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THE KGSP

Extracurricular Spotlight: Faisal Altassan and Joule

01/31/2018 

Faisal Altassan, a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, is a member of the UCI Anteater Racing team—an extracurricular group that designs, builds, and tests an original electric car as part of the Formula SAE Electric competition.  Run by SAE International (formerly Society of Automotive Engineers), the competition encourages participants to enhance their knowledge of engineering design while building project management and leadership skills by constructing a small Formula One-style electric racecar that  meets specific competition requirements.  Teams compete for a variety of prizes, awarded based on design, presentation, cost, and race performance. 

Faisal works on the electrical sub-team, which focuses on designing and building various parts of the electrical components of the vehicle. This includes developing a low-noise current source to control the noise levels of the power source and building a safety system that meets the competition requirements.

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Faisal Altassan, a junior at the University of California-Irvine, works with the UCI Anteater Racing group to design and build an electric car, named Joule.
 
By participating in the UCI Anteater Racing team, Faisal has gained experience in the application of classroom-based engineering concepts to real-world design and production. Faisal appreciates the teamwork required from such an innovative intercollegiate competition, as well as learning how engineering plays a role in developing solutions for a variety of challenges.

Guided by faculty members from the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and advised by Dr. Mark Walter (Lecturer, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Anteater Racing has participated in the Formula SAE Electric competition since 2014. The team finished in 8th place (out of 20 teams) in 2014 and 11th place (out of 29 teams) in 2016.  This June, the UCI Anteater Racing team will take their car—nicknamed “Joule,” to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete among 30 other teams from universities around the world.  KGSP wishes them the best of luck!

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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 KAUST Academy under the leadership of Dr. Sultan Al-Barakati. KAUST Academy is mandated by KAUST to support the acceleration of Saudi Arabia's knowledge-based economy by providing world class training programs in emerging technologies aligned with Vision 2030. KAUST Academy crafts these unique learning interventions by exporting the intellectual DNA acquired by KAUST for the benefit of the entire Kingdom.