Hassan Alsibyani, Class of 2017 – Student Commencement Speaker
2017 Commencement Remarks
By Hassan Alsibyani, Masters Candidate, Computer Science
By Hassan Alsibyani, Masters Candidate, Computer Science
Class of 2017, today is a day of celebration, reflection and appreciation. Congratulations to all students and families.
Distinguished guests, board of trustees, Interim President Al-Nasr, Dr. Chameau, faculty members, and the entire KAUST community. Good evening, As-Salaam-Alaikum.
I am honored to be speaking to you today.
Families, I hope that you have had the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful campus.
If so, you may have noticed that KAUST is focused on solving the grand challenges that will help improve our nation and benefit communities around the world.
For example, our researchers in the Desert Agriculture Initiative, are pioneering ways to grow food using salty water. One day, our farmers could use water from the Red Sea to grow tomatoes. At the Visual Computing Center, our scientists are developing technology to better understand how to manage crowds —this technology could be useful to officials responsible for the safe movement of pilgrims during times like Hajj.
These are just two examples of how our scientists, engineers and researchers are contributing new ideas and discoveries to the world. As you can imagine, the possibilities of scientific and technological discovery are endless in a community of over 100 nationalities, where ideas and perspectives flow freely.
Tonight, I will highlight some of my experiences at KAUST that have taught me new values and helped shape my way of thinking.
My journey with KAUST began in 2011 when I was selected for the KAUST Gifted Student Program. As a student in that program, I was fortunate enough to be a member of many organizations and programs, including receiving my undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Within the first month of arriving on campus, I was immediately impressed by the collective passion and caring attitude shared by people. At MIT, groups of people from all over the world with different backgrounds and academic training, collaborate to solve problems together. Over the years, I recognized that this model of collaboration is present in all ambitious institutions in the world, and KAUST is definitely one of these places.
Fast forward 5 years, and now I’m a graduate student at KAUST in the computer science program where I have been able to focus on my passion to improve privacy in the digital age. I believe that users should have total control of their personal information online.
Through the guidance of my advisor, Professor Canini, and collaborating with a fellow student, with expertise in large systems, I designed a system that allows organizations to store and analyze sensitive data, such as medical records, in the cloud while maintaining their data securely. It is clear that data collection is the future, and I hope that my research contributes to setting a high standard when dealing with user confidentiality. My research is just one example of our interdisciplinary culture that inspires us to collaborate for the benefit of society.
Beyond our academics, KAUST is in a unique position to host important meetings and conferences relating to the Kingdom’s economic future. For example, this past May, KAUST hosted the Innovation to Impact economic forum.
The attendees were highly accomplished in their field, discussing technologies and ideas, the only problem was – they forgot to invite me. However, I fixed that by inviting myself. It does work, just put on a nice suit and act like you belong.
It was truly inspiring to witness leaders coming together to explore game-changing solutions. This conference, along with the many distinguished guests who visit KAUST year-around, make this place more than just a university. It is a place where ideas are born, discussed, and implemented to help shape the future.
I would be wrong if I neglected to share the most important aspect of KAUST—our people.
When people ask me, how diverse is KAUST—I just say, “we have two people from Madagascar” and somehow that explains it. We share diverse perspectives in a way that allows us to think about every angle of an idea, problem or solution.
Our diner serves as a great place for discussions and debates. I have discussed education policy with a Brazilian, economics with a Kazakh, and desserts with an Italian. Each of these conversations brought a unique perspective that I would have otherwise not noticed or understood. And for that I am grateful.
In closing, fellow graduates as we leave KAUST tonight and go to many different places, be it Riyadh, Singapore
or Mexico City. Wherever we go, I encourage all of us to uphold the values learned during our time at KAUST. Be an advocate of helping diverse ideas flow freely between people, who may come from different backgrounds and places. If we do this, in small or big ways, our collaboration with others will improve our chances of accelerating progress.
While we do not know how our lives will unfold, I do know that KAUST has taught us to always strive for excellence and dedicate our talents to solving important problems in the world.
