King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
BEACON املنـارة at Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
April 2014 / Jumada Al-Thani 1435 Volume 4, Issue No. 7
the
www.kaust.edu.sa
Volume 50 Number 16 25 February 2014 Pages 1923–2062
ChemComm Chemical Communications www.rsc.org/chemcomm
Image reproduced by permission of Mohamed Eddaoudi and The Royal Society of Chemistry from Chemical Communications, 2014, 50, 1937-1940, DOI: 10.1039/C3CC48228F
ISSN 1359-7345
COMMUNICATION Mohamed Eddaoudi et al. Porous organic polymers with anchored aldehydes: a new platform for post-synthetic amine functionalization en route for enhanced CO2 adsorption properties
جامعة امللك عبداهلل تنتج مواد مسامية عضوية جديدة حلل مشكلة انبعاث غاز ثاين اكسيد الكربون العلمية ورقة بحثيةChemical Communications نشرت مجلة تصدرت غالفها وقام بإعدادها فريق من جامعة الملك عبداهلل جديدا لمشكلة زيادة انبعاث ال ً وتقترح الورقة ح.للعلوم والتقنية ً غاز ثاني اكسيد الكربون في الغالف الجوي والتي باتت في اآلونة األخيرة مسألة تقلق المختصين والعاملين في مجاالت الطاقة والبيئة وقاد الفريق البرفسور محمد الداودي استاذ العلوم الكيميائية في. أيضا بعض زمالء ما بعد ً كما ضم الفريق،جامعة الملك عبداهلل ، لوكاش فيسيلينسكي،الدكتوراه وهم الدكتور فنسنت جويليرم وكبار علماء، وإيمي كيرنز، إينفاس محيي الدين،محمد الكردي .األبحاث مثل الدكتور يوسف بيلمابخوت وقام فريق البرفسور الداودي بتكثيف أبحاثه في هذا المجال للخروج بطرق مبتكرة واقتصادية لعزل الكربون تتفوق على الطرق المستخدمة وهذا ما.حاليًا والتي تتميز بكلفتها العالية واستهالكها الكبير للطاقة دفع الفريق بالشروع في برنامج أبحاث لتطوير وتصنيع مواد مسامية
لو شامو يتوسط أعضاء االدارة-رئيس جامعة الملك عبداهلل الدكتور جان العليا في الجامعة أثناء مراسم قص الشريط في حفل افتتاح مركز أبحاث .االحتراق النظيف
KAUST President Jean-Lou Chameau (center) and other senior members of the University's administration perform the ribbon cutting ceremony at the CCRC's opening.
جامعة امللك عبداهلل تفتتح مركز أحباث االحرتاق النظيف
CLEAN COMBUSTION RESEARCH CENTER INAUGURATED ON FEBRUARY 17, the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) was officially inaugurated during a three-day workshop event. Currently comprised of seven faculty members and a team of eighty people, including postdoctoral fellows and MS and PhD students, the center’s main mission is to conduct leading combustion research to address present and future energy and environmental challenges. “Here there is the excellent opportunity to have a large, cutting-edge facility and equipment, and collaborate with many faculty members,” said Prof. Suk Ho Chung, Director of the CCRC. Prof. William Roberts, Associate Director of the CCRC, stated,
5 تتمه صفحة
KAUST-SYNTHESIZED NOVEL POROUS ORGANIC POLYMER MAY PROVIDE NEW SOLUTION FOR CARBON CAPTURE
“The facilities at our center are absolutely unbeaten in the world, and this is a place where you come to get real research work done.” The center’s high caliber can be seen in the dramatic growth it has witnessed over the past two years, with it quickly approaching its goal to have ten faculty members and a research team totaling 120 people. In his welcome remarks at the inauguration ceremony, KAUST
“THE last decades [have] witnessed an exponential and alarming
President Jean-Lou Chameau noted that Prof. Chung "came here
CO2 rise in the atmosphere,” a research team led by KAUST
before there was anything, just sand and the sea, but fairly
Professor of Chemical Science Mohamed Eddaoudi notes in a
quickly he was able to develop a vision to create a great research
paper recently published in and highlighted on the front cover
center with superb facilities.” President Chameau thanked Prof.
of Chemical Communications (DOI: 10.1039/C3CC48228F). The
Chung for his “leadership, passion, and perseverance to create a
all-KAUST team consisted of postdoctoral fellows Drs. Vincent
research center that would benefit the Kingdom and the world.”
Guillerm, Lukasz Weselinski, Mohamed Alkordi, M. Infas
The center’s opening events included lectures and presentations
H. Mohideen, and Amy Cairns; Senior Research Scientist Dr.
by visiting professors from other universities, including Stanford
Youssef Belmabkhout; and Prof. Eddaoudi.
