Note: All SciTech Conference events will be taking place in Bldg E52.
Part I
8:00 - 9:00 am
Registration and Breakfast
Bldg E52, 6th floor - Foyer
9:00 - 9:30 am
Opening remarks - Dr. Jinane Abounadi
Executive Director, Sandbox Innovation Fund Program, MIT
The commencement of SciTech 2018 begins with opening remarks on the symbiotic relationship between technology and innovation.
BLDG E52,6th floor - Dining Room 5&6
9:30 - 10:00 am
Keynote speech - Abdallah Jum’ah
Former CEO and President of Saudi Aramco, Co-Chairman of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Investment Bank
Leveraging the advantages of the West
The wider Boston community offers students countless opportunities to learn about the world around them, to make critical connections between different disciplines and fields of study, and to engage in rich cross-cultural conversations and experiences. This is far from an academic or theoretical pursuit, though, as success in the scientific and engineering fields depends not solely on specialized technical expertise, but also on a breadth of knowledge, an adaptability of worldview, and a capacity for engagement with others.
Dining Room 5&6
Panel I - Energy in the Arab World: A Diversified Future
With growing pressure to address climate change and a strong desire from oil producing countries to diversify their economies from primarily oil-based revenue, the future of energy demand and supply is seemingly uncertain. How can the Arab world better prepare for the future? What does it mean to transition into more renewable and sustainable forms of energy? What are the technologies that enable this transition to happen?
Moderator: Dr. Basel Abusharkh, CEO of Hyrec
- Professor Robert Armstrong, Director of the MIT Energy Initiative
- Dr. Bashir Dabbousi, Director of Technology Strategy and Planning at Saudi Aramco
- Dr. Duane S. Boning, Director, MIT/Masdar Institute Cooperative Program
- Dr. Rania Ghosn, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at MIT
Dining Room 5&6
10:00 - 10:50 am
Networking Break
Foyer, 6th floor
10:50 - 11:00 am
Keynote speech - Jassim Alseddiqi
CEO of Abu Dhabi Financial Group
Technology, Globalization, and Humanity
In today’s world, one of the contributing factors towards globalization is the rapid advancement of technologies and, in particular, how technology is borderless across the globe. Jassim Alseddiqi discusses how the MENA region is contributing to the global technology landscape and how technology will be the main contributor to advancement of Humanity."
Dining Room 5&6
11:00 - 11:30 am
11:30 - 11:50 am Talk - Genevieve Barrons
Project Lead, Refugee Learning Accelerator - MIT Media Lab
"Don't Call it أمل (Amal)": Lessons Learned Supporting "Tech for
Good" in the Arab World.
Dining Room 5&6
Networking Break
Foyer, 6th floor
11:50 am - 12:00 pm
Exhibition Inauguration and Networking Break
The exhibition provides an opportunity for current undergraduates, graduates, and start-ups to display their research and work to the participants and speakers in the room. It will provide a platform for exhibitors to reach a wider audience, gain valuable contacts, and even access to funding or further career options.
Salon M I T, 7th floor
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Lunch and Networking
Salon M I T, 7th Floor
12:20 - 1:00 pm
Part II
Stream A
Dining Room 3
Stream B
Dining Room 4
1:00 - 1:40 pm
SciTechTalks
In a less is more approach, SciTech will be holding our own version of TED-style talks where speakers will have 9 minutes to educate and inspire.
- Laureen Meroueh, PhD Candidate, MIT
- Mohamed Ibrahim, PhD Candidate, MIT
- Mohamed Aburawi, Postdoc Research Fellow at MGH
Panel III - Collaborative Technologies: Bridging the Gap
Moderator: Nadine Zerrini, Business Development Executive at StratX Simulations
The wonderful thing about technology and its subcomponents is its universality and ability to speak to a global audience. Is there a way to bridge the gap between the global north and south through technology? Is that one of its responsibilities?
- Dr. Anas Alfaris, VP for Research Institutes at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)
- Dr. Raed Shubair, Visiting Scientist, MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics
- Dr. Saleh Al Hashemi, CEO of Algorythma and KryptoLabs
1:40 - 2:15 pm
Talk - Hazem Zureiqat
Partner at Engicon & Founder at Sowt
Transforming Transportation in Jordan through Citizen-Driven Innovations
Jordan has experienced rapid population growth in the past decade, most notably with the influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria. Amman's historically weak public transportation infrastructure was further strained as a result, and government was doing little to change things on the ground. A group of Jordanians, forming a public transport advocacy group working on citizen-driven, technology-based solutions to solve the country’s transport woes.
