2015 January Beacon

January 2015/Rabi Al-Awwal 1436 Volume 5, Issue No. 5 ‫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

‫طباعة مجسم مجهري‬ ‫ثالثي األبعاد لمنارة جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل باستخدام‬ ‫تقنية الحفر بالليزر‬ Micro beacon printed using 3D laser lithography Page 4

Stanford president headlines KAUST commencement Page 6

Genome analysis reveals unique features of bacterium isolated from Red Sea Page 8 Team achieves remarkable flexibility with siliconbased electronics Page 9 KAUST team addresses world’s water challenge Page 10 Students participate in Dow SISCA Awards Page 12 Looking forward to WEP 2015 Page 13 Novel carbon capture technique offers hope for sustainable energy future Page 14 Using science to push the boundaries of photography Page 16

In brief On December 3, 2014, the Saudi Arabia Advanced Research Alliance (SAARA), a new partner-based collaboration between KAUST and five other organizations, was launched to drive the commercialization of research and development activities in the kingdom. As its first action, SAARA established Technovia—a new venture dedicated to maintaining commercialization opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Technovia will be located at Dhahran’s Techno Valley, where its staff will work with stakeholders to prepare technologies for strong market entry.

KAUST professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain and his colleague Justine Mink, were recognized by Scientific American magazine in the annual World Changing Ideas edition. The pair developed a way to power tiny fuel cells using saliva, an innovation that Scientific American dubbed “a new renewable energy source for medical devices.” Read more at: scientificamerican.com/editorial/worldchanging-ideas-2014

The Beacon Volume 5, Issue 5 PUBLISHED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

The Beacon Staff Managing Editors: Michelle D’Antoni, Salah Sindi Editor: Nicholas Demille Designer: Hazim Alradadi Arabic Editor: Saad Al-Husainan Writers: Caitlin Clark, David Murphy, Michelle Ponto, Meres Weche Translator: Adel Alrefaie

The Beacon is published monthly. © King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

2

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

Dr. Marc Genton, professor of applied mathematics and computational science in the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Stat, the ISI online journal for rapid dissemination of statistics research. Genton is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

A symposium, organized by the KAUST Catalysis Center on the future energy needs of the planet, will be held from February 1 to 4, 2015. The symposium is being held thanks to financial support from the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Industry Engagement Office, Economic and Technology Development.

All members of the KAUST research community as well as external industry partners and Saudi Universities are invited to attend.

KAUST and the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) have jointly organized the KAUST-NSF Conference on Electronic Materials, Devices and Systems for a Sustainable Future. The conference, held from February 8 to 10, 2015, will gather the world’s leading researchers and creative young scholars from academia and industry to exchange ideas and to foster a collaborative framework for fundamental and applied research in the area of electronic devices, materials and systems focusing on a sustainable future.

From February 23 to 25, 2015, the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center (AMPMC) will hold an AMPMC/ KAUST Research Conference on recent developments in advanced membranes and porous materials for energy, environment and water applications. Topics will include energy-enhanced output, clean environment, novel functional materials and more.

Accolades KAUST doctoral student wins at MRS Boston

1 NOMADD named MESIA Technology of the Year KAUST startup NOMADD was recognized as the MESIA Technology of the Year during a gala ceremony on December 1, 2014. NOMADD CEO Georg Eitelhuber was on hand to receive the award at the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai where the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) unveiled the winners.

NOMADD, which stands for No Water Mechanical Automated Dusting Device, was developed on the campus of KAUST. The startup has won accolades for developing a set of desert solar solutions that make generating solar power feasible in harsh environments like the Arabian desert, where dust on panels and water scarcity are highly prohibitive to the deployment of solar systems.

In January 2014, Eitelhuber was recognized at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, as one of ten Solar Pioneers by MESIA and PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP).

The company has also been recognized by a number of news outlets including the BBC, The National of UAE and the Saudi Gazette.

Anas Abu-Taha, a doctoral student in Materials Science and Engineering, won third place in the Sustainability Poster Competition for his research on thermoelectrics at the 2014 Fall Meeting & Exhibit of the Materials Research Society (MRS). The meeting was held in Boston, Massachusetts in early December.

2

Abu-Taha was joined by Husam Alshareef, professor of materials science and engineering. He and Abu-Taha work together in his Functional Nanomaterials & Devices research group at KAUST. Alshareef also acted as co-chair of the meeting. Alshareef noted he was “proud to chair the meeting as a KAUST professor, and happy to see KAUST getting significant exposure in the global materials research community.”

El-Chakhtoura takes top-paper honors Joline El-Chakhtoura won the student best paper award for her presentation on drinking water bacterial dynamics at the American Water Works Association Water Quality and Technology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

El-Chakhtoura, a doctoral candidate in the Water Desalination Reuse Center (WDRC), was honored alongside her advisor, Hans Vrouwenvelder, visiting professor of environmental science and engineering in the WDRC.

3

The winning paper titled: Short-Term Variations in the Bacterial Community of a Dutch Drinking Water Distribution System, also lists among its contributors, Pascal Saikaly, KAUST assistant professor of environmental science and engineering in the WDRC. The American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water. It has approximately 50,000 members, and is dedicated to providing solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen economies and enhance quality of life.

Cover: A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of a 160 mm-high beacon printed on a glass coverslip created using 3D laser lithography.

1. NOMADD CEO Georg Eitelhuber (right) receives

MESIA Technology of the Year award from David Auriau, managing director of Corys Environment. By Heather Chuter

2. KAUST doctoral student Anas Abu-Taha and

KAUST Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Husam Alshareef receive Abu-Taha’s poster competition award at the 2014 Fall Meeting & Exhibit of the Materials Research Society. Photo courtesy of MRS

3. Ph.D. candidate, Joline El-Chakhtoura (center),

receives the award for the student best paper alongside her advisor, Professor Hans Vrouwenvelder (right), at the 2014 Water Quality Technology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

www.kaust.edu.sa

3

Micro beacon printed using 3D laser lithography

By Zhihong Wang and Xianbin Wang Recently, the lithography team in the Advanced Nanofabrication printed the world’s tiniest replica of the famed KAUST landmark. They etched this “micro beacon” on a glass coverslip in micrometer scale with the help of the Thin Film Lab and some much-anticipated new equipment, made possible by the KAUST capital plan 2013-2014. The new acquisitions included a Nanoscribe 3D laser lithography system, which dramatically extends the capabilities of the Nanofabrication Core lab to include true, nanoscale 3D printing.

The core ability of the new system is to directly print complex 3D micro- and nanostructures onto photosensitive materials such as SU-8, AZ- or IP-photoresists. Highly intricate, 3D structures can now be fabricated at sizes as small as 200 nm. This also allows the team to help cast templates in metal for semiconductor production.

