The Richness of the Western Province

The eastern province of Saudi Arabia is known for its petroleum resources, but the West also has rich treasures beneath the surface of the Red Sea. The western coast of Saudi Arabia is home to some of the most lively reef environments in the world... and I think life is far more valuable than oil.

I went to Jeddah with some friends to catch a diving boat trip on Friday. Every time I dip beneath the surface of the Red Sea, I am amazed by the colors and richness of life in the reefs.

Thanks to my marine scientist friends, I also learn something new every time.

Parrot fish grazing on the coral.

There were lots of these colorful clams in the reef.

So many different types of coral.

And lots of colorful fish too.

For me, snorkeling and diving is a needed release from the familiar routine at KAUST. Quality of life in the compound is good, but we are quite isolated out here in the desert . Breaks like this from study and research keep me sane - the feeling of freedom under the water is exhilarating.

Red Sea at our Fingertips

I went snorkeling with two friends this morning in a lagoon near KAUST. The guy at right is a marine scientist who studies coral reef conservation and loves fish - I think if he could grow gills and live in the water he would. He was our informal guide on this trip and talked about the coral, crabs and snails, stingrays, and especially the fish as if they were all dear friends of his.

We just walked to the edge of the water and jumped in - it was great! I finally got a chance to use my underwater camera (a gift from my parents). The lagoon was shallow and a little murky. These pictures are not nearly as dazzling as those I hope to show from the big reef when I get a chance to go, but it will give you a shadow of an idea of the life that is just beneath the surface of the Red Sea.

There is a small blue fish at the bottom left in this picture. This was the only shy little fish I was able to capture on film today - I promise to have more next time!

Paperwork

Saudi Arabian customs is one of the slowest and least flexible institutions I have ever dealt with. My lab group has a critical order sitting in Jeddah for five weeks - we have called to check on the paperwork and asked how long it will take to clear numerous times. Last week, I got this email:

""

Hi Nathan,

I have been informed that the authorization for the release of the shipment from customs has been delayed. Our customs agents are required to submit more paperwork and the delay will be at least 2 weeks.

I will check again at the end of the week and update you.

""

Our case is not unique. The King has invested so much money and effort into this project, but stone-wall bureaucracy in the customs office continues to frustrate us all by stifling research. Major reforms are needed even in government customs offices, for KAUST's research mission to thrive. I hope they don't kill us with paperwork before that reform comes.

My Research Project

Contrary to what one might think from reading this blog, which is full of weekend stories and social interactions, my purpose for pursuing a graduate degree at KAUST is not to have fun in Saudi Arabia, sight-see in the Middle East, get paid a graduate stipend, or learn Arabic. I am not even in school to attend classes - mixed or unmixed - though I have been mostly satisfied with quality of the lectures so far. I was recruited to KAUST, along with so many other students, staff, and faculty, to do research in hope of discovering new things. I haven't said much about research on this blog for two reasons: (1) biological research was a little slow in getting started at KAUST and (2) I don't think you have the patience and the enthusiasm to read dozens of blog entries about my daily work.

My research project, however, is pretty unique and I'll try not to bore you with too many details. I am working with a small research team to develop microbial fuel cell (MFC) which harnesses bacteria's metabolism to produce small amounts of electricity from sugar and other carbon sources. MFC technology has potential to be used in wastewater treatment, but there are still many challenges to implementing this technology on an industrial scale.

This is a simplified drawing of the MFC process, taken from a research article by Bruce E. Logan et al published in 2006. An MFC has two electrodes - an anode and a cathode. Bacteria growing on the anode donate electrons to the circuit if there is a voltage difference between the anode and the cathode. The voltage difference is created by an electron acceptor at the cathode, which can be oxygen, iron, nitrate, or any of a number of elements. The membrane is a barrier which prevents the electron acceptor from diffusing from the cathode to the anode, but allows ions, such as hydrogen, which are byproducts of the bacteria's metabolism, to pass from the anode to the cathode.

Microbial fuel cells can be modified by including a third chamber for salt water, and used to desalinate water without adding any heat or electricity - in fact there is still a small net electricity production in this laboratory demonstration. This reactor is called a Microbial Desalination Cell (MDC). The picture here is taken from a research article by Xiaoxin Cao et al, published in 2009. Salt (sodium chloride) is removed because of a chemical potential difference. Negatively charged ions, such as chlorine, migrate to the anode, while positively charged ions, such as sodium, migrate to the cathode. As ions migrate, the water in the middle chamber becomes purer.

These are not mature technologies and there is no 100% guarantee that MFC and MDC technology will be appropriate for water reuse and desalination in the future. There are still many challenges with bacterial community stability, sustainable cathode design, and scale-up losses. However, MFC and MDC technology is versatile and I am excited to work in a new and potentially promising field. If some small thing that I do at KAUST can someday lead to making more fresh water available for people in countries that need it, I will consider my time and efforts here to have been well spent.

