This Day in History (2001): Jum'ah inaugurates R&D Center first phase

From the March 28, 2001, edition of The Arabian Sun

Abdallah S. Jum'ah, president and CEO, at a ceremony March 19, inaugurated Phase I of Saudi Aramco's new Research and Development Center (R&DC), a world-class facility that will enable scientists and engineers to innovate and develop cutting-edge technology.

The new Center, located on Dhahran Boulevard, is expected to save the company significant time and money in ways never before achievable. The existing center is at the intersection of Dallah Road and Dhahran Boulevard.

At the end of a general tour of the facility, Jum'ah remarked, "Research and development work is not new to us at Saudi Aramco. What's new about this project is that it provides a better work environment for the scientists of our company to help unleash their innovation and creativity.

"The nature and size of our oil fields and the huge magnitude of our operations as the largest integrated petroleum company in the world, and the operational challenges that we face during the execution of our activities pose unique challenges and require solutions that cannot be brought in from somewhere else in the world."

Jum'ah continued: "I am very happy to see in this center such a large number of high-caliber scientists and engineers. They are developing effective solutions for our operations for the challenges we encounter. They are not only solving problems but are adding innovative solutions and advanced technologies that reduce the cost of operations and achieve substantial savings for the company.

The Center reflects the company's continuing and expanding commitment to the future of petroleum research and development in the Kingdom and to the development of in-house research expertise. Officials said the center accommodates a shift in focus from service orientation to a blend of specialized services and applied research.

Caption for top photo: Saudi Aramco's new Research and Development Center in Dhahran is a blend of traditional and modern styles.

Also on this date

2006 — At least 1 million union members, students, and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law

1990 — U.S. President George H.W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal

1986— Lady Gaga is born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in Manhattan

1979 — A coolant leak at Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown

1969 — Dwight D. Eisenhower, former U.S. President and American general, dies at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., of congestive heart failure at age 78

1965 — A massive earthquake in Chile sets off a series of tailings dam failures, burying the town of El Cobre and killing at least 500 people

1946 — The U.S. Department of State releases the Acheston-Lilenthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power

1939 — Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid after a three-year siege

1933 — An Imperial Airways biplane "City of Liverpool" is believed to be the first airliner lost to sabotage when a passenger sets a fire on board

1910 — Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, the "Fabre Hydravion," after taking off from a water runway near France

1854 — In the Crimean War, France and Great Britain declare war on Russia

1802 — Heinrich Wilhelm Matthaus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid ever to be discovered