access to experimental combustion data and simulation tools to those research universities, institutions and countries that traditionally lack access due to the high cost of experimental facilities, journal subscriptions and computer hardware and software.

“Our website has become really popular—so much so that we are getting thousands of hits a week. You run simulations directly from the website, and it’s a way for people to learn about combustion. The website is used by universities in places like China, Ecuador, India and Poland, and in places where access to the necessary computer services to run these simulations and programs is limited. Professors who want to teach combustion now use our website platform, and it’s easy for the students to pick up and learn.

It is our way of democratizing combustion research. If more people learn about combustion technology, then it will help them understand how really complex these systems are, and it may help them think more about their energy consumption choices,” Sarathy said.

16

THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

A cradle for dynamic research Sarathy is keen to emphasize that he enjoys the freedom at KAUST to pursue dynamic research, not fixed research. More than anything he wants to continue to be part of the growing collaborative research being conducted between the divisions at KAUST to create even more in-depth, conjoint and multidisciplinary research.

“What we’re trying to do here at KAUST is to continue bringing centers together. KAUST has brilliant people—the students and researchers in my team are brilliant—I learn so much from them. The same is true of my CCRC colleagues. I’ve learned more about combustion in the past five years at KAUST than I learned during my seven years of Ph.D. and postdoc research,” he noted.

“Similarly, faculty all across the University are impressive. I can meet Prof.

Xin Gao in the morning and talk about machine learning; then perform a catalysis experiment with Prof. Kazuhiro Takanabe; have a lunch debate with Prof. Bengt Johansson on the future of engines; grab a coffee with Prof. Manuel Aranda to discuss coral reef ecology and epigenetics; and then attend one of Prof. Tad Patzek’s lectures on earth resources and sustainability. I even started exploring the kinetics of brain metabolism following a discussion with Dean Pierre Magistretti,” he said.

KAUST gave me something to aim for in my career. From the moment I heard about King Abdullah’s vision, I felt a strong inner drive that I wanted to be part of it." - Mani Sarathy Freedom and future goals Sarathy also has future goals in mind when it comes to his own personal research.

“Solving major problems around energy systems and the environment is extremely complicated. I want to develop expertise and knowledge in multiple areas to bridge combustion with other disciplines. These include atmospheric chemistry, catalysis, machine learning and petroleum engineering,” he said.

‫‪4‬‬ ‫‪5‬‬

‫من قبل الجامعات في أماكن مختلفة كالصين واإلكوادور والهند وبولندا وفي أماكن‬ ‫يصعب فيها النفاذ إلى الخدمات الحاسوبية الالزمة إلجراء هذا النوع من العمليات‬ ‫وبرامج المحاكاة‪ .‬وفي الوقت الحالي‪ ،‬بات األساتذة الجامعيون الراغبون في تعليم‬ ‫االحتراق يستخدمون منصة موقعنا اإللكتروني‪ ،‬التي يمكن للطلبة االستفادة والتعلم‬ ‫منها بسهولة‪ .‬إنه أسلوبنا في تيسير الوصول إلى األبحاث من أي مكان‪ ،‬ومن شأن ذلك‬ ‫إحاطة عدد أكبر من الباحثين بتقنية االحتراق بحيث يساعدهم على إدراك مدى تعقيد‬ ‫هذه األنظمة‪ ...‬وربما يساعدهم على إمعان النظر بخيارات استهالك الطاقة المتاحة"‪.‬‬

‫مهد لألبحاث الديناميكية‬ ‫يؤكد ساراثي أنه يتمتع بحرية إجراء أبحاث ديناميكية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جزءا من األبحاث التعاونية‬ ‫والتقنية‪ .‬وهو يرغب‪ ،‬أكثر من أي شيء آخر‪ ،‬أن يكون‬ ‫المتنامية في الجامعة التي تجرى بين األقسام إلنتاج المزيد من األبحاث متعددة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وترابطا‪.‬‬ ‫عمقا‬ ‫االختصاصات األكثر‬

‫‪4‬‬

‫‪As a faculty member at‬‬ ‫‪KAUST, I am given lots of freedom,‬‬ ‫‪and this freedom inspires me to‬‬ ‫‪achieve greater success." - Mani Sarathy‬‬ ‫‪“KAUST gave me something to aim for in my career. From the‬‬ ‫‪moment I heard about King Abdullah’s vision, I felt a strong inner‬‬ ‫‪drive that I wanted to be part of it. When I was being interviewed‬‬ ‫‪by KAUST, I recall the Vice President for Academic Affairs‬‬ ‫‪James Calvin’s words. He said that the success of young faculty‬‬ ‫‪members is what will define the University’s success. As a faculty‬‬ ‫‪member at KAUST, I am given lots of freedom, and this freedom‬‬ ‫‪inspires me to achieve greater success,” he concluded.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫حقا هنا في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية هو االستمرار في‬ ‫"ما نصبو إليه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫معا‪ .‬فالجامعة زاخرة بالعقول الفذة‪ .‬كما أن الطلبة والباحثين في فريقي‬ ‫جمع المراكز‬ ‫متميزون‪ ،‬وأنا أتعلم منهم الكثير‪ .‬وينطبق األمر نفسه على الزمالء في مركز أبحاث‬ ‫االحتراق النظيف‪ .‬فقد عرفت عن االحتراق أثناء السنوات الخمس األخيرة في جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية أكثر مما عرفته أثناء سبع سنوات من أبحاث الدكتوراه‬ ‫وما بعد الدكتوراه"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬وعلى نحو مشابه‪ ،‬فهيئة التدريس في الجامعة بأكملها مثيرة‬ ‫وشرح ذلك‬ ‫لإلعجاب‪ .‬ويمكنني أن ألتقي بالبروفيسور زينغ غاو في الصباح والتحدث معه عن التعلم‬ ‫من اآللة‪ ،‬ومن ثم إجراء تجربة حفز كيميائي مع البروفيسور كازوهيرو تاكانابي‪ ،‬وإجراء‬ ‫نقاش على مائدة الغداء مع البروفيسور بينت يوهانسون عن مستقبل المحركات‪،‬‬ ‫وتناول كوب من القهوة مع البروفيسور مانويل أراندا لمناقشة النظام اإليكولوجي‬ ‫والوراثة الالجينية للشعاب المرجانية‪ ،‬ومن ثم حضور إحدى محاضرات البروفيسور تاد‬ ‫باتزيك عن موارد األرض واالستدامة‪ .‬ولم أتوقف عند هذا الحد‪ ،‬بل بدأت باستكشاف‬ ‫حركية أيض الدماغ إثر نقاش مع العميد البروفيسور بيير ماجيستريتي"‪.‬‬

