Nour Al-Din Al-Diri, a Jordanian doctoral student in biology for neurodevelopmental disorders, was qualified as one of the best inventors and innovators for the final episode of the Qatar Stars of Science Program, for his invention of the automated assessment program for children's mental ability.
A statement issued by Qatar Foundation, the entity responsible for the Stars of Science program, which is broadcast on Qatar TV and many Arab TV stations, said today, Monday, that Al-Diri and his competitors have gone through difficult stages with their inventions, which cover important issues in environmental sustainability and health care, before they were launched. They reach the last leg of the program, next Friday, during which the identity of the winning contestant will be determined through the deliberations of the jury, and electronic voting via the Internet, which will continue until the evening of next Thursday.
The jury directed many questions and inquiries to Noureddine Al-Dairy about his invention, to clarify the various information related to the invention, praising the invention, describing it as very important, which qualified it to be among the three most important inventions that reach the final episode.
The jury is made up of Lebanese Professor Fouad Murad, and Qatari medical expert Dr. Aisha Ahmed Youssef, director of gynecological surgery in reproductive medicine at Sidra Medicine, and a member of Qatar Foundation.
As permanent members of the jury, Professor Murad and Dr. Aisha serve with a rotating team of distinguished Arab experts, including Stars of Science alumni, who occupy the third seat on the jury.
The statement quoted Al-Diri as saying that he used his medical expertise to address potential misdiagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in children, stressing that his invention can promote comprehensiveness in the field of mental health care, as the program plays an animated video clip and analyzes children's responses to targeted stimuli.
He added that based on this information, the algorithm ranks the potential area of the child's intellectual ability, which helps in the appropriate diagnostic tasks that the doctor can follow.
With Al-Diri, two contestants qualified: Libyan Shatha bin Nabih, a mechanical engineer who graduated from Qatar University, and Omani Sumaya Al-Siyabiya, a marine biologist and mother of three.
Al-Siyabiya’s invention is represented in an innovative device for processing micro-plastic materials, while Shatha Bennabih’s invention is represented by a continuous blood pressure monitoring bracelet, which she considered a major engineering challenge.
The "Stars of Science" program was launched in 2009, and it combines fun and scientific knowledge, and is considered a leading reality TV program in the Arab world.