DHAHRAN, August 26, 2009 -- Nearly 200 of the Kingdom’s most promising high-school students took part in Saudi Aramco’s Summer Gifted Student Program this year and got the chance to learn more about science, mathematics and engineering.
Programs ran concurrently for boys and girls in Dhahran and Ras Tanura focusing on the three disciplines. Students learned how to apply research fundamentals in a variety of classes that provided them with the basic skills necessary for success.
Fields of study ranged from environmental pollution to software programming and robotics.
The program was designed to challenge students with subject matter slightly above their current abilities.
The logo for the program was three light bulbs, each one a different color, signifying one of the program’s three disciplines. The logo paid homage to American inventor Thomas Edison, whose revolutionary tungsten-filament electric light bulb was the product of 98 unsuccessful attempts before he came to his solution.
“If Edison were here, he would be quite pleased to know that this was the theme of our program 130 years after his invention,” said Human Resource Development consultant Jamal K. Dabal, who helped organize the program with the al-Khobar-based Talents Center and the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for the Gifted and its Mawhibah organization.
Of course, many of the activities were related to Saudi Aramco and the energy industry, and students visited several company facilities, including Khurais Producing, the world’s largest integrated oil project.
In addition, classes and discussions were presented on related topics, such as leadership, intellectual property and the role of creativity as well as dialogue and negotiation.
“Our key objective for these programs is to contribute to human-resource development and enable the learners to unleash their energies and capabilities through modern strategies as needed for cultured interactions,” said Huda M. Al-Ghoson, executive director of Employee Relations and Training.
“Whatever efforts are extended to the students in terms of scientific research, and introduction to computer science and engineering will not only equip the students with technical skills in various disciplines but also will help them experience the joy of learning and then transform their learning into a real-life application.”
At the end of the program, students presented exhibits of the research they had conducted over the summer, and Saudi Aramco employees and executives, as well as some proud parents, got to see their progress.
“We in Saudi Aramco feel that this enriching summer program allows us to transfer our experience, experiments and culture in Saudi Aramco in an ongoing and practical basis,” said Saudi Aramco Affairs vice president Khalid A. Al-Buraik.
“We regard this as one of Saudi Aramco’s most important sponsored social responsibility programs, and we are really thrilled by the progress this program has achieved over the past years for the benefit of some 1,000 students so far.”