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King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Found in: Universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) 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, 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 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, 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 , 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
External links
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
old satellite image of the construction site
Discovery Scholarships - for undergrad students BEFORE attending KAUST
Further reading
"Saudi King Tries to Grow Modern Ideas in Desert" article by Thanassis Cambnis in the New York Times October 26, 2007
Saudi king breaks ground for new coed university, Intl Herald Tribune, 10/21/07.
Saudi Arabia's plans for science education take shape, Wagdy Sawahel, 7 August 2006, SciDev.Net.
Arabian Brainpower, by Charles Choi, Scientific American, Feb.2008.
"KAUST seeks to close gap with west" article by Zaki Safar in the Collegian November 27, 2007
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article King Abdullah University of Science and Technology