2015 December Beacon

December 2015/Safar, 1437 Volume 6, Issue No. 3 ‫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

‫علماء جامعة الملك عبداهلل ينجحون في اختراع‬ ً ‫اسودادا على اإلطالق‬ ‫المادة األكثر‬

The darkest black Page 4

Fast facts on 2015 graduates, students and alumni Page 8

Carlos Duarte wins Vernadsky Medal Page 3

KAUST to host Frontiers of Sensor Science Symposium Page 12

King Abdullah Monument attracts KAUST community Page 6

Dow expands facilities at KAUST Page 14

Highlights of WEP 2016 keynote lectures Page 10

KAUST ice hockey team gets set for Abu Dhabi match Page 16

In brief On November 25 and 26, KAUST and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) held bilateral conversations between relevant researchers from both institutions on the KAUST campus during a workshop entitled “Advancing Science through Research Collaboration." Two group discussions took place in the area of Modeling and Computer Simulation and Electrical Engineering.

Let's get social: /KaustOfficial /+kaust @KAUST_News /kaustedu kaustofficial

The Beacon Volume 6, Issue No. 3 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 Design Lead: Hazim Alradadi Designer: Omnia Attallah Writers: David Murphy, Meres J. Weche Translator: Adel Alrefaie Photographer: Ginger Lisanti The Beacon is published monthly. © King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

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THE BEACON | DEC 2015

Join the 2015 Commencement celebration on Friday, December 18. The ceremony is set to begin at 7:45 p.m. along Discovery Walk between Al-Khawarizmi (building 1) and the University Library.

Professor Raul Tempone and Professor Omar Knio will host the 2016 Advances in Uncertainty Quantification Methods Algorithms and Applications (UQAW) Conference from January 5 to 9, 2016.

For more information, visit http://sri-uq. kaust.edu.sa.

The Office of the Arts and the Office of Enrichment Programs invite the KAUST community to attend a special performance of William Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" put on by an international theater company on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. For more information, please contact artsoffice@kaust.edu.sa.

WEP 2016 will run from January 9 to 22, and will include a range of keynote lectures on topics ranging from science in Hollywood films to polar exploration to the future of the energy industry. This year’s WEP will celebrate the themes of climate change and sustainability. Registration is now open at wep.acadox.com.

All members of the KAUST research community and external industry partners and Saudi universities are invited to attend the Catalytic Carbon and Hydrogen Management Conference from February 1 to 4, 2016. For more information and to register, visit www.kaust.edu.sa/events/kcc.

On February 24 and 25, 2016, KAUST will welcome representatives from the University's industrial and scientific partners to the campus for the seventh annual KAUST Industry Advisory Board (KIAB) meeting.

Accolades Raphael Huser wins Lambert Award for Young Statisticians

1 Carlos Duarte wins 2016 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal The European Geosciences Union (EGU) recently honored KAUST Professor of Marine Science Carlos M. Duarte with the award of the 2016 Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky Medal. The medal was established by EGU's Division on Biogeosciences in recognition of the scientific achievements of Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, a Russian and Ukrainian scientist considered to be one of the founders of biogeochemistry, geochemistry and radiogeology. The medal is awarded to scientists in honor of their outstanding contributions to the biogeosciences.

Raphael Huser, assistant professor of applied mathematics and computational science in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division (CEMSE), has been awarded the Lambert Award for Young Statisticians for his contribution in modeling the distribution of extreme weather events. Huser’s research brings risk assessment of extreme climatic events to a new level thanks to a realistic modeling of their spatio-temporal properties.

Huser's research assess the risk connected to extreme natural phenomena. He was nominated for the Lambert Award based on his new methodology developed as part of his doctoral research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. His method takes into account not only the statistical modeling of extreme events at individual locations, but also the dependence between separate locations.

The Johann Heinrich Lambert Award was established in 2013 by the Swiss Statistical Society (SSS) to recognize the work of young statisticians under 35 years. It consists of a certificate and a prize of 1,000 Swiss francs and entitles the awardee to a plenary talk at the Swiss Statistics Meeting.

Duarte is the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology in the University's Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) division.

"The Vernadsky Medal is a well-deserved honor for Carlos,” said Pierre Magistretti, dean of BESE. “Carlos is not only a leading figure and a pioneer working at the interface of sustainability and global change in aquatic ecosystems, but is also a tireless teacher, mentor and individual who commits tremendous efforts towards scientific outreach."

Duarte is among 49 individuals who will receive Union Medals and Awards, Division Medals and Division Outstanding Young Scientists Awards from the EGU in 2016.

Duarte will be honored alongside recipients at the EGU 2016 General Assembly, which will take place in Vienna from April 17 to 22, 2016.

“Receiving the Vernadsky medal is a great honor, as these are awarded by colleagues and provide evidence of the esteem my colleagues have for my research contributions and my scholarship, which they are the best qualified to judge," said Duarte.

1. Professor Carlos Duarte was recently honored with Vernadsky Medal by the European Geosciences Union.

A few must-follow Twitter feeds on campus Associate Professor of Marine Science Michael Berumen's Reef Ecology Lab is active @ReefEcologyLab, featuring photos, research and interesting facts about the Red Sea.

The KAUST Supercomputing Lab has taken to Twitter to talk teraflops, highlight researcher retweets and much more @KAUST_HPC.

To stay up-to-speed with KAUST tech transfer, entrepreneurship and corporate partnerships, follow @ KAUSTinnovation or @KAUSTinnov_AR for Arabic Tweeters.