The direct laser-writing technique that underlies the 3D printing method is based on two-photon absorption by femtosecond laser pulses. The spatially confined absorption volume (voxel), which acts as a pen point, draws and exposes predefined 3D paths in photoresist, which after development results in microstructures that are anchored to a substrate. The desired 3D structures can be designed with any CAD software and then converted to GWL format before printing.

The Core Lab workshop helped the lithography team and can also assist users on CAD designs. The versatility of the new system makes it an ideal technique for both highly specialized and generalist applications of 3D laser lithography including photonics and metamaterials; micro and nanofluidics; biomimetics; scaffolds for cell biology; NEMS/MEMS; micro optics; porous battery electrodes and more.

3

4

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

‫‪1. A view from directly above the micro-beacon, created using 3D‬‬ ‫‪laser lithography in the Nanofabrication Core Lab.‬‬

‫‪2. A helix array fabricated in the Nanofabrication Core Lab. The‬‬ ‫‪line width shown is approximately 300 nm.‬‬

‫‪3. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of a  160m-high‬‬ ‫‪beacon printed on a glass coverslip created using 3D laser‬‬ ‫‪lithography.‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫طباعة مجسم مجهري ثالثي‬ ‫األبعاد لمنارة جامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل باستخدام تقنية الحفر بالليزر‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫تمكن فريق الطباعة بالحفر من قسم تصنيع النانو المتقدم بجامعة الملك عبداهلل من طباعة أصغر نسخة في العالم لمعلم‬ ‫الجامعة الشهير "المنارة"‪ .‬وتم حفر هذه النسخة المصغرة من منارة الجامعة على لوح زجاجي بمقياس المايكرومتر وبمساعدة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أخيرا كجزء من خطتها التطويرية لترقية أجهزتها‬ ‫مختبر الشرائح الرقيقة وبعض المعدات الجديدة التي حصلت عليها الجامعة‬ ‫ومعداتها لعامي ‪ ،2014 – 2013‬والتي كان من ضمنها نظام متطور للطباعة الثالثية األبعاد (‪ )3D‬بمقياس النانو باستخدام‬ ‫الليزر‪ ،‬والذي يرفع من إمكانيات وقدرات مختبر تصنيع النانو األساسي بصورة كبيرة‪.‬‬ ‫والميزة األساسية للنظام الجديد هو قدرته على طباعة نماذج معقدة ثالثية األبعاد ومصغرة بمقياس المايكرو والنانو على‬ ‫مواد ذات حساسية للضوء مثل ‪ .SU-8 ، AZ-photoresists ، IP-photoresists‬كما يمكن اآلن صناعة مواد معقدة للغاية‪،‬‬ ‫ونماذج مصغرة تصل إلى حجم ‪ 200‬نانومتر مما يعطي الفريق القدرة على صناعة وتصميم قوالب ونماذج محددة في‬ ‫المعادن إلنتاج أشباه الموصالت‪.‬‬ ‫وتستند طريقة الكتابة المباشرة بالليزر المصاحبة لهذه الطباعة على تقنية امتصاص ثنائي الفوتون بواسطة نبضات ليزر الفيمتو‬ ‫ثانية والتي تتيح نقش نماذج مجهرية ثالثية األبعاد على ركائز معينة‪ .‬ويمكن تصميم هذه النماذج والهياكل باستخدام برامج‬ ‫التصميم ثالثية األبعاد المشهورة مثل برنامج ‪ CAD‬ومن ثم تحويلها إلى صيغة ‪ GWL‬قبل الطباعة‪ .‬وكان لورش العمل األساسية‬ ‫في جامعة الملك عبداهلل دور كبير في مساعدة مختبر فريق الطباعة بالحفر‪ .‬كما أنها تقدم خدمات التصميم بواسطة برنامج‬ ‫‪ CAD‬لجميع المستخدمين في الجامعة‪.‬‬ ‫إن براعة النظام الجديد وتنوع مهامه تجعله تقنية مثالية للتطبيقات المتخصصة والعامة للطباعة بالحفر باستخدام الليزر خصوصا‬ ‫في مجال الضوئيات والمواد الخارقة وعلم الموائع المجهري والنانوي والمحاكاة البيولوجية‪ ،‬والبصريات الدقيقة واألقطاب‬ ‫المسامية للبطارية وغيرها‪.‬‬

‫‪5‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

The Stanford president headlines KAUST commencement

By Caitlin Clark King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) celebrated its fifth academic commencement on the evening of December 12, 2014. Stanford University President Dr. John L. Hennessy delivered the keynote address to the graduates, dignitaries, friends and family who were in attendance. His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Chairman of KAUST’s Board of Trustees, presided over the ceremony alongside KAUST President JeanLou Chameau.

“This is a moment to celebrate what has already been achieved at KAUST,” said Hennessy, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

“Ten years ago, there was no university: no buildings, no faculty and no students. Much has been accomplished, and KAUST is now well on it’s way to becoming one of the great science and technology universities.”

Hennessy advised the graduates to follow five insights he discovered that have helped him to lead an interesting, fulfilling and impactful life. “Find and pursue your passion,” he said. “Approach challenges in new ways, be bold, honor your reputation and give back.”

President Jean-Lou Chameau acknowledged that the students’ journeys through their studies at KAUST may not have always been easy, but the faculty advisors and professors who challenged and pushed them “are and will remain [their] greatest supporters,” he said.

1 2

Approach challenges in new ways, be bold, honor your reputation and give back.”

“The key ingredient for a great university…is our students, our graduates,” Chameau added. “The contributions you will make to the Kingdom and the world will reflect on how well KAUST prepared and equipped you…therefore, you represent our greatest contribution to society. Our future is linked to your journeys and success. Wherever you go, take your KAUST experience with you and be an ambassador for collaboration and friendship…do things that matter and change the world.”

The class of 2014 commencement speaker, Shamael Al-Shuhail, described her experience as a master’s student in Electrical Engineering at KAUST as a challenge she gladly took on, for when she did, “opportunities opened wide.”

“KAUST has invested in all of us, and helped us turn every opportunity into success,” she said. “We now believe that no matter how tough the job is, we are tougher. KAUST is truly a place of discovery of all aspects. The great contributions the university will make will be through its graduates. Let us show the world the excellence of our energy for our research.”

