Summer Enrichment Spotlight: KGSP Student’s Summer at the University of California, San Diego CEER Program

This summer, eight KGSP students participated into the University of California, San Diego’s Center for Extreme Events Research (CEER) program (Majid Al Buraiky,Mazen Al Jeldh, Omar Dashash, Layan Abukabbos, Meshal Bin Numay, Abdulrahman Qari, Maryam Alameer, Saud AlZarraj). Student’s participation was made possible by KGSP sponsorship as a benefit of their scholarship.

The center, which was founded in 2008, provides students with the opportunity to conduct hands-on research addressing challenges associated with extreme man-made and natural events through computational and experimental technologies.

The CEER program assigns students to varied interdisciplinary projects where they are then given specific tasks that align with their major and expertise to simulate a real-life research team composed of various experts working toward a common goal.

For Layan Abukabbos, a Sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Industrial Engineering, the teamwork experience was a personal highlight that drew Layan to the program. “This opportunity gave me the space to explore innovation and problem-solving in a collaborative setting. Some highlights for me were working closely with peers from diverse academic backgrounds, sharing ideas, and seeing how different fields come together to create a tangible project. Each student was assigned a project tailored to their major and expertise, but together our work contributed to one larger goal: designing a diver’s swimsuit capable of detecting and tracking movement. For example, students in computer engineering worked on programming and data collection from sensors, while those in chemical or materials science engineering focused on developing suitable conductive inks. As an industrial engineer, my job was to create sensors and improve their effectiveness by testing different variations and evaluating their performance under different conditions. This process gave me valuable experience in experimentation, data analysis, and iteration.” 

Another KGSP participant, Mazen Al Jeldh, a junior in Mechanical Engineering at New York University, was drawn to CEER as it “shifted theory to practice.” Mazen’s project provided him with insight into a solution for a tangible problem plaguing underwater rescue divers. “Designing a smart wetsuit to make divers safer, the SWIMCAP project provided just that. I shifted theory to practice: I designed a working haptic alert module on an ESP32, integrated a dedicated driver (transistor + flyback diode), developed a clear set of vibration patterns to be used in real situations (low O2, overheating, going in the wrong direction), and waterproofed the actuator using Dragon Skin.”

While applying for summer enrichment throughout the KGSP can appear daunting, there are ample resources available to students through the KGSP enrichment team, KGSP advisors, and the weekly Enrichment Digest to help students secure opportunities that spark their passion for their respective fields of study and future career goals. Saud Alarraj, a Sophomore at Boston University majoring in Mechanical Engineering, proactively took advantage of KGSP enrichment support and secured a research position as a freshman, despite having no prior lab experience. “I’ve pursued CEER after not trying research during high school, the opportunity found itself as a chance towards an answer to, is research for me? The lab had mechanical work met real testing and coding. In the ARMOR Lab with Prof. Ken Loh, I worked on flexible wearable strain sensors for divers and got to experience the full loop from fabrication, mechanical & human testing, and MATLAB analysis.”

Summer enrichment programs can be challenging, time-consuming, and take place in locations far from student’s home universities. Opportunities such as CEER provide students with new professional and personal growth opportunities, allowing students to participate in labs outside their home university environment, while also experiencing cultural exchange and adventures. “Switching from studying at BU to living in San Diego for eight weeks gave me a whole new perspective. The change from the east to the west coast didn’t only offer a geographical change, it was in environment, lab routines, and peer group pushed me to adapt quickly and learn different ways of approaching problems”-Saud. “CEER provided me with focus and Impetus”- Mazen. “CEER gave me a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to engage in engineering research and collaborate on an interdisciplinary project. Beyond technical skills, I learned the importance of teamwork and how to integrate different areas of expertise toward a shared outcome,”-Layan.