OPEC basket five-week price trend 2018

4.79out of 5 is the average score recorded by Saudi Aramco College Preparatory Program students in their 2018 Advanced Placement test results in Calculus BC — exceeding the global average.

Saudi Aramco by the numbers

A new exhibit at the Heritage Gallery in Dhahran exam-ines the history of training and development at Saudi Aramco, from the 1933 Exploration Concession direct-ing Saudis to be hired by the company to modern-day classes with rolling chairs and walls you can write on.

see page 5

78 years of teaching, learning, and doing

$ 75.13 74.53

70.9572.81 72.59

JULY 6 JULY 13 JULY 20 JULY 27 AUG. 3

see page 3

smartphonesfor safer driving

Downstream employee Khalid S. Al-Ghamdi looks at his score on an innovative new traffic safety behavior app called iDriveAware. The phone-based app monitors driving behavior and helps drivers modify their own safety practice on every trip they take. It records deviations from normal driving behavior, such as harsh braking, harsh acceleration, speeding, harsh turning, and the use of a cell phone while driving.

new Downstream app looks to drive home

safety message

see page 7

Students enrolled in Saudi Aramco’s College Preparatory Program thrive once again, 2018 Advanced Placement results reveal — exceeding the global average for the second straight year while also improving on their record-breaking performance in 2017.

CPP students excel after being put to the test

August 8, 2018 vol. LXXIII, No. 31 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication for employees

your voice

I tendered a homemade sandwich to a very close friend a few years ago. The feedback was that it was a delicious sandwich.

I wondered what made the same bread and cheese that someone eats almost ev-ery day so tasty. The response from my friend was that it was made with love.

I once had the opportunity at a confer-ence in San Diego, California, to attend a speech by researcher, thought leader, and writer Marcus Buckingham — au-thor of the forthcoming book, Nine Lies about Work.

The author highlighted in his speech that there are two significant factors that contribute heavily in reaching extraordi-narily results: using your skills intelligent-ly by doing the things that you are good at, and loving what you are doing.

The repetition of an activity that some-one masters is called strength reply. Even though using our strengths will help to eliminate deficiencies over time and meet the desired goals, we should not ignore our weakness that we identify while re-

ceiving various feedback. Buckingham used football player Lionel

Messi to clarify his thoughts. Messi left Argentina at the age of 13 to start his career with Barcelona in Spain. At that time he had a growth hormone issue, and nobody anticipated to see him as the superstar that he is today. Actually, there were some who expressed displeasure over the contract signing.

But the love of kicking the ball made Messi a natural. He continued playing in the green rectangle by demonstrating exceptional skills in dodging defenders, passing the ball, and scoring goals. His play is an art form, not normal football, and he has become one of the best foot-ball players in the world.

There is no doubt that individual effort is a key player in achieving extraordinary outcomes, but in most cases in team sports, it is the result of the concerted efforts of everyone within the team. Indi-viduals are all different in terms of men-tal strength, skills and capabilities. There-fore, synergizing those efforts can help

to create innovative solutions. This can be further illustrated by the fa-

mous expression “None of us is as smart as all of us” uttered by Ken Blanchard — developer of the Situational Leadership Model. On the other hand, the role of leaders lies in helping individuals reach their potential by giving them the oppor-tunity to demonstrate their skills in a mo-tivating working environment with the proper facilities and necessary training.

Regardless if we are Barcelona fans or not, we have to admit that the skills Messi exhibits come from his love of doing what he is doing, his belief in his talent, as well as management support in overcoming problems and providing guidance.

By continuing to do what you like to do, putting in extra effort to hone your skills, committing yourself and working toward your goals while collaborating with others, over time you can develop into a distinctive person who can be-come another Lionel Messi in your own right.

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.

EMSC, KACST come together to explore ways to collaborate on promoting energy efficiency

Riyadh — Saudi Aramco’s Energy Man-agement Steering Committee (EMSC) third meeting was recently held at King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh under the theme “National Synergy toward Efficient Use of Energy.”

The EMSC is a corporate committee de-signed to drive the implementation of the company’s Energy Performance Improve-ment Policy (INT-10) and enhance the corpo-rate energy performance for industrial and nonindustrial facilities alike.

Jamil J. Al Bagawi, EMSC chairman and Saudi Aramco acting chief engineer, headed the meeting, which was attended by EMSC members representing Gas Operations, Southern Area Oil Operations, Northern Area Oil Operations, Domestic Refining and NGL Fractionation, Pipelines, Distribution and Terminals, as well as the Power Sys-tems Planning, Process and Control Systems (P&CSD), Facilities Planning, Consulting Ser-vices, Planning and Performance Manage-ment, Domestic Analysis, Utilities and Facili-

Abdullah Alsubaie of the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh, left, presents to Jamil J. Al Bagawi (to Alsubaie’s left) and other members of management from Saudi Aramco at the KACST Medium Voltage Laboratory. The presentation focused on PV solar systems for public buildings such as mosques. Al Bagawi headed a meeting of Saudi Aramco’s Energy Management Steering Committee recently at KACST under the theme of “National Synergy toward Efficient Use of Energy.”

enjoying what you do a key to success

ties Services, and Planning and Performance Management (P&PMD) departments.

collaboration on energy technology and procedures

Al Bagawi, Anas Alfaris, KACST vice pres-ident for Research Institutes, and Abdullah Alsubaie, KACST deputy director of the KACST Energy and Water Research Institute, discussed opportunities for potential collab-oration and exchange visits. Alsubaie de-scribed several initiatives being undertaken by the Energy and Water Research Institute, including solar, cooling technology, energy storage, desalination and water reuse, smart grid, waste to energy, and modeling and simulation.

