Dr. Mohammed Saad Al Kobaisi, Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering, is sharing his expertise in advanced discretizations and has collaborated with other leading industry experts in the newly published book Advanced Modeling with the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation. Dr. Al Kobaisi authored Chapter 2 of the book titled “Nonlinear Finite-Volume Methods for the Flow Equation in Porous Media,” which succinctly explains the formulation of nonlinear finite-volume (NFV) methods as advanced discretization schemes. 

“It was in 2019 when I first received the invitation from Chief Scientist Knut-Andreas Lie, of the SINTEF research center in Oslo, to contribute with a chapter in an upcoming book titled ‘Advanced Modeling with the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox’. I was humbled to learn that our recent works in the area of advanced discretizations were gaining traction in the scientific computing community and being cited in prestigious research centers and universities’ publications (the likes of NASA Ames Research Center, Stanford University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Communication University of China, among others). Although our developments were primarily targeting the oil and gas industry, the numerical tools we are working on at KU have applications in numerous industries and fields such as aerospace engineering, material sciences, environmental engineering, hydrology, CCUS, applied mathematics, and more,” Dr. Al Kobaisi shared. 

The advanced discretization schemes Dr. Al Kobaisi talks about in his chapter are consistent and monotone by design. “We show the basic ideas of how to construct one-sided fluxes, interpolate using harmonic averaging points, and obtain unique discrete fluxes through grid faces with convex combinations of one- sided fluxes. Key functions in the accompanying nfvm module in the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox (MRST) are outlined and examples of how the method is applied are presented,” he explained.

Dr. Mohamed Sassi, Professor & Acting Department Chair of the Petroleum Engineering Department commented: “Dr. Al Kobaisi’s contribution to the book and his work with other eminent scientists in the petroleum engineering world is a great achievement. This is testimony of the exceptional caliber of our faculty and the strength of our Petroleum Engineering program, which ranks 21st worldwide in the QS World University Rankings.” 

Dr. Al Kobaisi has extensive experience in the industry, previously serving as Energy Affairs Manager of the Directorate of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) where he was in charge of the work on bilateral energy relations in oil, gas, and renewable energy. He was also Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE Mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and an Advisor to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) from 2017 to 2019. 

The book Advanced Modeling with the MATLAB Reservoir Simulation is published by Cambridge University Press and electronic copies of the book can be downloaded for free from their .

Ara Maj Cruz
Creative Writer
26 December 2021

The post Petroleum Engineering Faculty Discusses Advanced Discretizations in New Book on MATLAB Reservoir Simulation appeared first on Khalifa University.

Khalifa University’s very own Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter was recognized with the SPE International Student Chapter Excellence Award. The Excellence Award is the second highest honor given by the SPE to the top 20% of their student chapters all over the world in acknowledgement of the chapters’ success in fulfilling the SPE’s mission through their programs and activities.

This year’s award also ��ݮ��Ƶ the resilience of the KU SPE Student Chapter during these challenging times, especially at the beginning of the school year. 

The chapter continued the mission of the SPE and promoted the exchange of technical knowledge about the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources. 

The KU SPE Chapter also took part in different SPE activities, such as the Energy4me event, Drillbotics, and SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE). 

Though the SPE is known to be focused on petroleum engineering, the KU student chapter also organized activities that would reach out to a more diverse audience. Programs such as personal and professional development for students, skills enhancement, and discussions with alumni from different industries about their success stories demonstrate how the chapter works hard to engage its KU members in a range of skill-building and knowledge-sharing activities. 

Ahmed Khalid AlZaabi, KU SPE Student Chapter President, details his experiences through the year: “I became the student chapter president during a very difficult time. Aside from the impact of the pandemic, the chapter was facing challenges due to a lack of members. It was difficult to adapt to new norms and regain the chapter’s status.”

“Opportunities and doors are always there when you continuously work hard. The most important task is to remember that the effort and struggles you go through today will eventually pay off. The chapter was facing difficulties at the start of the academic year,  but we saw this as an opportunity for growth and we created and implemented several plans to turn this around,” commented Marwa Mohamed AlBlooshi, KU SPE Student Chapter Vice President.

“We approached this academic year differently. We took time to understand why the chapter was at risk and what is the best approach to recovery from it. Further, we wanted to clear the misconception that the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is limited to petroleum engineering,” Ahmed said. 

Marwa added, “The amazing and incredible tasks the whole team carried out by pulling on each other’s strengths enabled us to innovate and create a platform that benefited across the spectrum. In return, this allowed us to excel as a team making us a candidate for this internationally recognizable award.”

The honor of receiving the Chapter Excellence Award would not have been possible without the support of the Petroleum Engineering Department and the exceptional efforts of the team behind the chapter. 

Dr. Hadi Belhaj, Petroleum Engineering Associate Professor and KU-SPE Faculty Advisor, has guided the chapter and shared his expertise with the students, said: “The KU-SPE Student Chapter is always one of the very active chapters around the world and the top of the region. Their success in recent years, including winning the 2021 SPE Student Chapter Award, is a testament for this leading role. I am very proud of our KU-SPE Student Chapter for their remarkable achievements. Their resilience, hard work, and dedication to the SPE despite the current unprecedented challenges of C-19 restrictions and impairment economy paid off. The KU-SPE Student Chapter paved the way for generations to come and showed how to turn challenges to opportunities. I am sure their best is yet to come!”

