The launch of WEP 2017 is under the national heritage sign with a program centered on “Discover Saudi Arabia.” The culmination of the day will be the keynote lecture by His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, chairman of the KAUST board of trustees.
Discover Saudi Arabia: The Egyptian Pilgrimage Road
- Lunchtime lecture: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Auditorium (building 20)
- Exhibition opening: 1:30 – 2:00 p.m. – Auditorium (building 20) lobby
Mehmet Tutuncu, chairman of the Research Centre for Turkish and Arabic world in the Netherlands, will highlight this important piece of the Kingdom’s history that is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative List.
The lecture will be followed by the exhibition opening featuring up to 40 photographs of historical sites of the Egyptian pilgrimage road taken by a KAUST team led by archaeologist Dr. Laurence Hapiot. The exhibition will be open until Thursday, January 12.
WEP On Air
Professor David Dureissex, who will give a lunchtime lecture on origami on Monday, will launch our first WEP on Air afternoon session from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. at the WEP Hub.
WEP On-Air consists of a 20 minute live interview and a 10 minute Q&A with the audience. The format of WEP On Air is informal, and it is meant to be a casual conversation that provides a way for our speakers to talk about their topics in a more personal way. The video will play live on KAUST Facebook. It will also be recorded and added to the KAUST YouTube channel later on.
Free coffee and tea will be served.
The Challenges and Future of SABIC
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Engineering Science Hall (building 9), lecture hall 2325
By Khalid Al-Bahily, director of SABIC’s Corporate Research and Development Center Catalysis.
Out of the desert: My Journey from Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil
Keynote lecture
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Auditorium (building 20)
His Excellency Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, former minister of oil in the Kingdom, will comment on his autobiography.
H.E. Al-Naimi will sign 50 copies of his book for attending guests (on a first-come, first-served basis). Books will also be available for sale in the Auditorium.
Cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m.
Join us on this first day of WEP 2017!
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