5 6

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫للعلوم والتقنية‬

‫‪3‬‬

‫تحتفل بتخريج الدفعة الخامسة‬ ‫احتفلت جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية بتخريج الدفعة الخامسة من طلبتها لعام ‪ ، 2014‬بحضور‬ ‫أعضاء مجلس أمناء الجامعة ورئيس المجلس معالي وزير البترول والثروة المعدنية‪ ،‬على بن إبراهيم‬ ‫النعيمي‪ ،‬ورئيس جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية الدكتور جان‪ -‬لو شامو‪ ،‬والقيادة األكاديمية‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خريجا بدرجة الماجستير‪ ،‬بحضور‬ ‫خريجا بدرجة الدكتوراه و ‪121‬‬ ‫للجامعة‪ ،‬حيث قاموا باستقبال وتكريم ‪38‬‬ ‫أسر الخريجين وأصدقائهم‪ .‬وبلغ عدد خريجي جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم والتقنية منذ تأسيسها حتى اآلن‬ ‫نحو ‪ 1000‬خريج‪.‬‬ ‫وقال الرئيس شامو ‪ " :‬نحتفل اليوم بخبراتكم التي اكتسبتموها وانجازاتكم في جامعة الملك عبداهلل‪.‬‬ ‫انها مناسبة خاصة ً‬ ‫جدا ليس لكم فقط بل ألسركم وأصدقائكم ولمن قدم لكم الدعم خالل مسيرتكم‬ ‫االكاديمية"‪.‬‬ ‫وأكد الرئيس شامو على أن رحلة الطلبة خالل دراستهم في جامعة الملك عبداهلل لم تكن دائما سهلة‬ ‫لوال جهود المرشدين من أعضاء هيئة التدريس وأساتذة الجامعة الذين دفعوهم لبذل أقصى إمكاناتهم‬ ‫وكانوا أفضل الداعمين لهم‪.‬‬ ‫ووصفت الخريجة شمايل الشهيل المتحدثة باسم دفعة ‪ 2014‬تجربتها كطالبة ماجستير في الهندسة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أفاقا‬ ‫فرصا كبيرة و‬ ‫الكهربائية في جامعة الملك عبداهلل بالتحدي الذي خاضته بصدر رحب وفتح لها‬ ‫واسعة‪ .‬واضافت ‪ " :‬لقد استثمرت جامعة الملك عبداهلل في كل واحد منا‪ ،‬وساعدتنا على تحويل كل‬ ‫فرصة إلى نجاح ‪ .‬وأصبحنا اآلن واثقين من قدرتنا على قهر كل التحديات‪ .‬وأنا على يقين من أن جامعة‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حقا مكان االكتشافات من خالل اإلسهامات العظيمة التي سنقدمها نحن الخريجين‪.‬‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل هي‬ ‫دعونا نظهر للعالم تفوق أبحاثنا"‪.‬‬ ‫وكان من أبرز ضيوف الحفل ‪،‬الدكتور جون هينيسي‪ ،‬رئيس جامعة ستانفورد‪ ،‬الذي يعتبر أحد قادة الفكر‬ ‫ورواد علوم الحاسب اآللي في العالم ‪ ،‬وعضو في األكاديمية الوطنية للهندسة في الواليات المتحدة‪،‬‬ ‫واألكاديمية الوطنية للعلوم‪.‬‬

‫اعمل بشغف‪ ،‬واجه التحديات من منظور جديد ‪ ،‬كن‬ ‫جريئا‪ ،‬اهتم بسمعتك‪ ،‬واظب على العطاء‪.‬‬ ‫وقال الدكتور هينيسي في كلمته لحفل التخرج ‪ " :‬إنها مناسبة لالحتفال بما تم تحقيقه بالفعل في‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل ‪ .‬فقبل عشر سنوات‪ ،‬لم تكن هناك جامعة وال مباني‪ ،‬وال أعضاء هيئة تدريس وال‬ ‫طلبة‪ .‬واليوم تم إنجاز الكثير‪ ،‬وهذا دليل على أن جامعة الملك عبداهلل اآلن في طريقها لتصبح واحدة من‬ ‫أعظم جامعات العلوم والتقنية"‪.‬‬ ‫ونصح الدكتور هينيسي الخريجين بإتباع خمس أمور مهمة كان لها تأثير كبير في‬ ‫حياته ومسيرته العلمية حيث قال ‪ " :‬اعمل بشغف‪ ،‬واجه التحديات من منظور جديد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جريئا‪ ،‬اهتم بسمعتك‪ ،‬واظب على العطاء"‪.‬‬ ‫‪ ،‬كن‬ ‫ً‬ ‫واصفا اياهم بسفراء‬ ‫ووجه الرئيس شامو حديثه إلى الخريجين في كلمته الختامية‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل في جميع أنحاء العالم‪ .‬ثم قال ‪" :‬الشك أن ما يجعلنا جامعة‬ ‫عظيمة هو طلبتنا‪ ،‬خريجينا‪ .‬وستثبت اسهاماتكم للمملكة العربية السعودية‬ ‫والعالم حجم استثمار جامعة الملك عبداهلل فيكم ‪ .‬فأنتم تمثلون أعظم اسهاماتنا‬ ‫للمجتمع‪ .‬كما أن مستقبلنا مرتبط ً‬ ‫جدا بنجاحكم في رحلتكم العلمية‪ .‬اجعلوا خبرة‬ ‫حاضرة معكم أينما كنتم‪ ،‬وكونوا سفراء للتعاون والصداقة ‪،‬‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ساهموا بكل ما هو مهم لتطور العالم"‪.‬‬ ‫‪.‬‬

‫‪1. Stanford University President John L. Hennessy delivers the keynote‬‬ ‫‪address during KAUST commencement 2014.‬‬

‫‪2. Graduate students make their way towards the stage during‬‬ ‫‪commencement.‬‬

‫‪3. Shamael Al-Shuhail, the student commencement speaker, reacts to‬‬ ‫‪the crowd during her address.‬‬

‫‪4. Graduate students walk to their seats as the commencement‬‬ ‫‪ceremony gets underway.‬‬

‫‪5. KAUST professors, deans and members of the board of trustees‬‬ ‫‪await the arrival of the graduates.‬‬

‫‪7‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫‪4‬‬

1

Unique features of bacterium isolated from Red Sea

By Caitlin Clark

2

“It is exciting how genomes can tell us much about the lifestyles and ecology of microbes,” said Francy Jimenez-Infante, a KAUST doctoral student in the Red Sea Research Center (RSRC). Jimenez-Infante, a founding class student who completed her master's degree in Bioscience at KAUST in 2010, decided to pursue a Ph.D. after becoming fascinated with the microbial ecology of the oceans.

“I wanted to conduct more ambitious research projects in the Red Sea,” said Jimenez-Infante.

She and a team of researchers from the RSRC and KAUST’s Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC) examined the genetic makeup of a low-abundant bacterium called strain RS24 in a study published recently in FEMS Microbiology Ecology.