University (US), Princeton University (US), TU Eindhoven (the
Due to the critical necessity of reducing CO2 emissions,
Netherlands), and the University of Cambridge (UK). The visitors
economic and efficient CO2 capture technology is a top research
also toured the laboratories designed to facilitate the center’s
priority in both academia and industry. However, current
focus on improving existing combustion technologies and
methods to capture CO2 are based on processes that are both
pursuing novel and innovative research solutions. A research
costly and energy-intensive. To combat this, the KAUST team CARBON CAPTURE SOLUTION | Continued on p5
poster presentation on February 18 provided the opportunity
INSIDE:
News 1-3
أقامت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية حفل افتتاح مركز مع ورشة عمل2014 فبراير17 أبحاث االحتراق النظيف بتاريخ وقد تم تأسيس هذا المركز إلجراء.استمرت لمدة ثالثة أيام ابحاث االحتراق الرائدة لمعالجة تحديات الطاقة والبيئة في ويضم مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف سبعة من.المستقبل عالما وباح ًثا من أعضاء هيئة التدريس وفريق عمل من ثمانين ً واشتمل.طلبة الدكتوراه والماجستير وزمالء ما بعد الدكتوراه حفل افتتاح المركز على مجموعة من المحاضرات والعروض بما في ذلك،التقديمية ألساتذة زائرين بارزين من جامعات أخرى جامعة،)جامعة ستانفورد وجامعة برينستون (الواليات المتحدة .) وجامعة كامبريدج (المملكة المتحدة،)تو آيندهوفن (هولندا كما تم تنظيم جولة ميدانية لزيارة مختبرات المركز التي انشئت ال عن تطوير حلول ً فض،لتحسين تقنيات االحتراق الموجودة كما أتيحت الفرصة لعرض ملصقات أبحاث.آخري مبتكرة وحديثة الطلبة والحاصلين على زماالت ما بعد الدكتوراه في مركز أبحاث .االحتراق النظيف ويهدف مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف إلى إجراء االبحاث المتعلقة خصوصًا،بالطاقة والقضايا البيئية ذات الصلة بالوقود األحفوري مدير، و يوضح البروفسور سوك هو تشونغ.النفط والغاز الطبيعي مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف ذلك بقوله " نحن نعمل بشكل كبير على أبحاث المحركات وتوربينات الغاز لتحسين العمليات في هذا المجال وجعلها أكثر كفاءة عبر تحديد اآلليات المناسبة ."وتوفير البيانات العلمية للصناعات ذات الصلة " إن: المدير المشارك للمركز،وقال البروفسور وليام روبرتس المرافق الموجودة في المركز هي األفضل في العالم ويمكن عبرها ويمكن رؤية اإلمكانيات."إنجاز الكثير من األبحاث المتقدمة الكبيرة للمركز من خالل النمو المطرد الذي شهده على مدى ّ وهو يقترب االن بسرعة من بلوغ هدفه المتمثل،العامين الماضيين بزيادة عدد أعضائه في المستقبل القريب إلى عشرة أعضاء هيئة .ً باحثا120 التدريس و واستطاع مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف أن يجذب التمويل الصناعي من بعض الشركات الكبيرة التي كانت حريصة على االستفادة ،من التقنيات المتقدمة في المركز مثل شركة أرامكو السعودية
6 تتمه صفحة
CCRC INAUGURATION | Continued on p6
Research 4-5
CCRC 6-7
Community 8
2
April 2014
News
The Beacon
THE UNIVERSITY community came together during the month of March to celebrate diversity,
Research Center (CCRC) and the Global Collaborative Research Symposium (GCR). These events
heritage, and good food, with community-wide events like the annual Parade of Nations and
highlighted the University’s high-caliber research facilities and continuing commitment to
the Flavors International Food Festival bringing us out of doors to interact and learn more
fostering international collaborations.
about each other. March was also full of conferences, workshops, and other high-profile events for the academic
In these pages, join us as we continue to chronicle the history of our University – from academic events to gatherings involving all members of our diverse and growing community.
side of the University, and featured the inauguration and opening of the Clean Combustion
—THE BEACON Editorial
The Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 7, April 2014. Published by The Communications Department, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia. Contact Salah Sindi salah.sindi@kaust.edu.sa, or Michelle D'Antoni michelle.dantoni@kaust.edu.sa © King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Printed on partially recycled paper.
IN BRIEF RED SEA RESEARCH CENTER WORKSHOP A ‘BIG SUCCESS’
KACST-KAUST-JCCP WORKSHOP ON SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE 4D MONITORING IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR UNIVERSITY
KAUST Assistant Professor Michael Berumen and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Joseph DiBattista from
The University hosted the 2nd International King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
the Red Sea Research Center hosted a workshop on “Biogeography of the Red Sea and Western
(KACST)-KAUST-Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP) Workshop on Surface and Subsurface
Indian Ocean” at the University on February 23.
4D Monitoring on March 4-6.
The workshop, which featured presentations by both KAUST and international marine
KACST, which is based in Riyadh, is an independent scientific organization that functions as the Saudi
biologists, covered a diverse range of areas in biogeography, including genetics and statistics.
national science agency and houses the country’s national laboratories. KACST works to formulate
International experts came from James Cook University (Australia), the California Institute
science and technology policy, fund research, collect data, and also acts as the Kingdom’s patent office. It
of Sciences (US), and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, among other
also creates partnerships with international organizations to foster science and technology collaboration.
institutions.
JCCP was founded in 1981 and plays an important role in Japan, promoting technical cooperation,
“The Red Sea is a unique area to study biogeography,” Professor Xabier Irigoyen, Director of
collaboration, and friendship, and exchanges of personnel with the world’s oil-producing countries,
the Red Sea Research Center, stated. “Its isolation and characteristics result in a large number
including Saudi Arabia. Young engineers and researchers from oil-producing countries can take part
of endemic species, and these in turn are a great reference to study evolutionary processes.”
in one of JCCP’s 23 training programs, and JCCP also assists in organizing international symposia,
He added that the workshop was a “big success both in terms of science and bringing reputed specialists to KAUST. Because of the workshop, our students had the opportunity to enjoy science directly, and our visitors were able to discover our world-class facilities and capabilities.”
Morihiro Yoshida, JCCP’s Managing Director, stated at the opening of the workshop that “4D surface and subsurface modeling technologies have a wide range of usability and potential, and their benefits are enormous and extensive. Through this workshop, I hope JCCP can continue to help in the technology development process.”
Photovoltaics to Biodegradable Electronics,” focused on the synthesis of device-grade
KAUST GROUP EXPERIENCES KINGDOM’S CULTURE AND HISTORY AT JANADRIYAH FESTIVAL
semiconductor nanomaterials, with an emphasis on two specific application areas: microscale
A group of 30 travelers from the
solar cell technology; and water-soluble electronics for biomedical and environmental uses.
KAUST community visited the 29th
On February 24, President Jean-Lou Chameau welcomed Professor John A. Rogers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC; US) as a President’s Distinguished Visiting Speaker. Prof. Rogers’s lecture, entitled “Materials for a Sustainable Future: From World-Record
After obtaining BA and BS degrees in Chemistry and Physics from the University of Texas, Austin, Prof. Rogers received his PhD from MIT in 1995. At UIUC, Prof. Rogers has a primary
Photo credit: Linda Polik
PRESIDENT’S DISTINGUISHED VISITING SPEAKER PROF. JOHN A. ROGERS DISCUSSES ‘MATERIALS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE’
conferences, and seminars.
annual Janadriyah Festival on the outskirts of Riyadh on February 29.
appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and is also Swanlund
The 17-day long Janadriyah Festival
Chair Professor and Director of the Seitz Materials Research Laboratory. His research focuses
commemorates Saudi heritage, culture,
on fundamental and applied aspects of materials and patterning techniques for electronic and
and history, and offers a rich variety of
photonic devices, including those that are bio-integrated and bio-inspired. He is a member of
activities, exhibitions, and shows for
the US National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow IEEE, APS, MRS, AAAS, and is a winner of
visitors to enjoy. This year, Janadriyah was opened on February 12 by His Royal Highness Crown
many awards.
Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Members of the Saudi royal family, heads of state, scholars and
KAUST Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, who works in the same area as Prof. Rogers and corresponds with him to discuss projects, stated
Camels on display at Janadriyah Festival
poets from around the world, diplomats, and other high-ranking Saudi officials attended the opening ceremonies, which included a camel race.
after the talk: “Prof. Rogers has changed the academic research paradigm in an unprecedented
The KAUST group was treated to a guided tour of Janadriyah, visiting pavilions featuring the
way. His focus on simplifying complex engineering problems into applications is considered
architecture and heritage of different regions of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, and also enjoyed
a phenomenon. In his lecture he showed a pragmatic approach to make a global impact by
a display of traditional Saudi folk dances. Their meal at the festival included special dishes from the
choosing the right strategy, building competencies, and then assembling the right team and
Jizan Region of the Kingdom, which lies along the country’s southern Red Sea coast. Later they also
giving them the right infrastructure to conduct disruptive research.”
visited Riyadh’s Al-Masmak Fort, a strategic point in King Abdulaziz’s conquering of Riyadh and
SPATIAL STATISTICS CONFERENCE
unification of the country, and the Riyadh National Museum. “For me, the best thing about this trip was not only getting to experience Janadriyah,” stated
A CONFERENCE on “Spatial Statistics for Environmental and Energy Challenges” was held
Samia Falimban, Manager of Communications, who helped organize and also went on the trip, “but
at the University from March 8 – 12. Gathering together international researchers in spatial
also getting to know all of those who went on the trip – I now feel more proud to be part of the
statistics, the conference enabled the academics and KAUST faculty, students, researchers, and
beautiful and diverse KAUST family.”
postdoctoral fellows to discuss recent progress in the field and applications to challenges in environmental and energy problems. In addition to the research presentations by KAUST faculty and the visiting academics from
TRADITIONAL ARABIC MELODIES TAKE FLIGHT AT KAUST CHORAL WORKSHOP
universities across the world, the conference featured a session of 24 poster presentations
“Arabic music is hauntingly beautiful,” said Wendy Keyes, Coordinator of Arts Programming at the
illustrating the importance of statistics in research at KAUST. Two short courses on “Spatial
University.
Statistics for Environmental Challenges” and “Spatial Statistics for Energy Challenges” were also offered for students and postdoctoral fellows less familiar with the subject area.
Eager to introduce the KAUST community to “the richness of melody and rhythm” in Arabic music, Keyes was instrumental in bringing Dr. John Perkins, Assistant Professor of Choral Music at
“We believe that the conference stimulated new multidisciplinary projects involving statistics,
the American University of Sharjah, and Dr. Imed Nsiri, Assistant Professor of Arabic and Translation
applied mathematics, and other key applications being investigated by students and researchers
Studies at the American University of Sharjah, to KAUST for an Arabic vocal workshop. Emily Good
at KAUST,” said Dr. Marc G. Genton, KAUST Professor of Statistics and an organizer of the
Perkins, Vocal Instructor at the American University of Sharjah, also assisted with the workshop.
event.
Drs. Perkins and Nsiri and Mrs. Perkins coached a chorus of 25 community members over three
“The Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE)
intensive days. Not only did the singers have to learn the notes, but they also had to grasp the Arabic
and the University in general have a strong interest in developing the area of statistics,” he
pronunciation. The singers’ hard work culminated in a concert performance on March 2 in the Auditorium.
continued. “This event helped raise the visibility of statistics at KAUST and create interesting
Presented in Western-style, four-part choral arrangements, the selected songs included “Lamooni
interactions between people at KAUST and faculty from other universities. In our modern data-
Elli Gharoo Menni,” “Tel3eet ya Mahla Nourhee,” “Lao Rahal Soti,” “Ha’l Asmar’ellown,” and “El
centric world, statistics plays an increasingly important role and is key to many industrial
Helwa Di.” The singers were accompanied by Dr. Nsiri on the oud and community members Andrew
partners and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general.”
Hermanson and Luke Esau on the riqq and frame drum, giving listeners a “gentle pathway into the depths of Arabic music,” noted Keyes.
News
www.kaust.edu.sa
April 2014
3
HACHID: A NOVEL SOLUTION FOR REALTIME HUMAN COUNTING AN INNOVATIVE team comprised of visual computing KAUST founders is preparing to commercially launch a high-density crowd counting and tracking system. HACHID is a computational system (hardware and software) and Seed Fund-winning project developed by Jens Schneider (Research Scientist at KAUST), Bernard Ghanem (KAUST Assistant Professor focusing on computer vision), Mohamed Shalaby (Senior Research Scientist at KAUST), and Basim Zafar (Vice Dean at the Hajj & Umrah Research Institute). The name of the project comes from the Arabic word for crowd, which is hashoud. The commercial version of their prototype is due to be ready within a month. “The current technology, which is based on the cameras, has an accuracy rate of 70%," explained the Hachid team members. “This
Three members of the Hachid team (left to right): Jens Schneider, Mohamed Shalaby and Usama Elnily
efficiency rate may be acceptable in some scenarios. However, when applied to Hajj and Umrah, where crowds of three to four
Making use of the team’s combined specialties in computer
For example, they currently coordinate the movement of
million people are involved, being off by 30% means counting
vision, computer software, and activity recognition technology,
crowds between different locations only visually and through
one million people less or in excess.”
they have developed a system which is highly accurate, easy to
experience. The efficiency of this process could be greatly
install, and self-sufficient.
improved with access to exact numbers.
Through their collaboration with Basim Zafar, the KAUST scientists were given the unique permission and opportunity to place devices
Team Hachid’s technology has practical applications for
As the Kingdom manages millions of pilgrims from an estimated
inside the Holy Mosque and pedestrian tunnels in Makkah. Based on
various authorities who monitor and organize the large flow
population of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, eliminating
the prototype they’ve been developing at KAUST, and using sensors
of pilgrims in Makkah, including the general police as well as
bottlenecks caused by millions of people congregating in same
and data collected during Ramadan and Hajj (especially in Makkah),
the Hajj and Umrah police. Both entities do complementary
place within a window as small as twelve hours is of prime
they are achieving an accuracy rate of about 90%.
work that would greatly benefit from greater collaboration.
importance.
NEW LIBRARY DIRECTOR READY TO INSPIRE OTHERS
Molly Tamarkin
staff and collections are also superb, and I am looking forward to continuing to develop our resources to ensure we meet - and I hope exceed - our community's expectations.” Tamarkin has also served on the Kuali Foundation Board and
M O L LY Ta m a r k i n j o i n e d
for Information Technology at Duke University in the United
chaired the Functional Council of Kuali OLE, a Mellon Foundation
KAUST this March as the new
States, where she served as Chief Technology Strategist and
project to create the first open-source library system designed
Director of the University
Manager of Information Technology and Services for Duke
specifically for university research libraries.