‫‪Scan here to watch a video of‬‬ ‫‪Mani Sarathy discussing his‬‬ ‫‪work in the University's Clean‬‬ ‫‪Combustion Research Center.‬‬

‫الحرية واألهداف المستقبلية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا على صعيد أبحاثه الشخصية‪.‬‬ ‫لدى ساراثي أهداف مستقبلية‬ ‫قال‪" :‬يتسم حل المشاكل الرئيسية في أنظمة الطاقة والبيئة بصعوبة بالغة‪ .‬وأرغب‬ ‫في تطوير خبرات ومعارف في مجاالت متعددة لوصل االحتراق بمجاالت أبحاث أخرى‬ ‫كالكيمياء الجوية والحفز الكيميائي والتعلم من اآللة وهندسة البترول"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫هدفا في‬ ‫مختتما حديثه‪" :‬لقد منحتني جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‬ ‫وأضاف‬ ‫حياتي المهنية‪ .‬ومن اللحظة األولى التي سمعت فيها عن رؤية الملك عبداهلل‪ ،‬شعرت‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جزءا منها‪ .‬وأتذكر كلمات نائب رئيس الجامعة للشؤون‬ ‫بدافع داخلي شديد كي أكون‬ ‫األكاديمية الدكتور جيمس كالفن خالل مقابلتي‪ ،‬إذ قال إن نجاح أعضاء هيئة التدريس‬ ‫الشباب هو الذي يحدد نجاح الجامعة‪ .‬لقد منحت‪ ،‬باعتباري أحد أعضاء هيئة التدريس في‬ ‫الجامعة‪ ،‬حرية كبيرة‪ ،‬وهذه الحرية تلهمني لتحقيق مزيد من النجاح"‪.‬‬

‫‪17‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪3, 4, 5. Mani Sarathy, associate professor of chemical engineering in‬‬ ‫‪and the recently appointed associate director of the Clean Combustion‬‬ ‫‪Research Center (CCRC), works with his students in the KAUST labs. He‬‬ ‫‪aims to "make the CCRC a hub for recruiting the highest quality students‬‬ ‫‪and training them to be world-class engineers," he said. Photos‬‬ ‫‪by Meres J. Weche.‬‬

Saudi startups pitch the 9/10ths Accelerator showcase Twelve Saudi startups were chosen as finalists to pitch in the first 9/10ths Startup Accelerator showcase at the Burj Rafal Hotel Kempinski in Riyadh.

The startups presented a range of new business concepts, including online marketplaces, mobile apps, high-growth service businesses and consumer products. Notably, half of the final teams chosen were led by Saudi female entrepreneurs out of an original cohort of 24 startups.

The Takamol-funded startup accelerator, which is managed by the KAUST Innovation and Economic Development (I&ED) Entrepreneurship Center, is a full-time program that develops early stage Saudi startup teams into high-potential companies. The accelerator drew an audience of over 300 attendees, 50 of which were regional investors.

“We are proud of the accomplishments that the startups achieved in international and local conferences and competitions,” said Amjad Idris, vice president of 9/10ths Startup Accelerator. “The teams managed to be highly recognized in their participation and harvest international awards.”

A panel of judges, including representatives from Wamda Capital Partners, Bab Rizq Jameel, Doroob, Riyadh Taqnia Ventures and the Qqal Angel network, Riyadh chapter, selected the following four teams to receive grant funding: • 1st Place: Fixtag is a female mobile devices repair store that ensures privacy of data and targets female clients.

• 2nd Place: Innoras is a personal care innovative products company started with a personal bidet called TeshTesh.

• 3rd Place: Dhad is an Arabic electronic publishing house producing audible Arabic books recorded at their studios.

• People’s Choice: Magadeer is a business that delivers a box of ingredients to your door along with a recipe so you enjoy preparing your meal.

“9/10ths has become a true Kingdom-wide collaboration to drive economic development through the creation of new high-potential startups,” said Gordon McConnell, head of the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center and professor of practice in entrepreneurship. “The overwhelmingly positive response from Saudi entrepreneurs as well as the backing from a variety of ecosystem partners has demonstrated to Takamol and KAUST that now is indeed the right time for a cutting-edge startup accelerator like 9/10ths."

Each year, the 9/10ths program runs two startup accelerator cohorts of up to 30 startups each. In each case, the startups receive seed grant funding and spend an intensive month at KAUST during the preaccelerator phase, which was followed by five months at a major city in the Kingdom. In addition, the startups are provided support from highly

18

THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

experienced members of the KAUST International Mentor Group as well as innovation training to help launch and scale the new ventures.

“It is amazing to witness firsthand how far the teams have progressed.

They are well-prepared and ready to create real impact for the economy,” said Hattan Ahmed, entrepreneurship collaboration manager at the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center. “The development of the Takamol relationship with KAUST that led to 9/10ths is a perfect example of how organizations within the Kingdom are working together to deliver real results.”

The 9/10ths Startup Accelerator is a major expansion of both the Takamol-KAUST collaborative relationship as well as I&ED’s in-Kingdom activities to support economic development and startup creation. The KAUST Entrepreneurship Center continues to work with organizations, companies and universities across Saudi Arabia to support national objectives while delivering strong support for the emerging startup sector.

9/10ths has become a true Kingdom-wide collaboration to drive economic development through the creation of new high-potential startups.”

- Gordon McConnell, head of the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center

The Saudi startups that pitched at the showcase included Cura, a telemedicine platform; Saydl, a pharmaceutical products delivery platform; Munjiz, a print services platform and aggregator; Quick Drop, an ondemand, high-quality, door-to-door laundry service; Serviis, a platform that connects clients with service providers; Ironix, a comic book publishing house; OMcare, a business aimed at simplifying the prenatal care process; and Ajeer, a platform that connects users with trusted technical service providers.

Applications were accepted for the second 9/10ths Startup Accelerator group through August 31. Startups chosen for the second group will enter a pre-accelerator program at KAUST during October before moving to a co-working space in Jeddah for five months. Further details can be found at https://910ths.sa.