Organisms that make up the so-called “rare biosphere” of the world’s marine ecosystems comprise less than 1% of the bacterio-plankton communities in these environments, but are extremely diverse and play an important role in the function of marine food webs.

The researchers wanted to discover how the organisms adapt to different environments, which might in turn provide an understanding of their essential role in the world’s oceans. To do this, they isolated RS24 from the surface waters of the Red Sea, and then sequenced and analyzed its genome.

“The Red Sea is an unusual marine habitat with high temperatures and high salinity,” explained Assistant Professor of Marine Science Ulrich Stingl. “Its peculiarities make it an interesting model in which to study microbial community structure-function relationships, and, because it has relatively extreme conditions, we postulated these conditions should have an impact on the genomes of resident organisms.”

The team discovered that strain RS24 belongs to a clade called PS1. In biology, a clade is a group of organisms that are more closely related to each other than any other group and share a common ancestor. The PS1 clade is part of the class Alphaproteobacteria. Because RS24 is the first isolate from PS1 found in the Red Sea near the Saudi village of Thuwal, the researchers proposed to name it Candidatus Micropelagos thuwalensis RS24.

Prior to the team’s work, only one other isolate called IMCC14465 had been cultured from the PS1 clade. The isolate was discovered in the lower temperature and salinity waters of the East (Japan) Sea, and its draft genome was published in 2012.

Sequencing data revealed that, although RS24 and IMCC14465 have very similar genomes, they are actually two distinct species of the PS1 clade. The two contain “genomic islands” that enable IMCC14465 to degrade aro-

8

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

matic compounds and allow RS24 to degrade polymers.

The researchers knew that concentrations of essential nutrients and trace micronutrients, which are very important for cell growth, are found in low amounts in most of the global ocean. Genome examination revealed that the PS1 clade strains’ genomes encode many high-affinity transporter genes, a “genomic hallmark” for cells that live in low-nutrient environments like the Red Sea. These genes include high-affinity transport systems for zinc, phosphate, ammonium, and iron, for example. Other genes code for high-affinity nutrient acquisition systems, which may be essential for the organisms to survive in low-nutrient environments where they must make use of many different substrates to grow.

Prior to the team’s work, little was known about the role of the PS1 clade’s isolates in the oceans. The successful cultivation of the RS24 species “helps to answer critical questions about their ecology and provides insights on the role of low-abundance organisms in today’s oceans,” the researchers state.

“We were surprised to find that the genomes from isolates of the same group found in the two very different environments of the Red Sea and East Sea were so similar,” said Stingl. “They differ in only a few genes that might be responsible for their success in each environment.”

"Thanks to the analysis of whole genomes,” added Jimenez-Infante, “features in similar bacteria isolated from different and geographically separated environments can reveal certain adaptations to their specific habitats that cannot be revealed based on single gene analysis alone.”

Jimenez-Infante feels that the team’s efforts isolating, identifying, and understanding the microbes are helping to uncover how microorganisms successfully adapt to harsh conditions. “The Red Sea is just around the corner, waiting for us to explore it. We have all the tools and resources necessary for us to make further discoveries about these organisms,” she said. v

KAUST team achieves remarkable flexibility with silicon 3

By Caitlin Clark “Today we live in a world centered on information technologies,” said Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, KAUST associate professor of electrical engineering. “This is taking us to a future where electronics will be not only about high-performance devices, but also about portability. They will have to be flexible, stretchable and reconfigurable. My team and I in KAUST's Integrated Nanotechnology Lab are working to transform cutting-edge complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology into flexible technology.”

In a paper recently published in the high-impact journal ACS Nano (DOI: 10.1021/nn5041608), Hussain and his team described the use of industry-compatible processes to “demonstrate the most advanced transistor architecture on a flexible platform, with our transistor obtaining a bending radius of 0.5 mm. The process used does not degrade the device performance, and helps us show the path to true high-performance, flexible electronics," he said.

We hope that we can awaken the curiosity of researchers around the world to pursue a common objective that will one day allow us to have devices that today we can only dream about." Galo Torres Seville tive of its gentle manner to protect nano-scale devices and its thinning range,” explained Hussain. “Our technique is a new way to replace back grinding for flexing traditional electronics and not compromise silicon’s cost/yield advantage.”

Galo Torres Seville, a KAUST Ph.D. student in Hussain’s group and the first author of the paper, noted that “our objective as a research group is to find a bridge between portable and high-performance electronics that will one day allow us to perform very complex and time-consuming tasks with our portable devices. In our recent work, we have pushed inorganic electronics to a bending radius never shown before.”

The researchers’ method is also advantageous because it allows complete fabrication of the device prior to release, allowing standard processes to be kept in place to reduce constraints on design, etching, lithography and deposition techniques. In addition, because polymer substrates were not used, “thermal budget constraints are kept intact when compared to industry standard processes,” the researchers stated.

The transistor built by Hussain’s team is constructed of a monocrystalline, silicon-based substrate. Silicon is a material is “the most highly used material in today’s digital world. More than 90% of electronics are based on silicon micro- and nanofabrication processes,” said Hussain.

With a final thickness of 50 µm, the device shows competitive electric behavior and bendability while “relying solely on mature micro- and nanofabrication techniques,” noted the researchers.

However, there are some drawbacks to silicon electronics, including silicon’s brittleness and lack of flexibility. To counter these problems, researchers have experimented with using polymer-based substrates, 2D single-walled carbon nanotubes and 2D graphene to produce flexible electronics. But because of issues with these materials, Hussain’s team has concentrated on a different fabrication process using silicon to make electronics flexible “without compromising cost, yield, performance and efficiency,” said Hussain.

By following this process, the researchers carried out an additional back-etch process from the back side of the substrate they used, producing a FinFET, a nonplanar, multi-gated transistor constructed on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate.

The soft-etch back process thinned down the SOI wafer with the FinFETs on it.

“Compared to the semiconductor industry’s back grinding process, our process provides advantages from the perspec-

“Extreme bendability using only silicon is unique,” said Hussain. “Flexible CMOS technology is imperative for advanced integrated electronic systems. Our flexible FinFETs are taking us a step further in the direction of smart, interactive, live and flexible technology. Future technology will only be limited by the range of applications that make use of silicon as a main material for device fabrication.”

“We hope that we can awaken the curiosity of researchers around the world to pursue a common objective that will one day allow us to have devices that today we can only dream about,” said Torres Seville.

1. Francy Jimenez-Infante stands in the lobby of the Ibn-Sina building on the KAUST campus. By Nicholas Demille

2. Left to right: David Ngugi, Vladimir Bajic, Uli Stingl and Francy Jimenez-Infante. By Caitlin Clark

3.