The team at the Clean Combustion Research Center is hard at work—keep up-to-date with their ongoing research @CCRCatKAUST.

If you want to swim with the fishes, then @iDiveHousing and @DuarteOceans are two accounts you'll want to follow.

www.kaust.edu.sa

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The darkest black Metallic nanostructures that are perfect light absorbers in the visible and infrared spectrum have been fabricated by researchers from KAUST. The structures, whose design replicates the colorful wings of beetles, are the darkest light absorbers known.

The shimmering colors seen on the wings of some beetles arise from a physical structure on the micro and nanoscale that has evolved to scatter light for a colorful appearance. The beetle species Cyphochilus in particular has wing structures that make them the whitest known insect.

The researchers used the Cyphochilus wings to develop a perfect light absorber based on the inversion principle. A structure that inverses the properties of white beetles will be black and absorb light. This structural variation of the beetle structure consists of a gold nanorod to which a gold nanosphere is attached. The nanorods behave like tiny antennas that pick up light at all colors from the environment.

Versatile nanostructures As the light passes through the rod, it gets trapped in the nanosphere, where it bounces back and forth until the light is completely absorbed. The absorption capacity of the structures is about 26 percent higher than that of carbon nanotubes, the strongest light absorber identified.

The high light absorption has applications for energy harvesting, explained Andrea Fratalocchi of the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science

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THE BEACON | DEC 2015

and Engineering Division, who led the collaborative research team along with Yu Han of the Physical Science and Engineering Division.

“We are already employing these structures in the context of water desalination and they showed world record efficiency performances,” he said.

In addition, they can be used as catalyzers for chemical reactions, or for the production of biofuel from sunlight.

Game-changing technology Under specific conditions, the structures also emit light. If excited at one particular color—such as green—that green light condenses and the structures emit red light in a very narrow region of the energy spectrum. This region corresponds to the minimum energy wavelength where light can spread out across the material.

The main advantage of the structures is their extremely high light absorption. Fratalocchi pointed to the possibility of their structures being used for hydrogen production, as hydrogen is a versatile and efficient energy storage material.

“One of the greatest current energy challenges is that it can’t be stored in large quantities which means we need to produce vast quantities of energy even if we do not consume it all,” explained Fratalocchi. “Hydrogen can be a game-changing technology with a system that is totally clean, abundant and renewable, and that can be used on demand and stored in large amounts.”

‫علماء جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫ينجحون في اختراع المادة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫اسودادا على اإلطالق‬ ‫األكثر‬ ‫ً‬ ‫اسودادا التي يتمكن البشر‬ ‫نجح فريق من الباحثين في تطوير ا المادة األكثر‬ ‫من صناعتها على اإلطالق‪ ،‬وهي قادرة على امتصاص كل الضوء الذي يضرب‬ ‫سطحها تقريبا‪.‬‬ ‫وبنيت المادة الجديدة‪ ،‬التي طورها باحثون من جامعة الملك عبد اهلل للعلوم‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫والتقنية بقيادة البروفيسور أندريا فراتالوتشي من قسم العلوم والهندسة‬ ‫الحاسوبية والكهربائية والحسابية والبروفيسور يو هان من قسم العلوم‬ ‫والهندسة الفيزيائية‪ُ ،‬بنيت باستخدام أنابيب كربون نانوية لتساعد على امتصاص‬ ‫الضوء‪ .‬وفي الواقع‪ُ ،‬صنعت المادة من سلسلة من الجسيمات الكروية متناهية‬ ‫كل منها إسطوانة نانونية‪.‬‬ ‫الصغر‪ ،‬التي تقع فوق ٍ‬

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‫وأوضح الباحثون أن السطح الناتج‪ ،‬بفضل هذه التركيبة‪ ،‬قادر على امتصاص ما‬ ‫نسبته ‪ % 98‬إلى ‪ 99%‬من الضوء في الطيف بين ‪ 400‬و ‪ 1,400‬نانومتر‪ .‬وأن‬ ‫ذلك ممكن بغض النظر عن زاوية واستقطاب الضوء على سطح المادة‪..‬‬ ‫وبحسب البحث‪ ،‬الذي نشره باحثو الجامعة في مجلة "نيتشر نانوتكنولوجي"‬ ‫‪ Nature Nanotechnology‬العلمية‪ ،‬فإن المادة الجديدة تمتاز عن غيرها من‬ ‫المواد القادرة على امتصاص المزيد من الضوء على نقاط محددة في الطيف‬ ‫الضوئي‪ ،‬بأنها قادرة على امتصاص المزيد في مجال أوسع من الطيف‪ ،‬لتتمكن‬ ‫من امتصاص مزيد من الضوء بنسبة ‪ 26%‬أكثر من أي مادة معروفة أخرى‪.‬‬ ‫وقد استلهم الباحثون فكرة المادة الجديدة من أحد أنواع الخنافس البيضاء‪،‬‬ ‫تحمل اسم "سيفوتشيلس" ‪ .Cyphochilus‬إذ تمتاز هذه الخنفساء بقشرة مكونة‬ ‫من هيكل بلوري معقد يعكس الضوء على نحو فعال بشكل ال يصدق‪.‬‬

