DHAHRAN,15 December 2002 — The Saudi engineers’ conference, which was opened here yesterday by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, will discuss 240 research papers, organizers said.
“We have selected 240 from a total 400 research papers received,” said Dr. Mohammed ibn Omar Bedair, chairman of the organizing committee and undersecretary of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
“Engineering and engineering education in facing modern challenges,” is the main theme of the four-day conference organized by the university.
Experts from Germany, Canada, the United States and Saudi Arabia have been invited to address the conference on various topics, Bedair said.
There will be two seminars focusing on the engineering profession in the Kingdom and engineering in the information age.
Abdullah Saleh Juma, executive president of Saudi Aramco, highlighted his company’s industrial training programs.
“Our 16 centers dotted across the country offer 10 million training hours annually,” he added.
Prince Sultan, who is on an inspection tour of the Eastern Province, arrived at KFUPM accompanied by a number of princes and top officials including Eastern Province Governor Prince Mohammed ibn Fahd.
Prince Sultan also opened an engineering exhibition organized on the sidelines of the conference and visited pavilions of companies specialized in petroleum, gas, electricity, iron and steel, and construction.
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, the Department for Military Works, Ministry of Communications, King Abdul Aziz City of Science and Technology and King Saud University are some of the organizations taking part in the exhibition.
Earlier yesterday, Prince Sultan opened a navy diving school at Ras Al-Ghar in the region. Prince Sultan later watched a parade by naval units.
Gen. Saleh Al-Muhayya, chief of general staff, and a number of senior military officials attended the function.
