Biomedical innovations secure top marks in Stars of Science elimination rounds
Doha, Qatar, October 28, 2018: With Stars of Science Season 10 reaching its halfway point, emotions have reached an all-time high on Qatar Foundation’s (QF) edutainment reality TV show during the first two elimination rounds
Contestants Abdallah Al Sairafi, Nour Majbour, Rooda Al Qebaisi, and Walid Al Banna have progressed to the customer validation round – but fellow innovators Ahmed Zahlan and Anna Malek have had to bid farewell as their Stars of Science journey came to an end.
“The world of innovation is captivating young minds more than ever,” said Dr. Khalid Al-Ali, one of the show’s three jury members. “As we celebrate a decade of Arab Innovation, we have now become more selective and demanding, and it’s reasuring to see that the two hightest scores so far have been awarded to biomedical inovations.
“Stars of Science has a track record of enabling exceptional talents on their innovation journeys. In combination with the expertise and support we offer on the show, we expect excellence every step of the way.”
As the nine innovators competing in the opening two elimination rounds were divided into three labs, they knew only the two best-performing innovations from each group would progress to the following stage. In the fifth episode, Walid, Abdallah, and Anna immersed themselves in a fierce battle to live up to the jury’s high expectations.
With his calm but passionate persona, Walid defended his Neurovascular Retina Analyzer under the scrutiny of the jury. Monitoring patients’ brain activity, the innovation predicts critical signs of a recurring stroke, and Walid said: “I can feel the competition accelerate with each new day but I am confident in my impending success.”
Abdallah stood his ground under the spotlight about the scientific leap that he says his Sports Performance Patch System will offer the world of athletics. Benefiting personal trainers and athletes alike, the innovation measures body temperature, respiratory speed, and heart rate without the need for painstaking medical examinations. Meanwhile, Anna – whose Smart Car Seat utilizes built-in sensors to monitor a baby’s vital signs when seated – fought hard when she was quizzed on the number of functioning sensors, which ultimaly led to her elimination.
The second elimination round saw contestants Nour, Rooda, and Ahmed race against the clock to avoid going home. Stealing the show, Nour’s Parkinson’s Early Detection Kit outperformed on every test and preserved her spot, increasing her pride in her easy-to-use and cost-effective device. With big plans for the future, she hopes the kit will be used in labs to advance research into Parkinson’s disease.
Designed to ensure efficient seating arrangements in the entertainment industry, Rooda’s Dynamic VIP Seating Manager also secured her a place in the next phase of the competition. Driven by her strong will and persistence, Rooda again demonstrated how she has serious potential to revolutionize event management. “Stars of Science creates a fundamental space for innovators to prosper,” she said, “and I hope that I inspire the next generation of Arab females to realize that they too can succeed in this field.”
Joining Anna as the second innovator to leave the contest, Ahmed’s Contactless Gluten Detector initially appeared promising, but eventually failed to win the jury over. They decided that the device did not perform with the necessary accuracy, leaving Ahmed short of the marks to continue.
The final Season 10 prototyping episode will air on November 3, and will feature contestants Sylia Khecheni, Salim Al Kaabi, and Ghassan Oueidat. Following the same elimination format, just two contestants will move forward to the semi-finals.
For a full broadcast guide to Stars of Science Season 10, visit www.starsofscience.com
And if you believe you have what it takes to be successful on Stars of Science Season 11, the show is accepting applications for its next season until the end of December 2018. Visit www.starsofscience.info/applynow/sos.html to register.
-ENDS-
About Stars of Science
Stars of Science, the edutainment TV initiative by Qatar Foundation, is the Arab world’s leading innovation show. Established in 2008 to inspire a generation, the show empowers Arab youth to implement creative solutions to regional problems through science, technology, and innovation.
Celebrating a decade of Arab innovation, Stars of Science has proven to be a positive catalyst of scientific and technological change in the region beyond its broadcasts and social media presence of 2.5 million followers. Its alumni network spanning 131 people from 18 Arab countries has been going from strength to strength; independently raising over 14 million USD in revenues, grants, and crowdfunding. In addition to winning hundreds of innovation awards, they have also created jobs and businesses, given inspirational talks, built schools, and inspired a generation.
Over a 10-week process, an expert panel of jurors assesses and eliminates between nine innovators and their projects in Prototyping and Customer Validation episodes until only four finalists remain to compete for a share of $600,000 in seed funding. The ranking is determined by jury deliberation and online voting from the public.
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