‫‪1. Andrea Fratalocchi, assistant professor of electrical‬‬ ‫‪engineering in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical‬‬ ‫‪Science and Engineering Division, conducted research using‬‬ ‫‪Cyphochilus beetles' wings.‬‬ ‫‪Cover page: The wings of Cyphochilus, the whitest known‬‬ ‫‪insect, provide the conceptual framework to develop the‬‬ ‫‪blackest material in the world. "Cyphochilus beetle" by Wild‬‬ ‫‪Center is licensed under CC BY 2.0.‬‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫وحاول الفريق عكس هذه البنية المتصاص أكبر قدر ممكن من الضوء‪.‬‬ ‫ويقوم السطح الناتج المكون من جسيمات نانوية بإنشاء سلسلة من الحفر‬ ‫واألدلة الموجية العشوائية التي تمتص الضوء إلى الداخل ثم تمنعه من‬ ‫االنعكاس خارجا‪.‬‬ ‫ويشير الفريق المطور لهذه المادة إلى أن المواد األكثر اسودادا يمكن نظريا‬ ‫أن تنطوي على فوائد كبيرة في مجال حصد الضوء في أجهزة جمع الطاقة‬ ‫الشمسية‪ ،‬أو استخدامها إلنشاء اتصاالت مرئية فائقة الكفاءة‪.‬‬

King Abdullah Monument: a new attraction for the KAUST community

By Diane Burgoyne The recently completed King Abdullah Monument is built on the spot where the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud stood when he viewed the future location of KAUST for the first time.

The monument and its surrounding park sit on a peninsula of land across a small inlet from the University's campus and residential areas. Entry to the 80,000 square meter park and monument is marked by a roundabout featuring an eyecatching fire sculpture of 150 pieces of various shades of red Murano glass.

The road continues to two sloping grass berms with adjacent parking spots for cars and golf carts. A walkway in the center of the grassy areas leads to the dramatic “eye,” the centerpiece of the monument. The eye is formed by walkways of local natural stone surrounding an ever-flowing spring of water and a sculpture 12 meters high.

The symbolism of the monument is expressed artistically by the depiction of three meanings of the Arabic word ‘ayn. The first meaning, “eye,” represents King Abdullah’s bold vision for the development of an advanced science and technology research and innovation university.

The second connotation of the Arabic ‘ayn is a perpetual spring of water. The flowing water surrounding the sculpture in the eye represents the King’s continuous generosity and benevolence to the Kingdom and the world by the establishment of KAUST.

6 THE BEACON | DEC 2015

The third definition of ‘ayn refers to the first letter of King Abdullah’s name in Arabic. It is formed by the raised walkways and landscaping of the monument.

Construction of the monument began in July 2012 and was completed in less than three years. Excavation and construction for the formation of the eye, the central walkway, the sculpture base and the central water feature were underway by March 2014.

The centerpiece sculpture’s construction took place not just at the monument site but also in Italy, where it was handcrafted of 2,617 pieces of blown Murano glass by the company Formia International. Formia is also responsible for the mosaic glass tiles that line the lower walkway of the eye. The seven shades of blue in the glass for the sculpture are reflected in the mosaic glass tiles as well.

The sculpture was first assembled in Italy for quality assurance.

Each piece of glass was inserted by hand into the sculpture's stainless steel frame, and it was then dismantled and repacked carefully in special boxes for shipment to the monument site in Saudi Arabia. In May and June 2014, the structure shaft and frame were attached to the base of the sculpture. Glass installation took place in July and August.

The beautifully landscaped park surrounding the monument consists of a corniche, two playgrounds for children, a tented space for shade and quiet spots for visitors to sit and enjoy views of the Red Sea.

‫رؤية الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫معلم الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫التذكاري‬ ‫ً‬ ‫وتحديدا في سنة ‪ ،2006‬في هذا المكان على مشارف البحر‬ ‫هنا‪، ..‬‬ ‫األحمر وقف الملك عبداهلل بن عبدالعزيز يرحمه اهلل‪ ،‬واختار موقع‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬لتنطلق الرؤية الطموحة في‬ ‫تأسيس صرح علمي بارز يمثل بيت الحكمة الجديد‪ ،‬ويحمل شعلة العلم‬ ‫والمعرفة الى آفاق العالم مثلما كان في العصر الذهبي لإلسالم‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حاكيا ثالثة‬ ‫ويمثل تصميم ساحة المعلم الجميلة شكل "العين" بالعربية‬ ‫تنظر‬ ‫كعين مفتوحة‬ ‫أن ساحة المعلم تبدو من األعلى‬ ‫أبعاد‪ :‬أولها ّ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫إلى البعيد البعيد‪ ،‬وهي نظرة مؤسس الجامعة الملك الراحل عندما‬ ‫أشار واختار الموقع الذي شيدت عليه أركان الجامعة بمبانيها وقاعاتها‬ ‫ومعاملها ومراكز أبحاثها‪ ،‬وهي النظرة التي تتجاوز المكان ذاته إلى‬ ‫استعادة الدور اإلسالمي الحضاري الكبير في حقبة العلم والمعرفة التي‬ ‫أخذ بها العالم المتقدم فأضاء المستقبل وجعله أكثر ديمومة وبهاء‪.‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا في كونها ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عميقا‬ ‫نبعا‬ ‫فيما يتجلى البعد الثاني للعين وشكلها‬ ‫للماء ورمزية هذا الماء كعنصر نماء واستدامة‪ ،‬حيث اختار الملك الراحل‬ ‫موقعها على ساحل البحر األحمر لما يمثله البحر من داللة إنسانية‪ ،‬و‬ ‫هو ما يعني أن غاية الفكر اإلنساني هي‪ ،‬كما يجب أن تكون‪ ،‬خدمة‬ ‫اإلنسانية جمعاء ال خدمة صورة أو نموذج إنسان مؤطر في عرق أو دين‬ ‫أو ثقافة‪ ،‬وهذه هي الرسالة التي عناها الملك عبداهلل رحمه اهلل عندما‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جديدا‬ ‫"بيتا‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬ستمثل الجامعة‪ ،‬باعتبارها‬ ‫وضع حجر أساس المشروع‬ ‫للحكمة"‪ ،‬منارة للسالم واألمل والوفاق وستعمل لخدمة أبناء المملكة‬ ‫ولنفع جميع شعوب العالم"‪.‬‬ ‫أن العين هو الحرف األول من اسم الملك‬ ‫أما البعد الثالث فيكمن في ّ‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عرفانا منا بسخائه وعطائه الكبيرين‪.‬‬ ‫عبداهلل‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪1‬‬ ‫‪The area is beautifully landscaped with green areas for‬‬ ‫‪picnicking or resting, and is lit by 300 solar-powered lights. In‬‬ ‫‪addition, bike and running paths for residents to enjoy connect‬‬ ‫‪the monument and park with the University's Safaa Gardens‬‬ ‫‪neighborhood.‬‬ ‫‪The monument and park are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.‬‬ ‫‪daily, with lights dramatically illuminating the eye and central‬‬ ‫‪sculpture from shortly before sundown to closing time.‬‬