‫‪1, 2. Twelve Saudi startups pitched as finalists in the‬‬ ‫‪first 9/10ths Startup Accelerator showcase at the Burj‬‬ ‫‪Rafal Hotel Kempinski in Riyadh. The startups presented‬‬ ‫‪a range of new business concepts during the event.‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫شركات سعودية ناشئة تطرح مشاريعها في‬ ‫مسرعة تسعة أعشار لألعمال‬ ‫معرض‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫تم اختيار اثنتي عشرة شركة سعودية ناشئة للمشاركة في الحفل الختامي لمعرض‬ ‫مسرعة تسعة أعشار األول لألعمال الناشئة‪ ،‬الذي عقد في فندق برج رافال كمبينسكي‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫في الرياض‪ .‬وطرحت الشركات الناشئة مجموعة من المفاهيم وأفكار األعمال الجديدة‬ ‫كاألسواق اإللكترونية وتطبيقات الهاتف الجوال والشركات الخدمية عالية النمو والسلع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الفتا أن نصف الفرق التي اختيرت للمرحلة النهائية من إجمالي‬ ‫االستهالكية‪ .‬وكان‬ ‫األعمال الناشئة الـ ‪ 24‬كانت تقودها رائدات أعمال سعوديات‪.‬‬

‫مسرعتي أعمال كل عام تضم كل منهما ما يصل إلى‬ ‫ويذكر أن برنامج تسعة أعشار ينظم‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫‪ 30‬شركة ناشئة‪ .‬وفي كل مرة‪ ،‬تتلقى المشاريع الناشئة منح تمويل تأسيسي‪ ،‬وتمضي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫المسرعة‪ ،‬تليه خمسة أشهر في‬ ‫مكثفا في جامعة الملك عبداهلل أثناء مرحلة ما قبل‬ ‫شهرا‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫واحدة من كبرى المدن في المملكة‪ .‬باإلضافة إلى ذلك‪ ،‬يدعم البرنامج المشاريع الناشئة‬ ‫من مدربين عالميين في جامعة الملك عبداهلل ذوي خبرة عالية‪ ،‬باإلضافة إلى تدريب على‬ ‫االبتكار لمساعدتهم على إطالق المشاريع الجديدة وزيادة حجمها‪.‬‬

‫مسرعة األعمال الناشئة‪ ،‬التي تمولها "تكامل"‪ ،‬ويديرها برنامج‬ ‫ومن الجدير بالذكر أن‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫االبتكار والتنمية االقتصادية ومركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية‪ ،‬هي برنامج بدوام كامل لتطوير فرق المشاريع والشركات السعودية الناشئة في‬ ‫فترة مبكرة كي تصبح شركات ذات إمكانيات كبيرة‪ .‬وإلى ذلك‪ ،‬فقد وصل عدد الحضور‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫إقليميا‪.‬‬ ‫مستثمرا‬ ‫إلى أكثر من ‪ ،300‬من بينهم ‪50‬‬

‫ومن جانبه‪ ،‬قال هتان أحمد‪ ،‬مدير شراكة ريادة األعمال في مركز ريادة األعمال في‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪" :‬من الرائع أن تشهد أمامك التقدم الذي حققته الفرق‪ .‬فهم على‬ ‫عد تطوير عالقة (تكامل)‬ ‫أتم االستعداد وجاهزون إلحداث تأثير حقيقي على االقتصاد‪ُ .‬‬ ‫وي ّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫مع جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬الذي أفضى إلى إطالق برنامج تسعة أعشار‪،‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مثاليا لكيفية تعاون المؤسسات في المملكة على تقديم نتائج حقيقية"‪.‬‬ ‫نموذجا‬

‫مسرعة تسعة أعشار‪" :‬نحن فخورون ً‬ ‫جدا باإلنجازات التي‬ ‫وقال أمجد إدريس‪ ،‬نائب رئيس‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫حققتها الشركات الناشئة في المسابقات والمؤتمرات المحلية والدولية‪ .‬لقد حظيت‬ ‫مشاركة الفرق بتقدير كبير‪ ،‬ونجحت في حصد جوائز دولية"‪.‬‬

‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كبيرا لكل من العالقة التعاونية بين‬ ‫توسعا‬ ‫مسرعة المشاريع الناشئة تسعة أعشار‬ ‫وتعتبر‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫"تكامل" وجامعة الملك عبداهلل وأنشطة االبتكار والتنمية االقتصادية في المملكة لدعم‬ ‫التنمية االقتصادية واستحداث المشاريع الناشئة‪ .‬ويواصل مركز ريادة األعمال في الجامعة‬ ‫عمله مع المؤسسات والشركات والجامعات في سائر أرجاء المملكة لدعم األهداف‬ ‫الوطنية وتقديم دعم كبير في الوقت نفسه لقطاع الشركات الناشئة‪.‬‬

‫واختارت لجنة تحكيم تضم ممثلين عن ومضة كابيتال وباب رزق جميل ودروب وتقنية‬ ‫لالستثمار في الرياض وشبكة عقال لالستثمار فرع الرياض الفرق األربعة التالية الستالم‬ ‫منحة تمويلية‪:‬‬ ‫ •المركز األول‪" :‬فيكس تاغ" وهو متجر لصيانة األجهزة اإللكترونية بأيدي سيدات‬ ‫سعوديات‪ ،‬وذلك لضمان الخصوصية وحماية معلومات العمالء من النساء‪.‬‬ ‫ •المركز الثاني‪" :‬إنو راس" وهي شركة توفر منتجات مبتكرة للعناية الشخصية‪،‬‬ ‫انطلقت بمنتج شطاف شخصي يدعى "تش تش"‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كتبا مسموعة باللغة العربية‬ ‫ •المركز الثالث‪ :‬ضاد وهي دار للنشر اإللكتروني تنتج‬ ‫تسجلها في استديوهاتها‪.‬‬ ‫ •اختيار الجمهور‪ :‬مقادير وهي مشروع يقوم إليصال صندوق من مكونات الطعام‬ ‫مع وصفة مصاحبة لمنزلك حتى تستمتع بتجربة الطهي بنفسك‪.‬‬ ‫وقال جوردون ماكونل‪ ،‬رئيس مركز ريادة األعمال في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حقيقيا‬ ‫تعاونا‬ ‫والتقنية وبروفيسور الممارسة في ريادة األعمال‪" :‬تعتبر تسعة أعشار‬ ‫على مستوى المملكة بأكملها لدفع التنمية االقتصادية عن طريق تأسيس شركات‬ ‫ناشئة ذات إمكانيات كبيرة"‪ .‬لقد أثبت التجاوب اإليجابي الكبير من رواد األعمال‬ ‫السعوديين‪ ،‬والدعم الذي قدمته مجموعة متنوعة من الشركاء مثل "تكامل" وجامعة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فعال لبرامج متطورة لتسريع‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬أن الوقت الحالي مناسب‬ ‫الشركات الناشئة مثل تسعة أعشار"‪.‬‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫ومن بين الشركات السعودية الناشئة التي ُعرضت في المعرض كيورا‪ ،‬وهي منصة طبية‬ ‫هاتفية‪ ،‬وصيدلية‪ ،‬وهي منصة لتقديم المنتجات الصيدالنية‪ ،‬ومنجز‪ ،‬وهي منصة تقدم‬ ‫خدمات الطباعة‪ ،‬وكويك دروب‪ ،‬وهي خدمة عالية الجودة لغسيل وإيصال المالبس بحسب‬ ‫الطلب إلى باب العميل‪ ،‬وسرفيس‪ ،‬وهي منصة تصل العمالء مع مزودي الخدمات‪،‬‬ ‫وأيرونيكس‪ ،‬وهي دار لنشر القصص المصورة‪ ،‬وأم كير‪ ،‬لخدمة تبسيط العناية ما قبل‬ ‫الوالدة‪ ،‬وأجير‪ ،‬وهي منصة تصل المستخدمين مع مزودي خدمات تقنية موثوقين‪.‬‬ ‫مسرعة الشركات‬ ‫وجرى إلى ‪ 31‬أغسطس ‪ 2017‬قبول الطلبات للمجموعة الثانية من‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫الناشئة تسعة أعشار‪ ،‬وستلتحق فرق الشركات الناشئة التي اختيرت للمجموعة الثانية‬ ‫في برنامج ما قبل التسريع في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية أثناء شهر أكتوبر‬ ‫الجاري قبل االنتقال إلى فضاء عمل مشترك في مدينة جدة لمدة خمسة أشهر‪.‬‬ ‫للتسجيل على اإلنترنت والحصول على مزيد من التفاصيل‪ ،‬يرجى زيارة الرابط اإللكتروني‬ ‫‪https://910ths.sa‬‬

