( SCIENCE POPULARISATION ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNICATORS AND EDUCATORS )

SPACE is a society registered under Indian society registration act. It is a voluntary organisation working towards science popularisation. It is a team of dedicated and eminent astronomers, science communicators & educators. The constitution of India- Part IV A, Article 51 A (Fundamental Duties of Citizen), h lays down “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.”  The society's objective is to work for achieving this aim. SPACE is pioneer in introducing astronomy as a subject in the form of a co-curricular activity in the Indian education system at school level. SPACE has done strong brick work to create a foundation for astronomy by running Astronomy Clubs (SPACE Club) and workshops in all the major schools in Delhi & NCR. Here young students, India’s future, are trained in astronomy through exciting activities and games. They are inculcated with the spirit of questioning and experimentation, which the current education system fails to deliver. Currently it has extended its reach from Delhi & NCR to all major schools in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra. SPACE is looking forward to extend its activities through its education centres or nodal centres all over India by the end of the year 2008 and internationally in the year 2009. The society has also started promotion of Scientific Temper through astronomy activities for college students, working professionals and general masses. SPACE is continually organising, partnering, associating and collaborating national & international agencies, government bodies, mass science popularisation programs for spreading science. The society has been able to create employment opportunities for people through innovative and practical use of science and technology. It is currently the largest non-governmental employer in the field of astronomy and science popularisation in India. SPACE: Empowering life with science and building Nation • The impact of the scientific awareness of the citizens of a nation on its growth requires no elaboration. Our activities, past and future, are intended in furtherance of the objective. The international race has already started to inhabit any planet other than Earth. Mankind would soon require people knowledgeable in astronomy to lead it. It would require space engineers, space doctors to even space plumbers and carpenters. Astronomy would bring a mass revolution on the planet Earth. We at SPACE believe we are preparing the world for the future. • The education and scientific thinking brings rationalization of thoughts thus depleting the social barriers of caste, creed and religion. It is nothing but scientific thinking that can kill the fundamentalism in the society. SPACE has been working to create that spirit of inquiry in our citizen and make them responsible for their actions. There is a strong need to evolve our future generation especially rural children and link them to main stream. SPACE through its activities and naturally intriguing interesting astronomical observations has worked successfully in this direction. • One of the great achievements of the SPACE activities is creating new business opportunities in education sector in the field of pure sciences. The science popularisation which is thought to be out of the preview of any profitable venture and necessarily undertaken through grants and funding from the Governments has been proven by our organisation to be holding a huge business potential. The winning edge just lied in a systematic implementation approach. SPACE has created new social entrepreneurs in various states of India now pursuing business in the field and also many individual belonging to various sects and lifestyles have been trained to earn for themselves under our various programs. Our scheme “ Rashtriya Gram Vigyan Paryojna” focuses on the rural India to involve the masses in the main stream and get benefited. • SPACE has achieved, by successfully launching Astronomy and observational science learning in the school education system at all India level, a pioneer and unique feat worldwide. The organisation is creating the future leaders in the field of science. The easy hands on activities and learning science by observing nature and night sky have changed the scenario of science teaching for many institutes and individuals. SPACE acts as the instrumental agency for providing all possible opportunities to the youth and the children of India, to participate, represent, innovate and contribute in the field of science on national and international level by providing information and platform to interact with their peer group. The exposure does the wonder on its own. Milestones reached by SPACE in its journey: • SPACE has organised national and international events to spread science amongst the masses. In one of our international projects ‘Heliodyssey 2006’ students from all over India, were taken on a fully sponsored trip to Turkey along with astronomers and teachers to perform experiments during the Total Solar Eclipse in March 06. Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had personally met the expedition team after their visit and interacted with them on the eclipse and the experiments conducted by them during the phenomena. • Vamana project in 2004, measuring Earth through observation and experimentation using Venus transit. It was a first opportunity in Science Education in India where 25000 students from 250 schools in 16 cities all over the country participated in a 3 stage scientific project. • Discovery of the exact location of the IST (Indian Standard Time) line near Mirzapur by group of teachers and students under “Project Khoj 2006”- Search for Greenwich of India. • The organisation has been conducting the sought after Kalpana Chawla Running Trophy Quiz contest every year for school students for past 4 years. • Celebration of 50 years of space exploration by announcing WSEY (World Space Exploration Year) from Oct’07 to Oct’08. SPACE touching everyone Programs for schools and educational Institutes: • Projects competitions in science and astronomy • Seminars conferences (Career Counseling), workshops, collaboration in larger projects • Power science teaching workshops and Teacher training programs • Career counseling through teachers • Astronomy Olympiad • Student science congresses • Science shows • Drawing competitions • National & International level Quiz Contests • Weekend/holiday study tours for students within India and abroad Programs for masses • Telescope making workshops • Local Sky Observations • Star parties Specific University Programs: • Science Research • Career Counselling in Astronomy • Research Funding for scholarship • Online Courses Employment Generation Programs and Training: • Astronomy certificate Courses • Science teaching courses • Placement services • Training and employment generation for the rural youth • Senior Citizens Resource Program • Science Empowerment and Employment Program for House Wives Corporate: • Corporate Social Responsibility Projects • Collaboration in community development programs • Scientific project consultancy • Stress management through astronomy • Setting up of Nodal centers • Creating new entrepreneur opportunities NGO’s and other institutions & RWA’s: • Collaboration or Participations in projects • Setting up Nodal centres • Planetarium and observatory • Other science programs, workshops, seminars and projects Rural: • Income Generation through telescope observations and tourism • Science education facility creation • Rashtriya Gram Vigyan Paryojna Other Programs: • Creating opportunities of Astro tourism in India and focusing state governments in this direction • Creating new software and digitalizing science education in India • Astro Park, Observatories and Planetarium • Online Community • Collaboration with media for creating a scientific aware society and production of better and more science programs • Creation of infrastructure for scientific advancement and astronomical research in India • Super Specialty Science Schools and Colleges in India Setting up of Nodal centers • Creating new entrepreneur opportunities NGO’s and other institutions & RWA’s: • Collaboration or Participations in projects • Setting up Nodal centres • Planetarium and observatory • Other science programs, workshops, seminars and projects Rural: • Income Generation through telescope observations and tourism • Science education facility creation • Rashtriya Gram Vigyan Paryojna Other Programs: • Creating opportunities of Astro tourism in India and focusing state governments in this direction • Creating new software and digitalizing science education in India • Astro Park, Observatories and Planetarium • Online Community • Collaboration with media for creating a scientific aware society and production of better and more science programs • Creation of infrastructure for scientific advancement and astronomical research in India • Super Specialty Science Schools and Colleges in India Broad category of SPACE Events • Yearly events • Kalpana Chawla Running trophy • Annual Space Meet • International / National Level Project on science/ Astronomy • National level Olympiad • Observations and shows during astronomical events. • Star Parties • Science competitions, fairs, seminars and projects etc • Celebrating the national and international days, achievements, milestones etc. • Collaborating with National and International Agencies like NASA, ESA ISRO etc for various launch watches, participation and platform for students in their activities etc. Join the SPACE Revolution. All are welcome to be the part of SPACE as a Nodal Centre, or a science communicator, an associate member, a volunteer, a member institute, an activity centre or an advisor and help us to EMPOWER LIFE WITH SCIENCE. To get involved in our various programmes mail us at info@space-india.org.