Sixth Arab-American Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium: A Unique Opportunity for U.S.-Arab Scientific Exchange and Collaboration

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Many Arab countries are making significant investments in science and technology and have unique facilities and resources. However, there are few mechanisms for U.S. researchers to learn about research efforts in this region. This meeting provides an exceptional opportunity for U.S. scientists to interact with promising young researchers in the Middle East to develop new ideas and approaches to apply to ongoing research and discover opportunities for collaboration. This project will help support the sixth conference of the Arab-American Frontiers program series, to be held in Kuwait City, Kuwait in fall 2018. The event will provide an opportunity for approximately 35 early-career US scientists to attend a three-day conference of approximately 100 total attendees that seeks to: enhance scientific dialogue and exchange between young US and Arab researchers; encourage the transfer of techniques and approaches across disciplines, strengthen science and engineering collaboration within and beyond the US and the Middle East/North Africa region, and also empower young scientists, engineers and medical professionals to assume leadership roles in their fields and beyond. Participants are selected through a competitive application process, ensuring a meeting of research-active scientists and engineers who are ready to capitalize on the ideas and relationships developed at the conference. The event is co-organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science and NSF funds leverage their significant support. The conference purposely focuses on several topics that are not directly related to encourage the participants to make connections beyond their field of study and to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue that may offer new, unexpected insights. Participants at previous workshops have highlighted this broad interdisciplinarity as an intellectual highlight of the meeting. The focus areas for this meeting were developed by the volunteer organizing committee and represent globally important topics in which the Middle East has valuable expertise and is investing important resources. All five topics represent research challenges that require the insights of multiple disciplines.- Big Data "Data by and for the people"- Water Systems "Innovation for the safe, reliable and efficient provision of water"- The Microbiome- Air Quality- Next Generation Buildings and InfrastructureFurther development of ideas for cooperative work that develop at the conference will be facilitated by small collaboration grants for which participants may apply after the meeting.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.