Library, and has already
University Libraries. While there, she was responsible for creating
“I am looking forward to learning more about research and
settled in. In fact, she has
the Institutional Repository Department to support Duke’s open
education here so we can provide our community the best of the
developed a motto for her
access initiative. She also expanded the library’s Data & GIS
world's research, and so we can provide the world the best of
move that many can relate to
center to include services in data analytics, data visualization,
KAUST's research,” she said.
when it comes to relocating
and high-performance research computing support.
internationally: “If I think it's
Tamarkin has degrees from the Universities of Chicago,
She says the library at KAUST is a cutting-edge facility. “Many
Missouri, and Florida, and enjoys hiking with her husband
libraries in the United States are just beginning to think about
Sean and dog Bruce. “Everyone has been very friendly, and
Tamarkin, who said her first few weeks at KAUST have been
designing more collaborative spaces, but at KAUST, we are
our environs are so beautiful they inspire me every time I walk
both fun and inspiring, was the Associate University Librarian
ahead of the curve in terms of our building,” she noted. “Our
through our neighborhoods and buildings,” she added.
broken, I am probably doing something wrong,’” she said.
SRSI ALUMNI WIN TOP POSITIONS IN NATIONAL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD KAUST congratulates the winners of this year’s IBDA’A National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity held in Riyadh in March. Fourteen Saudi Research Science
Female Winners
SRSI Project Title
Mentor
Ranking
Farah Essam Abdullatif Al-Mulla
Desalination of Seawater via Carbon Nanotube--based Membrane Distillation
Zhiping Lai
1st Place
Sarah Hassan Habib Al-Abdullatif
Novel Guanidine-functionalized Polymers Andy Huang for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Utilization
2nd Place
Nadine Mahdi Nizamuddin Al-Madani
RNA-Guided Genome Editing in Plants Using CRISPR/Cas9
Magdy Mahfouz
3rd Place
Jumanah Marwan Mohamed Lotfy Al-Sawaf
Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Jasmeen Merzaban
4th Place
Haifa Hammad Nasser Al-Blehed
Diversity of Plankton During a Mesocosm Bloom
Xabier Irigoien
4th Place
Hajar Adel Abdulrahim Al-Reefi
Cultivating Bacteria from Red Sea Sponges Chris Voolstra and Assessment of Bioactive Potential
4th Place
Rand Abdulrahim Ahmed Lahiq
Cultivating Bacteria from Red Sea Algae and Assessment of Bioactive Potential
Chris Voolstra
5th Place
Leena Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al-Muhaish
Lipid Tubules for Tissue Engineering
Sahraoui Chaieb
5th Place
Maria Tariq Abdulmohsen Bashawri
Estimation of Genome Size and Ploidy Level In Salicornia
Nina Fedoroff
5th Place
Najla Saleh Hammad Al-Jabr
Removal of Algal Material Using Coagulation-Flocculation-Decantation
JP Croue
6th Place
Male Winners
SRSI Project Title
Mentor
Ranking
Ahmed Sami Ahmed Al-Khiat
Polysulfone Membrane Optimization for Water Application
Suzana Nunes
1st Place
Khalid Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Rabiah
The Synthesis of Porous Nanocages by Galvanic Replacement
Osman Bakr
4th Place
Abdulmajeed Ibrahim Hamad Al-Hussein
Magnetic Nanowires for Biomedical Applications
Jurgen Kosel
4th Place
Mohamed Al-Senani
Fabrication of Efficient, Inverted, Organic Photovoltaic Devices on Flexible Substrates
Aram Amassian
5th Place
Institute (SRSI) alumni won top positions in the competition. The IBDA’A Olympiad is organized by King Abdulaziz and the Companions Foundation for Giftedness & Creativity (Mawhiba) in partnership with the Ministry of Education. The Olympiad focuses on scientific research and innovation, and participants are required to present in one of 17 scientific fields. They are then judged by academic specialists. Launched in 2011, SRSI is a summer mentorship program that cultivates young Saudi talent by offering academically motivated and highly accomplished high school students the opportunity to conduct university-level research under the mentorship of KAUST professors in the University’s state-of-the-art laboratories. This summer, SRSI will host 40 top-performing 11th graders from throughout the Kingdom; they will participate in the rigorous SRSI academic program that
emphasizes advanced theory and research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. KAUST is proud of its SRSI alumni winners and grateful for the dedication of their mentors and teams.