This was followed by a tour of the solar village laboratories, during which attendees learned about the work of the organization, which is the only governmental manufactur-er of solar panels in Saudi Arabia. The visit also included a tour of Solar Reliability Lab-oratory — the first laboratory of its kind in the Middle Eastern region capable of testing photo voltaic (PV) solar products under vari-ous specified test conditions and specifically designed desert protocols.

The labs have a long history of solar ener-gy research and development, and their test equipment has helped ensure product life cycles of over 20 years in the harsh environ-ments of the Middle East.

Saudi Aramco EMSC members also dis-cussed the 2018 Second Quarter Corporate Energy Efficiency Performance Review and the new Saudi Aramco Power Vision and Strategy.

power presentationsKhalaf Alotaibi from P&CSD highlight-

ed Saudi Aramco’s energy intensity key performance indicator results for the sec-ond quarter, highlighting the departments’ commitment to improving energy perfor-

by Malik Arafat

Dhahran

Malik.Arafat@aramco.com

mance — evident in the number of energy conservation initiatives implemented during the second quarter. These initiatives include higher plant utilization, shutting down re-dundant equipment, improving co-genera-tion and boilers’ efficiency, reducing steam losses to condensate, repairing defective steam traps, and replacing inefficient equip-ment.

Rakesh Radhakrishnan of the Saudi Ar-amco Power Planning Systems Department presented on the “Aramco Power Strategy and Business Models,” highlighting a strat-egy execution framework that focuses on optimizing the existing internal power gen-eration, growing the business by investing in conventional and renewables, and restruc-turing processes using utility best practices. The key takeaways from the presentation were as the power sector evolves rapidly, it requires utilities to be more agile and inte-grated. Opportunities exist but will require restructuring and consolidation to be com-petitive and drive value and future growth.

Other presentations included:• An update by EMSC secretary Maan

Iskander on previous action items • A report by Ayman Youssef from the

P&CSD Energy Systems Division on the Lead-By-Example performance status

• A discussion led by Amir Saeed of P&PMD on the current process of power rev-enues accounting and how the power pro-ducing departments can receive the financial incentive for producing more power through efficiency initiatives.

Al Bagawi thanked KACST (for hosting the meeting), organizers, and all attendees. He added that he was glad to see progress in the energy efficiency program and encour-aged members to participate in the next meetings by sharing best practices.

Overall, the meeting was productive and resulted in key action items to support the company’s energy program.

August 8, 2018

2 company news

smartphones for safer drivingnew Downstream app looks to drive home safety message

Dhahran — With more than 15,000 em-ployees driving a staggering 34 million ki-lometers each year, Saudi Aramco’s Down-stream business line has a vested interest in making sure that its employees get to their destinations safely.

The business line recently rolled out a phone-based app that monitors driving behavior and helps drivers to modify their own driving habits by providing personal feedback.

support from the topAbdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi, senior vice

president of Downstream, is taking steps to ensure that this happens by support-ing the use of an innovative tool to help drivers look inwardly at their own driving behaviors.

“In 2017, the company lost 24 valued individuals to off-the-job motor vehicle ac-cidents. This year, that number stands at 10,” Al-Judaimi said. “We have the social and moral responsibility to do all we can to protect the lives and safety of our most important asset — our people. I strongly support the introduction of this tool so we can help guide safe driving behavior.”

iDriveAware by the numbersThe phone app is called iDriveAware

and is produced by a company called Aware360. Since its rollout in February 2018, more than 800 Downstream em-ployees have downloaded the app. These drivers have taken more than 82,000 indi-vidual trips, covering more than 2 million kilometers. The app has recorded almost 1 million driving events, which are defined as deviations from normal driving behav-ior, such as harsh braking, harsh accelera-tion, speeding, harsh turning, and the use of a cell phone while driving.

Users receive weekly coaching reports designed to help them be aware of their driving habits and allows them to access their driving trip details through an iDrive-Aware website. The website can provide each driver with an individually tailored heat map to help them see patterns in their behavior, where events occurred, what time of day they occurred, and the frequency of those events.

“The way that we drive says everything

The iDriveAware app will create heat maps for users that show incidents by location. Those in red are where the largest number of incidents occur.

Data collected by Aware360, the parent company of the iDriveAware app, reinforces reports from the Saudi Journal of Medicine showing a decline in good driving behavior over the month of Ramadan. Among other findings are that good driving behavior declines on Thursdays and resumes on Sundays, and also decreases once drivers leave the Saudi Aramco Dhahran area.

The iDriveAware not only tracks drivers’ scores in areas such as focus and handling, but also keeps week-to-week and month-to-month track of their progress in these areas and total overall driving habits.

about us,” said Majed A. Osais, the Down-stream Health, Safety, and Environment Excellence group leader. “Smartphones have been blamed for causing accidents, but this initiative will use smartphones to improve behavior and make driving safer. We’re really excited about how this tech-nology can make a difference. Ultimately, it’s about saving lives.”

“We believe the rollout of this initiative has already created increased awareness and is starting to make a difference,” said Roger L. Bresden, a member of the Down-stream HSE Excellence group, and coordi-nator of the iDriveAware app program.

the challenge of changeRoad safety is not just a challenge for

Saudi Aramco; it is a challenge for the Kingdom. Between 2006 and 2016, there were 78,487 fatalities by road accident. With more cars on the road each year, traffic accidents seem to be increasing, with more than 9,000 traffic accidents in 2016 alone. At that rate, there are roughly 25 traffic fatalities per day in the Kingdom.

The iDriveAware app promises to help change that. On a daily basis, data is col-lected by Aware360 and shared with both the individual drivers and admin areas. Data collected by the phone app is intend-ed to promote a positive learning curve for drivers, and rolled up data is used by ad-min areas to monitor broader trends.

