King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Infobox University
name = King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
native_name = جامعة الملك عبد الله للعلوم و التكنولوجيا


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established = Expected in 2009
type = Public
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endowment = US$10 billionTamar Lewin, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/education/06partner.html U.S. Universities Join Saudis in Partnerships] , "The New York Times", March 6, 2008.]
president = Nadhmi Al-Nasr (Interim President)
Shih Choon Fong (President Designate)
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city = Thuwal
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country = Saudi Arabia
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campus = 36 million square meters
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website = [http://www.kaust.edu.sa www.kaust.edu.sa]

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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (Arabic: جامعة الملك عبد الله للعلوم و التكنولوجيا) is a research institution which is expected to be completed in 2009. The aim of the University is to promote research and science achievement in Saudi Arabia and around the globe.

The development of the University was assigned to Saudi Aramco by King Abdullah. The interim chairman of the University development team is Nadhmi Al-Nasr, an executive in Saudi Aramco who held different positions including Vice President of Engineering.

KAUST is scheduled to open with a $10 billion endowment.Tamar Lewin, [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/education/06partner.html U.S. Universities Join Saudis in Partnerships] , "The New York Times", March 6, 2008.]

General information

The location of the KAUST is in the west coast near the city of Jeddah. According to the [http://www.kaust.edu.sa/ University's website] , the university will start on September 2009 with 250/350 students pursuing Masters and Ph.D degrees. King Abdullah has bestowed an endowment of 23 billion dollars on the university and commissioned Saudi Aramco, the Saudi-owned oil company to design and build the university's campus and curriculum.Thanassis Cambnis, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/middleeast/26saudi.html Saudi King Tries to Grow Modern Ideas in Desert] , "The New York Times", October 26, 2007.] At maturity, the total KAUST community will number approximately 20,000 people

Campus

Still under construction, the campus site is in a coastal location near the fishing village of Thuwal, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Jeddah. The total area is more than 36 million square meters (nearly 9,000 acres), including a coral-reef ecosystem that will be preserved by the University as a marine sanctuary, and will be a focus for research. Architectural firm HOK planned and designed the campus.

Presidential search

As of 13 January 2008, Professor Shih Choon Fong has been named the Founding President of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Prof. Shih is the current president of National University of Singapore and will be leaving NUS at the end of 2008.

Degrees

It is anticipated that the university will open with six fields of studies:
# Chemical Engineering
# Applied Mathematics and Computer Science
# Mechanical Engineering
# Materials Science and Engineering
# Computational Earth Science and Engineering
# Biosciences and Bioengineering

It is expected to add:

# Electrical Engineering
# Civil and Environmental Engineering

Notes

External links

* [http://www.kaust.edu.sa King Abdullah University of Science and Technology]
* [http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=dossierReadItem&type=1&itemid=3029&language=1&dossier=13&CFID=502541&CFTOKEN=60665686 scidev article]
*coord|22.312602|39.11047|region:SA_type:edu_scale:5000|display=title,inline [ [http://wikimapia.org/#lat=22.312602&lon=39.11047&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2 old satellite image of the construction site] ] old satellite image of the construction site
* [http://www.kaust.edu.sa/students/discovery-scholarships.aspx Discovery Scholarships - for undergrad students BEFORE attending KAUST]

Further reading

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/middleeast/26saudi.html "Saudi King Tries to Grow Modern Ideas in Desert"] article by Thanassis Cambnis in the New York Times October 26, 2007
* [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/21/africa/ME-GEN-Saudi-University.php Saudi king breaks ground for new coed university] , Intl Herald Tribune, 10/21/07.
* [http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=dossierReadItem&type=1&itemid=3029&language=1&dossier=13&CFID=2851001&CFTOKEN=92994233 Saudi Arabia's plans for science education take shape] , Wagdy Sawahel, 7 August 2006, SciDev.Net.
* [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=arabian-brainpower Arabian Brainpower] , by Charles Choi, Scientific American, Feb.2008.
* [http://media.www.collegian.com/media/storage/paper864/news/2007/11/27/Opinion/Guest.Column-3116801.shtml "KAUST seeks to close gap with west"] article by Zaki Safar in the Collegian November 27, 2007