Stars of Science Competition Showcases Arab Talent

Candidates undergo second round of eliminations following Proof of Concept stage.

The latest Proof of Concept episode of Stars of Science, aired on MBC4, challenged the 16 selected candidates to scientifically validate their ideas with 10 now through to the Engineering stage.

Six candidates were eliminated during the Proof of Concept stage following a heated debate amongst jury members that included Dr. Hayat Al Sindi, the Founder and President of the Saudi-based i2 institute, Dr. Mazen Hasna, Vice President & Chief Academic Officer at Qatar University and the programme’s permanent jury members Mr. Youssef Al Salhi, GM of Qatar Shell research and technology center and Dr. Fouad Mrad, Executive Director for the Regional Technology Center at the United Nations – ESCWA.

The judging criteria was based on each candidate’s working prototype (50 per cent), product feasibility (30 per cent) and their resourcefulness and approach (20 per cent).

The Engineering stage is one of the most challenging as the 10 remaining young innovators will be judged on their product’s functionality, marketability and resourcefulness before six move on to the Design stage.

The prestigious panel of jurors for the Engineering phase will include Dr. Farouk Al Baz, Research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University who has been acting as a VIP juror for four consecutive seasons, as well as Dr. Eyad Masad, Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at Texas A&M University Qatar and Professor of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University (USA).

Dr. Farouk Al Baz, Research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University in the United States, said: “We are really impressed to see that this year a majority of the candidates’ projects are very much focused on directly benefitting the wider society. Each innovation tackles a prevalent issue in the Middle East in a unique and innovative way. We look forward to seeing what each of the candidates will be presenting at the Engineering stage.”

Hosted by Khaled Al Jumaily, Stars of Science Season Five consists of eight prime-time episodes plus the live finale, where the public will be invited to vote alongside the Jury. The program began on September 13th 2013 (8 pm KSA), with daily updates airing from Saturday to Thursday at 4.30 pm KSA on MBC4.

The top ten finalists who participated in the Proof of Concept prime and are now through to the Engineering prime: