This summer, KAUST hosted again 43 top male and female 11^th Grade students from all over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of its Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI) program.  This program is a rigorous summer research program specifically designed for high school students where they work in the KAUST laboratory under the watchful eye and supervision of KAUST faculty members.

Just like last year ANPERC was honored to host two talented SRSI students, Mohammed Suleiman and Anass Alzomaili. Both students are supervised by Professor Hussein Hoteit and worked on  projects specially designed for them. Their experience gives a good insight on how SRSI works. We asked one of the students, Mohammed Suleiman, to give his thoughts about his experience at ANPERC and KAUST. Suleiman: "Before coming to KAUST I honestly was not expecting much and thought I was just attending another summer program. However, when I came here, saying I was astonished would be an understatement. From the campus of KAUST to the cutting-edge technology KAUST provides, I couldn't believe I only had six weeks to explore it all. More importantly, what got to me was the surrounding community. All the people I met were people with similar research goals. This propelled me to excel in my project, and if I had the chance to do this all again I definitely would."

"When I came to KAUST, saying I was astonished would be an understatement. I couldn't believe I only had six weeks to explore everything KAUST provides"

The project Suleiman was working on, together with ANPERC postdoc Victor Torrealba, was quite challenging. Suleiman: "My project is about enhanced oil recovery where the current method we use is called chemical injection. Rather than pumping water to push oil to the production well, we utilize chemicals called surfactants that can help increase the amount of oil that flows through the reservoir. By studying the formation of the phase in our lab under different conditions, we can deduce the optimum conditions to increase oil sweep efficiency. Professor Hoteit explains more: "In Suleiman's project, the objective is to measure the phase behavior of surfactant-oil-brine systems to determine the optimum injection for oil extraction that will lead to an increase in the total production. Specifically, we focus on phase behavior which is more concerned with how the composition of different phases at equilibrium state changes as the affinity of the surfactant to either oil or water changes with the brine salinity. By understanding the interaction between the different components (i.e., surfactant, brine, and oil) we can determine which condition can result in the lowest oil-water interfacial tension which implies more efficient extraction of oil from the underground reservoir."

For six weeks, Mohammed Suleiman visited the ANPERC center and enjoyed life in research. Asked about his experience Suleiman reflects: "Initially, before starting this journey, I was almost certain I would have a career path relating to something in the medical field. Nonetheless, after having the chance to explore a different field guided by KAUST, I was able to keep a more open mind for what I would like to research in the future. Up until this point, I still feel undecided on what field I would like to delve in to; however, I am confident it will be in the STEM field as I am very passionate about most science."

We are sure we will hear more about Mohammed in the future. ANPERC wishes both students well in their future endeavors!