Another year of glory: We are proud of you kids

Nothing is more joyful than celebrating the victory of our youth in international competitions. A few weeks ago, Saudi science and engineering students made headlines worldwide, winning 27 awards at the International Science and Engineering Fair 2024 in Los Angeles, US, with 1,700 participants from 70 countries.

The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundations For Giftedness and Creativity, known as Mawhiba, said that the achievements reflect its cooperation and strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, enabling students to excel and represent their country on international stages.

Winning 27 awards at ISEF 2024 is a culmination of joint efforts. It reaffirms the commitment to achieving the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to build a vibrant society and a thriving economy through enhancing human capabilities, excellence and innovation.

The students’ exceptional projects and hard work have brought them to this global stage. This year marks the Kingdom’s 18th consecutive participation in the Regeneron ISEF Fair, beginning in 2007 as part of an annual program organized by Mawhiba in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Reflecting on last year, Mohammed Al-Arfaj and Faisal Al-Muhaish achieved first place in two distinct fields in the ISEF 2023 competition. In the environmental engineering category, Al-Arfaj won for his distinguished project “Using a contact liquid to capture carbon dioxide by freezing from fuel and open-air sources with high efficiency and low cost.”

In addition, Al-Mahish, a chemistry student, places first for his outstanding project, “An Electrocatalyst Based on a Metal-Organic Framework for the Production of Hydrogen from Seawater with High Efficiency and Low Cost.”

Last year, the Saudi science and engineering team won 15 grand prizes and six special prizes while participating in the most prominent scientific fair for competition in scientific research at the pre-college level. The team comprises 35 male and female students from 11 educational administrations from different regions in Saudi Arabia. They competed with about 1,800 international students from 80 countries, and they returned crowned with titles and adorned with medals of excellence and merit among their peers.

Mawhiba has been part of the Vision 2030 strategy which aims to attract, develop and empower talents and leaders. It seeks to create an attractive work culture and a supportive work environment, enhance levels of productivity and innovation, and support the private sector by developing human capabilities.

I look forward to seeing my daughters, Salma and Alma, joining Mawhiba and celebrating their victories in future ISEF events. Congratulations kids, you make your parents and all of us proud.

Basil M.K. Al-Ghalayini is the chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group.