Stars Of Science Shortlists Arab Innovators in First Three Episodes on MBC4

DOHA, Qatar, October 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

New Season Features Some Of The Most Diverse Projects To Date 

Stars of Science, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development's (QF) "edutainment reality" TV program on MBC4 that encourages science, technology and innovation, has shortlisted the region's most promising Arab innovators for its seventh season. Over the first three episodes, hundreds of talented students, entrepreneurs, and professionals between the ages of 18 and 30 bravely presented their ideas to experienced jurors at castings across the Arab world.

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The panel of jurors - whose permanent members are Professor Fouad Mrad, Executive Director of the United Nations ESCWA Regional Center for Technology in Amman, Jordan, and Mr. Youssif Abdulrahman Saleh, General Manager at the Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre (QSRTC) - evaluated each idea in terms of its scientific sophistication and originality, market outlook, and feasibility. Only applicants whose ideas met the highest standards in each category were shortlisted.

Serving as a tool to unlock human potential in the next generation of aspiring young science and technology innovators, and in-line with QF's mission of fostering a culture of quality and excellence, the seventh season of Stars of Science features some of the most diverse and potentially impactful ideas to date.

Several of the shortlisted projects aim to foster a more sustainable planet by saving water and using solar energy.  Others leverage smart technology to monitor and improve health, train athletes, or enhance the quality of life for the physically disabled. A number of the ideas advance the fields of photography, communication, nutrition, computing, and on-the-job safety and efficiency.

The upcoming Majlis episode will capture the nerve-racking moments in which the jury decides the fate of the shortlisted applicants - only 12 of which will be invited to travel to the Stars of Science laboratories at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of Qatar Foundation. Once in Doha, candidates work with mentors to refine their ideas and build prototypes of their inventions. In prime time episodes, viewers will see the number of candidates steadily decrease to a group of four finalists, who will share $600,000 in prize money.

"Stars of Science empowers and facilitates the development of the most novel ideas suggested by the creative young minds in the Arab world. They get the opportunity to turn their dreams into real inventions, ones that can have a positive impact on society," noted perennial juror Professor Fouad Mrad. "The quality of ideas submitted by these shortlisted applicants is proof of the high level of ingenuity the youth of this region possess."

In addition to casting in Egypt at the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC), further locations for casting included GE Aviation in Qatar, the National School of Engineers of Sousse in Tunisia, the American University in Dubai, UAE, and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon.

At each casting, the two permanent jurors were joined by a local professional, such as Mr. Abdulla Hassan Al-Mehshadi, CEO of Msheireb Properties, Qatar; Dr. Riad Robaneh, Professor of Computer Science at Tunisia Polytechnic School, Tunisia; Dr. Khalid Al-Dukan, Professor at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Dr. Abdul Hakim Al-Zuhairi, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education, Egypt; Dr. Mariam Matar, Founder and President of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association, Dubai; and Dr. Dania Alsammarae, Co-Founder at Anglo Arabian Healthcare.

Khalid Al Jumaily, who has taken viewers through many thrilling moments of previous seasons, has returned to host this seventh edition of Stars of Science. Over the course of ten prime time episodes, 12 innovators will compete against each other as they turn their ideas into working prototypes. Their full journey will be chronicled through daily episodes starting on Saturday, October 10^th at 4 PM KSA / 1 PM GMT on MBC4.  

The seventh season will culminate in a live final, where jurors and viewers select which candidates will share the $600,000 prize money. To witness the decisive moments in which jurors inform applicants about whether or not they are selected to become candidates, tune into the upcoming Majlis episode that will be aired on Friday, October 9^th at 7PM KSA/ 4 PM GMT on MBC4.

For more information 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 18^th, to Friday, November 20^th, 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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SOURCE Stars of Science