InfoAnda - New Saudi university to break social barriers

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Imus in Mass. a day after his cancer announcement | 17 March 2009
Obama envoy in UAE on Mideast peace mission | 1 March 2009
U.S. envoys Hale, Ross to head back to Mideast | | 14 September 2011

Beijing says working with Google to resolve dispute | | 5 March 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : New Saudi university to break social barriers

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Asia Pacific World New Saudi university to break social barriers AFP - Tuesday, September 22 Send IM Story Print File photo of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud waving as he arrives to attend a construction ceremony for the new King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) 80km north of Jeddah, back in October 2007. Officially the goal of this week's launch of the sprawling new facility is to propel the kingdom into the heady global ranks of technological research. RIYADH (AFP) - – Boasting one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, a team of top scientists and a campus where female and male students can mingle freely, Saudi Arabia's new multi-billion dollar university aims to break both scientific and social barriers. Officially the goal of this week's launch of the sprawling new facility is to propel the kingdom into the heady global ranks of technological research. But with women on campus not having to shroud themselves in the black abaya and allowed to drive cars, an unstated aim is to chip away at the strict restrictions on Saudi women imposed by hardline Muslim clerics. On Wednesday the monarch, in a keystone of his attempts to power his country into the 21st century, will open the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology -- KAUST -- probably the only postgraduate research university ever built from scratch. Both the ambition and the billions of dollars thrown at the project have sparked deep interest in the global science community. In just three years the Saudis have constructed a high-tech campus of huge modernist buildings on a 36-square-kilometre (14-square-mile) desert plot on the Red Sea coast, and recruited hundreds of scientists and students from around the world. KAUST has already launched joint research programmes with institutions ranging from the National University of Singapore to France's Institut Francais du Petrole to Britain's Cambridge and Stanford in the United States. And it has created its own research operations spanning nanotechnology, applied mathematics, solar energy, membrane research and bioengineering. "Two years ago it was nothing but sand and sea. Today there is one of the best infrastructures for research," KAUST president Choon Fong Shih told AFP. Classes, all taught in English, opened in September at the campus 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Jeddah, with 71 professors and 374 post-graduate students. The masters and doctorate degree students represent more than 60 countries, with some 15 percent from Saudi Arabia itself. The Saudis drew on top-calibre scientists and science educators, especially in the United States, to spur the recruitment process. Shih himself is an example. The lauded research engineer helped turn the National University of Singapore into a respected research institution over the past decade. KAUST's success will ultimately depend on world-class research and the results being published in top journals, said Edward Derrick, who directs the research competitiveness programme at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "Universities compete for resources, for prestige. You want your students to be published in the best journals," he said. Money for research is the key, said Fawwaz Ulaby, a US-based engineering professor who served as KAUST provost during the start-up period. "The single most important component probably is that... the amount of resources able to fund research worldwide does not meet demand," he said. That gives oil-rich Saudi Arabia an advantage. KAUST reportedly has a 10-billion-dollar endowment to fund research, and it has spent aggressively on salaries and scholarships. Some professors were offered 90,000-dollar annual salaries tax-free plus all expenses for themselves and their families. Students also receive generous stipends, and some had their last year of university elsewhere paid for. The freedom of the academic environment will also be crucial, Ulaby said. That will perhaps be harder in Saudi Arabia, where science in public schools takes a back seat to religion, with bureaucrats loath to cede power and women facing many restrictions. With about 15 percent of the incoming student body women, all having studied at universities outside the kingdom, mixing is absolutely necessary for successful research, experts say. People involved in KAUST's development say Abdullah hopes its culture will eventually spill outside the campus gates, where women are banned from driving, must be accompanied by a male relative outside the home and have to wear an abaya. Some restrictions are evident inside, however. Male students report that they are banned from entering women's residences at KAUST. And hardline clerics are already battling the "anything goes" ethos inside other foreign compounds. In June the religious police cracked down on a limited access residential and resort community north of Jeddah -- not far from KAUST -- where men and women mixed with relative openness and women had been seen driving. