Young Innovators Aim for Gold in All Three Categories at NASA Space Apps Challenge

This is Friday—weekly holiday in Bangladesh. Schools and colleges are closed. On this day off, young problem-solvers from across the country have stepped up to participate in a global challenge. Among the 450 teams, approximately 3,000 participants, 50 teams have gathered at the American International University-AIUB campus in the capital early in the morning to take part in NASA's 36-hour Space Apps Challenge. Globally, over 100,000 problem solvers from 185 countries are participating in this year’s challenge.

These competitors are utilizing NASA's vast data bank to develop apps, create games, and build drones and robots. In this year's "Heliophysics Big Year" challenge, they are tackling 20 problems that explore the impact of the sun on the solar system. Their solutions range from addressing food shortages and safe drinking water in catastrophic floods through community mapping, to designing communication systems that remain safe during magnetic disturbances, a phenomenon that could disrupt electronic devices.

One of these teams, “Team Planet Pioneers” from the Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), led by electrical engineering student Ishraq Jahan Arifa, is creating educational videos to spark interest in worlds beyond the solar system. The team members include Sanjay Das, Amlan Sarkar Turna, and Jannatul Naeem Ismi. Another team, "Exoquest," from Khulna University, consisting of Talha Mahmud and Sabbir Ahmed, has developed an app aimed at teaching young children about the universe.

In a remarkable twist, even younger participants are developing apps and games for adults. The “Solar Shadow” team, led by sixth-grade student Subha Safayat Sijda, includes fifth-grade students Sejda Zakir Tarla, Mirha Sinayat, Aminur Rahman Sajim, and Golam Tahreem Bin Arik.

The NASA Space Apps Challenge will conclude at 6 p.m. on Saturday. From midday, local judges will begin evaluating the teams' projects.

The challenge officially kicked off at 7 a.m. on Friday, followed by an inaugural ceremony at noon. During the event, BASIS President Russell T. Ahmed pledged to uphold the flag of a new, prosperous Bangladesh, led by intellectuals such as Abu Sayeed from Rangpur, Dhaka-based freelancer Mughdho, and drone maker Tanveen. AIUB Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman remarked, “We are moving forward with the goal of building a prosperous Bangladesh. To achieve this, we must ensure equal progress in all technological sectors. It is crucial to encourage our youth and nurture their interest in science and technology, as this will pave the way to realizing our vision of a technologically advanced nation.”

Also present at the event were BASIS Senior Vice President M. Rashidul Hasan, Vice President (Finance) Iqbal Ahmed Fakhrul Hasan, BASIS Directors Mir Shahrukh Islam and Biplob Ghosh Rahul, NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024 Convener Abhijit Bhowmik, and the advisor for NASA Space Apps Challenge Bangladesh, Mohammad Mahdi-Uz-Zaman.

Reflecting on Bangladesh's proud achievement of becoming world champions four times in the past decade, including three consecutive victories, the organizers set a bold goal for this year: to win gold in all three global categories.