Panel III - Brain Drain: Opportunity or Epidemic?
Moderator: Dr. Sulaiman Hamarneh, President and CEO, Green BioMed LLC
Brain drain has seen its fair share of advocates and critics. What are the implications of brain drain on the Arab world? Is it a phenomenon that needs to be combatted? What does it mean for the Arab world's rising youth population?
- Aziz Alghunaim, Co-founder of Tarjimly App
- Sarah AlSaleh, Director, Product and Strategy - WASPHI
- Aboudi Al-Qattan, Investment Analyst at DASH Ventures Ltd.
2:15 - 2:50 pm
Talk - Dr. Wasif Syed
CEO of Ivy Strategy Advisor
Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Middle East
Exploring the entrepreneurial landscape in the Middle East and discussing the interplay between catalyzing entrepreneurship and empowering oneself through disruptive transformation.
Panel IV - Arabs Advancing Technologies
Moderator: Laureen Meroueh
The Arab world is usually seen as a catch-up region in terms of technologies. However, our panelists here present a different case than the one the media usually portrays. How can institutions and individuals pave the way to a brighter, more science and tech-based future for the Arab world?
- Dr. Ahmed Omran, Postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University
- Dr. Fadel Adib, Assistant professor at MIT and the founding director of the Signal Kinetics Lab
- Dr. Georges Aoude, CEO of Derq
- Dr. Malak Abedalthagafi, Director of the Saudi Human Genome Satellite Lab in KFMC
Networking and Coffee Break
Foyer, 6th floor
2:50 - 3:00 pm
Part III
Speed Mentorship
The Speed Mentorship session is a chance to engage in thoughtful conversations amongst attendees & speakers and take advantage of the human potential in the room. This will hopefully provide a chance to strengthen the alumni/student connections at MIT and cultivate a playground for collaboration.
SALON M I T, 7th floor
3:00 - 3:45 pm
Part IV
Keynote speech - Dr. Rana Dajani
Rita E. Hauser Fellow, Visiting Professor Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
To see what everybody sees but think what no one has thought: how to do world class science in Jordan?
From the world expert on genetics of Circassians and Chechens, to the first stem cell law in the MENA region to studying epigenetics of trauma in Syrian refugees. This is a series of stories detailing the journey of an Arab female scientist in Jordan.
Dining Room 5&6
3:45 - 4:15 pm
4:15 - 4:45 pm
Keynote speech - Eng. Mishaal Ashemimry
Aerospace Engineer, President & CEO at MISHAAL Aerospace
Disruptive Technologies
Join Ashemimry for a discussion on the latest technology in new space, and how her company responded to the challenges of operating in this environment, touching on design, testing, funding, and operations.
Dining Room 5&6
Keynote speech - Dr. Anas Al Faris
VP for Research Institutes at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)
The City Dynamics Platform
The “City Dynamics” platform explores the highly complex systems of a city, their interactions and what we can learn from the detailed, data-driven study of how they work. The platform is designed to answer questions about how we live in our cities and to design them better. The platform can help policymakers address the challenges of serving the current population and planning for the future.
Dining Room 5&6
4:45 - 5:15 pm
5:15 - 5:35 pm
Live polling session with Dr. Edmond Awad
The Moral Machine Experiment: 40 Million Decisions and the Path to Universal Machine Ethics
Edmond Awad describes the Moral Machine, an internet-based serious game exploring the many-dimensional ethical dilemmas faced by autonomous vehicles. The game enabled researchers to gather 40 million decisions from 3 million people in 230 countries/territories. Live polling will provide an opportunity to hear from the audience and fuel a discussion on Moral Machine, the game developed by Awad which explores the many-dimensional ethical dilemmas faced by autonomous vehicles.
Dining Room 5&6
Closing remarks - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh
Chairman and founder of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization
Towards An Arab Knowledge World
USA Secretary of State George Marshal launched in 1948 his “plan” for reconstructing Europe. A noble mission that took a continent devastated by war to prosperity and brought great returns to the USA.At the end of war in a devastated Arab World, we need a similar initiative that can bring an Arab Renaissance. In a knowledge era, we can use the enabling power of ICT to build an Arab Knowledge World.
Dining Room 5&6
5:35 - 6:00 pm
6 pm
End of Conference
Note: All SciTech Conference events will be taking place in Bldg E52.