King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), a scientific organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has provided awards for the best paper from five technical journals it publishes in collaboration with Springer. The articles chosen reflect not only excellent science, but also the potential impact of the discoveries. The winning authors receive the KACST Medal and $5,000 each.
KACST partners with Springer to publish a collection of international journals to foster the development of key applied technologies. The publications provide a forum for the dissemination of research advances from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world. The first five journals were launched in 2011 and focus on the key technology areas of oil and gas, water, petrochemicals, nanoscience and biotechnology. The awards for best paper were based on a selection process by the editorial boards of each journal for articles published during 2011-2012.
The following papers were singled out for excellence:
- From Applied Water Science: "An ambitious step to the future desalination technology: SEAHERO R&D program (2007-2012)" by In S. Kim of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, et al.
- From Applied Nanoscience: "Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites based on polyaniline-gold/graphene nanosheets" by Deepshikha Saini of Amity University Uttar Pradesh, India, et al.
- From 3 Biotech: "Nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and zinc-doped hydroxyapatite as carrier material for controlled delivery of ciprofloxacin" by G. Devanand Venkatasubbu of Anna University, India, et al.
- From Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology: "Experimental study on the performance of sand control screens for gas wells" by Yan Jin of the China University of Petroleum, China, et al.
- From Applied Petrochemical Research: "Desulfurization of heavy oil" by Rashad Javadli of the University of Alberta, Canada, et al.
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function includes science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research and services such as the patent office.
Springer Science+Business Media is a leading global scientific, technical and medical publisher, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R and D departments with quality content via innovative information products and services. Springer is also a trusted local-language publisher in Europe – especially in Germany and the Netherlands – primarily for physicians and professionals working in healthcare and road safety education. Springer published roughly 2,200 English-language journals and more than 8,000 new books in 2012, and the group is home to the world's largest STM eBook collection, as well as the most comprehensive portfolio of open access journals. In 2012, Springer Science+Business Media generated sales of approximately EUR 976.3 million. The group employs more than 7,000 individuals across the globe.