1

Developing gifted Saudi students

By Lulwah Shalhoub KAUST hosted 43 gifted 11th grade students from across Saudi Arabia as part of the University's seventh annual Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI). The institute gives students from the Kingdom the chance to experience working in state-of-the-art laboratories under the supervision of faculty members, Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows at KAUST.

The SRSI program led me to choose the specialty I want to study at university and amplified my interest in environmental engineering.”

- Dana Altoaimi, 2017 SRSI student Taking place over six weeks each summer, SRSI offers students the chance to combine theoretical coursework and research and aims to inspire and empower the next generation of researchers and scientists in Saudi Arabia. In total, 273 students have graduated from the program.

“I gained academic experience and was introduced to the university environment,” said SRSI student Mohammed Al-Jughaiman, who examined the effectiveness of nafioncoated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) humidity sensors during the program.

Al-Jughaiman, whose research was supervised by Khaled Salama, associate professor of electrical engineering from the University's Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) division, said that nafion-coated QCM demonstrated a high level of efficiency and accuracy when measuring humidity.

20

THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

2 Learning by doing Solar energy was a dominant subject from this year's program, as a number of students researched the alternative energy source from different perspectives. SRSI participant Dana Altoaimi investigated improving the efficiency of solar cells in exporting hydrogen.

“This was my first research experience. It allowed me to reach findings despite the short period of time,” she said.

“The SRSI program led me to choose the specialty I want to study at university and amplified my interest in environmental engineering.”

With the help of senior researchers, program participant Aljazzy Alahmadi investigated the optical properties in solar cells. She conducted a study on the charge carrier dynamics at the interfaces between zero-dimensional Cs4PbBr6 perovskite nanocrystals and molecular acceptors.

“I met with experts from different scopes of scientific research who were always open to answer any questions,” Alahmadi said.

‫‪1. The University hosted 43 gifted 11th grade‬‬ ‫‪students from across Saudi Arabia as part of‬‬ ‫‪the seventh annual Saudi Research Science‬‬ ‫‪Institute (SRSI).‬‬ ‫‪2. SRSI 2017 student participant Aljazzy‬‬ ‫‪Alahmadi works in the lab with KAUST‬‬ ‫‪Professor Omar Abdulsaboor during the‬‬ ‫‪summer program.‬‬ ‫‪3. 2017 SRSI program participants noted the‬‬ ‫‪program gave them academic experience and‬‬ ‫‪insight into their future university studies and‬‬ ‫‪careers.‬‬ ‫‪4. 2017 SRSI program participant Leen‬‬ ‫‪Al-Jefri presents a poster during the program‬‬ ‫‪about her summer research on the design of‬‬ ‫‪broadband digital holographic memories.‬‬