Again, I would like to thank the families--including my own. We would not be here tonight without your dedication and support along every step of our journey.
Graduates, congratulations and I wish you all the best.
Distinguished guests, board of trustees, Interim President Al-Nasr, Dr. Chameau, faculty members, and the entire KAUST community. Good evening, As-Salaam-Alaikum.
I am honored to be speaking to you today.
Families, I hope that you have had the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful campus.
If so, you may have noticed that KAUST is focused on solving the grand challenges that will help improve our nation and benefit communities around the world.
For example, our researchers in the Desert Agriculture Initiative, are pioneering ways to grow food using salty water. One day, our farmers could use water from the Red Sea to grow tomatoes. At the Visual Computing Center, our scientists are developing technology to better understand how to manage crowds —this technology could be useful to officials responsible for the safe movement of pilgrims during times like Hajj.
These are just two examples of how our scientists, engineers and researchers are contributing new ideas and discoveries to the world. As you can imagine, the possibilities of scientific and technological discovery are endless in a community of over 100 nationalities, where ideas and perspectives flow freely.
Tonight, I will highlight some of my experiences at KAUST that have taught me new values and helped shape my way of thinking.
My journey with KAUST began in 2011 when I was selected for the KAUST Gifted Student Program. As a student in that program, I was fortunate enough to be a member of many organizations and programs, including receiving my undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Within the first month of arriving on campus, I was immediately impressed by the collective passion and caring attitude shared by people. At MIT, groups of people from all over the world with different backgrounds and academic training, collaborate to solve problems together. Over the years, I recognized that this model of collaboration is present in all ambitious institutions in the world, and KAUST is definitely one of these places.
Fast forward 5 years, and now I’m a graduate student at KAUST in the computer science program where I have been able to focus on my passion to improve privacy in the digital age. I believe that users should have total control of their personal information online.
Through the guidance of my advisor, Professor Canini, and collaborating with a fellow student, with expertise in large systems, I designed a system that allows organizations to store and analyze sensitive data, such as medical records, in the cloud while maintaining their data securely. It is clear that data collection is the future, and I hope that my research contributes to setting a high standard when dealing with user confidentiality. My research is just one example of our interdisciplinary culture that inspires us to collaborate for the benefit of society.
Beyond our academics, KAUST is in a unique position to host important meetings and conferences relating to the Kingdom’s economic future. For example, this past May, KAUST hosted the Innovation to Impact economic forum.
The attendees were highly accomplished in their field, discussing technologies and ideas, the only problem was – they forgot to invite me. However, I fixed that by inviting myself. It does work, just put on a nice suit and act like you belong.
It was truly inspiring to witness leaders coming together to explore game-changing solutions. This conference, along with the many distinguished guests who visit KAUST year-around, make this place more than just a university. It is a place where ideas are born, discussed, and implemented to help shape the future.
I would be wrong if I neglected to share the most important aspect of KAUST—our people.
When people ask me, how diverse is KAUST—I just say, “we have two people from Madagascar” and somehow that explains it. We share diverse perspectives in a way that allows us to think about every angle of an idea, problem or solution.
Our diner serves as a great place for discussions and debates. I have discussed education policy with a Brazilian, economics with a Kazakh, and desserts with an Italian. Each of these conversations brought a unique perspective that I would have otherwise not noticed or understood. And for that I am grateful.
In closing, fellow graduates as we leave KAUST tonight and go to many different places, be it Riyadh, Singapore
or Mexico City. Wherever we go, I encourage all of us to uphold the values learned during our time at KAUST. Be an advocate of helping diverse ideas flow freely between people, who may come from different backgrounds and places. If we do this, in small or big ways, our collaboration with others will improve our chances of accelerating progress.
While we do not know how our lives will unfold, I do know that KAUST has taught us to always strive for excellence and dedicate our talents to solving important problems in the world.
Again, I would like to thank the families--including my own. We would not be here tonight without your dedication and support along every step of our journey.
Graduates, congratulations and I wish you all the best.