YLAB Hackathon
YLAB holds 2nd Hackathon on Sustainability
Employees submit ideas to be incubated at LAB7, the company’s incubator for developing ideas into commercialized products that support the company's strategic objectives.
Hundreds of Aramco’s brightest young minds have come together to tackle challenges related to sustainability. The YLAB Sustainability Hackathon, was initiated on August 15, and concluded on September 14 at the Plaza Center. The hackathon tapped into the energy and innovation of participants coming from various organizations across the company.
More than 460 participants registered for the Hackathon, the second in YLAB’s history that is dedicated to the challenge of sustainability. The participants formed 120 teams and submitted solutions that promote a Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) through our operations, and help the company make a difference through advocacy on sustainability. Ten teams qualified to the final stage of the hackathon, and pitched their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges. One team was crowned as a winner for each track, and the winners’ solutions, among other ideas from the hackathon, will be incubated at LAB7, the company’s incubator for developing ideas into commercialized products that support the company’s strategic objectives.
A bridge for the youth
As the company’s primary bridge between the company and its youth – who make up more than 60% of the workforce – YLAB is the natural host for the Sustainability Hackathon, said Ziad T. Al Murshed, acting senior vice president of Finance, Strategy, and Development.
“Sustainability is the grand challenge for this century, and we need equally grand minds to tackle it,” Al Murshed told Hackathon finalists. “Your innovative ideas and engagement generate a lot of push that is much needed to shape our future, not just as a company, not just as a country, but as a planet.”
To help the teams prepare for the hackathon, YLAB organized a webinar series on Corporate Strategy, Climate Change, Circular Economy, and Corporate Reputation, all in an effort to build the youth’s acumen for their proposed solutions.
Winners shine
For the Circular Carbon Economy challenge, Team Emerald (comprising petroleum engineers Hiba K. Alnassar, Osama M. Kheshaifaty, Al-Batool M. Hejaij, and petroleum scientist Hala A. Sadeg) won the top prize for their proposal to use molten carbonate fuel cells to generate power from the captured CO2 emissions from power plants.
For the Advocacy Challenge, Team AI (comprising petroleum engineers Mohanad M. Fahmi, Abdulaziz S. Alkhateeb, Hind S. Dossary, and Klemens Katterbauer) won for their proposal to utilize movies, images, video games and augmented reality, to change the world’s perception of the oil and gas industry and to showcase the sustainability efforts of the energy industry in a new light.
Judges for the CCE Challenge were Mohammed A. Abusharifah of LAB7 and Shadi I. Adel of Engineering Services and Humoud W. Utaibi of Environmental Protection. Judges for the Advocacy Challenge were Mohammed Y. Masrahi and Sarah N. Baashan of Strategy and Market Analysis, and Michelle L. D’Antoni and Israa A. Garatli of Public Affairs.
At the conclusion of the Hackathon, participants were invited to YLAB’s Anniversary week activities, where they, along with other members of the youth, had the chance to interact with senior executives, including president and CEO Amin Nasser, Technical Services senior vice president Ahmad A. Al-Sa’adi, Upstream senior vice president Nasir K. Al Naimi, CFO Ziad T. Al Murshed, and Marketing, Sales, and Supply Planning vice president Ahmed A. Al Subaey.