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‫برنامج المعهد السعودي‬ ‫للعلوم البحثية (‪ )SRSI‬الصيفي‬ ‫عد بوابة دخول إلى مرحلة‬ ‫ُي ّ‬ ‫األبحاث الجامعية‬ ‫لولوه شلهوب‬ ‫استضافت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتكنولوجيا للعام السابع على التوالي طلبة‬ ‫الصف الحادي عشر الموهوبين ضمن برنامج صيفي مدته ستة أسابيع يتيح لهم فرصة‬ ‫إجراء أبحاث علمية في مختبرات الجامعة التي تحظى بتقنيات متطورة‪ .‬بدأت الرحلة‬ ‫البحثية لطلبة المعهد السعودي للعلوم البحثية في شهر يوليو من هذا العام‪ ،‬تحت‬ ‫إشراف وتوجيه من أعضاء هيئة التدريس والباحثين بالجامعة من طلبة الدراسات العليا‬ ‫وزمالء ما بعد الدكتوراه لالستفادة من خبراتهم‪.‬‬ ‫وقام الطلبة بإجراء أبحاث في مجاالت شملت العلوم والتقنية والهندسة والرياضيات‬ ‫تحت إشراف مراكز األبحاث الخاصة بالجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫وخالل رحلتهم البحثية‪ ،‬قام الطلبة باستعراض ملصقات ألبحاثهم تناولت حالة المشروع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وفقا لمهارات ومواهب الطلبة‪.‬‬ ‫الذي تم اختياره من قبل أعضاء هيئة التدريس‬ ‫وفي ختام البرنامج‪ ،‬قام الطلبة بعرض ومناقشة أوراق بحثهم النهائية بعد انتهاء فترة‬ ‫التدريب أمام جمهور من زمالئهم ولجنة تقييم من أعضاء هيئة التدريس‪.‬‬ ‫ويقول أحد الطالب المشاركين‪ ،‬محمد الجغيمان‪ ،‬الذي تناول بحثه دراسة أجهزة‬ ‫استشعار الرطوبة بإشراف البروفيسور خالد سالمة‪" :‬حصلت على خبرة أكاديمية‬ ‫وتعرفت على البيئة الجامعية واستخدمت أجهزة متطورة ونادرة على مستوى العالم‪".‬‬ ‫وأضاف الجغيمان الذي اندرج بحثه تحت قسم العلوم والهندسة الحاسوبية والكهربائية‬ ‫والحسابية‪" :‬توصلنا إلى أن لدى جهاز مايكرو كريستال كوارتز ومادة النافيون خاصية‬ ‫استشعار قوية ودقيقة ً‬ ‫جدا في قياس الرطوبة‪".‬‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪4‬‬ ‫هام ًا خالل البرنامج‪ ،‬وهو ما‬ ‫حيزا ّ‬ ‫واحتل استخدام الطاقة الشمسية كطاقة بديلة ّ‬ ‫استعرضته الطالبة دانة الطعيمي التي يناقش بحثها تحسين كفاءة الخاليا الشمسية في‬ ‫استخدامها في تصدير الهيدروجين‪ .‬وتقول الطعيمي إن التجربة التي تعد تجربتها البحثية‬ ‫األولى أتاحت لها التوصل إلى نتائج في وقت قصير وهو ما وصفته بالتحدي الكبير ذي‬ ‫الفوائد الكثيرة‪.‬‬ ‫وأضافت الطالبة‪" :‬برنامج المعهد السعودي للعلوم البحثية ساعدني على تحديد‬ ‫التخصص الذي أرغب بدراسته في الجامعة وأظهر اهتمامي بالهندسة البيئية‪".‬‬ ‫وفي نفس السياق‪ ،‬قامت الطالبة الجازي األحمدي باستعراض ورقة بحثها النهائية عن‬ ‫تعزيز الخواص الضوئية في الخاليا الشمسية باستخدام المستقبالت الجزئية‪ .‬ووصفت‬ ‫األحمدي التجربة بالممتعة‪ ،‬مضيفة‪" :‬التقيت بخبرات من كافة المناحي العلمية والتي‬ ‫كانت ترحب بتوفير إجابات على أي أسئلة للحصول على معلومات متنوعة‪".‬‬ ‫فيما بحث الطالب سعد الصفيان تأثير الحرارة على جزيئات البوليمرات(‪)PS-b-PNIPAM‬‬ ‫في توجيه األدوية الطبية داخل جسم اإلنسان حيث أن لبعض األدوية آثار جانبية سلبية‬ ‫على األجزاء غير المعنية بالعالج‪.‬‬ ‫وأتاح البرنامج الصيفي للمعهد السعودي للعلوم البحثية هذا العام‪ ،‬والذي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وطالبة للدمج بين‬ ‫طالبا‬ ‫تستضيفه الجامعة بشكل سنوي‪ ،‬الفرصة لثالثة وأربعين‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الدراسة النظرية والبحثية التطبيقية‪ ،‬من أصل ‪ 273‬على مستوى األعوام السابقة‪.‬‬

KAUST and Gulf Data Hub break ground A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 18 to celebrate the start of an important new data center project at KAUST. Gulf Data Hub (GDH), a Dubai-based data center space provider, will officially commence the construction of a multimillion dollar carrier- and vendor-neutral data center at KAUST under the Saudi Arabian entity Data Hub Tech (DHT).

Development of the 27,600m2 state-of-the-art facility comes at a critical time with sharply increased market demand for data centers to accommodate data growth, movement to the cloud and disaster recovery demands, as well as full compliance with increased regulatory requirements. It will house 8,000 m2 of white space, with a minimum capacity for its future customers of 14.4 MW IT load.

“The trend among IT thought leaders is to lease data center space from experts rather than build in-house data centers,” said Tarek Al-Ashram, CEO of GDH. “As a vendor-neutral facility, the KAUST data center will solve a range of data storage needs while maintaining the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of future research park and external partners.”

To align with the high standards of the current architecture at KAUST, the data center will also be built to conform to Tier III and LEED Silver specifications.

“This is a game-changer for research and innovation infrastructure at KAUST,” said Jason Roos, chief information officer at KAUST. Roos joined the University in June of 2017 with a mandate to bolster KAUST resources for a burgeoning research ecosystem as well as a booming technology and innovation cluster.

22

THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

1 “I’m here to make sure we have the tools on hand to support our labs, our people and our partners well into the foreseeable future. With GDH, we’ve secured an essential piece to that puzzle,” Roos said.

GDH is best known for the development of the Dubai Silicon Oasis data center, a world-class facility completed in 2014. At KAUST, GDH will be the co-location center for Smart Hands and connectivity providers to service the diverse needs of the University, its research park tenants and external customers.

The data center will also provision value-added services to customers with its partner ecosystem.

“As the nation embraces a new global era of technological progress and a reality of digital dependence, it is only fitting that it answers the call to pursue desperately needed advanced needs in these areas,” said Nadhmi Al-Nasr, the University’s interim president. “In view of this commitment, it is fitting that KAUST takes on this important project to help lead the way. We pride ourselves on our exceptional IT infrastructure that supports our institutional research and innovation strategies, going beyond our campus to address some of the nation’s and the world’s most pressing needs.”

The construction of the KAUST data center will be undertaken

by Jeddah-based design and contracting firm Ashi Bushnag Co. The data center is slated to be operational in 2019. DHT will manage the business development, sales and operations of the data center.

‫‪1. (From left to right): Executive Manager at Ashi Bushnag Ibrahim‬‬ ‫;‪M. Abdul Hafiz; General Manager at Ashi Bushnag Taha Mansour‬‬ ‫‪CEO of Gulf Data Hub Tarek Al-Ashram; KAUST Interim President‬‬ ‫‪Nadhmi Al-Nasr; and Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation‬‬ ‫‪and Economic Development Jean M.J. Fréchet break ground during‬‬ ‫‪a ceremony held on September 18 on the KAUST campus. The‬‬ ‫‪groundbreaking ceremony took place to celebrate the development‬‬ ‫‪of a data center slated to be built by Gulf Data Hub in partnership‬‬ ‫‪with the Saudi company Data Hub Tech and the Jeddah-based‬‬ ‫‪design and contracting firm Ashi Bushnag Co.‬‬ ‫‪2. KAUST Interim President Nadhmi Al-Nasr delivers a speech on‬‬ ‫‪September 18 as part of a groundbreaking ceremony for a data‬‬ ‫‪center slated to be built by Gulf Data Hub in partnership with the‬‬ ‫‪Saudi company Data Hub Tech and the Jeddah-based design and‬‬ ‫‪contracting firm Ashi Bushnag Co.‬‬ ‫‪3. KAUST Interim President Nadhmi Al-Nasr (left) receives a gift from‬‬ ‫‪Gulf Data Hub CEO Tarek Al-Ashram on September 18 on the KAUST‬‬ ‫‪campus. The two men exchanged gifts as part of a groundbreaking‬‬ ‫‪ceremony for a data center. Photos by Lilit Hovhannisyan.‬‬

