NASA names minor planet after 19-year-old Jordanian

AMMAN — Unlike many of his peers, 19-year-old Salahaldeen Abu-Alshaikh can look up at the sky and rightfully claim a minor planet as his own — at least in name.

Abu-Alshaikh's performance in the 2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his mathematical sciences project in Phoenix, Arizona, where he clinched second place, has prompted NASA to give his name to a minor planet.

Voicing his pride in the achievement, the King Hussein Foundation's (KHF) Jubilee School graduate said he was happy to earn this recognition after major support from his family and school.

Abu-Alshaikh, who was 15 years old when he started working on the project, said it took him a whole year. 

"The freedom I got from my family and the school to finish doing what I like made this project come to life," he said at a meeting with reporters on Thursday.

"I presented my research at the University of Jordan and they gave me full mark and let me go to the Intel fair in the US in 2013," the 19-year-old recalled.

Millions of students submit their work to this competition and every country chooses the best nine to 10 students, he said, adding that the total number of students reached 1,500 coming from 71 countries.  

"I competed with really successful students... and the category of applied mathematics was the toughest." 

Abu Alshaikh said he was speechless when he was named second place winner. 

"I stood up, did not believe what happened, and I looked back and the Jordanian delegates were joyously dancing," he added with a smile, noting that he was proud to represent his school and country.

School Principal Suha Jouaneh said if a nation wants to have a generation that can face this century's challenges, it needs to teach them in an innovative way. 

"Scientific research at the school is obligatory and it is a weekly class for students. Because of our support for scientific research, students annually submit between 30 and 35 projects and around three to four students take part in this [Intel] competition," she told The Jordan Times.

Hana Shaheen, the executive director of the KHF, said Abu-Alshaikh is a source of pride for the foundation.  

"We are proud of Salah and we think that he is one of the future leaders of this country," she added.