This year's summer programs for gifted Saudi students kicked off at various colleges and universities across the Kingdom, offering 27 educational programs in science and technology in 22 scientific, educational and research institutions. The summer science educational program is held and organized annually by colleges and universities across the Kingdom in cooperation with the King Abdul Aziz and His Companions Foundation for the Gifted. In the Eastern Province, some 1,370 students of various levels have been selected to participate in this year's summer science educational program that focuses on theoretical research and practical study environment. Sixty of these gifted students, all of them of secondary level, have been enrolled at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). The university tagged its summer program this year for gifted students as Summer Enrichment Program, calling it the first of its kind in summer study programs for gifted students. “The KFUPM summer program for gifted students this year will focus on providing the participants with state-of-the-art concepts in scientific and research fields required by those involved in the fields of innovation and invention to boost their mental faculties in design and invention registration,” organizers said. They said the programs include computer programming, mechanics and mathematics to be taught by the university professors who will address the subjects similar to those imparted to the university students. “The programs primarily focus on engineering and technical areas and will put theory into practice in the field of industry by conducting field visits to SABIC-affiliated companies and Saudi Aramco, thereby combining classroom studies with practical experience,” organizers said. The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for the Gifted, since its establishment in 1999, has coordinated in identifying gifted and talented Saudi students by assisting them in their education and supporting them in their scientific projects. The foundation was established by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to facilitate the development of the creativity and inventive faculty of gifted youth in areas of medicine, environmental science, communication, education, the arts, telecommunication, engineering science, and technology. The foundation is currently funding and supporting six regional centers for gifted students in Riyadh, Jeddah, Taif, Madina, Dammam, and Al-Ahsa under the aegis of the Ministry of Education.