Ph.D. student Galo Torres Seville (L) and Professor Muhammad Mustafa Hussain (R) exhibit their silicon-based, flexible transistor, which can obtain a bending radius of 0.5 mm. By Caitlin Clark

www.kaust.edu.sa

9

KAUST team addresses world’s water challenge

By Caitlin Clark Pascal Saikaly, KAUST assistant professor of environmental science and engineering, works with his research group on tackling one of the world’s most important issues: the provision of fresh, clean water for the growing global population.

“To meet the world’s demand for water, we must explore the use of non-traditional water sources through the reclamation and reuse of domestic wastewater,” Saikaly explained. “My group is conducting fundamental, goal-oriented research to optimize and create sustainable biotechnologies for wastewater reclamation that are robust, scalable and capable of providing tailored-quality water with a minimization of energy, resources and footprint.”

Saikaly notes that domestic wastewater is estimated to contain approximately 2 kWh/m3 of energy in the form of organic substrate. “An opportunity exists for us here to offset energy consumption for domestic wastewater treatment through the recovery of this inherent energy, thereby moving forward towards energy-neutral or energy-positive wastewater treatment,” he said.

Developing new biotechnology to treat wastewater In two papers published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, Saikaly and his team outline the development of a novel biotechnology based on microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), which include microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs).

Bacteria in the MET device transfer electrons in soluble organic material present in the domestic wastewater directly into electricity (as in MFCs) or biogas (as in MECs).

Saikaly notes, however, that METs alone are not enough to produce high-quality water necessary for reuse applications. To achieve higher water quality levels, the researchers combined MET technology with membrane filtration using an electrically conductive and porous flat sheet membrane cathode. They created a hybrid air-biocathode microbial fuel cell-membrane bioreactor (MFC-MBR), which treats the wastewater and carries out ultrafiltration at the same time, producing water for direct reclamation.

Collaboration is key Their work was done in collaboration with Suzana Nunes, professor of environmental science and engineering from the KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC).

Nunes and her team provided complementary expertise in

10

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

Extreme water scarcity is a pressing issue in the Middle East and in other countries around the world.” Pascal Saikaly synthesizing conductive membranes specifically tailored for the team’s applications.

“Our novel system has an electrically conductive ultrafiltration membrane that functions as both a biocathode for electricity generation, with passive oxygen transfer to the cathode, and as a membrane for wastewater filtration,” explained Prof. Saikaly.

The researchers’ MFC-MBR system is unique because it is “truly integrated and single chambered,” said Dr. Krishna Katuri, KAUST research scientist and an author of both papers.

Unlike with some MFC systems, the air biocathode MFCMBR does not require wastewater aeration, and it achieves simultaneous organic and nitrogen removal. “This is important because aeration typically consumes more than 50 percent of the energy required to operate conventional biological wastewater treatment systems,” noted Katuri.

International praise for global problem solving With collaboration has come both innovation, as well as international recognition. Saikaly’s team won the 2014 International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology (ISMET) Innovation Award for Best Technological Advancement for 2013.

“Extreme water scarcity is a pressing issue in the Middle East and in other countries around the world,” noted Saikaly.

“We hope that through our work, people will see that the integration of science and engineering will create opportunities to address this 21st century challenge. The membrane-based microbial electrochemical technology developed in our lab is a good example of marrying science and engineering to achieve the dual benefit of energy and water recovery from domestic wastewater.”

‫‪1. Dr. Krishna Katuri standing along Discovery Walk near the‬‬ ‫‪University Library. By Nicholas Demille‬‬

‫‪2. Team members from left to right: KAUST alumnus Dr. Craig‬‬

‫‪Werner, KAUST research scientist Dr. Krishna Katuri, and KAUST‬‬ ‫‪Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering‬‬ ‫‪Pascal Saikaly. By Nicholas Demille‬‬

‫فريق بحثي من جامعة‬ ‫الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية يتصدى للتحديات‬ ‫العالمية المتعلقة بالمياه‬ ‫يعمل البروفيسور باسكال سايكالي‪ ،‬األستاذ المساعد بقسم علوم‬ ‫وهندسة البيئة وفريقه البحثي في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية على مواجهة واحدة من أهم القضايا في العالم وهي‪ :‬توفير‬ ‫المياه العذبة النقية لسكان العالم المتزايد‪.‬‬ ‫ويقول البروفيسور سايكالي ‪ " :‬لتلبية الطلب العالمي على المياه‪ ،‬يجب‬ ‫علينا إعادة استخدام مصادر المياه غير التقليدية كمياه الصرف الصحي‬ ‫بعد معالجتها‪ .‬ويقوم فريقي البحثي بالجامعة بإجراء األبحاث األساسية‬ ‫والموجهة نحو اكتشاف وتطوير التقنيات الحيوية المستدامة لمعالجة‬ ‫مياه الصرف الصحي لتكون تقنيات فعالة قادرة على توفير المياه‬ ‫الصالحة باستخدام الحد األدنى من الطاقة والموارد واالنبعاثات"‪.‬‬

‫‪1‬‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫تطوير تقنية حيوية جديدة لمعالجة مياه‬ ‫الصرف الصحي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حديثا في المجلة العلمية ‪Environmental‬‬ ‫وفي ورقتين بحثيتين نشرتا‬ ‫‪ Science & Technology‬استعرض الدكتور سايكالي وفريقه البحثي‬ ‫الخطوط العريضة لتطوير تقنية حيوية مبتكرة قائمة على التقنيات‬ ‫الكهروكيميائية الميكروبية (‪ )METs‬لمعالجة وإعادة استخدام مياه‬ ‫الصرف الصحي‪ ،‬وتتضمن هذه التقنية استخدام خاليا الوقود الميكروبية‬ ‫(‪ )MFCs‬وخاليا التحليل الكهربائي الميكروبية (‪ .)MECs‬وتُ ستخدم هذه‬ ‫التقنية في معالجة مياة الصرف الصحي وتوليد الطاقة في نفس‬ ‫الوقت‪ .‬حيث تقوم البكتيريا في وحدات التقنيات الكهروكيميائية‬ ‫الميكروبية (‪ )METs‬بتحويل إلكترونات المواد العضوية القابلة للذوبان‬ ‫الموجودة في مياه الصرف الصحي إلى كهرباء مباشرة‪.‬‬ ‫ويشير البروفيسور سايكالي الى أن التقنيات الكهروكيميائية الميكروبية‬ ‫(‪ )METs‬غير كافية إلنتاج مياه ذات جودة عالية تسمح بإعادة‬ ‫استخدامها‪ .‬ولرفع مستوى جودة المياه‪ ،‬جمع الباحثون بين التقنيات‬ ‫الكهروكيميائية الميكروبية (‪ )METs‬وبين تقنية الترشيح الغشائي‬ ‫باستخدام رقائق مسامية مسطحة موصلة للكهرباء‪ .‬وكان من نتائج ذلك‬ ‫أن استطاعوا تطوير مفاعل حيوي من خاليا الوقود الميكروبية يعالج‬ ‫مياه الصرف الصحي ويقوم بعملية الترشيح الفائقة في نفس الوقت‪،‬‬ ‫إلنتاج مياه صالحة لالستخدام مباشرة‪.‬‬