‫‪1. The finished Murano glass sculpture at sunset‬‬ ‫‪in KAUST.‬‬

8 THE BEACON | DEC 2015

www.kaust.edu.sa

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JAN 2016

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1. Polar explorer Antony Jinman during one of his expeditions to the polar regions.

#WEP2016

SEP 2015 2015 10 THE BEACON | DEC

2. Dr. Helge Halderson, director general, Statoil Mexico, speaks during the SPE Aberdeen Section Award Ceremony, September 9, 2015. Photo courtesy of SPE Int. 3. Governor of the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Eng. Abdullatif Bin Ahmed Al-Othman opens the 2015 annual meeting of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), November 2, 2015. Photo courtesy of the Saudi Gazette.

2016 Winter Enrichment Program features exciting keynote lectures The 2016 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) opens on the evening of Saturday, January 9, 2016 with a special keynote lecture from Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority's (SAGIA) chairman HE Abdullatif A. Al-Othman.

Also featured will be an opening of an art exhibition celebrating Saudi Arabia.

The next generation of superconductors - Monday, January 11 A keynote lecture by Dr. Suchrita Sebastian, Royal Society university research fellow in physics, University of Cambridge. Dr. Sebastian will discuss her work towards finding novel superconductors that operate at accessible temperature, dramatically increasing their technological applicability.

How can the global oil and gas industry survive the next 85 years? - Tuesday, January 12 A keynote lecture by Dr. Helge Halderson, director general, Statoil Mexico. Dr. Haldorsen will look at the long-term global outlook for energy and discuss the dilemmas and the competitive forces affecting the gradual global switch from oil and gas to other energy sources.

Climate change through the eyes of a polar explorer - Wednesday, January 13

the North Pole, the South Pole and Antarctica and his journeys across jungles and deserts, describing his experiences and explaining how climate change is affecting the globe.

A physicist in Hollywood: the science of "Interstellar" - Sunday, January 17 A keynote lecture by Dr. Kip Thorne, Feynman professor of theoretical physics, Caltech. Astrophysicist Kip Thorne, co-author of the seminal textbook "Gravitation," has mentored dozens of top scientists, many of whom have gone on to be leaders in their fields. He has recently focused on science outreach and advising the Hollywood movie industry on scientific topics, and acted as a scientific advisor for the blockbuster film "Interstellar."

Stopping incurable cancers through eliminating their anti-oxidative defenses - Monday, January 18 A keynote lecture by Dr. James Watson, chancellor emeritus, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Dr. Watson is a Nobel Prize winner who is best known for being part of the team that first uncovered the double-helical structure of DNA in 1953. More recently, he has been a driving force behind the Human Genome Project.

A keynote lecture by Antony Jinman, explorer in residence, Plymouth University. Polar explorer Jinman will deliver a keynote lecture on his expeditions to

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11

The KAUST Frontiers of Sensor Science Symposium

By Meres J. Weche “When we observe what KAUST is doing in the Middle East and in Saudi Arabia specifically, we see the University is a destination for high-quality science. We have top-level scientists, world-renowned faculty and cutting-edge facilities and capabilities,” said Dr. Jason Schrum, integrative lead in KAUST’s Office of Sponsored Research (OSR).

One of the fields in which KAUST focuses research is sensor technology. From fundamental research supported

by OSR to the more applied aspect of sensor technology in collaboration with Innovation and Economic Development (I&ED), KAUST scientists are highly active in sensor-related endeavors. KAUST senior leadership has set out a clear strategy for supporting this specific sector.

The 10-member organizing committee, in addition to two Chairs represented at KAUST and in the U.S., selected speakers from a pool of highly qualified candidates nominated by the group itself. The early career scientists were selected in equal numbers from the U.S. and Arab countries, and must be leaders in their fields and have stellar track records of achievement. Often they have recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship or are new faculty members with publications in high-impact journals and have won major awards and honors, such as the NSF CAREER award or a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. The committee has selected 24 speakers for the symposium at KAUST.

Showing leadership in sensor research

“We believe that there’s a lot of fertile ground and further collaborations to be had in the field of sensors. It’s very multidisciplinary,” said OSR Director Dr. Teofilo A. Abrajano.

