Stars of Science Young Innovators See Dramatic Elimination

Stars of Science Young Innovators See Dramatic Elimination

DOHA, Qatar, October 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --



 Egyptian and Tunisian Candidates Triumph in Engineering Episode on MBC4 



In a dramatic elimination episode of MBC 4's Stars of Science, an "edutainment
reality" TV program initiated by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community
Development (QF), Omar Hamid of Egypt and Fawzy Othman of Tunisia delivered a spirited
defense of their prototypes to prevail over their competitors. The pair edged out Abdullah
Aldossary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Hussam Al Hinnawi of Palestine in an episode
that featured Season 7's most diverse set of inventions yet.



To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:



http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7672751-stars-of-science-innovators-elimination



The Arab world's most promising young innovators compete against each other to make
their ideas come alive on the series, which brings to fruition QF's vision of encouraging
and facilitating the region's next generation of aspiring young science and technology
innovators. Twelve candidates aged 18 to 30 are given the opportunity to come to Doha,
Qatar, where they are mentored by world-class engineering and design specialists in the
laboratories of Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of Qatar Foundation.
There, the innovators are challenged as they develop their ideas from concept to potential
products.



With full hearts and frayed nerves, the candidates took turns presenting their
prototypes to the expert jury in yesterday's engineering episode. First, Fawzy explained
to the jury how his Robotic Goalie Trainer could revolutionize goalkeepers' practice
sessions by automatically shooting footballs as part of a customized program. Omar
unveiled a re-engineered, compact Prayer Chair designed to offer assistive sitting and
standing to worshippers in a mosque with physical disabilities.



Next, Hussam demonstrated how his Automatic Stair Climber Machine uses robotic,
tank-style treads for users to ascend stairs without effort at the press of a button.
Rounding out the group, Abdullah debuted his Airport Smart Chair, a lounger with many
automated features, including an alarm that notifies travelers when their plane begins
boarding, even if they are sleeping.



The jury included perennial fan favorites Mr. Yussif Abdulrahman Saleh, General
Manager of Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center, and Dr. Fouad Mrad, Executive
Director of the United Nations ESCWA regional technology center. Joining them was Dr.
Francois Gilardoni, a prominent venture capitalist and scientist from Geneva, Switzerland.



The jury, led by Dr. Gilardoni, was critical of Hussam's Automatic Stair Climber
Machine, pointing out that the machine appeared unstable while traversing stairs during
his demonstration. They noted that while Abdullah was able to prove that focus groups
liked the idea of the Airport Smart Chair, his presentation had weaknesses that raised
more questions about his prototype's utility than it answered.



Fawzy employed a skillful defense of his Robotic Goalie Trainer prototype when jurors
quizzed him about its mechanics. But Omar managed to steal the show when he presented his
Prayer Chair. All three jurors were impressed by the simple effectiveness of the invention,
as well as the perseverance Omar showed despite several early setbacks in the laboratory.



The jury scored the young innovators based on prototype performance (50 percent),
product outlook (30 percent) and the resourcefulness and leadership exhibited by the
candidate (20 percent).  



Omar outscored everyone by a large margin, earning 69 points, while Fawzy came in
second with 52.3 points. Abdullah and Hussam placed third and fourth, respectively, and
were eliminated from the competition.



"I'm humbled that the jury appreciated the potential of the Prayer Chair, as well as
its possible applications even beyond the mosque," said Omar. "I passionately believed in
my invention and its potential from day one.   Having world-class, highly sophisticated
innovation veterans recognize my project is a dream, come true. Moving forward, my goal is
to give my absolute best effort and encourage others around me to do the same - we are all
in this together."



"I have worked to develop innovative projects for years, but I can say that Stars of
Science has been a major catalyst for my success. Advancing this far is a crowning
achievement for me and a testament to the effectiveness of the program," said Fawzy. "I'm
delighted to have progressed this far, but I'm not satisfied. I will redouble my efforts
to eliminate weaknesses in my prototype, so that I can impress the jurors in the design
stage and rise above my competition."    



The next Stars of Science episode, to be shown on MBC4 Friday, November 6th at 7PM
KSA/ 4PM GMT, will see three candidates face the jury in the design stage. One of them
will be eliminated. The four finalists who survive the design stage will earn a share of
the $600,000 prize, with the winner determined in a special live final episode.  




