Syrian innovator named winner
Yaman Abou Jieb, the young innovator from Syria, emerged victorious in the breathtaking live finale of Stars of Science in Doha, Qatar, concluding the seventh season of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development’s (QF) “edutainment reality” TV program on MBC4.
Voting from viewers around the Arab world combined with a jury deliberation garnered Yaman Abou Jieb a score of 37.2%, enough to win the first prize of $300,000 USD for his Solar Washing Machine, Glean. Yaman thrived on Stars of Science Season 7 due to his trademark resilience and determination.
Launched in 2009, Stars of Science is dedicated to scientific innovation, and aims to shine a spotlight on the next generation of young Arab innovators. The initiative brings to fruition QF’s overarching vision of unlocking human potential by creating an environment that facilitates learning and knowledge acquisition.
Omar Hamid, inventor of the Prayer Chair, Sanda, came in second place with a combined score of 23.1%, earning $150,000. Omar charmed audiences this year with his creativity and passion for social impact.
The tenacious, problem-solving innovator from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hassan Al Balawi, came in third with a score of 20.4% with his EEG Cap Analyzer, Wakecap. With his ECG Stress Analyzer, Digiheart, Mohamed Mourad Benosman, a strong-willed thinker from Algeria, came in fourth place with a score of 19.3%. Hassan won $100,000 USD, while Mohamed was awarded $50,000 USD.
“Stars of Science has been the experience of a lifetime – I am proud to represent Syria in this great competition,” Yaman Abou Jieb, winner of Stars of Science Season 7, noted. “By connecting young innovators like me with resources and expertise, Qatar Foundation generates interest in science, engineering, and design in the Arab world. Going forward, I will be driven not only to develop Glean, but to give youth across the region confidence in their abilities to improve lives through innovation.”
Stars of Science will return in 2016 with Season 8. In the new season, Stars of Science will accept applicants between the ages of 18-35. Special emphasis will be placed on finding promising project ideas that contribute to resolving the sustainable development challenges in the Arab countries and ensuring that their inventions are beneficial to their communities and have an impact regionally and globally. Enabling projects in diverse areas from Computing and Information Technology, Energy, Environment, to Health and Biomedical sciences.
The program will also diversify the prizes for the finalists to include both cash and grants for product development, such as incubation. The total value of the prizes for finalists will increase to $1,000,000 USD.
Innovators interested in entering Stars of Science Season 8 still have time, with online applications closing on January 30th, 2016.