Research Excellence Inspiring Arab Youth to Become the Next

INSPIRING ARAB YOUTH TO BECOME THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS

KAUST partners with Frontiers to initiate a new youth science journal in Arabic

KAUST is partnering with the global science publishing firm Frontiers to produce a new publication for young Arabic readers that promises to grow enthusiasm for science among Arab youth. The new Arabic edition of Frontiers for Young Minds will be the latest language in which the journal is published.

Launched in 2013, Young Minds publishes papers submitted by scientists and reviewed by a board of people aged 8-15 and their mentors to make sure they are accessible and engaging to a younger audience. The Arabic version seeks to replicate the success of the English resource, which is composed of around 500 articles. To date, Frontiers’ articles in English have been read more than six million times.

KAUST Professor Matthew McCabe was instrumental in creating the partnership between Frontiers and KAUST, having been an earlier attendee at a Frontiers conference in Switzerland. “When I learned about Frontiers for Young Minds, the idea of translating the collection into Arabic seemed not just obvious, but essential,” said McCabe. Indeed, the prospective audience for youth-friendly scientific articles in Arabic is enormous. Arabic is the fifth-most widely spoken language worldwide and the native language of 25 countries and territories. The new resource provides the opportunity for around 420 million Arabic speakers to read, enjoy and learn about science.

MATTHEW MCCABE Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Associate Director of the Water Desalination and Reuse Center

WHAT BETTER WAY TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS THAN TO READ ABOUT CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE AND GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLISH THEIR OWN WORK.

FRONTIERS

“Frontiers for Young Minds is an engaging and innovative pathway into science, and we are pleased to have had the opportunity to partner with KAUST to help young Arabic readers access, understand and enjoy good science.”

Fred Fenter, Executive Editor of Frontiers

Frontiers for Young Minds describes itself as science for kids, edited by kids, with children themselves deciding how scientific content should be presented to their generation. With topics ranging from galactic astronomy to treating human diseases and environmental sciences, the publication is designed to inspire the next generation of young scientists. Fred Fenter, Executive Editor at Frontiers, said, “Scientific literacy is a crucial skill for the next generation, who face a growing litany of challenges. Young people need access to accurate and appealing scientific material to aid their learning and understanding of the world we live in.”

The new Arabic edition, supported by KAUST’s Strategic National Advancement division and run out of the Frontiers office in Switzerland, will promote high-quality science to a whole generation of young Arabic speakers. It will help to create enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics – marking a positive development for young people in the Arabic-speaking world and for the future of society.

In tandem, the Strategic National Advancement division will coordinate outreach initiatives related to the publication by capitalizing on its active engagement with primary and secondary school children in the Kingdom and by continuing to run high-caliber summer research programs for young Saudi talent. “We hope to inspire young Saudis to pursue discovery and appreciate the long-term value of research,” said Dr. Najah Ashry, Vice President for Strategic National Advancement at KAUST. “We are committed to nurturing future leaders for the research, development and innovation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and the region.”

Frontiers is an award-winning open science platform and leading open access scholarly publisher. Founded in 2007, Frontiers has published over 150,000 rigorously reviewed research articles by leading academics. The new Frontiers for Young Minds Arabic publication will help KAUST further expand its mission of catalyzing social prosperity in Saudi Arabia and the world through scientific and technological education and research.