Research
The Beacon
ندوة األحباث التعاونية العاملية حتتفل بشراكات جامعة امللك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية
إحتفلت جامعة الملك عبداهلل بشراكاتها العالمية في مجال االبتكارات وذلك باستضافة ندوة إستمرت يومين خالل الفترة من 26-27مارس برعاية برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية ( )GCRالذي أطلق في عام 2007 كجزء من مبادرة استراتيجية تضم أكثر من 30مؤسسة عالمية وتهدف لبناء برنامج األبحاث في جامعة الملك ال عن تقديمها عبداهلل وتأسيس بنيتها التحتية ،فض ً للعالم .وكان من نتائج هذا البرنامج أن أصبحت الجامعة رائدة في المنطقة من ناحية قدرتها في مجال االبتكارات واألبحاث و تمويلها و إحداث تأثير كبير في العلوم، وتسريع عملية استقطابها لهيئة تدريس متميزين وباحثي ما بعد الدكتوراه و طلبة بمستوى عالمي. وستشمل ندوة األبحاث التعاونية العالمية سلسلة من العروض ،وجلسة الملصقات ،وحلقة نقاش مفتوحة تضم الشركاء العالميين وأعضاء هيئة التدريس في جامعة الملك عبداهلل. التميز البحثي من خالل التعاون يقول البرفسور ديفيد كيز رئيس متحدثي الندوة ":ساعدت استراتيجية التعاون األكاديمي الدولي على والدة مجتمع األبحاث في جامعة الملك عبد اهلل بعمر أكاديمي متقدم وجودة أكاديمية فوق المتوسط مقارنة بمراكز األبحاث األخرى " .ففي الوقت الذي تنمو فيه مثل هذه التحالفات االستراتيجية حول العالم ،استطاعت جامعة الملك عبداهلل أن تؤسس نفسها بنجاح كمساهم كبير في التبادل العالمي للمعرفة .وكان من نجاحات برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية أن استقطبت الجامعة أساتذة وهيئة تدريس بمستوى عالمي من أمثال البرفسور أندريا فراتالوتشي ،أستاذ مساعد في الهندسة الكهربائية ،والذي جذبته مكانة الجامعة كمؤسسة أكاديمية مرموقة على نظير المؤسسات العالمية االخرى ،مثل جامعة هارفارد وكامبريدج ،و أتاحت له الفرصة عبر برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية إلجراء أبحاثه مع كبار الباحثين في مجال أبحاثه من الجامعات االخرى مثل البروفسور إدوارد سارجنت ،الذي يعتبر من رواد خبراء الخاليا الشمسية في العالم من جامعة تورونتو والذي يتشارك معه البرفسور فراتالوتشي في تطوير نوع جديد من الخاليا الشمسية. التصدي للتحديات العلمية ومن أكبر فوائد برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية أنه أعطى للعلماء المشاركين الحرية في تركيز وقتهم وجهدهم في التصدي للتحديات العلمية األكثر إلحاحا في مجال أبحاثهم .يقول أستاذ للرياضيات التطبيقية ، بيتر ماركوويتش " :سمح لنا برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية أن نضع أفكار األبحاث الطويلة األمد حيز التنفيذ" .ويعتقد ماركوويتش أن معظم االكتشافات العظيمة في القرن الماضي تحققت في بيئة أعطت الحرية للعلماء بصورة مغايرة تمامًا عن نظم التمويل والدعم العلمي الحديثة والمعقدة. و يتفق عضو هيئة التدريس في جامعة الملك عبد اهلل ،البرفسور عثمان بكر على أن آليات تمويل برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية فتحت له آفاقًا جديدة في
مجاالت األبحاث ،حيث يقول " :ساعدني البرنامج على التفكير خارج األطر المألوفة ودفعني للنظر في مواضيع األبحاث األخرى التي لم أكن أتوقع أن أخوضها ،كما سمح لي بتنويع بحثي والدخول في مجاالت بحثية جديدة ". التطلع إلى المستقبل تم اختيار شبكة الشركاء والبرامج المؤسسية ذات الجودة العالية لتتماشى مع أولويات األبحاث والتعليم في جامعة الملك عبداهلل ،ولتصبح موردا ألعضاء هيئة التدريس للبدء بتطوير برامج ً الجامعة .ويرى البرفسور كيم شون ،األستاذ الزائر في مركز أبحاث تحلية وإعادة استخدام المياه بجامعة الملك عبداهلل أن برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية أعطى الجامعة دفعة قوية في مجال األبحاث والمنشورات العلمية في وقت مبكر حتى قبل إنشاء الحرم الجامعي .ويسلط البرفسور مايكل بيرومين الضوء على هذه الحقيقة بقوله" :أعتقد أنها كانت حالة فريدة جدًا سمحت باستمرار برامج معينة و ساهمت في تعجيل المشاريع الناشئة لبرامج األبحاث في الجامعة في الوقت الذي كنا فيه مشغولين في أعمال البناء الرئيسية للجامعة و تجهيز معاملها ومراكز أبحاثها". التعاون العالمي ضروري جدًا من أجل البقاء في صدارة المؤسسات المعرفية ،وقد مكنت شراكات برنامج األبحاث التعاونية العالمية جامعة الملك عبد اهلل من تحقيق هذه الصدارة .ويوضح البروفسور ديفيد كيز هذا التحول الكبير للجامعة بقوله " :لقد تغيرت عالقة الجامعة مع شركائها السابقين من رعاية برامج األبحاث إلى تعاون مشترك وكبير بعد اكتمال مرافقها وبنيتها التحتية" .
April 2014
4
GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATES KAUST PARTNERSHIPS
A major benefit of the GCR program is that it
KAUST hosted a two-day event on March 26-27
has allowed participating scientists the freedom to
to recognize and celebrate the University’s
focus more of their time and effort on addressing
innovative global alliances first established by
the most compelling scientific challenges in their
the Global Collaborative Research (GCR) program.
fields. “GCR funding allowed us to put long-
Launched in 2007, the GCR program engaged a
term research ideas into practice,” said Professor
network of over 30 institutions worldwide as part
of Applied Mathematics Peter A. Markowich. He
of a strategic initiative to build KAUST’s research
believes that most of the great discoveries of the
program and infrastructure and introduce the
last century would not have been possible under
University to the world. In the University's
the modern systems of scientific funding and
groundbreaking capacity as both performer
support which prevails in most places.
and funder of research, KAUST was able to
The network of high-quality institutional
build its research and innovation capabilities
partners and programs was selected to align with
swiftly, generate an impact in world science, and
KAUST’s research and education priorities, and as
accelerate the recruitment of outstanding faculty,
a resource for faculty to jump-start and develop
postdoctoral researchers, and students.
their programs at KAUST. Visiting Professor at
)The Global Collaborative Research (GCR
KAUST’s Water Desalination and Reuse Center
Symposium consisted of a series of presentations,
(WDRC) Dr. Kim Choon Ng believes that the
a poster session, and an open panel discussion
GCR program gave “KAUST a boost in research
featuring global partners and members of the
capabilities and early publications even before
KAUST faculty.
”the campus was completed.
“The academic international collaboration
Global collaborations are essential in staying at
strategy aided the KAUST research community to
the forefront of the knowledge enterprise, and the
be born with an academic age much greater than
GCR program collaborations have enabled KAUST
zero and academic quality much greater than
to reach this forefront. Prof. Keyes clarified the
the median among research peers,” said Prof.
way forward with GCR, stating that “a better way
David Keyes, Chair of the symposium’s panel on
to phrase the change in relationship is that KAUST
Convergence Research.
is in a position to assume peer status rather than sponsor status with its former partners.”
As these strategic alliances have grown around the world, KAUST has established itself successfully as a significant contributor in the global exchange of knowledge.
Research
www.kaust.edu.sa
April 2014
5
Have you been checking The Lens? The Lens is the University’s official blog , providing a one-stop shop for news, announcements, links, and contacts. Available to ALL in the community (faculty, students, employees, and spouses) without a login, it can be accessed by anyone through the KAUST network.
