2022 Fall Conferences

Every year, the KGSP encourages conference attendance to help students gain robust experiences in their chosen fields of study. This fall, KGSP students participated in many exciting conferences, including the Society of Women Engineers WE22 Annual Conference (Houston, TX), The 2022 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Student Conference (Phoenix, AZ), SC22: The International Conference for High-Performance Computing, Network, Storage, and Analysis (Dallas, TX), the 2022 IEEE Women in Engineering conference (San Diego, CA), and the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (Los Angeles, CA), among others. These conferences provide valuable opportunities for students to expand their network, gain knowledge specific to their academic fields, and learn more about current research and resources.

Muhannad Hussain, a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, attended the 2022 AIChE Annual Student Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. There he learned more about the ways in which chemical engineers are focusing on sustainability metrics, as well as the resources available to young professionals in the industry. “I learned how almost every chemical engineer I met at the conference struggled in college at some point, which has put me at ease somewhat,” Muhannad said. “Now, I’m better able to talk to chemical engineering graduates and professionals about any concerns I could have.”

“Muhannad Hussain is a very bright student,” says his KGSP Advisor, Rawan Shattah. “He is very dedicated to his enrichment options and always looks for ways to improve. Muhannad manages his time effectively to maintain a healthy student-life balance. In addition to his desire to learn new things, he is always eager to meet new people and engage in his community.”

Hassan Al Moalim, a sophomore majoring in Computer Science at the University of Virginia, also had great things to say about his experience attending the SC22 conference in Dallas, Texas. “It was a great opportunity to see the latest advancements in supercomputing that are happening around the globe and in KAUST,” Hassan said. The conference not only provided Hassan a platform to learn more about a subject he was passionate about, but it also provided an opportunity to meet and connect with other attending KAUST faculty and students. Being able to meet his future professors in person made Hassan excited to work with and learn from them in the future.

Conferences such as these are a great way for students to engage with peers and professionals in their fields and gain inspiration and motivation to achieve their goals. As such, the KGSP continues to support students by suggesting conferences to consider attending, as well as sponsoring student participation.