Sadek Qassim and his “Alchemist” project win “Stars of Science” Season 2

Kuwaiti candidate Sadek Qassim, 26, was declared winner of the second season of "Stars of Science", the Pan Arab innovation contest initiated by Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development, on the occasion of a live finale broadcast on Sunday November 28 across the Arab world.

Upon the heated and intense episode held in an impressive outdoor setting at Qatar Science and Technology Park in Doha, the grand jury present on set and the TV viewers, who voted at parity, granted 33.4% to the creator of "Alchemist", an automated multi-functional oil samples lab tester.

Qassim walks home with a cash prize of $300,000, which will allow him to pursue the development of his promising innovative project, which he has already been able to expose to a wide international audience.

"We have invented products that will benefit mankind as a whole, we are here to show the Arab world that we can succeed," said Qassim, who was assisted by partner Ahmad Khoulousy.
"I would like to thank my entire country, Kuwait! My whole country has won today. This victory is dedicated to my father who has inspired my project," added Qassim.

First runner up, Abdullah Abou Zeid, from Egypt, helped by Ayman Al Sayed receives $150,000 for "Omnijoint", a project of robotic rotational joint with two degrees of freedom. Second runner up, Hind Hobeika, from Lebanon with the support of Nadim Antakli, earns $100,000 with the "Butterfleye" swimming goggles measuring heart rate in real time. Ahmad Al Ghazi, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aided by Mojahed AlKhateeb, ends the rankings and is awarded $50,000, thanks to "Goom", a project of motorized walker and lifter for the elderly and handicapped.

Following a high-tech opening sequence centered around the inventions that changed the world from the 19th till the 21st century, the four hopefuls staged spectacular and bespoke performances to launch their product, offering a festival of visual effects and choreographies.

Special guests on the show were NASA veteran Dr Farouk El Baz and Bassam Jalgha, winner of "Stars of Science" Season 1.

This brilliant finale marked the end of the second season of "Stars of Science", the world's only TV reality show encouraging innovation, which exposes the potential of Arab youth.

"Tonight's program has been a powerful reminder of the creativity and talent of our youth in the Arab World", said His Excellency Sheikh Dr Abdulla Bin Ali Al-Thani, President of Education City University and Vice President of Education – Qatar Foundation. "The success of "Stars of Science" springs from Qatar Foundation's strategy to promote science and technology as broadly as possible. The attractive reality TV format both informs and entertains. Once again, we were very impressed by the quality of the projects and the dedication of the candidates, which will certainly encourage yet more ingenious ideas in the next season. The finalists will all be ambassadors for "Stars of Science", their communities and countries, and for the Arab world as a whole. We are delighted to have been able to provide such a strong platform to showcase their innovation, and we look forward to reaching new heights in Season 3."

Applications for the program's Season 3, to take place next year, have already started and aspiring hopefuls can log on to www.starsofscience.com to participate.