Collaborating with the Downstream HSE Excellence team, Lisa Cooper, Aware360’s vice president for Integrated Solutions, said her company is committed to Saudi Aramco’s goal of reducing injuries and fa-talities on the road.

“We’ve been very impressed by Sau-di Aramco’s commitment to employee

safety,” Cooper said. “Over the past six months, we’ve found Saudi Aramco to be collaborative and cooperative in continu-ously improving the Driver Behavior pro-gram. Each month, we review and analyze the data collected from all drivers engaged in Saudi Aramco’s Driver Behavior Program with the objective of reducing traffic inci-dents. The insights delivered by Aware360 provide trending information with respect to aggressive driving behaviors, including distracted driving.”

Aware360 helps the HSE Excellence group to identify driving trends and get ahead of factors that could lead to less-safe driving behavior, Cooper added. Some examples include:

• Data showing that good driving be-havior declines on Thursdays and resumes on Sundays

• Evidence of change in behavior once drivers leave the Saudi Aramco Dhahran area. Sharp corners, speeding, and harsh

braking occur at higher incidences, espe-cially immediately outside the business area.

• iDriveAware data reinforces reports from the Saudi Journal of Medicine show-ing a decline in good driving behavior over the month of Ramadan.

iDriveAware also highlights those drivers who exhibit exemplary driving behavior, and offers management an opportunity to recognize those who are setting good examples for driving behavior on the road.

Recently the business line recognized two of its top drivers:

• Sharaf S. Gabgab, a foreman with the Eastern Region Distribution Department, who was recognized for having the most improved score — up 18.7 points from his initial score

• Sailesh A. Kaw, a supervisor at the Riyadh Refinery, who was recognized for having the highest overall score — 95 points. (A perfect score is 100.)

Sharaf S. Gabgab Sailesh A. Kaw

by Scott Baldauf

3cover storythe arabian sun

Co-op participants get an introduction to Saudi Aramco

DR&NGLF: Co-op, summer students attend open day

Dammam — The Academic Programs and Partnerships Department recently wel-comed participants in the 2018 Coopera-tive Training Program with a two-day ori-entation at the Dammam Office Building to help prepare the students for a career at Saudi Aramco. Activities included a brief video on the company’s history, as well as a review of policies and procedures covering cybersecurity, professional behavior, safety, and more.

Ras Tanura — Based on the success of similar events in the past, Domestic Refin-ing and NGL Fractionation’s (DR&NGLF) Cooperative and summer students recent-ly participated in an open day event to engage with management and receive an overview about DR&NGLF business func-tions.

The students actively participated to present success stories, experience within their programs, and to ask questions relat-ed to the leadership, and the company’s future.

A total of 40 students from colleges and universities Kingdomwide and abroad are participants in various non-employee pro-grams offered by the company such as the College Degree Program for Non-Em-ployees (CDPNE), Co-op, and the Summer B Program. Assigned to various depart-ments in the admin area, the students de-voted their attention to learn more about DR&NGLF functions and facilities. A group of Co-op students from Community Ser-vices participated in the event as well.

opportunities and challengesSuleman A. Al-Bargan, DR&NGLF vice

president, opened the event by empha-sizing the importance of communicating within the community and spoke about the company’s long history of citizenship and environmental stewardship. Al-Bargan also briefed the students on the importance of learning sources available to them and Saudi Aramco’s many opportunities amid the challenges in the oil and gas industry.

Al-Bargan highlighted the company’s

Mohammad Al-Naimi gives a presentation on traffic safety on the second day of orientation for the Co-op B students program. This year, a record 410 students have participated in the program, which is designed to help prepare the students for a career at Saudi Aramco.

by Mohammed N. Al Shammari

the importance of experiencePresenters emphasized the critical impor-

tance of relevant experience that can best be gained through a meaningful internship. A college degree indicates an employee meets basic academic proficiency require-ments, but internships enable the practical application of what was learned in college. Co-op participants understand that, as well as the value of learning how to relate to supervisors, team members, and the orga-nization.

IT-related exercises under supervision. I re-ally got a flavor for how things work here and I was able to acquire new skills and ex-periences directly related to my major.”

a long history of internshipsSaudi Aramco has been offering intern-

ship opportunities to a limited number of undergraduate Saudi students from both in-Kingdom and out-of-Kingdom univer-sities since 1980. As of today, more than 6,000 talented undergraduate students have benefited from internships at the company.

To qualify for the program, these stu-dents must have completed their senior year in their course of study. Based on their performance in the program, the student is awarded a certain number of credit hours according to the academic requirements of their major. Students come from a variety of educational backgrounds, including en-gineering, sciences, management, informa-tion technology, and many others.

The length of each student’s internship varies based on university requirements, but is generally between 10 and 28 weeks. Benefits afforded by the company to the students include a monthly stipend, hous-ing, transportation, and medical coverage.

The program has two intakes per year: Co-op A, which starts in February, and Co-op B, which starts in July. This year, the program reached a record intake of 410 students, which represents a significant in-crease in the number of students who will benefit from the program.

For more information on Co-op, visit: http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/ca-reers/saudi-applicants/our-programs/coop.html.

Past participants in the program gave glowing reviews. Mohammed Al-Senan, currently employed in the Organizational Consulting Department, said, “The pro-gram gave me the opportunity to exchange skills and experiences, and to transition from student life to professional life.”

Ghada Al-Dossary from Personnel de-scribed the experience as follows: “I first came to Saudi Aramco for the co-op, which allowed me to experience the work envi-ronment firsthand and undertake practical

long-term integrated strategy of support-ing capital efficiency, sustainable invest-ment, technology development, and hu-man resource (HR) enhancement.