‫تدشين حجر األساس‬ ‫لمركز بيانات بجامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل‬

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‫َّ‬ ‫دشنت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية أعمال حجر األساس لمشروع مركز بيانات جديد‬ ‫ستتولى شركة مركز بيانات الخليج (‪ ،)GDH‬وهي شركة متخصصة في مراكز البيانات ومقرها‬ ‫ً‬ ‫رسميا تحت إشراف الشركة السعودية التقنية لمراكز البيانات (‪.)DHT‬‬ ‫دبي‪ ،‬عملية إنشائه‬

‫ً‬ ‫دوليا لتصميم وإنشاء وتشغيل مراكز بيانات ومباني صديقة للبيئة‬ ‫وهي أنظمة معترف به‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تماشيا مع المعايير العالية للهندسة المعمارية الحالية في جامعة الملك‬ ‫وعالية األداء‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫عبد اهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪.‬‬

‫ويأتي إنشاء هذا المركز المتطور الذي تبلغ مساحته ‪ 27,600‬متر مربع‪ ،‬في وقت يتسم‬ ‫بارتفاع مضطرد للبيانات والطلب المتزايد لتقنيات الخدمات السحابية وحفظ البيانات‬ ‫واسترجاعها عند الكوارث التي قد تؤدي إلى فقدان البيانات من قبل مؤسسات القطاع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فضال عن االمتثال الكامل للمتطلبات التنظيمية المتزايدة‪ .‬وسيستوعب هذا المركز‬ ‫الخاص‪،‬‬ ‫‪ 8,000‬متر مربع من المساحات المكتبية البيضاء بحد تحميل أدنى لخدمات تقنية المعلومات‬ ‫لعمالئه في المستقبل يبلغ ‪ 14,4‬ميغاواط‪.‬‬

‫ووصف جايسون روس‪ ،‬المدير التنفيذي للمعلومات في جامعة الملك عبداهلل الدور الذي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خصوصا في البنية التحتية لألبحاث واالبتكار في جامعة الملك‬ ‫سيلعبه هذا المركز بالمؤثر‬ ‫عبداهلل‪ ،‬وأن هذا المركز هو إضافة مهمة لمرافق ومراكز الجامعة التي تدعم طلبة وباحثي‬ ‫الجامعة وشركائها‪.‬‬

‫وقال طارق األشرم‪ ،‬الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة مركز بيانات الخليج (‪ )GDH‬بهذه المناسبة‪" :‬إن‬ ‫التوجه السائد للخبراء المتخصصين في مجال تقنية المعلومات اليوم هو في استئجار مساحة‬ ‫جاهزة من مركز البيانات من الخبراء‪ً ،‬‬ ‫بدال من إنشاء مركز بيانات داخلي خاص‪ .‬وكمركز محايد‬ ‫للبائع‪ ،‬يقدم مركز البيانات في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية حلول طلبات تخزين‬ ‫البيانات‪ ،‬مع المرونة الستيعاب مجموعة واسعة من المرافق البحثية المستقبلية والشركاء‬ ‫الخارجيين"‪.‬‬ ‫من جهته‪ ،‬أكد المهندس نظمي النصر‪ ،‬الرئيس المكلف لجامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية ونائب الرئيس التنفيذي على الدور الفاعل الذي تلعبه جامعة الملك عبداهلل في‬ ‫مواكبة التطور في المجال التقني‪ ،‬وأضاف‪" :‬نعيش اليوم في عصر جديد بات االعتماد‬ ‫فيه على التقنيات الرقمية المتقدمة ضرورة ُملِ ّحة‪ ،‬لذلك فإن جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية ملتزمة في دفع عجلة التطوير وأخذ زمام المبادرة والقيادة في هذا المجال من‬ ‫خالل تدشين هذا المشروع الواعد والمهم والذي يتطلب بنية تحتية استثنائية في تقنية‬ ‫المعلومات ال تتوفر إال في المؤسسات األكاديمية المرموقة كجامعة الملك عبداهلل‪،‬‬ ‫والتي من خاللها ندعم استراتيجياتنا في األبحاث واالبتكار‪ ،‬ونتمكن من وضع حلول ومعالجة‬ ‫القضايا الوطنية والعالمية الملحة في المجال التقني‪".‬‬ ‫وسيتم بناء المركز حسب المواصفات والمقاييس المتوافقة مع (‪ )Tier III‬و (‪)LEED Silver‬‬

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‫واشتهرت شركة مركز بيانات الخليج (‪ )GDH‬بتطوير مركز بيانات واحة دبي للسيليكون‪،‬‬ ‫وهو مرفق عالمي المستوى تم إنجازه في عام ‪ .2014‬وفي جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫الذكية" (‪)Smart Hands‬‬ ‫والتقنية‪ ،‬ستشارك (‪ )GDH‬في تقديم خدمات مركز "المساعدة‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫مع مزودي خدمات التوصيل المعلوماتي لتلبية االحتياجات المتنوعة لجامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬للمستأجرين في مدينة األبحاث وشركائها الخارجيين‪ ،‬وتوفير خدمات ذات‬ ‫قيمة مضافة للعمالء مع جميع الشركاء ضمن بيئة عملها‪.‬‬ ‫وستقوم شركة آشي وبشناق للمقاوالت المحدودة بجدة بإنشاء مركز بيانات جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل الجديد‪ ،‬ومن المقرر أن يتم تشغيل المركز في عام ‪ ،2019‬وستقوم الشركة‬ ‫السعودية التقنية لمراكز البيانات (‪ )DHT‬بإدارة تطوير األعمال‪ ،‬والمبيعات وعمليات مركز‬ ‫البيانات‪.‬‬ ‫شركة متخصصة في تصميم وإنشاء وتشغيل مراكز‬ ‫وتعد شركة مركز بيانات الخليج (‪)GHD‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫البيانات عالية الطراز في منطقة الشرق األوسط وشمال أفريقيا ومقرها دبي‪ .‬وينصب عملها‬ ‫الرئيسي في المشاركة في إدارة خدمات المساعدة الذكية (‪ )Smart Hands‬في الموقع‪،‬‬ ‫وتوفير خدمات التوصيل المعلوماتي والخدمات ذات القيمة المضافة مع جميع شركائها‬ ‫ضمن بيئة عملها‪.‬‬ ‫أما الشركة السعودية التقنية لمراكز البيانات (‪ )DHT‬فهي الشركة المسؤولة عن تشغيل‬ ‫وإدارة مركز البيانات في جامعة الملك عبد اهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬والمملوكة لشركة مركز‬ ‫بيانات الخليج (‪.)GDH‬‬

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Giving back to celebrate Eid For a second year, the KAUST community came together to celebrate the joys of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with neighbors in Thuwal.

