Saudi university pushing the boundaries of science for young Arabic speakers

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia teamed up with a leading academic publisher for the recent launch of the Arabic version of Frontiers for Young Minds, an open-access educational resource through which young Arabs worldwide can access a library of child-friendly scientific articles in their own language.

Anjal Al-Salem, a 12th-grader from Taif said that this will be of great benefit to young students.

“Getting information about a specific scientific subject from a reliable source has always been a great concern to students, who insist on supporting their research projects with authentic information,” she told Arab News.

“Various websites provide differing information and statistics on the same subject, and this can add ambiguity to a certain scientific issue. The language can also add to the problems Arab students face when surfing the internet looking for information.”

Her father, Khaled Al-Salem, an educational supervisor, said that there has been a great need for an Arabic-language scientific platform that can meet the research needs of young people and help to expand their knowledge.

The online library includes a collection of works in Arabic written by leading scientists and published by Frontiers, an award-winning open-science platform and open-access scholarly publisher, designed to inspire the next generation of young scientists. Initially 75 titles are available in Arabic — covering a wide range of subjects including galactic astronomy, diseases and environmental sciences — and more will be added over the next three years as part of the collaboration with KAUST.

The initiative is described as the first free resource of its kind freely available in Arabic, which is the fifth most common language worldwide and the native language of 25 states and territories. As a result, it offers about 420 million Arabic speakers the chance to read and learn about science in their own language.

Tony Chan, the president of KAUST, said the university places great emphasis on the teaching of science and technology, locally and globally. The collaboration with Frontiers is a truly unique contribution to young Arab scientists across the country and the region, he added.

Najah Ashry, KAUST’s vice president for strategic national advancement, said: “We hope to inspire young Saudis to pursue discovery and to appreciate the long-term value of research.

“KAUST’s vision to serve as a beacon of knowledge that bridges people and cultures underpins our commitment to nurturing future leaders for the science and technology ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and the region. We are thrilled to partner with Frontiers on this exciting endeavor.”

The Frontiers for Young Minds initiative, which was launched in 2013, publishes solid, evidence-based scientific research submitted by qualified experts. The papers, which are specially written for a younger audience, are reviewed by a board of young people between the ages of 8 and 15 to ensure they are accessible and engaging to young readers.

KAUST professor Matthew McCabe, who played a key role in the creation of the partnership, said that when he learned about the work of Frontiers for Young Minds, the idea of translating its resources into Arabic seemed “not just obvious but essential.”

He added: “What better way to inspire the next generation of young scientists and engineers than to deliver the capacity to read about cutting-edge research in their native language, and then give them an opportunity to publish their own work in it.”

Fred Fenter, executive editor at Frontiers, said: “Scientific literacy is a crucial skill for the next generation who face a growing litany of challenges.

“Young people need access to accurate and appealing scientific material to aid their learning and understanding of the world we live in. Frontiers for Young Minds is an engaging and innovative pathway into science.”

The English-language version of Frontiers for Young Minds includes about 500 articles by more than 1,250 authors, which have been reviewed by more than 2,950 young people. To date, the papers have been read more than 6 million times.