KAUST Ph.D. student Jian You Wang won the outstanding poster award at the 17th International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics in Taiwan for his work on zaxinone mimics. His research, co-authored by other KAUST researchers and scientists from Japan and Spain, focused on developing easy-to-synthesize compounds that act like zaxinone. Two identified mimics (MiZaxs) significantly increased root growth and biomass in wild-type rice seedlings. Why it matters: This research has implications for developing new rice cultivars with higher yields, addressing global food security challenges.
KAUST postdoctoral fellow Muhammad Jamil won the best poster award at the 15th World Congress on Parasitic Plants for his research on combating the parasitic plant *Striga hermonthica*. His poster outlined his work at KAUST on developing technologies to help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa control this weed, which severely impacts cereal crops. Jamil is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project at KAUST focused on controlling *Striga* in pearl millet. Why it matters: This recognition highlights KAUST's contributions to addressing critical food security challenges in Africa through innovative agricultural technologies.
Yuan-Kai Liu, a master’s student from KAUST, received the Outstanding Student Poster and PICO Award at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017 for his poster on caldera ring-fault development. Liu's poster presented results from analogue experiments, including deformation characteristics from time-resolved digital image correlation and 3-D spatial photogrammetry data. His research focuses on ground deformation analyses of subsiding calderas, combining analogue experiments with numerical modeling. Why it matters: This award recognizes KAUST's contribution to earth science and engineering and highlights the university's focus on innovative research in geophysics.
KAUST Ph.D. student Manal Al-Qahtani won a best poster presentation award. The award was presented in the late summer of 2016. The announcement was made on the KAUST website. Why it matters: Showcases the achievements and talent within KAUST's Ph.D. program.
KAUST Ph.D. student Sofya Mudrova won the best poster award at the 4th International Congress on Invertebrate Morphology (ICIM4) in Moscow. The poster was in the biology domain. The award recognizes research presented at the conference. Why it matters: Showcases KAUST's strength in attracting and developing talent in interdisciplinary research areas.