May 22, 2025

They Dreamed, KFUPM Guided, ISEF Rewarded

In KFUPM’s advanced laboratories, Saudi high school students turned ambition into action, preparing for one of the world’s most competitive science fairs. What started as a dream to compete internationally became a reality when these young minds were selected and trained by KFUPM researchers to represent Saudi Arabia at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Ohio, USA. This wasn’t a new effort, however; KFUPM has been consistently supporting high school youth, including during the 2024 edition of ISEF in California, where they also earned several grand and special awards.

Among them, Maryam Almuhish, Lamyaa Al-Nofie, Jamal Al Logmani, and Raghad AlShaikh spent two semesters or more, including most school breaks and long afternoons, preparing for the highly competitive science fair. For these students, what truly mattered was not only winning but also learning how to think like researchers, how to test ideas in a lab setting, and how to handle setbacks.

Maryam Almuhish, who placed 2nd in the field of Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design, recalled the intensity of her preparation. “It was far beyond high school-level research,” she said. Her project demanded constant trial and error, and refined experiments. Guiding her throughout that intensive preparation was Dr. Safyan Akram Khan, a KFUPM researcher whose mentorship she described as playing “a large part in keeping her focused and motivated.” Their weekly feedback sessions helped Maryam sharpen her thinking and build the confidence to present her work to international judges. “This experience made me even more excited about my future major,” she added.

Lamyaa Al-Nofie also worked under the supervision of one of KFUPM’s top minds, namely Dr. Mahmoud Abdelnaby, a specialist in direct air capture and conversion technologies. She won 3rd place in Environmental Engineering and two additional awards for her work. “My mentor always reminded me that research is about solving real problems, not just writing papers,” she said. Her training involved not only troubleshooting the experiment, but also asking deeper questions about impact and scalability.

The path for Jamal Al Logmani was slightly different; it was built over three years of competing in the national IBDAA competition, ultimately leading to his qualification for the ISEF finals. For the first three months of his training, Jamal showed up to the lab daily, immersing himself in every step of the experiment. Two brilliant KFUPM researchers supported him, Dr. Ime Obot and Dr. Saviour Umoren. Jamal’s perseverance came from a belief that experience, more than just instruction, was what gave his project depth.

Raghad AlShaikh, who also qualified for the ISEF finals, remembered a training schedule that was both demanding and thoughtfully structured. She was also guided by two researchers, Dr. Munzir Suliman and Dr. Muhammad Usman. “My mentors would always say, ‘expect the unexpected.’ And they were right,” she said. Her project changed directions multiple times based on results, something she now sees as an essential part of the scientific process.

Each student took something different from the experience. But they all agreed that competing at ISEF was an eye-opener, not just for the global exposure, but for the cross-cultural exchange of scientific ideas. The wins were meaningful, but the learning they received at KFUPM was even more so.