Visit http://thelens.kaust.edu.sa to find: Announcements | Upcoming events | News about KAUST Comprehensive list of University links | Useful contact information
ARTISTS OF KAUST THE UNIVERSITY Library will host the opening reception for the Artists of KAUST exhibition on April 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The exhibition will run through April 30. The Library offers inspiring surroundings in which to display our community’s works of art. See you there! CARBON CAPTURE SOLUTION | Continued from p1 has embarked on a research program to develop and synthesize
selectivity and improved the CO 2 removal capabilities from
novel porous materials, such as porous organic polymers (POPs),
N2 and CH4-containing gases,” the research team states. “This
which have the potential for enhanced CO2 adsorption properties.
process is akin to post-combustion capture and natural gas
The use of solid porous materials, metal organic frameworks
upgrading applications.”
(MOFs), or silica/carbon-based adsorbents is “a promising
The findings are of “prime importance,” notes the team, “as effi-
alternative to reduce the energy expense,” the researchers note.
cient gas separation is a key step to achieve at the industrial scale,
These microporous solids can act as scaffolds where amine
due to the critical economic and ecological context worldwide.
functionality can be easily introduced in their tunable pores, thus
Indeed, the POP we have synthesized has potential to replace the
strengthening their selectivity for CO2.
existing energy-intensive liquid amine scrubbing, which is the cur-
The new porous material (POP) the team produced using
rent technology in use for CO2 separation.”
“judiciously selected organic molecular building blocks (MBBs)”
A unique feature of the team’s POP is the material’s combina-
is unique because it has aldehydes that are “amenable to
tion of high affinity for CO2 coupled with easy regeneration of the
post-synthetic functionalization by amines,” emphasizes first
POP without heating. “In most cases of amine-supported materi-
author Dr. Guillerm, who works in Prof. Eddaoudi’s Functional
als, the strong CO2-amine interaction leads to the formation of
Materials Design, Discovery, and Development (FMD ) group.
stable carbamate species that require additional energy, or heating,
The resultant porous framework allows a facile, unprecedented,
to regenerate the material," say the researchers. “This feature is
and anticipated one-step, quantitative, post-synthetic amine
unique and further reinforces the potential of our material.”
3
functionalization, which improves interactions between CO2 and
Dr. Guillerm, Prof. Eddaoudi, and the rest of the research team hope that their paper reveals “there are still unexplored
a porous material,” the researchers explain. When the team further investigated the CO 2 adsorption
routes for improvement of separation agents.” Prof. Eddaoudi
properties of the POP, there was “a significant enhancement
notes that “combining the careful choice of building blocks
of the CO2 affinity at low coverage compared to the pristine
for the formation of porous sorbents, along with the variety of
material,” notes Dr. Belmabkhout. The POP showed a drastic
possible post-synthetic modifications, is the key to developing
increase of heats of adsorption of CO2 (from 33 to 50 kJ/mol),
materials that will address critical energy and sustainability
and also showed an improved potential for gas separation, with
problems with reasonable cost and good recyclability.” The
CO2/N2-calculated selectivity increasing by more than 10 times
team believes these new materials will be the “next generation”
from 14 for the non-functionalized POP up to 155 for the amine-
of separation agents which will replace the current energy-
functionalized material.
intensive technologies.
Amine functionalization “considerably enriched the CO 2
ACCOLADE
:تتمة الصفحة األولى التي يمكنها تعزيز،)POPs( مثل البوليمرات العضوية المسامية،جديدة ويقول الدكتور بيلمابخوت.خصائص امتصاص غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون " أجرينا أبحا ًثا مكثفة على خصائص امتصاص غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون: للبوليمرات العضوية المسامية وتبين زيادة انجذاب غاز ثاني اكسيد كما أظهرت."الكربون لها بالمقارنة مع المواد التقليدية األخرى البوليمرات العضوية المسامية زيادة كبيرة في ارتفاع درجات الحرارة / كيلوجول50 إلى33 الناتجة عن امتصاص غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون (من . مما يعني إمكانية فصل الغازات بصورة أفضل،)مول حيث أن فصل الغاز، هذه النتائج التي توصل إليها الفريق مهمة جدًا بكفاءة عالية يعتبر خطوة أساسية لتحقيق االنتاج على المستوى وبامكان هذه البوليمرات العضوية المسامية التي أنتجها.الصناعي الفريق أن تحل محل التقنية المستخدمة حاليًا لفصل غاز ثاني أكسيد .كثيرا من الطاقة الكربون والتي تستهلك ً ومن المزايا الفريدة للبوليمرات العضوية المسامية التي انتجها الفريق قدرتها العالية على جذب غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون إلى جانب سهولة أما الطريقة التقليدية لفصل.إعادة تصنيعها دون الحاجة للتسخين فتتضمن مواد يدخل في تركيبتها األمينات بحيث يكون،الكربون التفاعل بين غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون واألمينات قوي جدًا مما يؤدي إلى هذه الكاربامات تتطلب إما.تشكيل مواد تسمى الكاربامات المستقرة . أو عملية تسخين إلنتاج المواد،طاقة إضافية ويأمل دكتور جويليرم والبرفسور الداودي وبقية أعضاء فريق البحث أن تبين ورقتهم البحثية أنه ال تزال هناك طرق غير مكتشفة لتحسين ويوضح البرفسور الداودي أن الجمع بين اللبنات.عوامل فصل الغازات األساسية لتشكيل المواد المسامية الماصة مع إجراء مجموعة متنوعة من التعديالت االصطناعية المحتملة هو مفتاح تطوير المواد التي سوف تعالج مشاكل الطاقة واالستدامة بتكلفة معقولة مع إمكانية إعادة ويعتقد الفريق أن هذه المواد الجديدة ستشكل الجيل القادم.التدوير ال مثاليًا للتقنيات الحالية التي ً من عوامل فصل الغازات و ستكون بدي .تستهلك الطاقة بصورة كبيرة
PROF. KARL LEO RECEIVES THE HECTOR SCIENCE AWARD 2013
PROF. HUSAM ALSHAREEF TO CO-CHAIR 2014 MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY FALL MEETING & EXHIBIT
KAUST Professor Karl Leo from the Solar
As an awardee, Prof.
& Photovoltaics Engineering Research
Leo is now included in the
Center (SPERC) was awarded the Hector
circle of “Hector Fellows.”
KAUST Professor of
Science Award 2013 on January 31, 2014 in
In this community, the
from academia, industry, and government.