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles 3 pharmacists warned about Anna Nicole Smith's Rx AP - Tuesday, September 22 US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Reuters - Tuesday, September 22 Brad Pitt in talks for "Sherlock Holmes" sequel Reuters - Tuesday, September 22 Bollywood looks to Diwali to light up box office AFP - Tuesday, September 22 Killers, Yorke on "New Moon" soundtrack Reuters - Tuesday, September 22 News Search Top Stories US Democratic fundraiser ran Ponzi scheme: prosecutor UN, NGOs to fight HIV mother-to-child transmission Legendary Soviet spy mistress dies aged 97: official Kasparov, Karpov re-match seeks to put chess back in spotlight G20 needs to agree "more quickly" on financial reform: Medvedev More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Nanoparticles could pose threat to humans: scientists Swine flu virus has not mutated: WHO chief Scientists make paralysed rats run again Ex-Samsung chairman pays $91 million fine Legendary Soviet spy mistress dies aged 97: official More Most Viewed » Ozone hole smaller in 2009 than 2008: WMO Poignant final farewell as Jackson laid to rest Nanoparticles could pose threat to humans: scientists Remains of Jesus-era synagogue found in Israel Implanted tooth helps blind US woman recover sight More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Search Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Tuesday, 22 September 2009
After years of war, Iraqis hit by frenzy of crime
G20 needs to agree "more quickly" on financial reform: Medvedev
MySpace syncs updates with Twitter
US extends tax amnesty deadline for offshore accounts
Ahmadinejad proud of Holocaust denial
Dell buys Perot Systems for 3.9 billion dollars
Demise of broadcast TV is hot topic at Emmys
Former French PM attacks Sarkozy as smear trial opens
Ousted president Zelaya returns to Honduras | International |
More than 100 dead in south Sudan attack
FCC proposes new open Internet rules
Former French PM lashes out as smear trial opens
Aide: Netanyahu won't bend on settlements
US regulator proposes 'free and open Internet'
EU details evidence to back Intel antitrust fine
South Korea says North must seize diplomatic chance | International |
Dairy farmers burn hay, dump milk in price protest | International |
German teen planned school apocalypse: prosecutor | International |
EU publishes e-mails to back case against Intel
Starbucks, Dell to aid online effort to save rainforest
Silicon Valley reinvents the lowly brick | Technology |
British pop divided in file sharing debate | Technology |
Demise of broadcast TV is hot topic at Emmys | Technology |
Pittsburgh tackles intricacies of hosting leaders
IRS extends amnesty program for tax cheats
Clout fading, US vies to set G-20 meetings agenda
China says military arsenal comparable with West
81-year-old Thai king hospitalized for third day
US terror plot suspects due in court
China says Taiwan ties to continue to improve
Swine flu virus hasn't mutated, WHO chief says
McHugh sworn in as Army secretary
Police say attack on Pakistani minister foiled
Taiwan city snubs China over film on Uighur leader
Israel plays down Mideast breakthrough hopes at Obama summit
Memorial date set in NY for slain Yale student
Quake kills ten in Bhutan: report
China begins mass vaccinations for swine flu
Coach cleared in player's death to resume teaching
Head of group accused in Mumbai assault arrested
A lot of evidence found in 4 Va. killings
Turner vs old masters at new London exhibition
Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon head MTV Europe shortlist | Entertainment |
Renoir's late works highlighted at Paris show
Slight ratings increase for the Emmy Awards
Opera at Versailles reopens
British pop divided in file sharing debate | Entertainment |
Serbia mulls ban on anti-gay extremists
Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon head MTV Europe shortlist
Obama starts big week with innovation speech in NY
Italian orchestra creates multicultural Mozart | Entertainment |
Pianist known for movie theme songs dies at 88
Designer Todd Lynn breaks out the shoulder pads
Chanel advanced women's rights, says actress Tautou
"Lebanon's Madoff" embarrasses Hezbollah
Legendary Soviet spy mistress dies aged 97: official
Honduras deep in crisis again with Zelaya return | International |
US-TECH Summary
US Democratic fundraiser ran Ponzi scheme: prosecutor
Rights groups: UN must name special envoy for Iran
Ahmadinejad warns against any attack on Iran | International |
UN, NGOs to fight HIV mother-to-child transmission
Nortel to sell carrier network assets in auction
Kasparov, Karpov re-match seeks to put chess back in spotlight
Google pays homage to H.G. Wells
U.S. commander says Afghan war needs more troops | International |
Silicon Valley reinvents the lowly brick
China open on rebalancing, to a degree: researchers | International |