Haya Albassam, an HR generalist from the HR Development Division (HRDD), presented “An Overview of the Domestic Refining and NGL Fractionation Admin Area,” which detailed the admin area’s role, its functions, facilities, integration with the other five admin areas in Down-stream, joint ventures, and future projects.

an open dialogDR&NGLF HRDD superintendent Yahya

Q. Daghriri said the event was designed to ensure an open dialog between DR&NGLF management and the students.

“This is part of an HRDD initiative that was launched in 2016 to develop a state-of-the-art interaction program for non-em-ployees,” said Daghriri.

Malak Alnaeem, a Co-op student work-ing with HRDD, said, “I have learned a lot about HR management since day one of my program.”

CDPNE summer student Fatimah Alzay-er said she appreciates the opportunity to work with her sponsor organization and to learn more about her future work environ-ment by gaining professional experience in her field.

Two graduates from the U.S. who re-cently joined DR&NGLF shared their per-sonal experiences as former CDPNE partic-ipants.

“The CDPNE program has shaped my future and prepared for me a promising career,” said Ibrahim Althaali, a chemical engineer with the Ras Tanura Refinery En-gineering Department (RTRED).

Fellow RTRED chemical engineer Eman Alkhonaifer highlighted how the program enhanced her development capabilities and supported her when needed.

“I’m so glad to be part of this admin area, and specifically, with the RTR team,” she said. “I like the fact that I’m making history as being one of the first female en-gineers working in a refinery that is con-sidered to be the largest in the region. Thank you Saudi Aramco!”

An open session with management fol-

Suleman A. Al-Bargan Haya Albassam

Fatimah Alzayer Eman AlkhonaiferMalak Alnaeem Ibrahim Althaali

lowed, with attendees asking questions of management. Al-Bargan extended the ses-sion with an informal “Ask the VP” seg-ment in which the students could discuss topics of interest with him directly.

Al-Bargan pointed out success factors in the workplace and encouraged the stu-dents to learn more during those programs and improve their professional background and skills.

The event continued with a film about the RT Refinery and a bus tour of the fa-cility.

closing wordsThe vice president expressed his happi-

ness in welcoming and meeting the stu-dents, wishing them the best with their assignments. He also thanked HRDD for its efforts in organizing the event.

The event was concluded by reminding students to use programs efficiently and to do their best. In return, the students had high praise for the non-employee programs and the high quality of assign-ments, as well as the experience and qual-ifications of their trainers.

August 8, 2018

4 company news

78 years of teaching, learning, and doingexhibit a window into company’s rich history of training and development

Dhahran — Education is a powerful in-vestment, and the recent opening of a new display at the Dhahran Heritage Gallery cel-ebrates Saudi Aramco’s 78-year contribu-tion toward the training and development for both the Saudi people and its own em-ployees.

Covering the walls of the exhibition is an easy-to-follow timeline, starting in the 1940s with the first English language class-room and ending with today’s training for new female drivers.

employment of Saudi nationalsWhen the Exploration Concession was

signed in Jiddah in 1933 between the Standard Oil Company and the Saudi gov-ernment, the agreement required — where possible — that Saudi nationals be em-ployed to do the work.

To achieve the technical and admin-istrative skills needed to operate an oil business, Saudi Aramco quickly realized it needed to invest in training its workforce.

Aside from investing in its people being vital to retain the company’s concessionary rights, the company clearly recognized that improving the education — particularly in the early days — of its workers improved their quality of life.

Nabil K. Al Dabal, acting executive di-rector of Human Resources, said the first education was informal and on-the-job, but once oil was discovered in commercial quantities in the early 1940s, the company began investing millions to improve the ed-

by Janet Pinheiroucation and training of its Saudi workforce.

“Saudi Aramco’s investment in human capital has helped the Kingdom’s citizens lead richer lives and enabled them to con-tribute to the nation’s future global eco-nomic competitiveness,” Al Dabal said.

thousands receive industrial and professional training

The display, put together by Training and Development (T&D), shows a range of im-pressive industrial and professional training numbers, such as 37,780 apprentices grad-uating in the past 20 years, and 93,402 people receiving industrial certification since 1997.

Company sponsorship of students at uni-versities in the Kingdom and abroad has achieved 7,807 degree graduates since 1956, with an additional 2,196 people graduating from advance degree programs since 1976.

In 2006, the College Degree Program for Non-Employees was extended to include female high school graduates, and a first cohort of 56 females enrolled in July 2007.

writing on the walls allowedVisitors to the Heritage Gallery exhibition

are transported to the past with a 1940s classroom replica of the company’s first school in al-Khobar, complete with wood-en desks and a chalkboard.

They’re also given a cutting-edge peek into the future with a visit to the latest in teaching and learning — the i-Space class-room.

Article 23 of the Exploration Concession agreement signed on May 29, 1933, between the Standard Oil Company and the Saudi government carried the dream of a prosperous future to the Saudi people by stating: “The enterprise under this contract shall be directed and supervised by Americans who shall employ Saudi nationals as far as practical, and in so far as the company can find suitable Saudi employees it will not employ other nationals.”

Trevor Hunt, advanced Industrial Training Center teacher, highlights advantages of the i-Space classroom concept to Nabil K. Al Dabal, acting executive director of Human Resources, Mohamed A. Al-Abdul Karim, general manager of Community Services Projects and Technical Support, and Samdan A. Al-Sulaff, acting manager of the Learning Solutions and Services Department. The new kind of classroom allows students to write on the walls and move about on wheeled chairs to better collaborate. (Photo: Ding/MPD)

The first company school, al-Khobar School, was opened on May 11, 1940, to teach spoken and written English. The first teacher, Hijji ibn Jasim, was an interpreter and translator from the Government Relations Office. Evening classes were held in a rented room of Hijji’s home in central al-Khobar.