When the opportunity presented itself for KAUST to host a Frontiers of Science symposium at the University in collaboration with the U.S.-based National Academy of Sciences (NAS), sensor technologies were an ideal topic on which to focus.

The emerging importance of KAUST in the field of sensor technologies research is reflected in the support for the symposium provided by NAS, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (Global Division). “The fact that this topic is being recognized by major institutions in the U.S. and globally clearly speaks to the degree of interest and the potential impact of sensor technologies,” said Schrum.

Founded in 1989, the Kavli Frontiers of Science symposia bring together outstanding early career scientists typically 30-45 years of age to discuss topics on the cutting-edge of science. The concept has been internationalized with various editions taking place outside of the U.S., with participants equally divided between emerging scientists and researchers from the United States other countries around Asia and the Middle East. It’s noteworthy that there are eight Nobel Prizes among the alumni of the Academy's Frontiers of Science symposia.

There will be five plenary sessions during the symposium, each focusing on a given domain in sensing technologies.

The first session will be led by Professor Slim Alouini, associate dean of KAUST’s Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, and will examine processes and circuits in sensors. The second session will delve into materials science and the assembly of sensing units, while the third session will focus on biomedical applications of sensors, such as in early cancer detection and wearable sensors monitoring biometric data. The symposium will be opened by KAUST President Jean Lou Chameau, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) President Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud and John Boright, executive director of international affairs for the U.S. National Academies.

Leading up-and-coming researchers Scheduled to take place in December at KAUST, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences – KAUST Frontiers of Sensor Science Symposium will represent the third year the Academy has partnered with an Arab region country to host the symposium. The previous two Arab region Frontiers of Science symposia took place in Kuwait City, Kuwait and Muscat, Oman. The KAUST conference will be the first Frontiers symposium based in the Middle East to introduce a strategic thematic thrust across all scientific plenary sessions. The topics will cover various aspects of sensor technologies, such as agriculture, biomedical applications, environment (smart cities) and materials science.

12 THE BEACON | DEC 2015

“We’ve chosen a wide range of topics because KAUST believes that a key frontier of sensor research is end-to-end integrative sensing. This means bringing the best in sensor research from materials, energy harvesting and storage, data communication and analysis and application drivers together in designing sensors. It’s about generating sensor systems in accordance with what is needed ultimately in the field for specific applications,” said Abrajano.

‫ندوة آفاق علوم أجهزة االستشعار‬ ‫في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫ضمن ندوات كافلي (‪ )Kavli‬آلفاق العلوم‪ ،‬تستضيف جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل في شهر ديسمبر ‪ 2015‬ندوة آفاق العلوم بالتعاون مع‬ ‫األكاديمية الوطنية للعلوم في الواليات المتحدة والتي ستتركز‬ ‫موضوعاتها حول تقنيات أجهزة االستشعار‪ .‬وعلق الدكتور تيوفيلو أبرانو‬ ‫ً‬ ‫قائال‪" :‬نمتلك في‬ ‫مدير عام مكتب رعاية األبحاث في الجامعة على ذلك‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل بيئة أبحاث تعاونية خصبة ومتعددة التخصصات‬ ‫في مجال تطوير تقنيات أجهزة االستشعار"‪ .‬كما تحدث الدكتور جيسون‬ ‫شروم من مكتب رعاية األبحاث في جامعة الملك عبداهلل "إذا نظرنا‬ ‫بصورة عامة إلى ما تقوم به جامعة الملك عبداهلل في منطقة الشرق‬ ‫األوسط بشكل عام وفي المملكة العربية السعودية على وجه التحديد‬ ‫نجد أن الجامعة أصبحت الوجهة الرائدة للعلوم ذات الجودة العالية بما‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فضال عن المرافق‬ ‫عالميا‬ ‫تمتاز به من علماء وأعضاء هيئة تدريس مرموقة‬ ‫المتطورة والقدرات المتميزة"‪.‬‬ ‫وتعتبر تقنية االستشعار من أهم المجاالت البحثية التي تركز عليها جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل سواء في األبحاث األساسية المدعومة من قبل مكتب‬ ‫رعاية األبحاث أو األبحاث التطبيقية التي تجرى بالتعاون مع قسم‬ ‫االبتكار والتنمية االقتصادية في الجامعة‪ .‬وقد وضعت القيادة العليا‬ ‫في جامعة الملك عبد اهلل استراتيجية واضحة لدعم هذا المجال على‬ ‫وجه الخصوص‪.‬‬ ‫جمع نخبة‬ ‫تأسست ندوات كافلي آلفاق العلوم في عام ‪ 1989‬عندما تَ َّ‬ ‫من رواد العلماء الشباب المتميزين الذين تتراوح أعمارهم مابين ‪-30‬‬ ‫‪ 45‬سنة لمناقشة أحدث الموضوعات العلمية‪ ،‬حيث يتم طرح وتداول‬ ‫المفاهيم العلمية برؤى مختلفة من خارج الواليات المتحدة‪ ،‬وذلك‬ ‫بتقسيم المشاركين بالتساوي بين العلماء األمريكيين الواعدين والباحثين‬ ‫من بلدان أخرى مثل اليابان وبعض الدول العربية‪ .‬ومن الجدير بالذكر‬ ‫أن هناك ثمانية جوائز نوبل موزعة بين خريجي ندوات أكاديمية كافلي‬ ‫آلفاق العلوم‪.‬‬

