Growing up, I was the kid who asked a lot of questions. I was curious about the world around me, so I asked people who were older than me and they never failed to answer my questions. The older I grew, the more complicated my questions became, and I started to learn that my parents alone can’t give me all answers.

During the summer of 2012, I found a new route to knowledge when I joined SRSI, a program KAUST organizes to allow high school students to conduct research alongside the students in the university. I spent 6 weeks working under the supervision of Prof. Christian Voolstra, Dr. Cornelia Roder and Till Rothig on a project that aimed to characterize biofilm in the central Red Sea.

Working in the lab showed me where the information on my computer came from, and how much work was being put into getting that piece of information. I came to enjoy the concept of research for that reason; to be able to learn something new about the world we live in. I’ve only just started, but the people I met, and the time I spent in KAUST has helped me choose the path in science that I will be taking.