A shortage of vocational graduates in the Saudi labor market saw the company launch the first Apprenticeship Program for Non-Employees in 1970.

T&D has been experimenting with i-Space for the past three months — a classroom where walls are written on, iP-ads replace writing pads and textbooks, and rigid desk seating is superseded with a fluid layout of wheeled chairs so students can roll themselves into collaborative study spaces.

international accreditationTraining and development remains cen-

tral to Saudi Aramco’s business, and today, the company runs a sophisticated program covering a diverse array of education and development that includes international company assignments.

In 1993, the company received the Mid-dle East’s first accreditation from the Ac-crediting Council for Continuing Education and Training. The teaching quality of the company’s education is globally recognized by universities in the U.S., U.K., and Aus-tralia.

For the new millennium, Saudi Aramco has a strong focus on innovation and tech-nology, and through partnership agree-ments, the company is involved Kingdom-wide with 16 established training centers and an additional 14 centers planned.

visiting the heritage galleryThe T&D display is on exhibit for one year

at the Heritage Gallery. Located at 1220 Ibis Street in Dhahran, the exhibit is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. For infor-mation, email heritagegallery@aramco.com or call 872-0458.

Saudi Aramcoeducation timeline

1933Exploration Concession agreement signed requiring employment of Saudi nationals

1940sFirst company schools built

1950sIndustrial Training Centers commence operations

1960sFocus on training for professional positions and female school education

1970sLaunch of first apprenticeship program and first training center for women

1980sSix training divisions combined to form the Training and Career Development Department

1990sTechnical innovation adopted such as e-Learning courses

2000sNew Ras Tanura Leadership Center with 1,200 person capacity

2010sSMART learning environment launched.

the arabian sun

5company news

MAD TWIX sharpens the mind, produces outside-the-box results

Dhahran — In pursuit of presenting the “maddest” idea, EXPEC ARC teams re-cently competed in the annual MAD TWIX competition as participants gathered to learn, debate, and judge the latest cap-tivating and far-reaching ways to solve Saudi Aramco’s upstream field challenges. This year, Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies were predominant in gaining the competitive technical edge.

MAD ideasThe Mentally Advanced Discussion

(MAD) is an interdisciplinary, competitive version of the department’s regular Tech-nology Weekly Information eXchange (TWIX) seminars where teams present their challenges and seek creative solutions to generate lively discussion and stimulate “ideation” among colleagues. MAD TWIX compounds the weekly event into a com-petition that brings all teams to the stage to share their most far-reaching ideas in one extended session.

TWIX and MAD TWIX offers senior and junior professionals an opportunity to share the failures and successes of their research efforts, and their ideas for disrup-tive solutions to our upstream challenges.

“MAD TWIX looks to not only energize our brains, but also to give us the opportu-nity to think outside the box toward new solutions and potentially game-changing technologies,” said Amr Abdel-Fattah, a petroleum engineer in the Reservoir Engi-neering Technology Division (RETD) who has been coordinating the TWIX program for more than five years. “Coming up with a winning idea is something great, but the true success is executing it and demon-strating its true benefits to our business.”

MAD TWIX is aligned with EXPEC ARC’s business goals and strategies, as well as the two of Four Critical Behavior functions of conversation and collaboration. Inter-action across teams is increased in sharing ideas that push the limits of science, there-by sparking new, high potential research relating to Saudi Aramco’s upstream busi-ness.

“We encourage our researchers and en-gineers to innovate by thinking outside the box, as innovation is central to EXPEC ARC’s mission,” said Ali A. Al-Yousef, chief technologist of RETD, the division that coordinates EXPEC ARC’s ideation and in-novation processes. “A decade ago, MAD

TWIX was the venue behind the inception of our Reservoir Engineering nanotechnol-ogy program.”

the winnersSeven talks were delivered by EXPEC

ARC researchers — representing the six upstream technology divisions and one laboratory division — to all department at-tendees and peer judges representing each division.

“Several innovative ideas were truly outside the box,” said Abdullah Yami, who chaired the judging committee. “While the presenters were delivering their talks, we assessed the challenge, solutions, and how they can change our conventional way of practice. The judges had a unique opportunity to interact with the presenters to explore and to ensure the feasibility of these MAD ideas. Today, we saw several topics that will fit perfectly in EXPEC ARC’s vision and allow us to become the innovative leaders in our industry.”

“Interstellar Exploration,” which was championed by the Computational Mod-eling Technology Team (CMT) in collabo-ration with Reservoir Engineering Technol-ogy (RET), Geophysics Technology (GPT), and Geology Technology (GTT) teams, earned first place. Michel Cancelliere, CMT Petroleum Engineering systems analyst, introduced the novel concept that uses cosmic rays to monitor fluid displacement and drilling hazards in Saudi Aramco res-ervoirs. An array of muons and neutrino detectors placed in long horizontals wells could increase the chance of detection at

reservoir depth. Similar technologies have been used in the past to search for hidden chambers in the Giza pyramids and to pre-dict volcanic eruptions.

“This technology has the potential to be substantially more cost-effective than cur-rent technologies because it does not re-quire an artificial source,” said Cancelliere. “They can be used as a stand-alone solu-tion or to improve the quality of seismic.”

The second most captivating concept was “Robotization of Seismic Land Data Acquisition,” which was led by the GPT teams in collaboration with the 4IR tech-nology teams and presented by Ali Momin of GPT. The MAD idea is to transform seis-mic acquisition on land into a fully auton-omous and dynamic system using self-sus-tainable drones and autonomous seismic

vibrators. This system would be controlled remotely and configurable in real-time, resulting in a cost reduction of 30% and a productivity championed by the CMT in collaboration with RET, GPT, and GTT teams of 50%.

