Guiding Light

It all started when ...

In the summer of 2010, I was selected to be part of the Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT, which is one of the most prestigious international research programs for high school students. During my time at RSI, I worked on the development of an augmented-reality device called Guiding Light under the direction of Mr. Jaewoo Chung of the Speech + Mobility Group at the MIT Media Lab. Guiding Light utilizes the unique magnetic fingerprints created by buildings' structures to provide indoor positioning information and navigation assistance for users in large buildings and complexes such as university campuses, hospitals, and shopping centers. The final product would be a handheld consumer electronic that projects information onto physical surfaces. As a summer Research Intern, my work in the early development phase of the project focused on creating a proof-of-concept and building the first magnetic fingerprint reference map to test the technology. 

One year later, I used my research project to participate in Saudi Arabia's biggest science fair, the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity. Finish in 6th place in the country, I qualified to participate in the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, CA as a member of the Saudi Arabian Delegation. As an Intel ISEF Finalist, I was honored to receive a nomination for the CERN special award.