RECORD NUMBER OF WOMEN ADVANCE TO STARS OF SCIENCE SEMI- FINALS
Doha, Qatar, November 5, 2018: A new milestone has been reached in the journey of Stars of Science, Qatar Foundation’s ‘edutainment reality’ TV show - for the first time, three out of the six finalists in the upcoming customer validation rounds are women. Nour Majbour, Rooda Al Qebaisi, and Sylia Khecheni represent the all-female team as competition and excitement intensifies in Season 10 of the show, while the men’s team is made up of Walid Al Banna, Salim Al Kaabi, and Abdallah Al Sairafi.
On this week’s episode, Stars of Science, three innovators competed in the final round of the prototyping episodes. Salim and Sylia won an emphatic victory, but viewers bid farewell to Ghassan and his Dry-Ice Cleaner Bot as the results did not go his way.
Salim kept his Stars of Science dream alive with his Safe Frankincense Varnish for Artists, which tackles an age-old problem – the product nullifies the harsh side effects of varnish while retaining the ability to make timeless paintings. Salim’s frankincense-processing lab consists of a production machine and an organic, environmentally-friendly varnish. “My varnish is 100 percent safe with absolutely no side effects – I am confident in its impending success,” Salim commented.
Sylia retained her spot on the show with a spirited defense of her Home Privacy Drone Blocker, watching its positive test results with pride. The device prevents the intrusion of hobbyist drones breaching private spaces, while keeping the drones intact. The engineer also held her own in a debate with experts over the effectiveness of her innovation, and eventually won the jury over as it demonstrated how it can block transmissions almost instantaneously.
During the latest episode, the show’s alumni guest, Season Four winner, Khalid Aboujassoum, shared advice and updates on his innovation, Tahi – now rebranded as Oliver – with the three innovators. “Introducing a product to the market is a long and challenging journey, but it is one that I highly value and enjoy,” Khalid said. “Winning the title has been an honor and, of course, an exhilarating moment of fame, but I think of it as a responsibility and a goal I need to live up to.”
In the customer validation rounds, the prototypes developed by the six remaining contestants will be tested and judged by focus groups containing potential customers and industry experts. In the buildup to Season 10’s final episode, the jury will then evaluate their progress and decide on the four finalists. Based on the results of the jury and online public voting, the four finalists will compete for a chance to win a share of $600,000 in seed funding.
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.
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.
Please visit:
Website - www.starsofscience.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StarsofScienceTV
Twitter - https://twitter.com/starsofscience
YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/user/Starsofsciencetv
Instagram- starsofsciencetv
Details on regional broadcasting:
Al Rayyan TV: (GMT+3)
Saturdays: 21:00 pm
Re-run: Sundays 17:00 PM
Al Araby TV: (GMT)
Saturdays 18:00 pm GMT
Re-run: Saturdays 22:00 PM, 04:00 AM, and on Mondays 10:00 AM
Al Araby+2
Saturdays 18:00 PM
Re-run: Saturdays 22:00 PM, Sundays 14:00 PM, and Tuesdays 12:00 PM
Alsumaria: (GMT +3)
Saturdays 22:30 PM
Re-run: Sunday 1PM
Roya: (GMT+3)
Saturdays 22:30 PM
Echorouk TV: (GMT +1)
Saturday: 20:00 PM
Oman TV: (GMT +4)
Sunday: 21:00 PM
LBCI: (GMT+3)
Sunday: 17:30 PM
Al Rai TV: (GMT +3)
Every Sunday starting October 6th
Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, science and research, and community development.
QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development.
QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all.
For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, visit http://www.qf.org.qa
For more information, please contact:
Mariam Diefallah –Weber Shandwick
+974 66836932
