RIYADH: Five Saudi students were among major prize-winners at a leading US science and engineering fair that brought together finalists from around the world to compete for awards in innovative research.
A team of 20 Saudi students took part in the Intel ISEF fair — the world’s largest pre-college science competition — in Phoenix, Arizona, from May 12-17.
Winners of major prizes were Abdullah Al-Sannan and Dima Al-Melhem, who won fourth place for their environmental engineering project; Wud Al-Saadoon, who won fourth place for a project involving chemical energy; Haya Al-Tuwaijry, who won fourth place for a botany project; and Shawq Al-Madani, who won third place for an environmental engineering project.
The students represented the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) at the science fair, which drew about 1,800 finalists from more than 80 countries.
Three special prizes were also awarded to the Saudi scientific team. Al-Madani won a scholarship from the University of Arizona; Al-Saadoon won a special prize offered by United Technologies and Noorah Al-Dosari received a special award from NASA.
Saud bin Saeed Al-Mathami, Mawhiba secretary-general, congratulated the students and praised Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) for its sponsorship of the Saudi team.
He highlighted the importance of the strategic partnership between Mawhiba and SABIC in supporting and training gifted and creative students under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program 2020.
Saudi students win big at US science fair
Saudi students win big at US science fair
- The students represented the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) at the science fair, which drew about 1,800 finalists from more than 80 countries
Riyadh emerges as Gulf evacuation hub for wealthy amid regional escalation
- Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport is among the few major airports in the region still operating normally after Iranian missile and drone strikes
RIYADH: Riyadh has become a principal evacuation hub for wealthy residents and senior executives seeking to leave the Gulf amid escalating regional tensions, according to a report by Semafor.
The Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport is among the few major airports in the region still operating normally after Iranian missile and drone strikes targeted cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the weekend, as well as locations in Qatar and Bahrain.
With airspace closures elsewhere, stranded executives and high-net-worth individuals have been travelling overland to Riyadh, in some cases undertaking a roughly 10-hour journey from Dubai, in order to board private or commercial flights out of the region.
Citing people familiar with the arrangements, Semafor reported that private security firms have been hiring fleets of SUVs to transport clients to the Saudi capital before arranging chartered aircraft departures.
Those being evacuated include senior figures at global financial institutions as well as affluent individuals who had been in the Gulf for business or leisure.
The surge in demand has sharply increased costs.
Ameerh Naran, chief executive of private jet brokerage Vimana Private, told Semafor that Riyadh is currently “the only real option” for those seeking to exit the region, with private jet charters from the Saudi capital to Europe reaching as much as $350,000.
Alternative routes have narrowed. Security providers initially explored using Oman as an exit corridor, but that option became unviable after reported Iranian strikes on the country’s port infrastructure and a tanker, leaving Riyadh as the most accessible transit point, the report said.
Riyadh’s role marks a notable shift in regional risk perception. In previous years, security concerns — including cross-border Houthi attacks during the Yemen conflict and earlier periods of regional instability — had led many expatriates and business leaders to favour other Gulf cities as transit hubs.
However, Saudi Arabia’s more flexible visa regime, which now allows many nationalities to obtain visas on arrival, combined with the kingdom’s ability so far to keep its airspace open, has reinforced its position as a temporary gateway out of the region.
While some schools have moved to remote learning and certain companies have advised staff to work from home, Semafor reported that daily life in Riyadh has largely continued uninterrupted compared with other Gulf cities that have faced direct attacks.
