Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette He is only 15-years-old but he already has five scientific inventions to his credit. The talented young lad came out with his first invention at the tender age of 10. At an age when most young boys take to the streets to play ball, do mischief or stay glued to the TV screens or their play stations, Hamad Nawed Akram would sit in his room inventing gadgets. Akram is an extraordinary student and since he was a toddler he was forever interested in technology. As Akram grew up, he started exploring a simple gadgets functioning which eventually led the young Saudi prodigy to come out with his very first invention — a TV Alarm device. His inventions seeks to keep the children and adult away from sitting too close to the TV screens. Akram has made slight modifications to a normal TV, that is, he has enabled them with sensors. If anyone sits too close to the TV screen, ignoring the recommended distance to keep away from it, the TV would make a strange kind of nose signaling you to move farther and watch your favorite program with a safe distance. “Nowaday, many children wear spectacles due to weak eyesight and one of the reasons is that they sit too close to the TV while watching their favorite cartoon or program. My invention will help those children watch TV from a safe distance, thus avoiding the harmful rays it emits,” said Akram. For his unique invention, Akram received a SR20,000 gift voucher from the “King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation.” An avid technology lover, Akram's second invention was a “spy fly saucer” — a device equipped with a camera. His third invention was also about built-in security camera to be installed in a house. Akram said the size of the camera is very small and hence people who are new and don't know wouldn't realize what it is when they see it. Akram's fourth invention is an “anti-pollution ship” which can purify water from all kinds of impurities. The budding scientist is still working on his fifth project, which is to make the car's battery work on solar power. Akram said that if a car is stationary for a long time, its battery will stop working. Therefore, Akram's intention is to prolong the life of the battery with the help of solar power or heat power generator. “I am still working on my lastest invention and I hope I will complete it soon. It will help those people who go on long vacations but when they come back they face problems with their cars' batteries,” said Akram. In the summer of 2009, Akram was among the five young boys who received a laptop and a certificate from the Ministry of Education for participsting in a competition organized by Mohaiba Company. Akram is a proud brother of two sisters and a wonderful son to his parents. His family is proud of his accomplishments and feel blessed to have a genius mind amongst them. “If I ever have to choose between one of my parents for what I'm today, I can't choose one. Both of them are my source of strength and I owe my recognition to them,” said Akram. Akram currently studies in grade 11 of Al Hassan School in Dammam. Teacher's can make you love or hate a subject. Akram's favorite subject is chemistry and his favorite teacher is his chemistry teacher Khalid. He loves chemistry because he feels the chemistry lab is very attractive and a lot can be done with the chemicals; its all practical, Akram said. Akram does not only excel in academics, he does wonders in sports too. He has won a bronze medal in table tennis and silver medal in basketball competitions organized by the King Fahd Petroleum and Minerals University summer program. The health-conscious budding scientist is also fond of swimming and daily spends an hour at the gym. Asked what his plans for the future are, Akram said, he wants to be a mechanical or a technical engineer. He aims to get a scholarship from CPP Aramco to pursue his studies in engineering. Akram said that every child should have the right to choose his career, however, his/her parents should also have a say in the decision because they are an important part of a person's life. His message to all the young Fun Timers “Always be yourself. Your career will be successful if your parents support you in everything you undertake.” Quoting Walt Disney, Akram said, “All of our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them.”