‫أهمية التعاون البحثي‬

‫وتعاون فريق الدكتورة سوزانا نونيز‪ ،‬أستاذ علوم وهندسة البيئة في‬ ‫مركز تحلية وإعادة استخدام المياه ( (‪WDRC‬في هذه البحث حيث قاموا‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خصيصا لتتوافق مع تطبيقات‬ ‫بتجميع األغشية الموصلة وتصميمها‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا‪ ،‬تعاون البروفيسور سايكالي‬ ‫الفريق البحثي للبروفيسور سايكالي‪.‬‬ ‫وفريقه البحثي مع الدكتور تشى بينغ الي‪-‬أستاذ مشارك في الهندسة‬

‫‪11‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫الكيميائية والبيولوجية‪ -‬وبعض الباحثين العاملين بمركز األغشية‬ ‫والمواد المسامية المتقدمة (‪ )AMPM‬بالجامعة في تصميم التقنيات‬ ‫الكهروكيميائية الميكروبية الخاصة بمعالجة مياه الصرف الصحي والتي‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا الحد من مشكلة تلوث األغشية التي تعتبر أحد‬ ‫استطاعوا من خاللها‬ ‫العيوب الرئيسية لتقنية تحلية المياه باألغشية"‪.‬‬

‫تكريم دولي للفريق البحثي‬ ‫وتكللت جهود الفريق البحثي المبتكرة بالنجاح حيث حصلوا على جائزة‬ ‫الجمعية الدولية للتقنيات الكهروكيميائية الميكروبية لعام ‪،2014‬‬ ‫وجائزة اإلبداع ألفضل تقدم تقني لعام ‪.2013‬‬ ‫وأشار الدكتور سايكالي الى أن الندرة الشديدة للمياه هي قضية ملحة‬ ‫لدول الشرق األوسط وغيرها من البلدان في جميع أنحاء العالم‪ ،‬ويأمل‬ ‫أن يدرك الجميع الى أن التكامل بين العلوم والهندسة هو الحل االمثل‬ ‫لمواجهة تحديات القرن الواحد والعشرين‪ .‬وتعد التقنية الكهروكيميائية‬ ‫الميكروبية القائمة على األغشية التي تم تطويرها بجامعة الملك‬ ‫عبداهلل هي مثال جيد على اندماج العلوم والهندسة لتحقيق الفائدة‬ ‫المزدوجة وهي توليد الطاقة ومعالجة مياه الصرف الصحي‪.‬‬

1

Students participate in Dow SISCA awards

By Caitlin Clark Sixteen KAUST doctoral students took part in this year’s Dow Chemical Company-sponsored Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award (SISCA). Seventeen prestigious universities worldwide participate in the awards, with one first-place winner and one runner-up being chosen from each university’s group of participating students.

Anas Abu-Taha, a doctoral student in Materials Science & Engineering, won first-place in the awards, taking home a $10,000 prize for his poster entitled Energy Harvesting from Waste Heat Using Nanoscale Thermoelectrics.

David Conchouso Gonzales, a doctoral student in Electrical Engineering, was the runner-up, and was awarded a $2,500 prize. His poster was entitled Towards a sustainable production of monodisperse and highly controllable emulsions through the massive 3D parallelization of microfluidic droplet generators.

The awards are intended to showcase Dow’s commitment to sustainability and fostering innovation at world-class universities. KAUST has participated in the Dow SISCA awards since 2010.

Henk Pool, director of the KAUST-based Dow Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Research & Development Center, noted he was “quite excited and impressed” with the ideas presented by KAUST students for the competition.

“Dow is committed to innovations to solve the world’s challenges, but we cannot do this alone,” he said. “KAUST is an important partner in our mission for sustainability and innovation.”

1.Doctoral student Andrew Yip talks through his poster during the 2014 Dow Chemical Company-sponsored Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award (SISCA) held on the KAUST campus. By Caitlin Clark

12

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

Looking forward to

#wep2015 Every year the Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) brings a wide variety of events to the community.

With the sixth annual WEP coming up from January 11 to 22, we asked three community members about the events they were most excited to take part in.

My favorite time of the year is here at last! I’m getting ready to volunteer and listen in wonder to some of the great keynote speakers, especially The Edge of Human Limits (Wednesday, Jan 14) with Guillaume Nery and Deserts of the Earth (Wednesday, Jan 21) with Michael Martin. Then there’s shopping at the Farmers Market (Friday, Jan 16 to Saturday, Jan 17)… just too much choice!

Claire Morris, Technical Writer, KAUST Facilities and Communities

I have taken part in WEP since its inception and I’m always thrilled by the variety of activities, lectures, experiences that WEP offers. I am keenly looking forward to Anthony Redhead’s keynote lecture Back to the Beginning in Cosmology and Radio Astronomy (Sunday, Jan 18). However, in my opinion the most important WEP event is the Community-wide 5km Run (Friday, Jan 16). I helped launch this event back in 2009, and it’s just great to see everyone out there for this event, from serious runners to families.

Martin Mai, Professor of Earth Science and Engineering

We are fortunate enough to live in an oasis in the desert, surrounded by native plants. As I originate from a country where gardens are very important I’m keen to take part in the Botanical Tour (Tuesday, Jan 13) and learn more about the plant life here in our community. I also love to cook so I’m very interested in creating and learning about gluten-free vegan food at Chef Veganessa's Gluten Free Vegan Cooking Classes (Tuesday, Jan 20 – Thursday Jan 22).

Petrina Marks, Events Coordinator, Physical Sciences and Engineering

For a complete timetable of events and details, visit wep.acadox.com

www.kaust.edu.sa

13

Carbon capture technique offers hope for sustainable future

By Meres J. Weche

A recent paper published by scientists from the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC) and Technische Universität München (TUM) states that “the atmospheric concentration of CO2 or carbon dioxide, is set to surpass the symbolic mark of 400 ppm (parts-per-million) with a growth rate of over 2 ppm per year.” The paper also reports that only about 0.5% of the CO2 emitted is currently exploited as renewables for the production of useful chemicals.

