KFUPM International Advisory Board (IAB) Held its 24th Meeting
April 17, 2019 | Events
The International Advisory Board of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (IAB - KFUPM) held its 24th meeting on Sunday and Monday, April 14-15, 2019.
A new composition of board members approved by the KFUPM Council attended the meeting at its fifth session. IAB includes a group of prominent local and international scientific figures in the academic and industrial sectors.
KFUPM Rector, Dr. Sahel Abduljauwad praised the 24th meeting saying that the IAB is an experiment adopted by KFUPM to link its research efforts and accumulated knowledge with the rapid scientific developments that the world is witnessing today.
The IAB supports an innovation culture that leads to scientific discoveries and motivates researchers to produce more work that can find effective solutions to technical problems and transform scientific knowledge into advanced technologies.
The IAB Secretary General, Dr. Samir Al-Baiyat said that the agenda of the first day meeting included a panel discussion on "the role of universities in the fast changing ecosystem”. It discussed the challenges faced by universities in the transformation to international universities, how to build a model for each university as well as the objectives of academic education and its role in economic development.
The panel discussion focused on three areas related to the change of KFUPM roles: education to provide human capital for innovation and preparing students for a variety of future roles in professional development; to find a plan for knowledge, innovation processes and to share knowledge with relevant actors to transfer technology through shared value.
Dr. Nasser Al-Aqeeli, Vice Rector for Applied Studies and Research moderated the panel discussion. Four IAB experts participated in this panel and it was attended by experts from KFUPM, Saudi Aramco and Dhahran Techno Valley Company.
"The role of KFUPM exceeds the graduation of individuals who have trained in problem solving, innovation & qualification, and the cultivation of human values so that KFUPM produce an integrated human being who is qualified with knowledge, ethics and the ability to develop himself continuously" said Mr. Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products.
Dr. Tony Chan, President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) spoke about building a special model for each university, the challenges faced by universities in light of the rapid development of science and technology in addition to the importance of preparing universities for their students and the future.
He also discussed the importance of innovation, its role in the development of humanity and the need to promote the culture of innovation among students.
Dr. Charles Elachi, Vice President of Caltech and the former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the United States, said that one of the roles of education is how to create leaders and innovators. The success of research work depends on the human sense of curiosity and the importance of developing that feeling among students and researchers on a regular basis. He pointed out that research is an integral part of education.
Dr. Nam P. Suh, President of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) spoke about the necessity of developing the universities continuously and the importance of making major changes that will raise their level among the international universities, improve their performance & quality of output so that they have a local and global impact. He also stressed that the primary purpose of the universities is to serve humanity.
Dr. Al-Baiyat noted that the second day’s meeting included a review on highlights and updates of KFUPM during the last six months, a review of KFUPM’s transformation into a research-intensive university as well as increase its participation in activities of economic diversity to resemble the world's most prestigious universities known for their effective economic impact.
The new composition of the IAB includes Dr. Martin Jischke, former President of Purdue University in the United States of America, Eng. Amin Bin Hassan Al-Nasser, President of Saudi Aramco and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sahel N. Abduljauwad, Rector of KFUPM, Mr. Paal Kibsgaard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schlumberger, USA; Dr. Charles Elachi, Vice President of Caltech and the former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the United States, Dr. Tony Chan, President of KAUST, Mr. Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products, United States, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saleh Aljarbou, Chairman, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Dr. Nam P. Suh, former president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea; Professor Hugo Sonnenschein former president of the University of Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., Dr. Samir Al-Baiyat, the Secretary General of the IAB.