Rights groups seek U.N. probe of Iran rape charges | International |
Clarification: Lebanon-Israel story
U.S. says won't dictate to Japan on military bases | International |
Germany's Merkel turns caution to strength | International |
Lebanon's Madoff embarrasses Hezbollah | International |
US wants equal ties with new Japanese government
Steele says Dems, GOP failing to address poverty
Far Eastern Economic Review to shut down in December
CAPITAL CULTURE: Mr. Obama's Chicago neighborhood
Census: Recession had sweeping impact on US life
US, Japan to discuss US troop presence
Census: 150,000 gay couples report they're married
S.Korea says North must seize diplomatic chance
Fla. mom slain with her 5 children endured abuse
Quake kills at least 11 in Bhutan, shakes India
US looks to China for NKorea progress
China's military power takes 'quantum leap': defence minister
Police: ACORN worker in video reported couple
Residents evacuated by Ore. fire begin going home
Thai king's fever eases, still in hospital: palace
Carter says Israel must stop building settlements
NJ man, 82, charged with fondling Wal-Mart patrons
Nortel to sell carrier network assets in auction | Technology |
NZ farmers get income boost as dairy prices rise
S.Korea spotted buying dlrs to limit won's gains-traders
BOK to use monetary policy to calm property
ADB raises Asian growth outlook after stimulus
Taiwan dollar up on banks, funds, trade seen narrow
Elite US universities feel pain of market slump
Eyes on China at high stakes UN climate meet
Seoul shares rise led by techs; telcos retreat
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
S.Korea BOK rolls over part of maturing FX loans
Brad Pitt in talks for "Sherlock Holmes" sequel
NZ farmer confidence improves in Q3
Bollywood looks to Diwali to light up box office
Airlines vow to cut carbon output by 2050: report
New Saudi university to break social barriers
Killers, Yorke on "New Moon" soundtrack
"NCIS: Los Angeles" like new version of "A-Team"
Jackson movie to get mass worldwide premiere
Jackson movie to get mass worldwide premiere | Entertainment |
"Glee" to be picked up for full season
Skies clear for no. 1 film `Chance of Meatballs'
Brad Pitt in talks for Sherlock Holmes sequel | Entertainment |
NCIS: Los Angeles like new version of A-Team | Entertainment |
Glee to be picked up for full season | Entertainment |
Killers, Yorke on New Moon soundtrack | Entertainment |
French riot police raid migrant 'jungle'
Iran says makes new model of nuclear centrifuges
EU court adviser backs Google in ads row with LMVH
Ahmadinejad threatens to 'cut' attackers' hands
Thai teacher caught on cellphone beating pupil
French police clear Calais migrant camp | International |
'Idol' host who inspired Afghans flees to US
Egypt and Bulgaria square off for top UNESCO job
Video game classics need museum, say "Retrogamers"
Farmers hand out free milk in Paris in price protest | International |
Merkel centre-right hopes under threat before vote | International |
U.S. closes South Africa embassy over threat | International |
China appeals WTO ruling on entertainment imports | International |
Israeli troops shoot dead Palestinian motorist | International |
Thai king's health improving after treatment | International |
China appeals against WTO ruling on films, music
2 Australian miners trapped underground for a day
Former President Clinton calls Paterson 'good man'
Impoverished Kyrgyzstan to ration electricity
FACT CHECK: Coverage requirement enforced with tax
Girls school attacked in troubled NW Pakistan
Rescuers search for survivors in Bhutan quake
Bill Clinton says US must approach Iran carefully
Bomb in Afghanistan kills US service member
With a fresh focus on design, laptops come of age | Technology |
AP sources: Instead of troops, maybe more drones
EU court adviser backs Google on Net ads | Technology |
Obama visits Letterman and brings home a potato
Aussie oil spill set to continue leaking: company
Taiwan city screens film about Uighur activist
Stolen Aussie Olympic gold back after 25 years
Southeast floods block highways; toll rises to 8
Myanmar-American held in Yangon for 3 weeks
Ex-Ohio coach gets 4 years for arson at own home
US criticizes rights abuses in Iran, Russia, China
All parties downbeat ahead of Mideast summit
US Embassy in South Africa closes for security
Japan's Suntory makes binding offer for Orangina
NZ keeping index-linked bonds as an option -Combes
Taiwan's jobless rate hits new high
US still pushing to raise money for Expo pavilion
SCENARIOS-What will Taiwan c.bank say on economy, policy?
Struggling Taiwan bullet train firm picks new boss
GM Daewoo files action over car 'copying'
South Korean president pushes 'green growth'
Body shape debate stalks London catwalks
Taiwan director: Art movies are on the decline
Global melting pot gives London the fashion edge
Indonesia boat accident kills 15, 15 more missing
'Gandhi chic' looks to lure Indian fashionistas
Prisoners turn beauticians at Malaysia's 'Jail Spa'
Angie Harmon kicks off celebrity shoe auction
Milan fashion week to open under economic cloud
3 pharmacists warned about Anna Nicole Smith's Rx
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01