Islamabad : The two-week Space Summer School (SSS) that hosted over 100 students from 60 schools and colleges of Pakistan concluded on a high note here at the Institute of Space Technology (IST).
The activity-based learning covered more than 50 interactive sessions in 10 exploration tracks for students in two levels. It had a wide canvas of space-themed activities, interactive lectures, hands-on workshops, space career counselling, as well as the Dr. Abdus Salam space contest, space creative writing, space creative arts, space Spellathon, webinars and seminars.
The concluding ceremony was hosted by Dr. Najam Abbas, director of Student Affairs and Programme Head of SSS, who greeted the participants and shared the accomplishments of SSS under the initiative of Space Technology Education and Popularisation (STEP).
The chief guest Dr. Khurram Iqbal commended the IST initiative for creating cognizance about space technology among youth and educating students about the benefits of space technology.
The SSS coveredten themesnamely, Earth, Atmosphere, Aviation, Rocketry, Satellite Technology, Space Travel, Space for Life, Space Agencies, Astronomy and Astrophysics and space agencies. It hostedtwo special webinars with Dr. Aquib Moin from UAE Space Agency about UAE Mars Mission and Dr. Nozair Khawaja from Germany on Astrobiology.
IST also conducted the Dr. Abdus Salam Space Contest on the last day of SSS in order to gauge the level of space learning of students. Awards were given to winners of the Space Spellathon, Space creative writing, Space Arts, water rocket, aero modeling and drag parachute competitions. The participants were also provided an opportunity to explore Planetarium, Aircraft Technology, CanSat Satellite development, water rocket and Quad-copter Design and Fabrication along with Astrolabe and Telescopy.