World Space Week 2016 inspires young Pakistanis to enter into the realm of Science & Technology
Young scientists and space lovers gathered at an exceptional event by Institute of Space Technology to share their love for space science and everything beyond home planet Earth.
Throughout the world, space events are being held to celebrate, educate and inspire the children and general public about Space and its benefits to humankind.
In Pakistan, the biggest Space event was held at Institute of Space Technology (IST) at its campus at Islamabad from 19th to 22th October 2016 to create space awareness among the general public and students.
The inaugural ceremony of the space week, organised by IST in collaboration with National Space Agency of Pakistan SUPARCO, was inaugurated on 19 October 2016. The opening day of the Space event was attended by space enthusiasts and students from at least 100 schools and colleges of the twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The World Space Week 2016 offers young Pakistanis a chance to enter into the realm of Space Science & Technology and explore new perspective and possibilities for future.
“Our aim is to educate young generation about space science and technology because these technologies maybe developed for planetary exploration but it has tremendously benefited life on earth, and is improving our lives every day” said Dr. Najam Abbas Naqvi, Assistant Professor at Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at IST.
The advancement of space technologies plays a vital role in wide-ranging sectors such as communication, agriculture, disaster management, medicine, monitoring the weather, in fact our national security.
“This is why it is highly imperative for Pakistan to focus on the development of space technology in the country” stressed Dr. Qamar ul Islam, Head of Electrical Engineering Department at IST.
Around 125 different schools and colleges from Islamabad and Rawalpindi participated in 165 different space themed events and activities of World Space Week 2016 at IST. There were are 3000 registered participants of at WSW 2016 which will continue till 22nd of October 2016 culminating many inspiring space oriented events.
IST is Pakistan only University to have built and launched a Cubesat satellite, iCUBE-1, which was launched on November 21, 2013. This milestone enhanced youth participation in space sciences events and also promoted space technology development in Pakistan, informed Maria Sadar, Media Director or WSW 2016 event.
World Space Week 2016 IST Pakistan highlights:
- 125 schools and colleges
- 3000 participants
- 165 activities
- 100 competitions
Aeromodelling Competition
The Aeromodelling Competition offered a unique chance for students interested in aerospace and related engineering disciplines to demonstrate their creativity and aero-modeling expertise. “After a quiz session, we selected students for the next round of aircraft designing in which they were provided materials o assemble a model aircraft and make it glide using simple techniques” informed Hamza Tahir, manager of the Aeromodelling contest.
Space Model Competition
This contest was one of the highlights of the event where students made impressive models to explain the use of remote sensing in our daily lives. Students unleashed their creativity by solving challenges such as how thermal remote sensing can reduce impact of volcanic eruptions, how to manage natural disasters using remote sensing, how can we improve lifestyles and save biodiversity using space technology.
Astrolabe and Telescopes
Fascinating astrolabe and beautiful telescope mesmerized the students walking the corridors, who were surprised to learn the history of astrolabes. The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical tool for solving problems of time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky. It was the most popular astronomical instrument until about 1650 when it was replaced by more accurate instruments.
Space Fine Arts competition
Space Fine Arts contest included painting, sketching, calligraphy as well as wall graffiti. Students experimented with new methods of expression and explored the possibilities that time, space and installations in their art works. The contest helped promote the students’ artistic capability and thinking.
Other exciting events included Surfing using Google Earth, Space Image Processing Colonizing Space, Applications of Remote Sensing, Air crash Investigations, Space Junk Design, Space Propeller Car Competition, Space Photography, Space Souvenir Designing, Spacesuit Designing, Dota 2 gaming contest, Space Entrepreneurship and Space Awareness session.
Space week celebrations
World Space Week is an annual event that is observed from 4 October to 10 October 2016 all across the world. This year’s theme, “Remote Sensing: Enabling Our Future,” highlights Earth observation from space. Since its United Nations declaration in 1999, World Space Week has grown into the largest public space event on Earth.
Institute of Space Technology has been regularly conducting WSW activities each year to increase awareness of space technology and to promote its peaceful usage amongst students and the masses in Pakistan.
Space technology has enabled humanity not only to reach the stars but to learn more about planet Earth, solve the challenges of humanity and revolutionize our way of living. Events like World Space Week are extremely helpful in educating people about space science and its benefits, encouraging greater use of science and technology, and foster international cooperation in space outreach and education.