What Does It Mean to Be a KAUSTian?

THUWAL, September 30, 2009- Students, faculty and staff members have joined the throngs of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) community — each with his or her own definition of what it means to be a KAUSTian

For assistant provost David S. Yeh, it is conviction in the university’s mission. “I really believe in the concept,” he said. “I think it’s very important that the knowledge we gain gets shared beyond normal borders.”

Felix Lao, a graduate student of computer science from Hong Kong, shares the sentiment. “I love the vision of the King,” he said of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah, who first thought of the university 25 years ago, “to group all the different people from around the world here — to discover, solve problems and to think about our future.”

The university’s commitment to research and solving problems is demonstrated in the equipment and facilities available to students and faculty, which distinguishes KAUST from other institutions.

“One possibility is to do more efficient photosynthesis, including photo-catalysis, which is to use carbon dioxide, water and solar energy, and produce biomass.

“I came here because I have better possibilities than anywhere else,” said Dr. Jorg Eppinger, whose work at the Catalysis Center has the potential to treat cancer. “There’s no place in the world that can do what we do here, and that’s the idea: to create a scientific environment without precedent.”

KAUST provides some with opportunities they couldn’t find elsewhere. “I can work without restriction here. I just have to develop my ideas,” said Indonesian bioscience student Anjar Wibowo, who will study the molecular genetics of micro-organisms in the Red Sea and their applications in waste management. “I want to discover something new for people to remember me by, and I know that KAUST can help me with that.”

“Anything that is manufactured is designed by computer first, from pens to automobiles and buildings,” he said.

Ambitions are high among the student body and faculty, and so are their expectations. “My expectation was to graduate from a university that is recognized around the world in research and technology,” said Idris Ajia, a Nigerian student of electrical engineering. “I can say that my ambitions and expectations are on track here.

An institution of KAUST’s caliber means more than just scientific discovery; it is also cultural.

These technologies have applications in other fields, such as archaeology, where researchers can analyze artifacts.

“I believe that having experience living in the Muslim world is important,” said Wang, a student of mechanical engineering from China. “I have experience living in China and Northeast Asia. I’ve studied in the United States and in Europe. I really needed to get a Muslim background, too.”

The university is also a new endeavor for the Kingdom and puts it on the world map in a different way.

“I didn’t know anything about Saudi Arabia; it was never a place I thought about for an academic career,” said Dr. David Ketcheson of Applied Mathematics. “I think that is what KAUST is about — Saudi Arabia didn’t used to be about academic research.”

With that privilege comes a sense of obligation for the students. “You really feel responsible. You don’t want to disappoint people’s ambitions and their hopes — or the King’s,” said Sara A. Al-Aqeel. “I’m so proud to be a KAUST student.”

It is also especially meaningful to its local students. “You have the whole world in your grasp, the best technology, and your family are with you,” said May M. Al-Qurashi, an advanced bioengineering student. “You don’t even have to leave home.”

“Being in the university’s first foundation class is amazing,” said Miassar M. Al-Ghamdi, a computer-science student. “I feel like we got the best out of everything.”