KAUST PhD students David Castro and David Conchouso won the 2014 Art in Science photography competition sponsored by NIST and Lab on a Chip. The winning photograph depicted work from KAUST's Electromechanical Microsystems & Polymer Integration Research Lab (EMPIRe), specifically real-time agglutination within a microdroplet. The photo will be featured on a future cover of the journal Lab on a Chip. Why it matters: This award highlights the visually compelling nature of microfluidics research and showcases the interdisciplinary work at KAUST.
KAUST held its second annual "Science as Art" competition, sponsored by the KAUST student chapter of the Materials Research Society (MRS). Over 25 KAUST students and postdoctoral fellows participated, showcasing artistic research images from their lab work. The competition aimed to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public by presenting science from an artistic point of view. Why it matters: Such initiatives at KAUST can foster interdisciplinary thinking and enhance public engagement with science and technology in Saudi Arabia.
KAUST alumnus Morgan Bennett-Smith's underwater photograph of Professor Raquel Peixoto inoculating corals at the KAUST Coral Probiotics Village won Nature's "Scientist at Work" photo competition and was featured in the journal's December 7, 2022 issue. The photo, taken with a Canon R5 and RF 15-35mm lens inside of a Nauticam underwater housing, shows Peixoto applying probiotics to corals to boost their resilience. Peixoto praises Bennett-Smith's ability to capture the essence of their work and communicate the urgency of the coral crisis through his photographs. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's marine science research and the importance of visual storytelling in communicating scientific advancements and environmental challenges in the Red Sea.
KAUST Ph.D. student Amal Mohammed Alamri was a finalist in the July 2018 IEEE nanoArt Competition, part of the 18th IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology in Cork, Ireland. Her work, displayed at University College Cork and Crawford/CIT Gallery, involved stacking n-type MoS2 single crystal with p-type perovskite CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystal. Alamri's IEEE Nano paper entitled "Photonic Single Crystal Heterostructures based on Perovskites/Molybdenum disulfide" was also presented at the conference. Why it matters: This highlights KAUST's contribution to nanotechnology research and its students' participation in international scientific events.
KAUST Ph.D. students Abdullah S. Almansouri and Hanan Mohammed won awards at the 21st International Conference on Magnetism (ICM 2018). Almansouri won the Best Poster Award for his work on magnetic tracking of cardiac catheters using flexible magnetic tunnel junction sensors. Mohammed won the People's Choice Award in the Magnetism as Art Showcase for her artwork entitled 'Autumn in my Nanoworld.' Why it matters: Recognition at ICM highlights KAUST's research contributions in magnetism and microsystems, particularly in developing innovative medical devices.