Space is commonly utterly fascinating for all in the world, a tad more for us. Indians regionally grow up imbibing ventures of native Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma as well as Late Dr. Kalpana Chawla- to have been the first woman of Indian origin to get into space, they have also been inspiring students of this land timelessly.
The two of us: Nikhitha and Sujay meet at the Space Conference in January 2016. We base out our opinions until we rest ours at the fact that young space enthusiasts in our region go unaware of a definite medium to follow up on with their enthusiasm. In the moment therein we lay down the first step to founding our organization as a virtue to resolve the aforementioned condition.
Thus begins SSERD: Society for Space Education Research and Development. The forum hosts students, professionals and researchers, all alike. And we move forward as a non-profit entity only to broaden the space education awareness amongst youth in schools in addition to space career guidance for Space-thinkers.
We are profoundly invested in students at Schools, for now since students who are educated beyond, seemingly have a lesser attention span to be roped into the context of our organization just with their fad for Space. Though the first of students with their still moulding conviction about their future have higher odds of choosing Space in their own interest than a students at College or right before it. Astro Space Camp is the first of our initiatory events designed for school students, specifically at advantage here are students incapacitated to visit NASA’s Space Camps. The 4-day Astro Space Camp in 2017 includes distinctive Guest Speakers collecting up ISRO Scientists to Astrophysics Professors; with hands-on workshops, field trips to Science & Space Museums, contests and more. Over 100 students diversely come from India to participate. We are ever in gratitude to the volunteers who have made this a reality now.
Students or institutions seek our support, invite us for enlightenment on Space and training at campuses in India and abroad. Within 2 years of inception, SSERD visits 5 cities and reaches upto 6000+ students from over 20 institutions. Then on we start with Space Talks, Sky Gazing, SSERD Space Trek, Technical Space related workshops, Internship and Project opportunities for undergrad students as well.
The first of International feats for SSERD comes with the 4th Asia-Pacific Space Generation Workshop, organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) in 2018 at Bangalore, we are granted an inclusive moment to speak up on our work at Space Education with its Outreach.
SSERD gets invited to become part of the 2nd African Space Generation Workshop, SGAC Mauritius, 2018; and I, Nikhitha come to moderate 20 African delegates of “Space Science & Stem Outreach” group and guide them on STEM outreach activities in Africa. We also conduct here a real-time activity for young school students in Mauritius befitting the Rajiv Gandhi Science museum outreach program.
We do also get invited to the Institute of Astronomy, Sri Lanka, to deliver workshops insightful of space technology to students in January 2019. The fundamental objective with it has been to aid students from nations with slighted leanings towards Space Education or its stipulated Industry.
To this day, SSERD touches beyond 50,000 students in India cum abroad through every activity mentioned already alongside World Space Week, National Science Day programmes and more in coop sure. To reinstate, SSERD builds upon the space interests of middle-schoolers for the same reason of an unassuming notion about their future accounted for an open mind much needed to marvel at the choice of Space as a career. The teaching model of us is a practical STEM-based structure. To say, guidance to students centers on building a working model of rocket and testing the designed rocket with a launch initiation, bringing this whole formulation out as a completely practical outset in lieu of the rest other theoretical approaches. In the same light of approach we induce soft and specific skills of engineering, mathematical thinking, coding, critical and analytical thinking, imbued with streak of teamness.
Now at a certain peak of above 800 active volunteers throughout India, continually running outreach programs, spouting basic awareness of Space besides its incorporation in daily life, well even for students secluded to rurality
A critical goal for SSERD rises on seeing the misconstrued career ideals amidst the engaged youth. Students are let to take up Aeronautical branch of Engineering under the presumption of employability as a pilot or even an astronomer. Now SSERD meets up to resolve the lack of clarified information in educating the student community on distinguised overview of study and work of each of the variegated topics under Aerospace- Aviation, Astrophysics, Astrobiology, Space Technology and sorts. Though we do also observe an ever substantial crowd moved by Space now despite their misinformed notions and scanty choices of aero-specialized courses plot out by the regional colleges.
Previously we had to see fewer girls to boys in SSERD programs. Women are still limited by traditionalities whilst progressing farther in education or career. Some solid such imposed normalizations could be strode upon with female-centric programs like our ‘Girls & Women in Space & Astronomy’, with 200 female guests partaking in the program around two other female personnel from Space and Astrophysics industry as their speakers. By the content turnaround of the event we are led to create next, ‘GirlsInSTEM: Aerospace Mentorship Program’ for high school girls in collaboration with Unherd (a platform directive at providing internship offers for high-schoolers recepting any career choice). The GirlsInSTEM Aerospace Mentorship becomes a grand success — now we have high school girls part of the program planning to set up a career in sub-domains as astronautics, space law, engineering, space journalism, and others. Our students do also get credited with the preliminary discovery of an asteroid by the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) as part of the International asteroid hunt. Plus a school team works on and launches an ozone payload effectively into the stratosphere.
I do stop & quote on Ashley herein, a Filippino student who attends SSERD’s program remotely and gathers up fellow space enthusiasts Philippines, organically leading up to a Philippines chapter which connotes a vibrant group promoting awareness of space education and sciences. Presently, SSERD Philippines is a 300+ strong group.
In par with the same spirit, SSERD looks forward to ally with Nepal, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana on way to the future
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Talking about our supporters, our families did give in to their belief on us, now with time passing on and gaining traction for SSERD, though they had been skeptical at the start of our venture. We are not textbook Entrepreneurs, yet with the stamina of our passion we have gotten so far which brings in the familial trust. In 2018, SSERD receives the NGO Champion Award by Youth for Seva to have advanced in space education. SSERD also receives appreciations from the ISRO, Kerala Space Park, Kerala Startups Mission, Governments of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
India immensely propels forward with the private space sector and in particular, founders of few prime Indian Space startups as Bellatrix Aerospace, Satsure, Astrome, NoPo, Satsearch, Earth2orbit, Rocketeers, amongst other such associates have been very supportive of all our works. We keep sharing their entrepreneurial stories to the students when we hover over Space Economy and Entrepreneurship.
Recently too we come across 360+ underprivileged students from 9 different government schools in Bangalore and Hyderabad to check out a Space curriculum through the support of the Akshaya Patra Foundation launched to feed million students in India. Our team makes a long travel weekly to teach these students. The social impact that comes out of this mission has been tremendous.
As the pandemic plays out now, we connect to students online via the channel of Space Shaala and we have taken this opportunity up to reach out to 2500+ students from India to the rest of the world. Even if our online courses do be interactive and filled with online simulations, meeting students in the flesh is amiss, but convincingly we receive overwhelming feedback from students and their parents. Our Space Talks have also gone online where we invite over mulitple Space professionals to talk on themes around Space. Amidst it all, 250+ undergrad students are conferred with online Internship to work on outstanding projects.
Up next in our kitty, are plans to start up a school for Space in India that would cluster people marked only by an avid interest to explore cosmos. Though our active support will always go out to students in their expedition on landing an occupation about Space. We also plan to bring out a scholarship-funding program for support of students who are onto pursuit of space education. We seek to continue encouraging & inspiring students more so they may come aboard this mighty sector and contribute for the benefit of mankind.
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