SRSI 2016 Alumni Advance to International Competitions
Congratulations to the SRSI alumni of the Saudi Intel-ISEF team! We are pleased to announce that 14 of the 18 Saudi students selected to represent the Kingdom at the international competition are alumni of the 2016 SRSI program.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program of Society for Science & the Public, is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for an average of $4 million in prizes.
Also advancing to the international competition are Amaar Amir and Khaled Hambishi. I-SWEEEP (International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environmental Project) promotes engineering inventions and energy efficiency/management discoveries that nurture environmentally friendly technology concepts in secondary education.
In addition to recognizing their hard work and high level of ability and achievement, continuing on to international competitions gives students an opportunity to continue to develop their research skills and abilities, conduct further research and enhance their presentation skills. These opportunities help prepare SRSI alumni for candidacy and later success in undergraduate studies through the KAUST Gifted Student Program (KGSP) on their journey to graduate studies at KAUST.
Below are the students’ names and project titles along with the names of their mentors. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to the many KAUST faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and staff who work with and support SRSI for the advancement of student knowledge and the development of research skills.
Some of the students will return in late April to conduct additional research before going to the U.S. in early May for the competitions.
Intel-ISEF Qualifiers
| Student Name | Mentor Name | Project Title |
| Alea Al Mohammed-Hussain | Takashi Gojobori | Big Data Analysis of Genomic Variations of Type 2 Diabetes in the Middle Eastern Population |
| Dana AlKhaldi | Kazuhiro Takanabe | Overall Water Splitting Using Heterogeneous Photocatalyst Powders |
| Danya Aljishi | Andrea Falqui | Ultrastructural Characterization of MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells Exposed to Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Using TEM and SEM Analysis |
| Maha Alrashed | Robert Hoehndorf | Coloring Graphs Computationally |
| Nadia AlMutlak | Osman Bakr | Zero Dimensional Perovskites in Visible
Light Communications |
| Noor Alkhonaizi | Frederic Laquai | Emerging Photovoltaics: Optimization of Inverted
Planar CH3NH3PbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells |
| Rania Alghamdi | Magdy Mahfouz | Efficient Genome Editing System of Human Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9 |
| Razan Alkawai | David Ketcheson | Abelian Sandpiles |
| Sara AlRabiah | Osman Bakr | Organic Lead Halide Hybrid Perovskites for Resistive
Switching Memory Applications |
| Abdulaziz Alsalem | Aamir Farooq | Ignition Delay Measurement for
Heltermann Straight Run Naphtha |
| Abdullah AlMansour | Muhammad Mustafa Hussain | Flexible Low-cost Sensory Patch for Chronic Wheezing Detection |
| Amaar Amir | Manuel Aranda | Expression Patterns of Ammonium
Transporters in Symbiodinium Microadriaticum |
| Faisal Shafiei | Hossein Fariborzi | Implementation of Interface Signal Conditioning
Circuits for Microresonator-Based Logic Blocks |
| Omar Fayoumi | Timothy Ravasi | Bioinformatics on population genetics and transgenerational plasticity to climate change in coral reef fish using RNA-Seq |
I-SWEEEP Qualifiers
| Student Name | Mentor Name | Project Title |
| Amaar Amir | Manuel Aranda | Expression Patterns of Ammonium
Transporters in Symbiodinium Microadriaticum |
| Khaled Hambishi | Iman Roqan | Improving Solar Cells Efficiency with
Nanoparticles by Laser Ablation |
About the SRSI
The Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) is an intensive six-week summer research immersion program in science, technology, engineering and math. Designed for high-achieving eleventh graders from throughout the Kingdom, SRSI offers these top students the opportunity to conduct university-level research under world-class KAUST faculty mentors. Through the SRSI, students are introduced to the transformative power of science and leave KAUST with expanded horizons and insight into future academic and professional STEM careers in Saudi Arabia.
This summer, KAUST will host 43 young scholars from July 8 to August 19 as part of SRSI 2017. Participants will conduct research, meet with college and university admissions personnel to learn about applying to undergraduate studies, meet with representatives from KGSP and hear from distinguished speakers from KAUST and around the world.
Please join us for the annual poster symposium held in the Campus Library on August 1. Also watch the LED screens and The Lens for announcements about distinguished speakers and engagement opportunities with our students.
To learn more or serve as a mentor, please contact:
SRSI.MentorRecruitment@KAUST.EDU.SA.
