Below is the article I wrote for Arab News, giving my expectations of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
KAUST Supplement:
Looking at KAUST, with fingers crossed
John BurgessAs an observer of Saudi Arabia and one who wishes it only well in its difficult transitions into modernity, I find the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology both interesting and exciting.
KAUST is daring to attempt to push Saudi Arabia into the forefront of academic excellence. While many Saudi universities produce excellent graduates, their achievements appear to be modest. The creation of KAUST seeks to push beyond the status quo to achieve both academic performance at the highest level, as well as practical applications for Saudi research.
The areas of research chosen by the university indicate the directions in which it wants to proceed:
• Resources, Energy, and Environment;
• Biosciences and Bioengineering;
• Materials Science and Engineering;
• Applied Mathematics; and
• Computational Science.
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September:23:2009 - 16:32
Excellent article, John. I have been very inspired by what I have read about KAUST. It is a remarkable undertaking. I noted from its website that there are 4 female Assistant Professors, from 4 different Arab countries (Lebanon, Algeria, ?, and Saudi Arabia) all trained in the West (US, France, Canada, Scotland),
I was so inspired I did a post on Saudi National Day/Inauguration of KAUST. For some reason it hadn’t struck me that the Inaugural coincided with National Day. Very fitting!
September:27:2009 - 17:23
Hi. Nice
We can’t lose Hope!
September:27:2009 - 17:49
OMG! I hope not!!