With the aim of “inspiring a new age of scientific achievement,” the inaugural class of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) began taking lessons this September in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The graduate level institution has been dubbed a new “House of Wisdom,” in reference to The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah) founded in 830 C.E. in Baghdad. In a move that has upset some members of the religious establishment, the religious police will not operate on-site and women will be allowed to mix freely with men, drive on campus, and will not be required to wear veils in the coeducational classes. The university is funded through a $10 billion endowment from Saudi ruler King Abdullah, which will be managed by former World Bank and International Monetary Fund economist Gumersindo Oliveros. The university will have strong links to industry, having so far announced collaborative projects with Sumitomo Chemical,
