With four inspiring finalists left standing and the finale of Stars of Science Season 8 fast approaching, vast numbers of TV viewers across the region are voting online to help choose the Arab world’s best innovator. Only one of the finalists, all of whom have captured the hearts of fans, will be able to walk away the winner. Vote now at www.starsofscience.com – voting concludes on Thursday, November 17th at 6:00PM KSA/ 3:00PM GMT.
In order to vote, visit www.starsofscience.com and click on the ‘Vote Now’ icon. Then, simply choose your favorite innovator from the four options and cast your vote via Facebook or via email.
The four Stars of Science finalists are tantalizingly close to walking away with their share of a $600,000 USD cash prize, which will serve as seed funding for them to deliver their problem-solving innovations to the market. For viewers, online voting takes a matter of minutes. But the stakes have never been higher for the finalists, who have dedicated months to developing their innovations on the show.
In the finale episode, airing on Saturday, November 19th at 10:30PM KSA/ 7:30PM GMT on MBC4, online voting will be combined with a vote from a panel of expert jurors to produce the results. Online voting will count for 50 percent of a candidate’s score, while jury vote will count for the remaining 50 percent. The first place winner will earn $300,000 USD, while his competitors will earn $150,000 USD, $100,000 USD, and $50,000 USD respectively depending on rank.
Stars of Science has proven popular among audiences, earning over 8.5 million views on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram from this season alone. Over four million unique users have engaged with the show’s channels online this season.
For longtime fans of the show, the slate of four candidates provides the toughest choice ever in a Stars of Science finale. Voters must choose between Abderrahim Bourouis of Algeria, the dependable engineer who created Wonderkit, a smart autism shirt, the disciplined martial arts master Ghassan Yusuf of Bahrain, with Take One, his auto scoring and management system for Taekwondo, Sadeem Qdaisat of Jordan, the determined medical researcher with GenomiQ, the automated slide dropping in genetic testing, and Sevag Babikian of Lebanon, the engineering perfectionist who invented Modifix, an efficient desktop 3D printer.
On Saturday, international audiences saw Bourouis and Qdaisat survive the customer validation stage, securing their place in the finale. Over eight seasons, Stars of Science has generated innovations that solve regional and international problems while encouraging millions to become interested in science and technology. Bourouis and Qdaisat’s innovations follow in that tradition.
Abderrahim Bourouis is a 29-year-old Ph.D. holder who is using his engineering background to help those suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which affects millions of children and households worldwide. Bourouis’ innovation, Wonderkit, is a smart shirt and app that aims to monitor and soothe children with ASD, potentially helping families around the world find peace of mind.
Meanwhile, Sadeem Qdaisat, a 28-year-old Ph.D. candidate and medical researcher, wants to revolutionize genetic testing in hospitals and labs everywhere. Sadeem’s innovation, GenomiQ, aims to eliminate human error and drastically cuts down on the time needed to test genetic samples by automating the process, improving the accuracy of testing while saving time and, perhaps, lives.
Vote for your favorite innovator online at www.starsofscience.com before 6:00PM KSA/ 3:00PM GMT on Thursday, November 17th. Then tune in to the Stars of Science finale on Saturday, November 19th at 10:30PM KSA/ 7:30PM GMT on MBC4.