Building New Roads from Plastic Waste

ADVANCING WOMEN IN STEM

New programs to inspire, train and launch women into STEM careers

Women to Impact (WTI), an initiative at KAUST aimed at offering a supportive framework to encourage women to pursue STEM education and careers, sent out a call last year for technology-based solutions to build resilience in local ecosystems. Open to teams of male and female innovators in the Kingdom and beyond, the competition ran under the sponsorship of Saudi asset management rm SEDCO Holding, and was part of KAUST’s annual Winter Enrichment Program (WEP).

Following a December 2021 submission deadline, the WTI steering committee and scienti c taskforce, which are led by WTI Founder and KAUST Manager of IT Planning and Project Management Inji Jaber, evaluated more than 300 submissions from teams located around the world. The WTI’s judging criteria looked for practical and technology-based innovations to tackle important problems and build resilience against climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, food insecurity and environmental degradation. awards of $10,000, $7,000 and $5,000. First place went to a Turkish team of biomedical engineers for their proposed solution to detect and prevent antimicrobial resistance, a threat which could cost 10 million lives by 2050. Second place went to a KAUST team of professors and students for their proposed soil fertility solution to combat water loss in Middle Eastern agricultural systems. A global team comprising UAE-, KAUST- and UK-based scholars won third place for its innovative lab mask, which monitors stress and anxiety through a mobile phone app.

In addition to cash prizes, the winning teams receive valuable guidance and mentorship from KAUST faculty, while entrepreneurship experts from KAUST Innovation help them execute, scale and successfully pitch their concept to potential investors.

The WTI initiative forms part of the university’s wider commitment to empower female researchers to address global challenges through innovative scienti c and technological solutions. Its work is mutually bene cial and complementary to that of Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER), another KAUST program. WiSER is a faculty-driven initiative, launched by Professor of Chemical Science Niveen Khashab in 2020. The governing committee includes KAUST Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Chemical and Environmental Science and Engineering Suzana Nunes, and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Deanna Lacoste.

The annual WiSER conference is the main event; it coincides with International Woman’s Day on March 8, and serves as a springboard for launching more activities. In March 2022, more than 500 participants attended two days of workshops featuring speakers from a diverse array of scienti c elds and at varying stages of their career. The conference included more than 300 Saudi women from across the Kingdom working in academia, industry and government, alongside more than 100 participants from international institutions, including Nobel Prize winners and CEOs.

WiSER provides a range of services to support women in their careers, aligned with the Kingdom’s goal to prepare and integrate women in all sectors of society. In addition to encouraging and enabling women to succeed in STEM, WiSER supports them in all aspects of their lives to ensure their social and psychological well-being. It offers regular lectures, panel discussions, networking opportunities, internships, lab resources, and access to mentors and other professionals such as psychologists and social workers.

“Under the leadership of President Tony Chan and Provost Lawrence Carin, and through initiatives like WiSER, KAUST has positioned itself as the premier institute in the Middle East, with a clear vision and mission for women’s empowerment and advancement,” Niveen M. Khashab, Professor of Chemistry and WiSER Program Chair, said.

“WiSER is an extraordinarily empowering initiative that has created an impactful platform for women in STEM to share their successes, struggles and stories. I hope to see this initiative grow in reach and size, as we can already sense its deep and personal impact.”

Dr. Sara F. Althari, Managing Director of Biotech and Pharma, and Advisor to the Minister at the Ministry of Investment

SUZANA NUNES Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Professor of Chemical and Environmental Science and Engineering

OUR ANNUAL WiSER WORKSHOP SERVES AS A CELEBRATION OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF FEMALE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, AND IS AN INSPIRATION FOR NEW GENERATIONS OF FEMALE STUDENTS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN FOLLOWING THESE CAREER PATHS.