‫الباحثون القادة والواعدون‬ ‫ستعقد ندوة األكاديمية الوطنية األمريكية آلفاق العلوم هذه السنة في‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبد اهلل في ديسمبر المقبل‪ .‬ولهذه الندوة ارتباط وثيق‬ ‫وشراكة أكاديمية مع دول المنطقة العربية حيث تم استضافة الندوتين‬ ‫السابقتين في الكويت وسلطنة عمان‪ .‬وينفرد مؤتمر هذه السنة بأنه أول‬ ‫ندوة آلفاق العلوم تقام في منطقة الشرق األوسط وتطرح مواضيع‬ ‫استراتيجية مهمة في جميع جلساتها العلمية العامة‪.‬‬ ‫وسوف تغطي الموضوعات شتى جوانب تقنيات االستشعار مثل الزراعة‬ ‫والتطبيقات الطبية الحيوية والبيئة (المدن الذكية) وعلوم المواد كما‬ ‫سوف يقدم كارلو راتي مدير مختبر مدينة معهد ماساتشوستس للتقنية‪،‬‬ ‫الكلمة الرئيسية في الندوة حول عالقة أجهزة االستشعار وااللكترونيات‬ ‫بالبيئة التي نعيش فيها‪.‬‬ ‫قام عشرة أعضاء من اللجنة المنظمة التي تضم ممثلين من جامعة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫متحدثا من بين مجموعة‬ ‫الملك عبد اهلل والواليات المتحدة باختيار ‪24‬‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عاليا‪ ،‬حيث ضمت القائمة علماء رواد في‬ ‫تأهيال‬ ‫من المرشحين المؤهلين‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ومتميزا في اإلنجاز‪ ،‬إضافة إلى‬ ‫حافال‬ ‫سجال‬ ‫مجاالتهم والذين يملكون‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حديثا درجة الزمالة لما بعد الدكتوراه أو أعضاء هيئة تدريس‬ ‫الذين أكملوا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫عالميا‪ ،‬أو قد حصلوا على جوائز‬ ‫جدد ولهم منشورات في مجالت مؤثرة‬ ‫وأوسمة قديرة‪ ،‬مثل جائزة مؤسسة العلوم الوطنية أو من باحثي معهد‬ ‫هوارد هيوز الطبي‪.‬‬

‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل في ريادة‬ ‫أبحاث االستشعار‬ ‫تدعم جامعة الملك عبد اهلل الندوة المقدمة من مؤسسة األبحاث الوطنية‬ ‫والمؤسسة القومية األمريكية للعلوم ومكتب البحوث البحرية (الشعبة‬ ‫العالمية) من واقع هتمامها وحرصها الكبيرين على تطوير مجال أبحاث‬ ‫تقنيات االستشعار‪ .‬وذكر شيروم في هذا السياق "تم اإلقرار بأهمية هذا‬ ‫المجال من قبل المؤسسات الكبرى في الواليات المتحدة والعالم بشكل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫نظرا للفائدة الملموسة واألثر المحتمل لتقنيات االستشعار"‪.‬‬ ‫واضح‬ ‫وستعقد خمس جلسات عامة خالل الندوة‪ ،‬تركز كل منها على مجال‬ ‫معين في تقنيات االستشعار‪ ،‬ويترأس الجلسة األولى البروفيسور محمد‬ ‫سليم العويني ‪ ،‬عميد مشارك في قسم العلوم والهندسة الحاسوبية‬ ‫والكهربائية الحسابية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪ ،‬وستبحث الجلسة‬ ‫دراسة العمليات والدوائر الكهربائية ألجهزة االستشعار‪ ،‬أما الجلسة الثانية‬ ‫فستبحث علوم المواد وتجميع وحدات االستشعار‪ ،‬في حين ستركز الجلسة‬ ‫الثالثة على التطبيقات الطبية الحيوية ألجهزة االستشعار‪ ،‬على سبيل‬ ‫المثال‪ ،‬الكشف المبكر عن السرطان وفي أجهزة االستشعار التي يمكن‬ ‫ارتداؤها لمراقبة البيانات الحيوية‪ .‬سيفتتح الندوة رئيس جامعة الملك عبد‬ ‫اهلل جان‪-‬لو شامو‪ ،‬وصاحب السمو األمير تركي بن سعود بن محمد آل‬ ‫سعود رئيس مدينة الملك عبدالعزيز للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬وجون بورايت‪ ،‬المدير‬ ‫التنفيذي للشؤون الدولية في األكاديميات الوطنية األمريكية‪.‬‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

Agreement signed to expand Dow’s facilities at KAUST The Dow Chemical Company has signed an agreement with KAUST to expand its facilities at the KAUST Research & Technology Park with the construction of a new Dow Middle East Research and Development (R&D) Center.

“This expansion demonstrates Dow’s strategic commitment to innovation by strengthening R&D to better serve our customers and support growth in the region,” said Markus Wildi, president of Dow India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey. “It underscores our mutual objectives to deliver science-based solutions for some of the world’s biggest challenges, especially those related to water, energy and infrastructure.”

Construction of the 13,500 sqm R&D facility designed to meet LEED silver certification requirements will be led by KAUST and will begin by the end of 2015. Dow’s current R&D facilities on KAUST campus will relocate to the new building. The new facility will have capacity for up to 75 Dow R&D employees.

