I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey being in the Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Education field since 2010. It was quite a novel idea back then and it fueled my passion for doing something different, unique and not following the trend.I am more of a leader and a trendsetter.
My new venture is an exciting derivative of STEM Education that is Space Science Education. My partner, Nahyan Farooq, and I co-founded the Pakistan Space Science Education Centre (PSSEC) 3 years ago in March 2015. Nahyan is the Chief Design Officer (CDO) at PSSEC and he came up with the idea of pioneering Space Science Education in Pakistan.PSSEC is a specialist space-themed educational initiative providing activities, in the context of Space Science principally around the exploration of MARS. PSSEC provides access to practices of specialized and unique laboratory experiences and scenario-based activities. PSSEC is a strong proponent of women empowerment and all our experiences have catered to girls from all socioeconomic backgrounds equally at all the places we have been including students and educators alike.
PSSEC has introduced a novel concept involving a simulated Mars Surface made out of the red sand, rocks involving asphalt, limestone, and mudstone imitating the cracked up surface of Mars, covered inside a domed structure. A stream of pebbles is laid out in the middle of the surface to show the signs of dried up river bed imitating the Martian topography.
Our flagship experience is Mission to Mars 2025 in which we offer experiences like Scientific Research, Rover Engineering, Astronaut Suit Designing, Astronaut Healthcare Training, Smart Lander Engineering and others.
With PSSEC my mission is to cater to the scarcity of Space Science Education related facilities providing knowledge-based experiential learning and hands-on opportunities to the children at the primary, secondary and high school level. Since its onset PSSEC has trained 756 students and 80 teachers in three different cities including Tharparkar, known to contain the world’s 7th largest coal reserves.
Zartaj Waseem
STEM Education Professional | FIRST Global Award Judge | FIRST Lego League Coach | World Robot Olympiad (WRO) National Organizer ROBOTICS | STEM EDUCATION | EDTECH | SPACE SCIENCE