He is Naif Suhail Al-Hamoud, he recently won fourth place globally in the "Intel Isef 2012" competition in the field of chemistry, held in America, and he also won the award for the best project and scientific research in the FIRST Lego League 2010 robotics competition in Turkey at the international level 2010, in addition to winning second place in the FIRST Lego League robotics competition 2010, and first place in the FIRST Tech Challenge competition at the Kingdom level.

School: The first chance!

It has always been said that one must be prepared, for luck is when preparation meets opportunity!

This is what the school provided for Naif, it prepared them enough to be researchers early on, and to compete with students around the world in an honorable way! Since the beginning of middle school, the school was the reason for directing Naif’s thinking towards robotics and scientific research, until he was able to represent not only his school but also his country in international competitions such as the FIRST Lego League and the FIRST Tech Challenge.

What my school offered us was not only knowledge, but also opportunities! Naif says: I am very grateful to my school, because what it offered us was not only knowledge, but also opportunities! A school that gives its students the opportunity to not only be students, but also leaders and researchers... is undoubtedly a blessing!

Stations that changed me!

On the other hand, Naif says that he is very grateful to his parents and his early upbringing in the residential city for Aramco employees, where he mingled with foreigners and was able to master English at an early age, which opened up broader horizons for him in the field he is inclined towards, which is scientific research. He was nominated to participate in international talent programs, specifically the Research Science Institute-RSI program, held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After the test, I was nominated for the Saudi version of the program, the Saudi Research Science Institute (SRSI), held at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal KAUST, in its first version.

Through the SRSI Talent Program , I discovered my inclination towards chemistry and fell in love with laboratories! Naif confirms that the SRSI Talent Program was an opportunity for him to discover new knowledge, and to determine his inclinations and interests. From there, Naif fell in love with chemistry and laboratories, so he worked on a specialized scientific research in this field and won fourth place globally. At that time, he realized that a program could change inclinations, build a mind, and make you a different person... and certainly, a better person!

Achievements:

Scientific research: Environmentally friendly chemical catalysts for Suzuki water reactions

Naif completed this research while participating in the SRSI Talent Program held at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal (KAUST), in its first edition. He was able to win fourth place globally with this research in the "Intel ISEF 2012" competition in the field of chemistry, held in America.

Naif says: The environment in which he conducted this research is “King Abdullah University of Science and Technology,” which helped him a lot to make his research so distinguished, as he was carrying out his experiments in very advanced laboratories, and receiving advice from specialized professors.

Before every success: there is an obstacle, and there are solutions!

Naif says: “It was never easy to achieve this level, and participating in a program of the level of SRSI was never easy, especially since there was a gap between the scientific content in our educational curricula and the specialized lessons we received in the program. But I was fully aware that every success has obstacles and with obstacles there are always many solutions! Just as we live with these obstacles, we must also look for solutions!”

I won't deny that I went through difficult times, but I had the support of wonderful parents, and I always reminded myself that I had to make them proud!