Materials Science and
The 2014 Fall Meeting & Exhibit will host
Heidelberg, Germany. The prize is endowed
Hector Foundation II
Engineering Husam
over 6,000 attendees from all over the world.
by the Hector Foundation, established
supports outstanding
Alshareef will co-chair
Approximately 50 technical symposia will
by Hans-Werner Hector, a founder of the
scientists who are
t h e 2 01 4 M a t e r i a l s
take place and will address various areas of
software company SAP.
characterized by the high
Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting &
materials research, including nanomaterials,
The prize was awarded for “the outstanding
quality and success of their scientific work,
Exhibit in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in
materials for sustainability, biomaterials, and
research achievements of Karl Leo in the
their outstanding commitment to teaching, and
November.
electronic and photonic materials.
field of organic semiconductors, and [the
an overall contribution to the development of
Founded in 1973, MRS is the world’s largest
“I am proud to chair the MRS meeting as
research’s] contribution to improving the
their universities.
organization focusing on the advancement of
a KAUST professor, and am happy to see
efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes
Prof. Leo conveyed his gratitude for receipt
interdisciplinary materials research to improve
KAUST getting significant exposure within
and solar cells.” The jury also highlighted the
of the award and noted that “the Hector Award
the quality of our lives. MRS now has over 16,000
the global materials research community,”
successful transformation of research results
recognizes our many years of successful work
members from 70 countries, with members coming
Prof. Alshareef stated.
into industrial applications.
on organic semiconductors.”
6
April 2014
CCRC
The Beacon
...the CCRC demonstrates our commitment to understanding ideas and dissecting problems in order to leverage new knowledge into game-changing applications.”
CCRC | Continued from p1 for CCRC students and postdoctoral fellows to present their latest research. The CCRC aims to work on energy and environmental issues related to fossil fuels, and especially petroleum and gases. “We are working heavily on advancing engines and gas turbine-related research,” Prof. Chung noted. One of the center’s goals is to improve these processes and make them more efficient. “We try to identify those mechanisms and provide the scientific data for the relevant industry,” he added. The CCRC has also developed partnerships and attracted industry funding from companies eager to leverage the expertise and capabilities of its researchers. Saudi Aramco and other industrial partners participated in the center’s opening events and workshop. “At the moment we are involved in several projects through collaborations with over 15 partners around the world,” said Prof. Chung. Prof. Chung also stated that the presence of the international scholars and faculty members at the opening should act as an excellent platform to promote future collaborations. “The CCRC represents the type of research culture we promote in a great university,” stated President Chameau. “Our goal is to strike a balance between curiosity-driven research and goaloriented research, and the CCRC demonstrates our commitment to understanding ideas and dissecting problems in order to leverage new knowledge into game-changing applications.” President Chameau also noted that the CCRC plays an important role in the overall strategy of the University, and it is a driving element in achieving the University’s goals in the energy and environment areas. “I commend the faculty and the researchers at the CCRC and appreciate the investment of our partners,” President Chameau said. “The mission of the CCRC is a great undertaking. We have superb leadership and clear ambitions, and we expect important discoveries to come from the work of our researchers and our students who are trained here.”
مركز أبحاث االحتراق النظيف في دعم استراتيجية ال عن كونه عنصر فاعل لتحقيق ً الجامعة فض كما أشاد.أهدافها في مجاالت الطاقة والبيئة أيضًا بأعضاء هيئة التدريس والباحثين في المركز موضحا أن وجود مركز والشركاء المساهمين ً أبحاث االحتراق النظيف يعزز الثقافة البحثية التي تسعى اليها الجامعات العظيمة و يوضح أيضًا مدى التزام جامعة الملك عبداهلل في استيعاب األفكار وتحليل المشاكل واستغالل المعارف الجديدة لوضع تطبيقات عملية مؤثرة و تحقيق التوازن بين األبحاث التي يحركها الفضول وتلك الموجهة " وختم الرئيس شامو كلمته بقوله.ألهداف محددة لدينا هنا قيادة رائعة وطموحات كبيرة ونحن نتوقع اكتشافات هامة تأتي من عمل باحثينا وطالبنا الذين ." يتدربون في هذا المركز
:تتمة الصفحة األولى
وبعض الشركاء المحتملين الذين شاركوا أيضًا في وقال البروفسور تشونغ. افتتاح المركز وورشة عمله " نحن ماضون اآلن في العديد من المشاريع من: .عضوا حول العالم 15 خالل التعاون مع أكثر من ً دوليا حفل افتتاح ا عالم 25 كما أن حضور حوالي ً ً المركز و ورشة عمله يجعله مناسبة جيدة لتعزيز ."التعاون في المستقبل كما أثنى رئيس جامعة الملك عبداهلل الدكتور لو شامو في كلمته الترحيبية بهذه المناسبة-جان ، وشغفه،على البرفسور تشونغ و شكره على قيادته ومثابرته و اسهاماته إلنشاء مركز أبحاث يعود " جاء البروفسور:بالنفع على المملكة والعالم وقال تشونغ إلى هنا عندما كان هذا المكان مجرد إال أنه استطاع بحنكته أن يضع، كثبان من الرمل ."تصور إلنشاء مركز أبحاث كبير بمرافق متطورة وأكد الرئيس شامو على الدور الكبير الذي يلعبه
CCRC
www.kaust.edu.sa
7
April 2014
CCRC POSTER PRESENTATION SESSION VALUABLE FOR STUDENTS, RESEARCHERS, AND VISITORS ALIKE AS PART of the three days of events commemorating
student Mohamed Ismail. “We have the Core Labs
the University’s Clean Combustion Research Center
and very good facilities and very helpful people at
(CCRC) inauguration, a research poster presentation
the center. Few people in other universities have the
session was held on February 18 to exhibit
same caliber of facilities for experiments like we do.”
the cutting-edge work of the center’s students,
PhD student Daegeun Park said that the event was
postdoctoral fellows, and researchers.
“fantastic, as I was able to meet very, very famous
“I think the poster session was valuable because
people who are experts in the field and who were
I go to know what people think about the center,
visiting KAUST for the inauguration. They write our
and also what other students and researchers
textbooks!” he added.
are working on,” said postdoctoral
Research Scientist Dr. Antonio Attili noted that he
fellow Dr. Ayman Elhagrasy. “It
was “happy to be a part of the event,” and that the
enabled us to discuss our
international visitors from academia and industry
research openly and receive
showed “a lot of interest in our posters, and the
valuable input for our experiments.”
visitors are potential collaborators for projects.” Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jaeheon Sim added that
“As a student, I feel
the poster presentation session was a chance to
lucky to be here,”
“summarize and communicate our work to others.
noted
I think the poster session was valuable because I go to know what people think about the center, and also what other students and researchers are working on.”
