Richard Mooney

One-on-one interviews

Rob Cook, VP of Software Engineering at Pixar

“The first major graphics computer in the late 70s we used was huge. It required a room to itself with cooling fans and was shared among 20 people,” recalls Rob Cook, Vice President of Software Engineering at Pixar Animation Studios, a keynote speaker at the 2011 KAUST Winter Enrichment Program (WEP).

Karl Barry Sharpless, Nobel Prize winner

“Sharpless essentially hopes to streamline medicinal chemistry by formulating structured approaches to link small chemical elements together from larger, more complex chemical configurations. With click chemistry, drug design could become as straightforward as connecting one chemical element to another.”

Maria Zuber, leading NASA Scientist

“Before my first NASA mission I got a phone call telling me that there were 86 investigators on the spacecraft team and that I was the only woman,” recalls Professor Maria Zuber, Head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), “I remember thinking ‘no way,’ so I checked and it turned out I was the only female involved.”

Jack McConnell, former First Minister of Scotland

“LAST Wednesday Jack McConnell announced his intention to stand down as MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw at the next elections. In this tell-all interview the area’s MSP of 11 years tells Wishaw Press Reporter Richard Mooney of his achievements, regrets, fond memories and addresses criticism from constituents over his time as an MSP.”

Jeff Wayne, War of the Worlds Composer

“As the conductor I’m right in the middle of the sound which, from a musician’s point of view, is where you always try to be.”

Kevin Keegan, former England Manager

“You get gap years in any country’s footballing life. I think Scotland’s had that where a lot of the kids would sooner watch football than play it. You’ve lost almost half a generation there.”

Science made simple

Seed Fund Winner Developing iPhone and iPad App for Alzheimer Patients

“It started little by little, with my grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s,” explains Rawad Sheikh, creator of the latest Seed Fund winning project, the “Grandma, Grandpa Book” App. “She began to forget details like names, places and stories. It was a difficult time for me and my family, but I began to wonder what could be done with modern technology to help improve the lives of Alzheimer’s patients.”

KAUST solar powered desalination prototype plant nearing commercial stage

“The idea is to bring AD technology to KAUST and eventually have it being used in Saudi Arabia. This is something we are actively working towards achieving,” Prof. Ng said. “The Kingdom is a country that receives a lot of solar radiation, so the project fits well with the country’s environment and needs.”

Breakthrough membrane research discusses pH controlled nanofilters

“Earlier the goal for membrane research was to make the membranes faster and more selective, like with elements such as higher water flux or salt rejection. This is still the goal but now there is a demand for the production of more sophisticated membranes, like natural membranes that can react to certain elements,” explains Peinemann.

Marine biologist has high hopes for new Red Sea Research Center

“We know less about the coral reefs in the Red Sea compared to others around the world. For example the Caribbean reefs have a huge selection of literature on them, as do the Pacific and Australian reefs. These reefs have been studied for nearly 40 years,” said Professor Hughes.

Wireless vital signs monitor project wins KAUST Seed funding

“The technology works through predefined thresholds of healthy and unhealthy vital signs. The incoming data received by cell phone always reverts back to this threshold,” said Dr Shamim. “The device could be used by senior citizens, athletes who train in isolated places, or mountain climbers and people working under dangerous conditions in remote areas.”

New method of nano-scale delivery

Dr. Khashab explains: “You put your drug inside the module, like filling a can with soda, then you cap it, and once this cap is opened the contents are released.” “Once the module enters the body it then focuses on killing cancer cells. This ‘killing’ doesn’t happen unless you have a stimulus, like someone opening a can. In this case the stimulus causes the breaking of the disulfide linkage.”