 
Please visit: 
Website - http://www.starsofscience.com 
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Twitter - https://twitter.com/starsofscience 
Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/user/Starsofsciencetv 
Instagram - https://instagram.com/starsofsciencetv 


 


_________________



Stars of Science 



Stars of Science, an "edutainment reality" TV format initiated by Qatar Foundation, is
the region's leading innovation program.  Stars of Science fosters and advances the Arab
world's aspiring science and technology entrepreneurs. In this seventh season, 12
candidates are challenged to prove their resourcefulness during critical stages of the
innovation cycle while collaborating with industry leading mentors. An expert panel of
jurors assesses and eliminates candidates and their innovative products in Engineering and
Design episodes until only four remain. These four finalists vie for a share of a $600,000
prize, determined by a jury deliberation and voting from the public.



Stars of Science airs from Friday, September 18th, to Friday, November 20th, 2015 on
MBC4. 



Qatar Foundation - Unlocking Human Potential 



Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF) is a private,
non-profit organization that is supporting Qatar on its journey from a carbon economy to
knowledge economy by unlocking human potential, for the benefit of not only Qatar, but the
world. Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir,
QF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. 



QF's work encompasses education, research and community development.  World-class
universities are brought to Qatar to help create an education sector in which young people
can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy. At the same time,
QF builds Qatar's innovation and technology capacity by developing and commercializing
solutions through key sciences. The Foundation also works to foster a progressive society
while enhancing cultural life, protecting Qatar's heritage and addressing immediate social
needs in the community.



About MBC Group



MBC Group (Middle East Broadcasting Center) is the largest and leading private media
company in the Middle East & North Africa region. For the past 23 years, MBC Group was
able to enrich people's lives through information, interaction and entertainment. In 2002,
nearly a decade after the launch of MBC1 in London, back in 1991, and as the 1st private
free-to-air Arab satellite TV channel, MBC Group moved its headquarters to Dubai Media
City, United Arab Emirates, where it remains.



Today, MBC Group includes 20 TV channels: MBC1 (general family entertainment); MBC2
and MBC MAX (24-hour western movies); MBC3 (children's edutainment with a mix of both
local productions and western acquisitions); MBC4 (entertainment for young families with a
female-focus); MBC Action (an indigenous adrenaline-packed channel targeting young males
with local and homegrown productions); MBC Variety (Western films and general
entertainment with uninterrupted broadcasting); Al Arabiya News Channel (the 24-hour
Arabic language news channel); Al Hadath (an extension of Al Arabiya News Channel with a
specific focus on real events in the Arab world and beyond); Wanasah (24-hour Arabic music
channel); MBC DRAMA (24/7 Arabic drama); MBC MASR (general family entertainment geared
towards the Egyptian family); MBC MASR 2 (providing the Egyptian audience with superior
quality entertainment, in addition to live coverage of some of the Egyptian league's
football matches);  MBC + Drama (a joint paid-for channel between MBC and OSN); MBC
Bollywood (delivering the freshest in Bollywood content geared towards the region via an
Arabized interface); and most recently four sports channels, MBC PRO SPORTS (geared
towards the "Saudi Football Premier League" fans in the Kingdom); and MBC USA (the channel
is present on "Dish Network" in the US, and targets Arab audiences aboard; the channel is
dedicated to offer and broadcast a wide range of content from the prominent MBC channels
including movies, series and global formats).



In July 2011, seven channels within MBC Group began to broadcast in HD across the MENA
Region: MBC1 HD, MBC2 HD, MBC4 HD, MBC Action HD, MBC Drama HD, MBC Max HD and Al Arabiya
HD. In 2013, MBC3 HD joined the collection of HD channels followed by MBC Variety HD in
2014.



MBC Group also includes two FM radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music) and Panorama FM
(contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 Productions, a premium content drama
production company. Furthermore, MBC Group includes online platforms:
http://www.mbc.net, http://www.alarabiya.net, http://www.shahid.net (the first
free VOD and catch-up portal in the Arab world) and http://www.actionha.net, and
http://www.mbcprosports.net among others.





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Photo:
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Video:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7672751-stars-of-science-innovators-elimination


Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151029/281969
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Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151029/281969
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Video:http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7672751-stars-of-science-innovators-elimination
Stars of Science

CONTACT: For further information, please contact: Taylor Bossung or Hanane Rougani T + 974-44364385


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