Egypt's Omar and Algeria's Mourad Outscore Palestine's Nadim, Setting Stage for Stars of Science Showdown on MBC4

Egypt's Omar and Algeria's Mourad Outscore Palestine's Nadim, Setting Stage for Stars of Science Showdown on MBC4

DOHA, Qatar, November 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --



Arab World to Vote for Region's Best Innovator



Innovators Omar Hamid of Egypt and Mourad Mohamed Benosman of Algeria cleared the
final hurdle in their quest to become Stars of Science finalists on MBC4, beating
Palestine's Nadim Rifai in a captivating design episode. Omar's near-perfect prototype
earned him universal praise and a remarkably high score, while the simple effectiveness of
Mourad's device helped him secure the last finalist spot over Nadim.



To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:



http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7688451-stars-of-science-omar-mourad-showdown



For Omar and Mourad, a showdown with their fellow finalists Hassan Albalawi of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yaman Abou Jieb of Syria lies ahead. In the live final, which
will air next Friday, November 20, at 7PM KSA/ 4PM GMT on MBC4, the finalists will be
ranked by jury deliberation and voting from the Arab world, with a share of USD600,000 on
the line.



Stars of Science is the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community
Development's popular "edutainment reality" TV program airing on MBC4. The program has
seen young innovators compete against each other to turn their creative ideas into reality
and is part of QF's mission to encourage Arab youth to reach their potential while
fostering and providing a platform to facilitate success.  



Over the course of 10 prime time episodes and accompanying daily episodes, audiences
have seen 12 of the best innovators from across the Arab world turn their ideas into
working prototypes. Candidates are gradually eliminated in competitive stages as they work
with world-class engineering and design specialists in Doha at Qatar Science & Technology
Park (QSTP), a member of QF.  



Friday's episode was the penultimate step in the remaining candidates' innovation
journey. The young adults were challenged to enhance their device into a user-friendly,
attractive product. In an effort to avoid being defeated and sent home packing, Omar,
Mourad, and Nadim worked harder than ever, spending many long nights in Qatar Foundation's
QSTP labs in preparation for the jury presentation.  



Stars of Science's expert jury was made up of permanent jurors Mr. Yussif Abdulrahman
Saleh, General Manager of Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center, and Professor Fouad
Mrad, Executive Director of the United Nations ESCWA regional technology center. They were
joined by VIP juror James Law, a visionary designer who founded James Law Cybertecture
International, an innovative architectural firm.



First to face the jury was Nadim, who proudly presented his Rewarding Behavior
Treadmill app and sensor, named "Fittastic." In describing how the device rewards beginner
athletes and fitness fanatics alike by integrating gameplay and exercise, Nadim elaborated
on how his invention would positively impact public health. But he faced tough questioning
from jurors, who were skeptical whether or not the design of his app would catch on with
the general public.



Next up was Mourad, inventor of "Digiheart," the ECG Wearable Stress Analyzer that
improves health diagnostics by distinguishing between physical and mental stress. The
Algerian impressed jurors by demonstrating how his design complements the simplicity and
efficiency of the device. James Law, however, saw weakness in the fact that "Digiheart"
had a bulky design. Mr. Law suggested a bulky device designed to be worn under clothes
might be unsightly, leaving a risk that fashion-conscious potential customers would be put
off.



Lastly, Omar unveiled his new and improved Prayer Chair, which he called "Sanda." The
device, which offers assistive sitting and standing to worshippers in a mosque with
physical disabilities, was lauded by Professor Mrad, Mr. Law, and Mr. Saleh alike. The
engaging Omar was skillful and poised as he described the challenge of designing "Sanda"
to be intuitive and functional.



The candidates' industrial design skills accounted for 50 percent of the score.
Product marketability made up an additional 30 percent, and the candidates' leadership and
resourcefulness counted for 20 percent.  



"Sanda" earned Omar the highest score of the day by far, 92 out of 100. In the race
for second, Mourad and his "Digiheart" prototype beat Nadim and his "Fittastic,"
guaranteeing the Algerian's inclusion in the final four.



"We have developed our skills as entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and teammates
immeasurably since we arrived at QSTP," said Omar after the episode. "No matter the
outcome of the upcoming final episode, I believe that we have gained invaluable experience
because of Stars of Science."



"After months of work and many nervous elimination episodes, it is now up to the Arab
world to decide how to rank us in the finale," said Mourad. "I want to make my family and
country proud by taking the Stars of Science title home to Algeria."



Season Seven of Stars of Science culminates in a special live final episode on MBC4 on
Friday, November 20, 2015 at 7PM KSA/ 4PM GMT. Viewers from across the Arab world will
vote to help choose the next great Arab innovator in the finale, which will be hosted by
Khaled Al Jumaily. Further details on the voting are available on



Arabic



http://www.starsofscience.com/arabic/vote-now



English



http://www.starsofscience.com/english/vote-now




 
Please visit: 
Website - http://www.starsofscience.com 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StarsOfScienceTV 
Twitter - https://twitter.com/starsofscience 
YouTube - https://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 abroad; 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.



(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287200 )








Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287200




Video:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7688451-stars-of-science-omar-mourad-showdown


Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287200
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287200
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Video:http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7688451-stars-of-science-omar-mourad-showdown
Stars of Science

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


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