“As a young professional, I see MAD TWIX as a very challenging and thrilling ex-perience that pushes the limits of our tech-nical capabilities beyond its conventional boundaries and enriches the cross-disci-plinary collaboration culture across all of EXPEC ARC,” said Momin.

Third place went to the innovative “Grain to Wave: Source Rock Quality As-sessment” shared by Maryam Assadeq of the Advanced Technical Services Division. She proposed an idea that will help re-duce exploration risk, as well as the time and money needed for sampling and geo-chemical analysis. The concept provides rapid estimates of the sweet spots of un-conventional shale resources and source rock quality of conventional systems — all of which will be based on integrated geochemical, petrophysical, and seismic data. The idea calls for collaboration with a number of upstream organizations such as exploration and unconventional in ad-dition to EXPEC ARC’s 4IR Artificial Intel-ligence and Big Data Analytics Center of Excellence.

a close competitionThe scoring to determine the top three

spots was close, as were all teams in the competition. Salem Gharbi introduced the Drilling Technology Team’s concept, “Drill the Perfect Well: A Cognitive Interactive Operation.” Reservoir Engineering Team researcher, Jesus M. Felix Servin, unveiled the topic of “Intelligent Chemical Print-ing.” Geologist Ahmed Ghuraybi present-ed “Karst Resolution System,” and Nour Baqader of Production Technology shared the idea of “Rocket Fracturing” with the audience.

“The ingenuity of our researchers never fails to provoke and stimulate further dis-cussion, bringing team strengths togeth-er to solve technical challenges collabo-ratively,” said Ali A. Al-Meshari, EXPEC ARC manager. “MAD TWIX rejuvenates our minds, keeps us among the frontiers in cutting-edge technologies, and boosts our R&D efforts to deliver higher impact to upstream operations.”

MAD TWIX winner Michel Cancelliere (second from right) poses with (from left) Ali A. Al-Yousef, Ali A. Al-Meshari, and Amr Abdel-Fattah.

Mokhles Mezghani, a judge representing Geology Technology, asks a question to the presenter. (Photos: Hatim B. Oweida/MPD)

August 8, 2018

6 company news

Saudi Aramco’s College Preparatory Pro-gram (CPP) students have done it again. Their 2018 Advanced Placement (AP) re-sults not only far exceeded the global aver-ages for a second consecutive year, but also improved on the program’s record-breaking performance of 2017.

Recognized by universities around the world as a standard of academic excellence,

Houston — A longtime Saudi Aram-co-sponsored program assisted 36 U.S. science teachers in combining practical knowledge about geology with their class-room studies during an annual geology camp this summer.

Known as “G-Camp” (Geology Camp), the decade-long program partners Saudi Aramco with Texas A&M University to give teachers the unique opportunity to em-bark on a geological dig throughout the southwestern region of the United States.

“As a lead sponsor of the program, Saudi Aramco is a natural fit — since ge-ology and unlocking the secrets of the Earth’s crust to meet our consumers’ en-ergy needs are at the core of our business. It’s been our mission for the past 80-plus years,” said Jack Moore, director of Aram-co Services Company’s Washington, D.C., office.

G-Camp also highlights Aramco’s dedi-cation to STEM education programs (sci-ence, technology, engineering, and math-ematics) worldwide. Besides the G-Camp program, Aramco also sponsors the iEx-plore science program for fifth-grade teachers and students at the Houston Mu-seum of Natural Science. The idea of both programs is to equip teachers with new techniques to keep students interested in STEM-related fields.

hands-on learningThe teachers, representing grades 5-12,

were selected from throughout the U.S. and spent 18 days on a geological journey through Texas, Colorado, and New Mex-ico. Along the way, the teachers created science lessons to share with their students back in the classroom. They worked on de-

by Jonathan Aichele

by Matthew Pervis

Students apply their math and science skills in the College Preparatory Program (CPP) Robotics Club. For the second consecutive year, students in the CPP far exceeded the global averages. The students also improved on the program’s record-breaking performance of 2017.

Senior geological consultant Timothy Diggs, who is with Aramco Services Company, accompanied the Saudi Aramco-sponsored G-Camp group for several days, helping the teachers gain a better understanding of the industry perspective of geological formations.

The teachers’ classroom experience at Texas A&M was enhanced by the 18-day field trip across Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico, sponsored by Saudi Aramco.

Aces! College Preparatory Program does it again

Saudi Aramco-sponsored ‘G-Camp’ extends teachers’ geology knowledge

the College Board’s AP Program allows stu-dents the opportunity to take college-level courses in a secondary school or pre-college setting. Students who participate in the AP Program not only gain college-level skills but also are able to earn college credits and course exemptions before joining a univer-sity. Student performance is graded from 1 to 5, with a score of 5 representing the highest level of achievement. Overall, about 2.7 million American high school students took AP exams in 2018.

from the largest test center in the region, the best scores

This year, a total of 272 CPP students sat for 563 exams across eight subjects, high-lighting the fact that CPP is the largest AP test center in the Middle East. Of the 563 exams taken, 286 earned the maximum score of 5, representing 51% of the total, and 84% scored a 4 or higher.

Furthermore, more than 97% of the tests produced scores of 3 and above, which the American Council of Education (ACE) rec-ommends as the minimum score to earn college credit. More than 90% of colleges in the United States and colleges in more than 60 other countries grant credit, ad-vanced placement — or both — on the ba-sis of AP exam grades.

