Sparks Fly on Emotional and Inspirational Casting Episode of Stars of Science on MBC4

DOHA, Qatar, October 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Arabs Challenge Convention with Energy and Environment Innovations, Vying to Become Stars of Science in Qatar Foundation's flagship media initiative

Stars of Science, the Arab world's popular 'edutainment' reality show developed by Qatar Foundation, showcased Season 8 hopefuls aiming to create solutions for the region with innovative ideas related to the energy and environment spheres. Those that impressed the judges took one step closer to their goal of winning a share of $600,000 in seed funding to make their idea a reality.

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Shortlisted innovators, however, cannot breathe a sigh of relief just yet - they need to await judgement in this Saturday's Majlis episode on October 8^th at 10:30 PM KSA (7:30 PM GMT) to see who is invited to continue the journey.

Arab innovators from across the Middle East arrived at the Stars of Science studio in Doha, Qatar dreaming of being crowned the Stars of Science winner in November in front of millions. But first, each was challenged to convince a jury of experts to give them a chance at glory.

Aysha Al Mudahka, a Qatari catalyst with a keen eye for up-and-coming entrepreneurs joined Professor Fouad Mrad for a third week in her role as a permeant Juror. Currently the CEO of the Qatar Business Incubation Center, she is widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the Middle East' entrepreneurship ecosystem. Rounding out the trio of jurors was Dr. Hosni Ghedira, a passionate environmentalist who holds a Ph.D. in Water Science from the University of Quebec, with over 120 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Ghedira currently serves as Professor of Practice and Director of the Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment (ReCREMA) at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi.  

"Our mission is clear - to find young Arab innovators with the skill, knowledge and spirit necessary to make a true difference with his or her idea," noted Aysha Al Mudahka. "Stars of Science, guided by Qatar Foundation, has been a driver of science and technology entrepreneurship in the region since Season 1 in 2009."

The three jury members had their hands full, judging the strengths and weaknesses of a diverse range of inventions. The episode featured innovators whose devices proposed to solve problems in the energy and environment realm by utilizing technology in a creative and novel way. Some inventions focused on solar energy and wind power solutions, while others aimed to address problems like air pollution and waste management. Professor Mrad was keen to remind candidates that in science, unlike other disciplines, there are right and wrong ways to solve a problem.

19 Candidates from the first three casting episodes have now successfully triumphed over the competition for a spot in the Majlis episode. Their next challenge is to be chosen as one of only nine candidates to be invited to develop their inventions with the help of the experts who will all work from the Stars of Science laboratories in Qatar Science & Technology Park.

Candidates will compete in small groups to advance from the prototyping stages to the customer validation rounds, where they will work tirelessly on developing their idea from prototype to fully-fledged product.

At the season finale, four final candidates left standing will receive a share of $600,000 in seed funding for their ideas. The winner will be chosen via a public and jury vote, and will be known across the region as the Arab world's most promising young innovator.

Applications for season 9 are now open for Arab nationals between the ages of 18-35. Please visit http://www.starsofscience.com for more details.

Website - http://www.starsofscience.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StarsofScienceTV

Twitter - https://twitter.com/starsofscience

Youtube- http://www.youtube.com/user/Starsofsciencetv

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Stars of Science 

Stars of Science, the flagship "edutainment reality" TV format initiated by Qatar Foundation, is the Arab world's leading innovation show that enables the region's aspiring science and technology entrepreneurs.

In this eighth season, nine candidates are challenged to develop creative solutions to regional problems within the fields of information technology, energy, environment, and health. An expert panel of jurors assesses and eliminates candidates and their innovative products in Prototyping and Customer Validation episodes until only four remain. These four finalists vie for a share of $600,000 in seed funding, determined by a jury deliberation and online voting from the public.

Stars of Science airs every Saturday on MBC4 at 10:30pm KSA / 7:30 pm GMT starting September 17th till November 19th 2016. 

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.

http://www.qf.org.qa/

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 25 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 1^st 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);  MBC + Drama (exclusive on MyHD); 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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SOURCE Stars of Science