Towards a sustainable solution for CO2 conversion Co-author Professor Valerio D'Elia and KCC Director Professor Jean-Marie Basset, manage the collaboration with TUM. D’Elia describes the conversion of CO2 directly from flue gas as “a dream reaction. There is a great value in using a catalytic system to convert CO2 into useful chemicals as it comes out.”

While catalysts are often seen as viable green technologies, many rely on the use of costly, rare metals such as rhodium, iridium and platinum. Another challenge is that reactions involving CO2 are generally energy-intensive, which offsets any environmental benefits.

“It’s often necessary to warm up the CO2 for the purposes of converting it into useful chemicals. In the end, you produce more CO2 than you’ve transformed,” said D’Elia.

Managing emissions for the future Current technologies do not yet permit an outright switch away from CO2 producing fossil fuels for vital energy generation requirements, which makes finding solutions to deal with CO2 emissions imperative.

In the carbon capture and utilization paradigm, CO2 is a valuable source of carbon that can be utilized in the production of saleable chemicals. D’Elia described the research he and his colleagues recently published as capture that, in a millisecond, is directly transformed into an hemicarbonate and converted, thereby eliminating the need to purify it or store it underground.

Possible impacts for the Kingdom While Saudi Arabia doesn’t currently have established regulations for CO2 emissions, companies in the energy sector

14

THE BEACON | JAN 2015

are interested in utilizing CO2 instead of paying carbon taxes and adding to global warming. Companies like SABIC and Saudi Aramco within the Kingdom burn a lot of fossil fuels and have a vested interest in recovering and converting that spent carbon.

“It’s not only recovering the CO2 but also using the carbon as a C1 block,” said D’Elia.

The research he and his colleagues have published, in which they use sustainable catalysts to convert CO2, offers the possibility to contribute to the knowledge economy and diversification of the Kingdom.

“These economically viable minerals, which are the basis of sustainable catalysts, are very abundant in Saudi Arabia,” said D’Elia. “This would be a very good opportunity for the Kingdom to develop this kind of chemistry in the view of transitioning from a CO2 producing country to a leader in the absorption and reuse of large amounts of CO2 to make other chemicals.”

‫‪1. Left to right: Dr. Jeremie Pelletier and Dr. Valerio D' Elia‬‬

‫‪celebrate their discovery in the KCC laboratories. By Nicholas‬‬ ‫‪Demille‬‬

‫‪2. Left to right: Research scientist Dr. Valerio D' Elia, KCC‬‬

‫‪Director Prof. Jean Marie Basset and KCC laboratory manager‬‬ ‫‪Dr. Jeremie Pelletier. By Nicholas Demille‬‬

‫تقنيات جديدة لعزل‬ ‫الكربون ّ‬ ‫تعزز مستقبل‬ ‫الطاقة المستدامة‬ ‫‪1‬‬ ‫ان االرتفاع المستمر في نسبة غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون في الغالف‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫خصوصا في ظل الطلب العالمي المتزايد على‬ ‫واقعا‬ ‫الجوي أصبح‬ ‫ً‬ ‫الطاقة والتي يتم توليدها غالبا عن طريق حرق الوقود األحفوري‪.‬‬ ‫حيث تزايدت نسبته بمعدل ‪ 30٪‬عن نسبته منذ أقل من قرنين من‬ ‫الزمان مما يعد تحد خطير يواجه االرض بتأثيرات خطيرة أهمها ارتفاع‬ ‫درجة حموضة المحيطات‪ ،‬وذوبان القمم الجليدية القطبية وغيرها من‬ ‫المشاكل البيئة المختلفة‪.‬‬

‫الحد من انبعاثات غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون من‬ ‫أجل المستقبل‬ ‫قامت بعض دول العالم بفرض قوانين لعزل الكربون وتخزينه كحل‬ ‫لهذه المشكلة وذلك بإستخدام بعض األمينات للتفاعل مع غاز ثاني‬ ‫ً‬ ‫تمهيدا لفصله وتخزينه في أسطوانات أو‬ ‫أكسيد الكربون ثم تسخينه‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫كبيرا وتم‬ ‫اعتراضا‬ ‫ضخه تحت سطح األرض‪ .‬وقد واجهت هذه اآللية‬ ‫التخلي عنها في ألمانيا التي ترى أن الطريقة األنسب هي العزل‬ ‫المباشر ومن ثم االستفادة منه في الطاقة المتجددة‪.‬‬

‫نحو حلول مستدامة لتحويل غازل ثاني أكسيد‬ ‫الكربون‬ ‫نشرت مجلة ‪ Chemistry - A European Journal‬العلمية بالتعاون مع‬ ‫علماء مركز الحفز الكيميائي (‪ )KCC‬في جامعة الملك عبداهلل للعلوم‬ ‫والتقنية وجامعة ميونخ التقنية (‪ )TU‬ورقة بحثية ذكروا خاللها أنه قد‬ ‫يتجاوز تركيز غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون في الغالف الجوي ‪ 400‬جزء في‬ ‫المليون في الوقت الحالي مع معدل نمو يبلغ أكثر من ‪ 2‬جزء في‬ ‫ً‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا أن ‪ 0.5٪‬فقط من الغاز المنبعث‬ ‫سنويا‪ .‬وأفاد الباحثون‬ ‫المليون‬ ‫يستغل حاليا كطاقة متجددة تستخدم إلنتاج مواد كيميائية مفيدة‪.‬‬ ‫ويصف الدكتور فاليريو ديليا الباحث في مركز الحفز الكيميائي في‬ ‫جامعة الملك عبداهلل و المشارك في هذه الورقة البحثية‪ ،‬والذي يدير‬ ‫التعاون مع جامعة ميونخ إلى جانب البروفيسور جان ماري باسيت مدير‬ ‫المركز‪ ،‬يصف مفهوم تحويل الغاز مباشرة من غاز المداخن أنه تفاعل‬ ‫مهم ً‬ ‫جدا إذا ما تم استخدام نظام حفزي لتحويله لمواد كيميائية مفيدة‪.‬‬ ‫وقد أحرز الفريق البحثي من جامعة الملك عبداهلل وجامعة ميونخ‬ ‫التقنية تقدما علميا‪ ،‬حيث إستطاعوا تحديد ودراسة حافز معدني‬ ‫متوفر يمكنه تحويل الكربون في درجة حرارة الغرفة والضغط‬ ‫الجوي العادي‪ .‬وقال الدكتور ديليا‪" :‬استطعنا تحويل غاز ثاني أكسيد‬ ‫ً‬ ‫جدا‪ ،‬وهذا‬ ‫الكربون مباشرة وبتركيز منخفض باستخدام محفز بسيط‬ ‫ً‬ ‫حقا‪ ،‬وأنا أتطلع إلى المستقبل عندما يستخدم الناس الغاز‬ ‫إنجاز كبير‬ ‫من دخان المداخن مباشرة لتصنيع منتجات مفيدة‪ ،‬وعزله في نفس‬ ‫الوقت للحفاظ على البيئة"‪.‬‬