In addition to obtaining the highest marks in CPP history, this year’s students also surpassed global averages in all sub-

AP EXAMAVERAGE SCORE (Out of 5)

Global 2017

CPP 2017

Global 2018

CPP 2018

Calculus AB 2.93 4.16 2.94 4.50

Calculus BC 3.78 4.83 3.74 4.79

Chemistry 2.67 3.38 2.80 3.85

ComputerScience 3.15 4.23 3.18 4.38

Macroeconomics 2.89 4.63 2.96 4.68

Microeconomics 3.26 4.70 3.21 4.62

PhysicsC – Mechanics 3.71 4.33 3.55 4.45

PhysicsC – Electricity& Magnetism

3.49 4.39 3.61 4.57

jects critical to their targeted major. This year, CPP students sat for the following subjects: calculus AB, calculus BC, chem-istry, computer science, macroeconomics, microeconomics, physics (mechanics), and physics (electricity and magnetism).

CPP mathematics instructor William Ac-cad noted: “The success of our students is the fruit of their natural mathematical abil-ity and hard work. Our job is to ensure that

ability and hard work align in a manner that produces results.”

Raymond Monterey, CPP chemistry in-structor, added that “these results are even more impressive considering AP exams as-sume native speaker English language com-petency and are generally taken only by the top students of any given school, while in CPP, all students are required to sit for at least two AP exams.”

veloping curriculum material, virtual field trips for their students, and participated in hands-on outdoor learning to identify the processes that form and shape the surface of the earth.

The teachers viewed beautiful land forms, including the Great Sand Dunes, an area of large sand dunes up to 750 feet high in south-central Colorado, Taos Gorge and Valles Caldera, a 13.7-mile wide volcanic caldera in the Jemez Moun-tains of northern New Mexico. Among the different geological features explored were ancient marine deposits, faults, gla-cial landscapes, streams, landslides, energy resources, and mineral resources.

Rick Giardino and Carolyn Schroeder — faculty at Texas A&M University’s De-

partment of Geology and Geosciences — founded the camp in 2007 and have served as advisers and mentors for the sci-ence teachers.

Giardino started the program because he wanted to give teachers, who do not necessarily have an extensive background in geology, an opportunity to gain more hands-on experience and better equip them to teach their students.

“Teachers come here, and we introduce them to the principles and basics of geol-ogy. They get to touch it. They get to taste it. They experience it,” Giardino said.

ASC geoscientist travels with group

Timothy Diggs, a senior geological con-

sultant at Aramco Services Company, also traveled for four days with the G-Camp participants through New Mexico. “It was important for a geoscientist to go and give the teachers an industry perspective on some of the things they were seeing in the field because a lot of the information is only seen from an academic standpoint,” he said.

Diggs focuses on technology reconnais-sance to help Saudi Aramco increase pro-ductivity and efficiency. With an extensive background in geology, he was thrilled to join the teachers on the trip.

“Our knowledge of the various aspects complemented one another, and as a re-sult, it was a great learning experience for everyone,” he said.

the arabian sun

7company news

spotlightSaudi Aramco principal professional George Yeung (front, sixth from left) is celebrated by Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser, other members of management past and present, and colleagues during a farewell ceremony held recently in his honor. Yeung is retiring after 28 years with the company. Misfir A. AzZahrani, acting executive director of Exploration, said of Yeung: “George has been known for hard work and dedication throughout his 28 years of experience with Saudi Aramco. He has made substantial contributions to major company and upstream projects, many of which were high profile, impactful, and strategic. George made himself known as a strong subject matter expert and world-recognized figure in his field. While leaving his big Saudi Aramco family, we wish him a happy retirement with his wife, children, and grandchildren.”

Inaugurated on July 25, Dhahran’s new Heritage Gallery exhibition celebrates Saudi Aramco’s impressive 78-year legacy of training and development since the 1940s. Among those attending the event were Nabil K. Al Dabal, acting executive director of Human Resources, Mohamed A. Abdul Karim, general manager of Community Services Projects and Technical Support, other members of management, and members of the team responsible for the exhibit. (Photo: Ding/MPD)

pg 5

Saudi Aramco’s Energy Management Steering Committee’s (EMSC) third meeting was recently held at King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh under the theme “National Synergy toward Efficient Use of Energy.” Jamil J. Al Bagawi, EMSC chairman and Saudi Aramco acting chief engineer, headed the meeting, which was attended by EMSC members representing Gas Operations, Southern Area Oil Operations, Northern Area Oil Operations, Domestic Refining and NGL Fractionation, Pipelines, Distribution and Terminals, as well as the Power Systems Planning, Process and Control Systems, Facilities Planning, Consulting Services, Planning and Performance Management, Domestic Analysis, Utilities and Facilities Services, and Planning and Performance Management departments. KACST officials were also on hand to discuss opportunities for potential collaboration and exchange visits.

pg 2

Some of the 40 Cooperative and summer students that participated in Saudi Aramco’s Domestic Refining and NGL Fractionation’s (DR&NGLF) open day event in Ras Tanura pose for a photo following the event. During the event, students devoted their attention to learning more about DR&NGLF functions and facilities.

pg 4

Participants in Saudi Aramco-sponsored G-Camp pose for a photo at the Soda Dam formation near Jemez Springs, N.M., in the U.S. The formation is formed by the local hot springs bringing water filled with calcium carbonate to the surface. The longtime Saudi Aramco-sponsored program allows science teachers in the United States to see — and learn about — geological features for themselves and take that knowledge back to the classroom.

pg 7

August 8, 2018

8 company news

www.ithra.com

King Abdulaziz Center for World Cultureby Saudi Aramco

Driss MaloumiThe Oud Poet

Ithra TheaterAug. 23-25

Book Your Ticket

Dhahran — The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) will host 29 pro-grams under the theme “Journeys” during ‘Id al-Adha. The program, which will run from Aug. 22-25, will take visitors through all the activities offered in the Center’s pla-za, theater, cinema, museum, and other areas to inspire hearts and engage minds.

art, music, and more“Oud Poet” Driss Maloumi will perform

for the first time in Saudi Arabia. The UNE-SCO award-winning Maloumi will perform Aug. 23-25 at Ithra Theater. The perfor-mance will allow the audience to experi-ence listening to a unique blend of Arab and Western cultures.