PhD
The experts really showed great interest in our research, and this enables us to communicate more
We have the Core Labs and very good facilities and very helpful people at the center. Few people in other universities have the same caliber of facilities for experiments like we do.”
frequently with them, which is very helpful for our work.”
LAB GEAR: HIGH SPEED TOMOGRAPHIC PIV The lab received the stateof-the-art time-resolved Tomographic PIV system a year ago in order to
Camera 2
Camera 1
provide truly instantaneous
measurment volum
three-dimensional velocity information of a flow field. The illuminated particle
Camera 3
Camera 4
volume is viewed by four cameras at the same time. Then the most-likely three dimensional particle distribution in the volume is reconstructed by the tomographic algorithm, giving
volume illumination
the estimated particle location. UNDERSTANDING the combustion process is the ultimate challenge, particularly when it comes
The system also has the ability to work as Stereoscopic PIV by reducing the thickness of the
to highly turbulent conditions. Experimental investigation is needed to understand how the flow
illuminated laser sheet and capturing the seeds by two cameras. The system can provide both
and flame interact and the measurements need both temporal and spatial resolutions. One of
high temporal and spatial resolutions. The associated data storage and processing time are much
the tools the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) uses in their lab to do this is a High
larger than planar PIV (typically ten times larger for each shoot).
Speed Tomographic PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry). “One Tomographic PIV shoots 10,000 frames per second. It’s used to measure fluidity in
The lab is using the Tomographic PIV system to measure 3D velocity fields in turbulent flows and flame conditions, which could lead to the development of new, more powerful engines or
a volume so you can find the flow structure in anything you want that has optical access
engines that produce less emissions.
capability. For example, in a flame you can find the flow structure within the flame and around
Capabilities:
it,” said Dr. Alaa Dawood, CCRC Lab Manager. By instantaneously measuring the flow field and flame structure development using the OH-PLIF
• Instantaneous 3D3C vector field in a complete volume • Up to 800,000 particles
high speed system, the researchers are able to find the interaction between the two. “Previously,
• Time resolved Volume-PIV with high-speed cameras
we had 2D PIV where you could find the flow field structure within a laser illuminated plane. It
• Advanced cross-correlation with deformed interrogation volumes
fired twice within a few micro seconds, and used one camera which captured two frames of the
• Displacement accuracy down to a few pixels (around 0.25mm)
seeds within the plane,” Dr. Dawood said.
8
Community
April 2014
TO PHOTHE OF NTH MO
The Beacon
FLAVORS INTERNATIONAL FOOD FESTIVAL
SENIOR Contracting Lead Abdulghafoor Abdulhaleem captured this image from a fire truck ladder overlooking the annual Flavors International Food Festival on March 12. “When Facilities & Community asked the Photography self-directed group (SDG) to be the official photographers for this event, I knew right away that an aerial shot would be really interesting - especially if I could show the festival with the community and the sea on the horizon,” said Abdulhaleem. An avid photographer, he has been a member and the president of the Photography SDG for the past four years. The festival attracted thousands of community members and visitors to the Harbor Sports Club field to enjoy a diverse selection of restaurant dishes, products from local merchants, and live entertainment. In addition to celebrating international cuisine, the event featured a prize giveaway from sponsors, with prizes including airline tickets to global destinations, and grand prizes of a golf cart and a Jeep Wrangler. Email your photos to thebeacon@kaust.edu.sa.
Photos by: Linda Polik, Tünde Gáspár, AG Bek, and Vici McKeown.
KAUST’S ANNUAL PARADE OF NATIONS THE MOST colorful and vibrant event of the year, KAUST’s annual Parade of Nations took place on March 6. The parade was sponsored by The KAUST School and involved the entire community in a celebration of our wonderful diversity. Community members proudly marched with their countries’ flags while dressed in traditional attire or country colors. After marching from Discovery Square to the Harbor Sports Club field, participants visited country tables to learn more about different nations, and also tasted countries’ traditional cuisines. The event also featured live music and cultural performances.
MY UNIVERSITY JACQUELINE PIPER
Jacqueline said. “Seeing what was happening here and what had
brings everything together so that proceduers work for the entire
It was the University’s multiculturalism and
already been done, I knew this is a place where things can grow
KAUST community.
the opportunity to make a positive difference
and move forward.”
“Because we are such a young organization, we are taking
in the world that enticed Jacqueline Piper
Bringing her experience as an industrial-based environmental
from her UK home of Cornwall to the shores
scientist and sustainability advisor, Jacqueline is now KAUST’s
of the Red Sea in September 2013.
Environmental and Sustainability Specialist. Her role is to help
Some of the ways she’s doing this is through KAUST’s
very early steps and making sure these steps are manageable and achievable here,” she said.
“There are just so many nationalities here. To be working
integrate the Health, Safety & Environment Department into
participation in UN World Events like Water Day and Earth
with many different cultures and be able to get their take on
KAUST. She deals with the business side of operations, such as
Hour 2014, as well as raising the community’s awareness of and
sustainability and the environment was too tempting to miss,”
writing policies and procedures, and also the people side. Then she
engagement with KAUST’s Environmental Stewardship Policy.
PHILIPPE VIGNAL
during that time began looking for master’s degree scholarships.
While at KAUST, Philippe has become passionate about scuba
As one of the University’s founding
“My mother came across an ad for scholarships for KAUST in
diving and received his instructor certification two years ago. “I
master’s degree students, current Materials
the newspaper, and she thought I might be interested in them,”
have been amazed at everything – from the dunes in Shaybah
Science PhD student Philippe Vignal has
he explains. “I knew I wanted to move abroad after finishing my
to the reefs in the Red Sea,” he says.
been at KAUST since 2009. Those years
bachelor’s degree, and doing that while at the same time being
“I think it would be hard to find an academic institution
“have turned out to be some of the best
able to earn a master’s degree seemed like a great opportunity
anywhere in the world that could rival the sheer potential
– and it was!”
KAUST has,” Philippe adds. “The facilities are excellent, the
times of my life,” he says. Philippe has Mexican and French citizenship, as he was born
Philippe was drawn to KAUST because he felt here he would
library has access to anything you might need, and training is
and raised in Mexico City, but his father is French and his
“have the chance to get to know a side of the world many are
offered to make you a better researcher or engineer. My eyes
mother is British. He did his undergraduate degree in Chemical
not lucky enough to see,” and he also wanted the experience of
have also been opened to the diversity that exists in the world.
Engineering in Mexico at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and
“world-class faculty and students coming from all over the globe.”
Here you can learn things from everybody if you’re willing.”