Saudi Rap

I bought a CD yesterday... and I have to say I am a fan. Qusai was born in Riyadh, raised in Jeddah, and learned his craft in Los Angeles. He's definitely no Tupak; his style fits his Saudi heritage - and a blend of Middle East and Western rhythms gives his rhymes a unique sound.

I like Arabic music a lot, not just rap but more traditional Debkat and other stuff too. However, Saudi Arabia is not known for musical taste and talents. There is an uneasiness in Saudi Arabia (and even at KAUST) about playing music in the public sphere, because some conservatives believe that music is "idle talk" and would take offense.

So in the KSA there are no public concerts, no music festivals, and not even soft background music in malls and grocery stores... which, if one comes from a musical culture, is really a pretty strange transition. I have heard that in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon music remains a part of everyday life - why is KSA different?

The moralist might say that there is lots of "bad" music available, and the public should not be exposed to "bad" music. But it doesn't make sense to hush all music if one thinks that some is bad. Music is one of the most powerful forms of emotional and spiritual expression than man is capable of; when there is a festeval or a wedding, music feels natural. Music makes thoughts, words, and even people, come alive.

I haven't found much in the Quran which references music - either good or bad. Maybe someone who knows more than I can point me in the right direction. There are a few verses about singing praises to God; minaret callers certainly follow these guidelines when they sing the call to prayer.

The Bible (Torah and Injeel) is a bit more clear on the subject of singing. Music is an integral part of the Jewish and Christian religions and traditions. The words sing, song, and music appear 188, 115, and 106 times in the Bible - almost all in positive contexts.

I love music, and even if I can't go to a public concert right now, I will keep singing until the day that I die. Life is too good to stay silent.

إن شاء الله

The Arabic phrase, insh'allah, can be either full of meaning or meaningless - it depends on the context and on the person who is speaking. Insh'allah is one of the most common Arabic phrases used in everyday conversation. Uses range from "insh'allah I will meet you at 8:00 for football," to "insh'allah you will have a healthy child soon." Insh'allah means, "if it is God's will." The correct use, according to my Arabic friends, is to wish someone good fortune in an endeavor, or to assure a friend or business associate you will do everything in your power to complete a task.

When I hear insh'allah from upper management though, I am sometimes discouraged. If someone says insh'allah he can mean that he really does not want to do this thing or that it cannot be done... in other words, the commitment or deadline will only be met if there is divine intervention.

So to take insh'allah as "yes" or "for sure" every time is too optimistic. "Inshallah, the labs will be open in August 2009," or "insh'allah you will have all of your books for the fall semester," or "insh'allah the gym will be open next week"... are all improper uses of insh'allah.

I still like the phrase insh'allah - we have a similar concept in the New Testemant (Injeel), as found in the book of James, chapter 4.

Insh'allah reminds us that in life, we do not have the final word. Insh'allah means that I realize I am not all-powerful and I do not know everything; I am only a man. I will do everything in my power, but I am only a man. If God allows this to happen, it will happen. If he does not, then it will not.

That reminds me of a story from early in Christian history. After Jesus was taken up to heaven, the religious leaders in Judea wanted to kill the Christians, but there was one religious leader named Gamaliel who spoke out against the persecution.

Acts, chapter 4:

So... insh'allah I will graduate in May, inshallah I will get a good job afterward, and insh'allah I will see my family again soon. Ultimately though, it matters more what God wants more than what I want, and that is comforting in a way.

Lab Training

Today I had a laboratory training session on three different instruments: total organic carbon and nitrogen analyzer, uv-visual light spectrophotometer, and a spectroflourophotometer, all of which were delivered and calibrated yesterday. There is beginning to be more activity in the labs as equipment, chemicals, and biological reagents come into the Kingdom. The equipment is making the KAUST labs look more like a real research university, but there is still quite a bit of work to be done.

Supply chain problems continue to plague biological researchers who cannot get restriction enzymes, microbial samples, and other products. The big problem is that there are lots of problems. Moving requests through the central ordering system has been a slow process and some things just never were ordered. Once things are ordered, Saudi Arabian customs has also been massively inefficient in letting materials across the border. In the shipments, some items have been misplaced for weeks before they are finally found in a random warehouse in Jeddah.

Weeks may not sound too bad to the casual observer, but high-tech biological researchers who have come to KAUST are used to one-day shipping. Many of the biological samples and reagents are ruined if they spend more than a few days in transit... three weeks in a customs office will totally destroy a shipment of enzymes or microbes.

But things are improving. My research team will start to reproduce some basic experiments next week (insh'allah) and we should be able to move in a forward direction by mid-semester.

How long will it take to move at full speed though? I don't know. Not until next fall at the earliest for chemical and biological sciences, insh'allah. The whole ordering and customs system has to be completely redone for research to really work here at KAUST.