The new Middle East R&D Center will house advanced laboratories for the research of water treatment and expanded capabilities in oil and gas downstream and upstream markets, building and construction and coatings driven by growth opportunities in the Middle East and other emerging geographies. With the capability to extend into additional Dow technologies, the facility will also support the geographic growth of Dow businesses.

“Dow has been a part of KAUST’s journey from the very beginning,” said KAUST President Jean-Lou Chameau. “The Dow Middle East R&D Center at KAUST represents the continuing commitment on Dow's part to the vision of KAUST to serve as a catalyst in transforming Saudi Arabia into a knowledge economy. This is the latest in a series of collaborative initiatives to invest in local talent and develop solutions for regional and global impact.”

14 THE BEACON | DEC 2015

(Left to right) Zuhair Allawi, president, Dow Saudi Arabia; Wiltrud Treffenfeldt, chief technology officer, Dow; Jean-Lou Chameau, president, KAUST; Nadhmi Al-Nasr, executive vice president, administration & finance, KAUST; Saleh Al-Turki, president and chairman, Nesma Holding Company Ltd.; Imad Gholmieh, chief executive officer, Nesma. Photo by Nicholas Demille.

‫نواصل التزامنا االستراتيجي في تعزيز‬ ‫األبحاث في المنطقة‬ ‫وقعت شركة داو للكيماويات (‪ )DOW‬مع جامعة الملك عبد اهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية ( ‪ )KAUS‬اتفاقية تاريخية لتشييد مركزها العالمي‬ ‫الجديد لألبحاث والتطوير في مدينة األبحاث والتقنية في الجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫وأفاد رئيس جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪ ،‬جان‪-‬لو شامو ‪،‬‬ ‫أن توقيع هذه االتفاقية يأتي كخطوة مهمة ضمن جهود الجامعة‬ ‫لتحقيق رسالتها في دعم االقتصاد المعرفي في المملكة وتطوير‬ ‫العالقات البحثية االستراتيجية مع الشركات والقطاعات الصناعية‬ ‫والتقنية المتقدمة‪.‬‬ ‫وسيتم بناء المركز ‪-‬الذي تبلغ مساحته نحو ‪ 15000‬متر مربع ‪ -‬بنفس‬ ‫طراز مراكز الجامعة البحثية المتطورة والحاصلة على اعتراف ليد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫مبان‬ ‫دوليا لتصميم وإنشاء وتشغيل‬ ‫(‪ )LEED‬وهو نظام معترف به‬ ‫ٍ‬ ‫صديقة للبيئة وعالية األداء‪ ،‬وستستخدم شركة داو المركز في دعم‬ ‫أبحاثها في مجال تقنية معالجة المياه وأبحاث البحث والتنقيب وإنتاج‬ ‫النفط والغاز والمواد الرئيسية‪.‬‬ ‫وقال زهير عالوي رئيس شركة داو في المملكة‪" :‬إن انشاء هذا المركز‬ ‫هو مواصلة اللتزامنا االستراتيجي في تعزيز األبحاث والتطوير في‬ ‫المنطقة‪ .‬إذ تدعم شراكتنا مع جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‬ ‫أهدافنا المتبادلة الرامية لتقديم حلول علمية لمجموعة من التحديات‬ ‫الكبيرة التي تواجه العالم‪ ،‬ال سيما تلك المتعلقة بالمياه والطاقة"‪.‬‬ ‫كما صرح عالوي بأنه قد تم اختيار جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية لبناء واحتضان هذا المركز المتقدم لتوفر البنية التحتية البحثية‬ ‫والكفاءات البشرية المتميزة‪.‬‬ ‫من جهته‪ ،‬قال المهندس نظمي النصر النائب التنفيذي لرئيس جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية أن شركة داو للكيماويات هي من‬ ‫الشركاء المؤسسين في برنامج التعاون الصناعي بالجامعة‪ ،‬والذي‬ ‫يهدف إلى تحويل األبحاث العلمية إلى تطبيقات عملية‪ .‬وبدأ اتفاق‬ ‫التعاون بين شركة داو والجامعة في عام ‪ ،2009‬ومنذ ذلك الوقت‬ ‫ساهمت شركة داو في عدة برامج ومبادرات تهدف إلى االستفادة‬ ‫من الموارد الفكرية في الجامعة ودعمها‪ .‬كما شيدت الشركة في‬ ‫عام ‪ 2014‬محطة تحلية مياه تجريبية في الحرم الجامعي إلجراء‬