As part of the “Journeys” offerings, live performances consisting of art, literature, and science will be offered in the plaza, including “The Piano Journey-Mcadam Piano” — a 30-minute performance of classical pieces from Mozart, Django, and Schubert on a rolling piano that will move around the Center. Also, visitors will have the opportunity to see and interact with works of art in the “Live Calligraffiti” ex-hibit.

At the Energy Exhibit, screenings and workshops will take visitors on a journey through the beginnings of petroleum and underground rock formations, all the way

to alternative energy solutions of the King-dom.

Also featured is the “Walking Dinosaurs” exhibit, an ultimate journey through the prehistoric age. Audiences will truly expe-rience the thrill of what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth through an im-mersive 20-minute 3-D film.

from the library to the cinema to the museum

The cinema, library, children’s museum, and museum will also take the visitors on a journey. Movies such as “A Journey to Mecca” will be screened in the cinema. Also, interactive games and storytelling ex-periences such as the Ibn Battuta — where visitors will be taken on a virtual journey by a virtual version of the explorer — will be offered at the library.

Workshops that allow children to use their creativity will be offered at the chil-dren’s museum, including the “Autism Friendly Space Workshop” and the “Time Travel Tour.”

Ithra looks to take visitors on a ‘Journey’ with bevy of programs during ‘Id al-Adha

Art, history, music, and cinema are just a little of what will be on tap at Ithra over ‘Id al-Adha later this month. The theme of the ‘Id program will be “Journeys” and will feature a number of exhibits and performances, as well as films for audiences of all ages.

by Lana AlSagga

9communitythe arabian sun

From interactive exhibits to the Oud stylings of Driss Maloumi to a rolling piano that will feature classical music selections, there will be something for everyone during ‘Id al-Adha at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). Under the theme of “Journeys,” Ithra will open its doors to a variety of artistic and cultural activities sure to delight and inform.

see page 9

Mohammed Amerali was on vacation in Alaska when his teenage son captured this image of Moose Pass in Alaska in the U.S. The boy, a 10th grader at Dhahran High School, used an iPhone X to take the photograph. Amerali and his family live in Dhahran. He works as a systems specialist in the Finance Reporting Division of the Corporate Business Application Department. He has been with the company more than 10 years.

the breadthof nature

Dhahran — After 34 years with Saudi Aramco, Mahboob Mohamed is bidding farewell to the company.

Mahboob joined Saudi Aramco’s IT User Services in 1984. One year later, he moved to the Maintenance Systems Group as a business systems analyst in the Mainte-nance Resources Planning Department, where he provided corporate maintenance system support to all operating plants com-panywide.

Throughout his career, he played a key role in the transformation of maintenance in Saudi Aramco. He was involved in tran-sitioning the maintenance systems from the previous legacy systems to SAP, and defining the structure of the maintenance system within SAP. In 2009, he helped establish corporate maintenance key per-formance indicators (KPIs) that delivered a new way of managing maintenance in the company where all maintenance organiza-tions could monitor their performance live.

He also led the development of a dash-board, launching the Maintenance Intelli-gent Reporting System through which the KPIs were monitored.

Mahboob was also involved with the

transformation of the organization, wit-nessing the establishment of Saudi Aram-co’s Maintenance Council, as well as the establishment and evolution of Corporate Maintenance Services, where he worked until the end of his career. During the final stage of his career, he provided consultan-cy in maintenance as a maintenance engi-neering specialist with the Strategic Main-tenance Analysis and Support Group.

Mahboob was born in Uganda, where he grew up to complete his primary and secondary school education. He moved to the U.K. in 1972, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1980, followed by a master’s degree in comput-er science before moving to Saudi Arabia. Two years later, after joining Saudi Aramco, he married his wife, Zahra, in 1986.

Zahra worked in the Saudi Aramco in-dustrial Security Department for more than 25 years and played an important role in community and industrial security gov-ernance and execution. She was actively involved in community affairs and helped organize numerous social and community events.

During his 34 years in Saudi Arabia,

Mahboob Mohamed looks back on 34 years of serviceMahboob Mohamed, shown posing with his wife, Zahra, daughter Safia, and son Hamad, is leaving the company after 34 years in the Kingdom. During their time here, says Mohamed, the family enjoyed the cultural melting pot that is Saudi Aramco, meeting friends from a variety of backgrounds and being exposed to a diversity of cultures.

Mahboob, Zahra, daughter Safia, and son Hamad enjoyed the Saudi Aramco cultural melting pot, meeting friends from a variety of backgrounds and getting exposed to a diversity of cultures.

Mahboob and Zahra have a keen interest in Arabic calligraphy and Arabic perfumes.

After retirement, they plan to stay in the U.K., but will surely escape the cold win-ters by bouncing back and forth between the U.K. and the Gulf countries.

Mahboob, Zahra, and family can be con-tacted by email at mabsmohamed@yahoo.com.

‘ Journeys’ to Ithra

10the arabian sun

The Arabian Sun is a weekly publication issued free of charge by the Corporate Communication Support Department for Saudi Aramco employees.

Publishing director: Haitham K. Al-JehairanEditors: Jamsheed Din, Todd WilliamsEditorial staff: Musherf Alamri, Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf, Jeff McCoshen, and Shaistha Khan.Designer: Husam Nasr.

Articles and coverage can be requested through the company’s CRM system.Correspondence may be addressed to the editor, North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A.

North Admin Building, Room AN-1080, C-05A, Dhahran, Saudi ArabiaTelephone (013) 876-0374 Email: publishing@aramco.comISSN: 1319-156XArticles may be reproduced provided The Arabian Sun is credited.