SAMI Advanced Electronics Company (SAMI-AEC), a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), celebrated last week the 25th anniversary of its groundbreaking partnership with King Saud University (KSU).
The milestone was marked by the presentation of the prestigious Best Graduation Project Award, underscoring SAMI-AEC’s enduring commitment to recognizing and motivating ambitious Saudi talent in engineering and technology, SAMI-AEC said in a news release.
The Best Graduation Project Award, sponsored by SAMI-AEC, honors outstanding students from KSU’s Colleges of Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. The recognition is bestowed in three categories: Scientific Advancement Award (Best Graduation Project), Excellence Award (Top Student), and Creativity Award (Best Idea). These awards celebrate student projects that offer practical solutions or technical innovations with the potential to benefit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and society at large.
CEO of SAMI-AEC Engineer Ziad Al-Musallam expressed pride in the company’s long-standing sponsorship: “For 25 years, the Best Graduation Project Award has allowed us to empower and nurture promising Saudi talent. Many of our earlier awardees are now leading Saudi Arabia’s efforts in building and scaling industries, creating innovative indigenous technology that aligns with Saudi Vision 2030.”
Al-Musallam also highlighted the company’s ongoing commitment: “This year, we’ve launched a new award to mark our 25-year partnership - the Best Project Award at the Advanced Electronics Lab, which we established at King Saud University in 2023. Looking ahead, we will continue to support students and help develop cutting-edge facilities that allow them to strengthen their acumen, explore their creativity, and build practical solutions for the future.”
Acting President of KSU Dr. Abdullah bin Salman Alsalman emphasized the University’s focus on innovation: “At KSU, we harness the power of innovative ideas and create a dynamic educational ecosystem. This is demonstrated through our initiatives and proven by our students, staff, and faculty who continually strive for greatness.”
“The award instituted by SAMI-AEC has fostered a healthy, competitive spirit among young Saudis, motivating them to continually seek knowledge. In addition to helping students achieve the highest levels of scientific and academic excellence, this award helps channel efforts toward realizing Saudi Vision 2030. We are also collaborating on several pioneering projects,” Dr. Alsalman added.
This year’s awards recognized outstanding achievements across multiple categories: Scientific Progress Award, First Place: Muhannad Al-Enezi, Waleed Al-Bugami, and Nasser Al-Zamil for their “Plant Disease Detection System (Nabt)” project, supervised by Professor Ghulam Mohammed. Second Place: Ghada Al-Mufleh, Rahaf Al-Darwish, Dana Al-Abdulkareem, Noura Al-Rajhi, and Raya Al-Oud for their “Summit for Employment Solutions through Artificial Intelligence” project, supervised by Professor Boshra Al-Qadi. Third Place: Mansour Al-Ajami and Bassam Al-Shammari for their “Microwave Frequency Sensor Design” project, supervised by Dr. Ali Al-Bishi and Dr. Mohammed Al-Sheikh. Innovation Award: Mansour Al-Ajami and Bassam Al-Shammari for their “Microwave Frequency Sensor Design” project. Excellence Award: Abdullah Al-Qadi, Ghada Al-Mufleh, and Abdullah Al-Wasl.
The joint jury, which included members from King Saud University and SAMI-AEC, reviewed and evaluated 200 projects submitted by students from the graduating class of 2024. SAMI-AEC’s sponsorship and support for the award have resulted in the establishment of many leading projects with remarkable success. Through this initiative, SAMI-AEC seeks to support talented Saudi men and women and provide them with opportunities to grow and prosper.