KAUST's Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) has come to be one of the events the entire community looks forward to attending. The two-week program is packed with seminars, community events, guest speakers and interactive exhibits. And the 2015 program is no exception.

With 112 speakers coming from the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, WEP 2015 is the biggest enrichment program to date. A complete list of everything going on during the program can be found at http://wep.acadox.com/#schedule, but if you don't know where to start, we've pulled together a few of our must-see events.

NOTE: You must be a KAUST student, faculty, staff or community member to sign up

TOP CHOICES FOR THE ART LOVER

Bella Gaia: A closing evening Gala event – January 22, 2015

BELLA GAIA is an awe-inspiring live multimedia performance fusing stunning NASA visualizations of Earth from space with live music and dance from around the world. The group transforms complex scientific data into an accessible audio-visual experience to expand public understanding of the global challenges we face and inspires audiences to act as stewards for our shared resources.

WEP 2015 Film Festival (WEP 2015 launch) – January 11, 2015

In keeping with our principal WEP 2015 theme of light, this year's Winter Enrichment Program will launch with a film festival featuring a wide array of classic and contemporary movies. A complete list of the movies will be released closer to the event.

"Discover Saudi Arabia. The Asir Region" Exhibit Opening – January 18, 2015

The Asir region has the highest mountains and receives more rainfall than any other province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From a cultural point of view, the region has an unrivalled architectural heritage and this photography exhibit presents images from the area.

Tingatinga: East Africa's Exciting Exotic Painting Style – January 18, 2015

This lecture by Pascal Bogaert focuses on the historical, social aspects and cultural meaning of Tingatinga painting. Tingatinga is East Africa's most popular contemporary painting style and is a trademark for Tanzania. The lecture will also show the link between naïve arts worldwide and speaks about the oeuvres of Henri 'Le Douanier'Rousseau, Nikifor and Grandma Moses.

Modern Saudi Art Exhibit - January 11, 2015

Enjoy a special exhibition of modern Saudi art curated by Arabian Wings, an independent Saudi arts company.

BEST BETS FOR THE ADVENTURER

King Solomon's Gold: The Mines of Saudi Arabia – January 15, 2015

The famous Mahd adh Dhahab and other gold deposits in the Saudi Arabia are well documented in several publications. Exploration practices for such deposits mostly follow a certain pattern as long as the searched for deposits are not too deep and therefore would most likely have some surface indications, which can be traced by various exploration methods. This lecture explores gold exploration and mining practices in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Keynote lecture: Desert Adventure: Fascination of Ice – January 22, 2015

Join Michael Martin as he explores two extremes: the deserts and polar regions of our planet. Michael Martin has been on the road for several years, sometimes together with scientists and fellow photographers or camera teams. His 35 adventurous journeys has included riding his motorbike across the Sahara, the Namib and the Atacama, traveling with camels through the Takla Makan, traversing the ice of Greenland and Spitsbergen by dog sledge, flying by helicopter to the South Pole and the pristine expanses of Antarctica and reaching the North Pole on skis. /

Keynote lecture: The Nabateans: The Mada'in Saleh excavations – January 12, 2015

Hegra is the ancient name of the site known as al-Hijr and Mada'in Salih, in the Saudi Arabian Hijaz. This site is the most impressive Nabataean archaeological site after Petra in Jordan, and was the first Saudi Arabian site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008. This lecture by Laïla Nehmé from CNRS will present the most significant results of this research program and put them in the context of Nabataean studies.

Creative use of light in photography – January 11- 14

This introductory workshop by Billy Currie shows examples explaining why post processing is required and how it changes your photography. During this workshop, we look at the tools and workflow to post process a color or mono image.

GREAT FOR THE ENTREPRENEUR

Entrepeneurship Series: ICE In the Desert– January 15 to January 20, 2015

ICE in the Desert is a five-day program that offers up to eighty participants a range of modules. It's designed to be a flexible and practitioner-led approach to teaching the broad aspects of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. This new program has been created especially with the KAUST WEP audience in mind, and leveraging a number of international, national and KAUST faculty.

Entrepeneurship Series: LEAN - January 18 to January 20, 2015

The Intensive Lean Startup program follows on concepts from ICE In The Desert, a general entrepreneurial development program that runs during the first week of WEP 2015. This three-day program builds upon ICE and is open to teams of two to five people who will develop a venture from idea to market. This event is limited to 35 participants and is of particular interest to anyone contemplating starting a new venture.

TOP PICKS FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Keynote lecture: From Razor Clams to Robots: The Mathematics Behind Biologically Inspired Design – January 20, 2015

Witness the latest innovations in the field of biologically-inspired design in this inspiring keynote lecture by Anette Hosoi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. During the lecture, we will discover how an analysis of the physical principles exploited by snails and clams leads to the development of novel robotic diggers and crawlers, and explore the role of mathematics in the design, control, and assessment of unconventional robotic systems.

Keynote lecture: A Neandertal Perspective on Human Origins – January 13, 2015

Svante Pääbo, director of Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, will take us through the study of genomes of Neanderthal man and how this work is informing our understanding of the development of humanity. The Neandertal and Denisova genomes allow the identification of novel genomic features that appeared in present-day humans since their divergence from a common ancestor with their closest extinct relatives. This lecture will also describe preliminary analyses of such features.

Keynote Lecture: The Promise of Urban Science – January 19, 2015

Given the trend towards more data and increasing availability of open data, it is no longer a fantasy to ask: If you could know anything about a city, what would it be? This lecture by Mike Holland of The Center for Urban Science + Progress highlights some of the developing tools that can provide a more scientifically rigorous understanding of how major urban systems operate, how they interact, and how they can be optimized.

Keynote Lecture: Back to the Beginning in Cosmology and Radio Astronomy – January 18

We now know how to high precision the fractions of the different constituents in the universe, but we have yet to detect dark matter directly, and dark energy poses an even greater challenge to physics since it may well be a property of space itself. A recent experiment called BICEP2 could throw light on the very origin of the universe, and because of its geographic location, climate, and low population density, Anthony Readhead from Caltech will explain how Saudi Arabia is optimally placed to be a major player in this exciting new field.

The Red Sea Robotic Exploratorium – January 22, 2015

KAUST and Stanford together with Meka Robotics have been collaborating for past three years on an ambitious project to design and build a radical new underwater robotic platform to serve as a robotic avatar diver. This robot enables scientists and engineers to carry out their research and work safely and efficiently, while comfortably operating from a human-friendly environment. Throughout the presentation the audience will be able to interact with the robot in simulation and participate in transcontinental operations initiated from KAUST on the actual robot diving at Stanford.

EVENTS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Farmers Market – January 15 to 17

This three-day Market is for KAUST community and visitors to experience produce from local farmers in Saudi Arabia, including certified Organic Farms. The community will have the opportunity to sample as many different foods as possible, ranging from herbs and spices to fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and even fresh fish, quail, dates and local honey to name a few.

5K Fun Run – January 16, 2015

Our 5 kilometer fun run/walk starts and finishes at the Harbor Sports Club and everyone in the community can take part by either running for fun, walking with friends or even racing to win.

Science Fair – January 19

Our Science Fair is a chance for our scientific community to come together and inspire each other through demonstrations and experiments. It is also an opportunity for the KAUST community to learn from and interact with KAUST graduates, post-docs, research scientists and faculty.

International Undergraduate Research Competition - January 20, 2015

Join international undergraduate students as they present their best research in poster format, allowing you to see their work in a clearly understandable and attractive visual presentation. This event is an excellent opportunity to see the work of top international undergraduate researchers.

REGISTER AT WEP.ACADOX.COM