The Fourth Saudi International Nanotechnology Conference was held under the auspices of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on Tuesday morning, 01/24/1438 AH, corresponding to 10/25/2016 AD. The Conference was organized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in collaboration with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). The conference lasted for two days, attended by Prince Dr. Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al Saud, President of KACST, and Dr. Khalid Al-Sultan, Rector of KFUPM.
The scientific research papers submitted by Maram Najeh Al-Furiji, Nourah Muhammad Al-Ghaith and Afaf Abdullah Al-Qahtani, graduates from the Physics Department in the College of Science, were accepted to be presented at the conference. Both researchers, Maram Al-Furiji and Nourah Al-Ghaith, presented their papers and posters in the Conference. Their papers were the only graduation project research papers presented. All other research papers were presented by international researchers and holders of master's and doctoral degrees. This is a clear indication that their research papers were distinguished and gained the trust of the scientific committee of the conference.
In this regard, Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Babtain, Dean of the College of Science, gave credit to the graduates for their outstanding achievement and considered their participation in this international conference a clear indication of the high quality of their acdemic research papers. He also added that the publication of their papers in this conference comes as one of the fruits of the scientific and research collaboration strategically adopted by the College of Science with the scientific and research bodies in our Kingdom, especially with KACST.
The participant researchers did their graduation projects at the National Center for Nanotechnology under the supervision of Dr. Marzouk Saleh Al-Shammari from KACST and Dr. Raed Hussein Al-Hathlool from the Physics Department at Al Imam University in the first semester of last year 1436/1437 AH. It is noteworthy that the researcher Arwa Homoud Al-Harbi participated in the research project presented by the researcher Maram Najeh Al-Furiji, the researcher Maha Mesh'al Al-Shammari participated in the research project presented by the researcher Nourah Muhammad Al-Ghaith and the researcher Rawan Rasheed Al-Dosari participated in the research project presented by the researcher Afaf Abdullah Al-Qahtani. (For more information: Click here)
Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Khudhiri, chairman of the scientific committee of the conference, addressing Dr. Raed Hussein Al-Hathlool, the supervisor of the researchers, made the point that the graduates of the Physics Department deserved to publish their researches in the conference, and that they attained the qualifying standards of participation in this international scientific conference on a par with all participating researchers.
On their part, both researchers Al-Furiji and Al-Ghaith took pride in their participation in this important international scientific conference, which is sponsored by KACST and attended by the winners of Nobel Prize and King Faisal Prize for Science. They also said that this participation motivated them to continue their acdemic research and was an important boost in their research and academic career. It was also an important step forward in their progress and scientific journey.
The conference hosted a number of the most important international experts in Nanotechnology, such as Professor Shuji Nakamura, winner of Nobel Prize in Physics 2014, and Professor Fraser, winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, in addition to Professor Omar Yaghi and Professor Michael Grätzel, receivers of King Faisal International Prize in Science 2015.
The conference discussed four main themes, which are: manufacturing of nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanophotonics, and solar cells and energy applications, in addition to biological and environmental applications. The conference also included a workshop on the role of nanomaterials in the manufacturing of catalysts used in the petroleum industries.
Prince Dr. Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed Al Saud, President of KACST, emphasized that KACST is keen to create the appropriate research environment which supports initiatives and programs of the "Saudi Vision 2030." KACST presented its initiatives within the National Transformation Program 2020, which aims in its entirety to expand the local technical field in Saudi Arabia in key sectors, including sectors related to Nanotechnology.
During the opening of the conference, His Highness explained that KACST worked on establishing 15 centers of excellence in partnership with a number of major international universities and research centers in order to transfer and localize the appropriate strategic technologies for Saudi Arabia, including six centers of excellence in the fields of materials technology. He also drew attention to KACST's collaboration with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and University of California, Santa Barbara in the field of LED lighting technologies with Professor Nakamura, Nobel Prize winner in Physics 2014. These partnerships resulted in training and qualifying a large number of Saudi researchers in the field of materials technology and Nanotechnology.
The President of KACST noted that the Saudi government attaches great importance to scientific research and technical development in various fields due to their important role in sustainable development and increase of added value to support the national economy through the transformation, localization, and development of advanced technologies in Saudi Arabia. In order to reflect this interest, KACST worked on transferring and localizing the latest technologies, building national capacities to accelerate scientific research and technical development in Saudi Arabia, and strengthening the collaboration with universities and research centers such as KFUPM in order to achieve the objectives of the Saudi vision 2030 and National Transformation Program 2020 in many scientific fields, including those related to Nanotechnology.
The President of KACST also noted that Professor James Fraser Stoddart, Head of the joint research team of KACST and Northwestern University in the United States, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016. Additionally, he congratulated Professor Stoddart for winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, and Professor Nakamura for winning the Nobel Prize in Physics 2014. He also congratulated Professor Omar Yaghi and Professor Michael Grätzel for receiving King Faisal International Prize in Science 2015.
In his turn, Dr. Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Khudhiri, Director of the National Center for Nanotechnology and chairman of the scientific committee of the conference, explained that the conference discussed manufacturing of nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanophotonics, and solar cells, in addition to medical and environmental applications of Nanotechnology over two days.
Dr. Raed Hussein Al-Hathlool, Vice-Dean of the College of Science for Development and Quality and Director of the Research Center in the College, represented the College of Science and the Physics Department, and was one of the supervisors of the students who participated in the conference. Furthermore, Mr. Muhammad Jaber Al-Hilali, Teaching Assistant in the Physics Department in the College of Science and Doctoral student at (KAUST), also attended the conference.
The researchers participating in the Conference had previously won first and second places in the 7th Scientific Forum for Students at Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, which was held in the second semester of the previous academic year 1436/1437 AH. Both Maram Al-Furiji and her partner in the research Arwa Al-Harbi won the first place and Nourah Al-Ghaith and her partner in the research Maha Al-Shammari won the second place. (For more information: Click here)
Dr. Al-Hathlool thanked Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Babtain, Dean of the College of Science, and Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Al-Qaoud, Head of the Physics Department, for supporting the research projects of the students, which resulted in such scientific achievement.
For more information about last year external graduation projects of the Physics Department, which led to such an achievement: Click here.