The KAUST Sharing is Caring campaign began during the holy month of Ramadan. It is an annual opportunity for University residents of all ages to take part in an important time of year for Saudi Arabia and the wider Muslim world. This year, the community supported more than 1,000 people most in need, such as children with special needs and families who have suffered the loss of a head of the household.

Under the campaign’s Ramadan Food Pantry, KAUST donated healthy seasonal food and cooking supplies to support families in preparing their meals. For the Eid Gift Boxes, members of the KAUST community donated fun educational books, toys and greeting cards with heartfelt messages.

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

2 Seventy KAUST volunteers (age 3 to 60) helped in all areas of the campaign, including advertising and raising awareness, assembling gift boxes and bringing the gifts to Thuwal. Success in the campaign would not have been possible without the volunteers and special collaboration with The KAUST School, Matjar, Tamimi, Jarir Bookstore, and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. This year, generous support also came from the proceeds of the Community Life Abaya Fashion Show.

The Sharing is Caring campaign is administered by KAUST Social Responsibility as part of its Takamul program, a robust suite of educational and well-being initiatives for targeted groups in Thuwal. The University aims to provide opportunities for the KAUST community to engage with neighbors and works closely with Thuwal’s Al-Bir social association to ensure that the University contributes in the most impactful ways possible.

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‫مجتمع جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل يحتفل بالعيد ضمن‬ ‫حملة "المشاركة عطاء"‬ ‫للعام الثاني على التوالي‪ ،‬شارك مجتمع جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية فرحة حلول‬ ‫شهر رمضان وعيد الفطر مع جيرانهم في بلدة ُثول‪ .‬بدأت حملة "المشاركة عطاء" السنوية خالل‬ ‫شهر رمضان المبارك وهي تتيح للمقيمين في الحرم الجامعي من مختلف األعمار المشاركة‬ ‫في هذا الوقت الهام من العام بالنسبة للمملكة العربية السعودية والعالم اإلسالمي بأكمله‪.‬‬ ‫قدم مجتمع الجامعة الدعم أللف شخص من المحتاجين‪ ،‬وبشكل خاص لألطفال من‬ ‫هذا العام‪ّ ،‬‬ ‫ِّ‬ ‫رب األسرة‪.‬‬ ‫فقد‬ ‫من‬ ‫رة‬ ‫المتأث‬ ‫والعوائل‬ ‫الخاصة‬ ‫االحتياجات‬ ‫ذوي‬ ‫ّ‬

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‫وقامت جامعة الملك عبداهلل بتقديم المواد الغذائية والمستلزمات األساسية لمساعدة األسر‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كتبا تعليمية وألعاب‬ ‫المحتاجة على إعداد الطعام‪ .‬كما قامت بإعداد علب هدايا للعيد‪ ،‬شملت‬ ‫تمنيات قلبية من المتبرعين من مجتمع الجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫طياتها ّ‬ ‫أطفال وبطاقات معايدة حملت في ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عاما بتقديم المساعدة في الحملة‬ ‫متبرعا تراوحت أعمارهم بين ثالثة أعوام و‪60‬‬ ‫ساهم ‪70‬‬ ‫بما فيها من حمالت التوعية وتجميع صناديق الهدايا وتوزيعها على سكان ُثول من المحتاجين‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نجاحا دون تعاون المتطوعين وجهات أخرى كمدرسة جامعة الملك‬ ‫ولم يكن للحملة أن تلقى‬ ‫عبداهلل ومحل متجر وسوبرماركت التميمي ومكتبة جرير ومقهى "كوفي بين أند تي ليف"‪.‬‬ ‫وحازت الحملة هذا العام على دعم كبير من عائدات عرض أزياء للعبايات أقيم في الحرم‬ ‫الجامعي‪.‬‬ ‫ويتولى قسم المسؤولية االجتماعية بالجامعة إدارة حملة "المشاركة عطاء" السنوية ضمن‬ ‫"برنامج تكامل"‪ ،‬وهو مجموعة من المبادرات التعليمية والترفيهية للفئات المستهدفة في ُثول‪.‬‬ ‫وتهدف جامعة الملك عبداهلل إلى تعزيز فرص مشاركة مجتمعها لجيرانهم والعمل عن قرب مع‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تأثيرا‪.‬‬ ‫جمعية البر االجتماعية في ُثول لضمان المساهمة بأكثر الطرق‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪1, 2, 4. Students from The KAUST School‬‬

‫‪volunteer their time to assemble gift boxes‬‬ ‫‪for families in Thuwal as part of the Sharing is‬‬ ‫‪Caring campaign.‬‬

‫‪3, 5. KAUST community members and staff‬‬

‫‪volunteers help to assemble gift boxes to be‬‬ ‫‪delivered to families in Thuwal as part of the‬‬ ‫‪Sharing is Caring campaign. Photos by‬‬ ‫‪Arnaud Lery.‬‬

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Alumni focus

By David Murphy

Noura Shehab

Oscar Becerril Lio

Noura Shehab graduated from the University in 2014 with a Ph.D. in environmental engineering and is currently working as a materials science researcher at RPD Innovations. She describes her current role as a mixture of technology analysis, creating business plans, market assessment, prototyping and applying science—science that has the impact to improve daily life.

Oscar Becerril Lio graduated from KAUST in 2011 with a master’s degree in applied mathematics specializing in operations research. After he left KAUST, Becerril Lio returned to his native Mexico and is currently based in the city of León, where he works as a self-employed operations manager in a construction and general contracting company. He lists his professional interests as industrial engineering, construction, operations research, optimization and logistics.

Shebab, whose research interests focus on novel microbial electrochemical technologies and microorganisms for power generation and desalination, has received several prestigious local and international awards in recognition of her innovative ideas in developing sustainable solutions to water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions. In 2013, she led a team of five students from KAUST to participate in the Dubai regional final of the 4th Annual Hult Prize.

Prior to KAUST, Shehab studied at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, where she completed her bachelor's degree in microbiology. Shebab is also the incoming KAUST Saudi Arabian alumni chapter president, and describes the University as a home and those who live there as a family.

“KAUST is the best place to develop your personality and raise your academic level. I can see a huge difference in my personality after KAUST. I know how to greater express my points in my work and I know what I want to do in my life,” she said. “KAUST is very special university in the region. It has great minds and facilities and it’s a place that any researcher would like be to further his or her research.”

