The season 6 finalists of Stars of Science – the Arab world’s first and foremost edutainment reality television programme – visited Qatar Academy to talk about their inventions and share ideas with the Primary School pupils.
The visit was specifically timely for the grade 5 students who are now beginning to work on their Primary Years Programme Exhibition. Haya Kano from 5B believes that meeting the inventors would help her “by getting ideas on projects that can help the environment”. Similarly, Noor Al Sulaiteen of 5A thinks that the television programme helps viewers realise that “if you need something and you don’t have it, you can invent or create it yourself”.
Like these QA students, contestants Mohamad Al Housani, Rania Bou Jaoudeh, Sultan Alsubhi and Thieab Al Dossary are young and driven individuals who used their imaginations and inquiries as catalysts for their respective inventions.
For Thieab Al Dossary, inventing is fun and it can start from something as simple as a drawing or, in his case, with the question that if we can see and hear our technological devices, how come we can’t feel it even in this day and age of wearable technology? The result is the Tactile Communicating Bracelet which uses electro-tactile pads to communicate information from the user to his mobile phone.
Industrial Engineering student Rania Bou Jaoudeh, on the other hand, has taken her interest on ergonomics to invent the Automatic Zucchini Corer which is ‘a machine that aims to automate the process of preparing zucchini, a staple of Arab cuisine’.
Speaking about his experience, Mohamad Al Housani shared: “The journey of Stars of Science seems difficult before it starts but once it starts the difficulties disappear behind the motivation to succeed and realise your dream. Stars of Science is a golden opportunity and everyone is winner because everyone lucky enough to be on the journey has learned and grown and come closer to success”.
Finally, Sultan Alsubhi created the Wudu’ Area Robotic Cleaner which has special sensors and a water dispensing mechanism that cleans the Wudu’, the designated area in mosques where Muslims perform the washing ritual before prayer.
The Peninsula