‫‪15‬‬

‫‪www.kaust.edu.sa‬‬

‫اآلثار المحتملة على‬ ‫المملكة العربية‬ ‫السعودية‬

‫‪2‬‬

‫على الرغم من عدم قيام المملكة‬ ‫العربية السعودية بوضح لوائح‬ ‫محددة تضبط انبعاثات غاز ثاني‬ ‫أكسيد الكربون‪ ،‬إال أن الشركات‬ ‫العاملة في قطاع الطاقة على‬ ‫مستوى العالم تسعى لالستفادة‬ ‫منه‪ .‬حيث تقوم شركات محلية‬ ‫مثل سابك وأرامكو السعودية‬ ‫باستهالك الكثير من الوقود‬ ‫األحفوري ولذا فإن لها مصلحة‬ ‫في استعادة وتحويل الكربون‬ ‫التي تنتجه‪ .‬ويشير الدكتور ديليا‬ ‫إلى أن البحث الذي قام هو‬ ‫وزمالؤه بنشره عن استخدام‬ ‫المحفزات المستدامة لتحويل غاز‬ ‫ثاني أكسيد الكربون سيدعم توجه‬ ‫المملكة نحو االقتصاد المعرفي ألن عزل غاز ثاني أكسيد الكربون‬ ‫ال يقتصر على استعادته والتقليل من أضراره على البيئة فقط وإنما‬ ‫ً‬ ‫أيضا االستفادة منه بشكل أساسي من الناحية االقتصادية‪.‬‬ ‫يشمل‬ ‫حيث تتوفر المعادن‪ -‬التي تعد أساس هذه المحفزات المستدامة‬ ‫ بكميات وفيرة في المملكة‪ .‬وهذا يمثل فرصة جيدة لتطوير هذا‬‫النوع وتعزيز انتقالها من دولة منتجة لثاني أكسيد الكربون إلى دولة‬ ‫رائدة في مجال امتصاصه وإعادة استخدامه بكميات هائلة إلنتاج‬ ‫المواد الكيميائية المفيدة‪.‬‬

My University Rodrigo Telles Rodrigo Telles is a high school Social Science teacher with a background in the business world. Telles managed over 580 client accounts in the Caixa Economica Federal bank in his home city of Brasilia, Brazil before coming to KAUST. His work and studies have taken him all around the world from Brazil to the United States, to the U.K. and U.A.E., to Germany and Egypt and now here to KAUST. He holds a bachelor’s in Accounting and International Business Administration as well as a master’s in Economics in International Development.

On why he chose KAUST Telles explains, “the amount of positives here are great, the working environment, safety for both me and my family, the variety of sports, parks and events. It offers a dream life where I am able to save for future goals.”

Like many others who have travelled to live and work here, his preconceived notions couldn’t have been further from the truth. “It is much less constricted in so many different ways than what I imagined before coming to Saudi Arabia. I am surprised how well my family have adapted to life here now and how happy they are after almost four years.”

Like many of his fellow Brazilians, Telles shares a passion for football.

“I support football on many different levels within the KAUST community. Be it through coaching, playing and organizing events that are soccer related.”

“I believe that the environment and social life in KAUST are simply great, the growth in the community since I came here is astounding, and it continues to get better and better. I love the multicultural aspect of our community, the safety and the sports and facilities.”

Vani (Twigg) Veikoso Vani was born in Levuka, Fiji. Interestingly, she did her primary education at the first school established in Fiji by British settlers in 1879. She attended teachers’ college in Fiji before moving to work internationally. Her last post was in Istanbul, Turkey.

At KAUST, Vani works as a grade two student-support teacher in the Gardens Elementary School. She holds a master’s degree in education with a research focus, from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

In October of 2014, Vani presented some of her research at the IB Africa, Europe and Middle East Regional Conference in Rome, Italy. She presented about her first-ever research undertaking with the theme Ways of Knowing, an accomplishment, of which, she is “particularly proud.”

“My dream has been to use my knowledge, experience and expertise in education to support adult education. Being part of KAUST is a start of that dream for a career at the university level,” said Vani. “How that will look like in the future, remains to be seen. But I am looking forward to what the future brings.”

1 Using science to push the boundaries of photography

By David Murphy Wolfgang Heidrich, director of the Visual Computing Center and professor of computer science, was recently awarded the Humboldt Research Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements to date, particularly within the research area of Computational Photography and Displays. This is an area of scientific inquiry in which researchers are attempting to push the boundaries of photography with the aid of computers and software.

Can you describe the Humboldt Research Award?

The Humboldt Research Award is one of the higher profile faculty awards. It is for people living outside of Germany all around the world; it’s across all disciplines and comes with €60,000 prize money, but mainly its aim is to try to bring high-profile people into the country to network with German researchers.

And you have have chosen to carry out your research at the Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics in Saarbrücken?

Yes, over the course of the next three years I expect to spend roughly six months in Germany talking to various faculty members and hopefully doing research projects together.

In fact, this has almost already started in parallel with my appointment here at KAUST. I feel it’s going to seamlessly integrate with the plans I have here.

What brought you to KAUST? I have been here since February 2014. And there are two standout reasons I chose to come to KAUST. The first one being that I had a full professor tenured appointment at the University of British Columbia and I had done that for a couple of years, so I was looking for some new challenges. Becoming the center director here came at the right time and it was a nice fit for me.

The second reason was the people here and the research opportunities. In terms of facilities alone, KAUST is really the best place that I’ve seen. I mean honestly the research infrastructure here is phenomenal. I don’t know any other university that comes close.

What I like most about KAUST is that you have so many facilities and labs that are accessible to everybody, even to people you think might not need them. In fact that’s what happened me with the nanofabrication Lab. I never really considered myself as someone who needs a nanofabrication lab, but then you come here and see what is possible, the opportunities for training that my students and postdocs can receive to build custom diffraction gradings for some optics projects, and you cannot help but avail yourself of the facilities at hand. When you see what is here at KAUST there is a massive scope for personal development—I have actually been able to realize ideas here that were not possible in other places.

1. Wolfgang Heidrich, director of the Visual Computing Center and

professor of computer science, stands outside building 16 on the KAUST campus.

16

THE BEACON | JAN 2015