Dr. Emad W. Al-Shalabi, Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering, who has continually supported the Student Chapter, commented: “This is one of the prestigious SPE awards which marks a great achievement for our KU SPE Student Chapter. I would like to commend all the members for their dedicated efforts, particularly during this challenging time of COVID-19. Indeed, hard work pays off!”

Abdessamia Jebbouri, Lab Engineer for the Petroleum Engineering Department, also congratulated the Student Chapter saying, “The 2021 Student Chapter SPE International Excellence Award is not our first award in our wall of fame; it is evidence of the continuous outstanding performance and fabulous achievement since the establishment of our KUSPE student chapter on 1 August 2004. We believe that besides the excellent students’ curricular activities during the most challenging COVID-19 circumstances, our student chapter proved their remarkable efforts in a variety of fields such as industrial and academic engagement, community involvement, professional development, and innovations. We have a strong belief that our role as faculties and instructors with our young students goes beyond education — we are leaders, coaches, advisors, and facilitators of nonstop positive growth, and this is what we sow in our students.”

Khalifa University’s Petroleum Engineering department ranks 21st in the QS World University Subjects Rankings. 

Ara Maj Cruz
Creative Writer
5 July 2021

The post Khalifa University’s Society of Petroleum Engineers Student Chapter Receives Excellence Award appeared first on Khalifa University.

Petroleum Engineering students Amna Omar Hassan Shuhail Alqahtani, Fatema Ahmed Abdulla Qadah Al Shehhi, and Alia Fauzi Abubaker Abdulla Alkatheeri, and Chemical Engineering student Reem Aldahmani, have been chosen to participate in the 2020 University Innovation Fellows (UIF) training program.

The University Innovation Fellows is a program of Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). It was created as part of the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter), a five-year National Science Foundation grant. 

The program builds a global community of higher education student leaders to become agents of change in their schools and their communities. Almost 200 students from 45 higher education institutions in 14 countries have been named University Innovation Fellows this year. The Fellows who are part of the program are trained to ensure that they gain the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need to be able to thrive and compete in our complex and ever-changing world.  

At the end of the training program, University Innovation Fellows are expected to work with their peers, faculty, and administrators to unlock new learning opportunities for students at their campuses to encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and creativity. They will serve as advocates for lasting institutional change with academic leaders, lending the much-needed student voice to the conversations about the future of higher education.

Dr. Ahmed Al Shoaibi, Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Services, said: “We are keen to have our students participate in international programs. The engagement of our students in international learning and research is critical to KU’s vision as a research-intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. The students’ participation in international programs is a testament of going beyond the comfort zone and aiming to achieve global recognition.”

During the 6-week online training, the Fellows learned how to analyze their campus ecosystems, identify opportunities for change, and understand the needs of their peers across disciplines, as well as the perspectives of faculty and administrators. On 10 October 2020, the KU UIF Fellows presented their project ideas to faculty members and stakeholders of Khalifa University. There were three ideas the students came up with—the Help App, Virtual Labs Program, and the Digital Maker Space.

Help App

This project is an easy way for students to access the contact information of departments and services at KU. The aim is to ensure that students can easily reach anyone from the University when they need help, whether this be their instructors or services for students.

Virtual Labs Program

The Virtual Labs Program is an innovative approach to learning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as some students may find it challenging to have access and use traditional labs. The idea is to provide general technology skills training to students who have virtual labs that require software installation, providing them with all the information they need to download and utilize the software to their advantage for their online labs tasks.

Digital Maker Space

One of the resources that KU students have on campus is the Maker Space, a place where students can meet to share knowledge and resources, work on projects, and network with other students. The group came up with the idea of creating a “Digital Maker Space,” which is an online version of the Maker Space on campus. This project intends to help KU students continue learning, discovering, and trying new things albeit virtually.

The UIF training program was an enlightening learning experience for the group. The students would like to thank Khalifa University, especially Dr. Nicholas Dimmitt, Associate Professor of English, who nominated them to the program; as well as Dr. Waleed Alameri, Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering and Eng. Abdessamia Jebbouri of the Petroleum Engineering Department for the support they showed from the application process and throughout the duration of the program.

Alia Alkatheeri: “The bright side of this experience is that I am able to improve my thinking and problem solving skills. I’m so thankful for having this opportunity.”

Reem Aldahmani: “What I learned from this experience is that group work is very important in order to come up with different ideas and see problems from different perspectives. This program gave me an opportunity to help my creative potential and develop the design-centered mindset required to overcome today’s complex challenges.”

Fatima Alshehhi: “Joining this program was the best investment I’ve ever made for myself, as well as the start of a life-changing journey because it helped me expand my knowledge in innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Amna Alqahtani: “The program was a great and interesting experience to me. It taught me the process of problem-solving known as design thinking and what I learned from this program is to try to come up with different ways to solve a problem and then filter those ideas in order to offer suitable solutions for a person’s needs.”

Ara Cruz
Creative Writer
24 November 2020

The post KU Students Join the 2020 University Innovation Fellows Training Program appeared first on Khalifa University.