First Syrian takes home top prize in Stars of Science

The first Syrian to take part in the region’s Stars of Science (SoS) TV show has taken home the first prize.

Yaman Abou Jieb prides himself in being the first SoS contestant from Syria (at 22, he is also the youngest of the four finalists).

An engineering buff at heart – he even took robotics and physics courses at the age of 10 – his project was a solar-powered washing machine, ‘Glean’.

Back in Syria, Abou Jieb lives on a solar-powered farm where the washing machine was the only remaining energy drain. Throughout the show, the 22-year-old faced a slew of peripheral engineering and design issues (like where does the water go?), which allowed him to demonstrate his resilience and oration skills.

With 37.2 percent of the combined votes Abou Jieb emerged as this season’s winner and will be taking home the sum of $300,000. “Going forward,” he said, “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.”

Original article by Stephanie Nour Prince

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First Syrian takes home top prize in Stars of Science