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‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫الدراسات التي تعنى بتقليص الطاقة المستخدمة في عمليات التحلية‬ ‫وتحسين اإلنتاجية‪.‬‬ ‫وأضاف النصر‪" :‬إننا نتطلع إلى المرحلة المقبلة من شراكتنا مع داو‬ ‫والتي ستبنى على االستثمارات المشتركة لتطوير المواهب ودعم‬ ‫األفكار واالبتكارات المؤثرة‪ .‬وهو ما يتماشى مع رؤية الجامعة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫فاعال‬ ‫وعضوا‬ ‫في أن تكون واجهة للتعليم والبحث العلمي والتقني‬ ‫ضمن منظومة القطاعات المساهمة في وضع الحلول االستراتيجية‬ ‫للتحديات العلمية التي تواجه المملكة والبشرية جمعاء "‪.‬‬ ‫وأكد المهندس النصر بأن هذا المشروع يمثل قفزة نوعية في‬ ‫االستثمار في البحث العلمي في المملكة من حيث قيام شركة‬ ‫عالمية مثل داو باالستثمار في تشييد مركز عالمي متقدم لألبحاث‬ ‫واالبتكار في أرض المملكة العربية السعودية‪ ،‬في داخل جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪.‬‬ ‫يشار إلى أنه يوجد لدى شركة داو للكيماويات ‪ 5‬مراكز أبحاث على‬ ‫ويعد المركز الذي انشأته في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫مستوى العالم‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية هو المركز الوحيد لألبحاث والتطوير في منطقة‬ ‫الشرق األوسط وإفريقيا ‪ .‬وتستهدف شركة داو العقول السعودية‬ ‫الواعدة حيث سيتم في المرحلة األولى من تشغيل المركز استقطاب‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫سعوديا في المجاالت التي تنشط فيها الشركة‪.‬‬ ‫باحثا‬ ‫أكثر من ‪50‬‬ ‫وترتبط شركة داو بعالقات متينة وطويلة مع منطقة الشرق األوسط‬ ‫‪ ،‬وتتمتع بحضور قوي في مجال صناعة البتروكيماويات‪ ،‬وأنشأت‬ ‫شراكات وعالقات مع الشركات اإلقليمية الرائدة إلنشاء مرافق‬ ‫ومنشآت بتروكيماوية متطورة في جميع أنحاء المنطقة‪.‬‬ ‫ومن المتوقع أن يتم االنتهاء من أعمال البناء ‪-‬الذي تقوم به شركة‬ ‫نسما‪ -‬في الربع األول من عام ‪ ،2018‬وسيقع مركز داو الجديد في‬ ‫مدينة األبحاث والتقنية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية‪،‬‬ ‫والتي تمثل بيئة محفزة لألعمال التي تستند إلى التقنية‪ ،‬حيث تمكن‬ ‫قاطنيها من االستفادة من مختبرات الجامعة المتميزة والتعاون مع‬ ‫أعضاء الهيئة التدريسية والباحثين والطلبة الموهوبين‪.‬‬

My University Omie Maputi Omie Maputi works in administration for the office of the Director of Campus Support. Born and raised in the small town of Ibaan, Batangas in the Philippines, Maputi moved to KAUST six years ago after hearing about the University from a close friend.

“At the time, I was contemplating a career move, and my good friend told me to look at the KAUST website to see if there were any opportunities available. Here I am now, still enjoying the rich culture of KAUST,” he said.

Maputi previously worked with Saudi Aramco and Toyota Saudi Arabia, but said that KAUST has given him his best work and life experience to date.

“In the 20-year span of my career, I must say that KAUST has provided me with the safest shared community and workplace yet,” he said.

Because he has been at KAUST since 2009, Maputi noted he has seen the University develop from “the brainchild of King Abdullah into a place where researchers and scientists continuously discover, develop and innovate in different areas and projects. These projects benefit students, faculty, staff, the Kingdom and the world,” he said.

For Maputi, one of the best parts of his time at KAUST has been traveling to destinations all over the world. “Here in Saudi Arabia, I like to go diving in the Red Sea and participate in water sports at the KAUST beach, but traveling internationally has been especially amazing for me,” he noted.

“Thank you, KAUST, for improving the lives of everyone here.”

Where do you read The Beacon?

This month’s submission comes to us from Abril Rivera, a 14-year-old ninth grader at The KAUST School. Abril stopped to read The Beacon on a tranquil deserted beach en route to San Francisco with her cousins and uncle. A Silicon Valley native, Rivera spends most summers vacationing with family in the San Francisco Bay Area. This summer she also had the opportunity to attend a monthlong theater camp in Berkeley.

Rivera calls San Francisco her favorite city. “I personally feel that San Francisco has such an exuberance and vitality – I consider myself an advocate of international mindedness, and I believe that many of my perspectives and beliefs come from the city itself,” she said.

1 Red Sea Sabres skate to victory Saudi Arabia might not seem like the most likely place to find a team of ice hockey enthusiasts playing a match, but the country’s desert climate didn’t deter the KAUST Red Sea Sabres team from finding a venue for their wintertime sport.

The team was formed in 2010 with the help of Andrew Zienchuk, a counselor at The KAUST School (TKS). By 2014, Zienchuk had enough players interested in both ice hockey and street hockey to form a self-directed group (SDG). Both the Sabres ice hockey team and the street hockey players are now part of the University’s Hockey SDG. Zienchuk also organizes ice hockey games for KAUST children.

The Sabres team consists of approximately 20 players from all over the world, including Canada, the U.S. and Russia. The team meets bi-weekly in Jeddah to practice on the ice, but doesn’t limit their games to Saudi Arabia – they will suit up in their gear and skates to compete internationally on December 3 to 5 in a tournament in Abu Dhabi.

“Our previous tournament was in Qatar last March,” said Sabres player Scott Berdahl, a master’s degree student in Earth Science and Engineering. “We were a little out of our league, but in our final game we beat Kuwait’s national team by a couple of goals and had a lot of fun. For the tournament in Abu Dhabi, I think we have a good shot at making a strong finish.”

Zienchuk hopes the SDG will grow in popularity on campus as more people learn about it. “Playing hockey is a fantastic way to exercise and meet new people on campus. With time, I hope more people will join our SDG and enjoy this wonderful sport,” he said.

2

1. The KAUST Red Sea Sabres ice hockey team, part of the University's Hockey SDG, take to the ice bi-weekly to practice their hockey skills. Photo courtesy of Hockey SDG. 2. The Red Sea Sabres on the ice in Jeddah. Photo by

16 THE BEACON | DEC 2015

Meres Weche.