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THE KGSP

Enrichment Spotlight- Murtadha Al-Malallah and Brine Pool Research

08/16/2017

KGSP student Murtadha Al-Mallalah is a rising junior studying geoscience at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Over the summer Murtadha participated in an exciting KAUST internship at the Red Sea Research Center, working alongside Juan-Carlos Santamarina, Professor and Associate Director of the Ali Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Center.

The Red Sea Rift represents one of the world’s most geologically-active regions, where hydrothermal brines were first discovered on the sea floor. These brines, or high concentration salt solutions, result from active volcanic processes and create a nutrient-rich environment that is perfect for supporting the Red Sea’s unique ecosystem. Through analysis of sediment samples collected from these brine pools, researchers like Murtadha define and describe the physical properties, mineralogy, crystal structures, and other characteristics of the sediment. Throughout his project, Murtadha had the opportunity to utilize the resources provided by KAUST’s Core Labs in analyzing collected sediment samples. His research provides insight and data that will help build an informative database to be used by future researchers.
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STUDENT PROFILE 

KGSP students represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s future scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and thought-leaders. As both individuals and as a community, they reflect the KAUST mission of driving scientific discovery through excellence in education and cutting-edge research, and share a commitment to fostering innovation, economic development, and social prosperity throughout the Kingdom and the world.  

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ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Selection to the KGSP is extremely competitive, and currently by invitation only. Successful applicants are Saudi Arabian students in their final year of high school who demonstrate impressive academic credentials within STEM fields, meaningful extra-curricular achievements, and who share the KAUST ethos of continuous discovery.  Learn more here.

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KGSP ADMINISTRATION

The KGSP is administered by the Office of Strategic National Advancement at KAUST, under the direction of Vice President & Senior Associate to the President, Dr. Najah Ashry. Strategic National Advancement directs the university's strategy to serve Saudi Arabia's transformational priorities: Through initiatives in young talent and Saudi workforce development, social responsibility, and national engagement, the Office contributes to a thriving innovation ecosystem by building knowledge capacity, creating opportunities, and strengthening impact.