Her guidance for current students is to continue to be creative and ambitious and to always keep learning. She advises students to engage with career fair activities that will help them better understand the business industry and decide whether that is something they want to become part of or continue with a focus on academia.

“At KAUST, you will gain knowledge and family, so use your time wisely. You also learn acceptance, resilience and commitment, qualities that will help you face any challenges in your life after and impact the world with good work—as a scientist or a leader,” she added.

Shehab has a committed vision of her future and her career path. “I really would like to be part of the scientific innovation and development of novel technologies in the region for technologies that will really develop our economy as well as contribute to the quality of life,” she said.

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017

Before joining the University, Becerril Lio received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering with minor in systems from the Monterrey Institute of Technology (León, Mexico). After completing his undergraduate studies, he began a gap semester at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He used his time at the University of Melbourne as preparation for his master's degree at KAUST. Becerril Lio feels that KAUST not only provided him with academic resources in his field of study but also with a set of tools to develop his personal skills and help him achieve his career goals.

“I participated in the VentureLab program, which helped me to develop my interest in entrepreneurship.

I also spent a summer term at the Pohang University of Science and Technology in Pohang, South Korea, in the computer science and engineering department developing a software for the optimization of computational geometry problems. I am sure these great opportunities afforded to students at KAUST help us to achieve our career objectives,” he said.

His advice to new and current students is to always learn from those around them and to talk to their professors, their fellow students and to the greater KAUST community. They should also make many friends and take advantage of the Kingdom’s location and travel.

“KAUST is not only a university but a community—it was like I had a family. I remember at the Campus Diner— you look around and you were looking at 50 or more nationalities. It was a unique place in the world,” he said.

“The University is a place where students around the world would meet, and this gave me the opportunity to learn from people with different opinions and different ways of thinking," he continued. "KAUST also has the best professors and very advanced facilities, and because KAUST was established in an Arab country, I got a totally new and interesting cultural experience during my time there."

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1. KAUST alumna Noura Shehab 2. KAUST alumnus Oscar Becerril Lio 3. KAUST alumnus Hommood Alrowais 4. KAUST alumnus Jhonathan Prieto Rojas

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4

Hommood Alrowais

Jhonathan Prieto Rojas

Hommood Alrowais is a Ph.D. student based in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

Jhonathan Prieto Rojas joined KAUST in 2009 from the National University of Colombia in Bogota and completed both his master’s degree (2010) and Ph.D. (2014) in electrical engineering at the University under the supervision of Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain. Prieto Rojas spent six years at KAUST before leaving the University in August of 2015 for his current role as assistant professor in the electrical engineering department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran.

Alrowais graduated from KAUST in 2010 as part of the University’s first graduating class with a master’s degree in electrical engineering. His current research is focused on bio-inspired sensors.

“The sensor I am developing is based on the semicircular canal in the inner ear. This tiny organ is responsible for sensing angular rotation in three axes, and it also stabilizes gaze and allows for a smoother reading experience. I envisage my sensor to be integrated into an implantable balance sensor for those who suffer from balance loss in both inner ears,” he said.

His most salient piece of advice for current students is to take full advantage of all the opportunities and resources on campus—both academic and personal.

“There are many people on campus who are willing to maximize your potential as a student and as an individual,” he noted.

In 2008, Alrowais’ father encouraged his son to apply to KAUST. Alrowais was grateful to be accepted, as the University aligned with his hopes for more world-class research opportunities within the Kingdom.

“My time at KAUST led to an immense amount of personal growth and I also switched directions academically," he said. "The University gave me the opportunities to excel at a high level. My research in collaboration with the University of Michigan in the summer of 2010 solidified my love for cross-disciplinary work, physical experimentation and working with my hands. The project also boosted my academic self confidence, and the friendships I developed at KAUST will last me a lifetime. I take pride in the rising academic reputation of KAUST across the globe."

“I joined KFUPM with the objective and conviction of continuing my research into the many fascinating subjects that I first encountered during my master’s and Ph.D. studies at KAUST. Furthermore, the teaching experience has been very gratifying, and thanks to it, I actually find myself learning more and more every day,” he said.

The main driving force behind Prieto Rojas’ decision to join KAUST was that he saw a great opportunity to explore a different culture and be part of a unique experience.

“My experience at KAUST was full of many discoveries and academic challenges that helped me mature a lot. The incredibly rich and diverse community of the University let me discover, interact and learn from many cultures around the world, which made the experience much more rewarding,” he said.

At KAUST, Prieto Rojas’ work was focused on using micro and nanofabrication techniques to build and develop novel structures, architectures and devices for new and exciting applications in diverse areas.

“During my master’s degree, I fabricated a miniature micro-reactor incorporating carbon nanotubes to produce energy out of common bacteria found in wastewater while decomposing organic matter—it is called a micro-sized microbial fuel cell. During my Ph.D., I mainly focused on the development of an innovative process to create flexible electronics out of conventional rigid microchips,” he said.

Prieto Rojas feels his time at the University gave him the scope to develop professionally and invest in a career in academia, and it also afforded him time to create a network of people and opportunities that help him to further his career.

“Prof. Hussain was definitely a great inspiration and always encouraged me to be successful. Moreover, the fact that I had access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment was extremely helpful, and I always felt privileged to have access to all of those resources,” he noted.

“For the students about to graduate—many challenges await, but the same hard work, enthusiasm and the sense of adventure that brought you to KAUST will help you to overcome any challenge ahead and let you become a successful person and professional,” he concluded.

www.kaust.edu.sa

27

Community Open Day and Artisan Fair 2017 On September 14, KAUST Community Life held an unforgettable Community Open Day at the Island Recreation Center (IRC). With more than 3,000 people visiting and taking part in the many activities on offer, it was a great opportunity to showcase what the KAUST community is all about.

The atmosphere in and around the IRC was full of excitement, as people from across the KAUST community filled the venue throughout the evening's event. “Interaction� was the watchword, with every University department, community group and club engaging with visitors in a unique way by playing games, giving away prizes and generating much interest in their activities and services.

The Artisan Fair was also a big success, where community members browsed through stalls showcasing handmade crafts that exhibited the unique skills and creativity of community members. In addition, there were numerous sports, fitness and movement demonstrations, art workshops, food trucks, games for children and of course some great prizes.

The team at Community Life would like to thank the KAUST community for their involvement and support in the event and for making KAUST a great place to live.

The KAUST community enjoyed a fantastic Community Open Day for the whole family at the University's Island Recreation Center on September 14. Photos by Lilit Hovhannisyan.

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THE BEACON | OCTOBER 2017