A group of Bangladeshi youths have been contributing in expansion of knowledge management on space issues and rocket science in Bangladesh, an emerging economy in South Asia.

The platform also engaged in organizing and facilitating national and international events on science and technology alongside of maintaining social responsibilities.

Bangladesh Innovation Forum (BIF), the platform which involving the new generation by using innovative ideas created by the youths to build a technology based culture.
Talking to Daily Sun, BIF Founder Ariful Hasan Opu explained the stories behind the journey to facilitate innovations by youths.

“Because we know, our youth has the competence to come up with brilliant technological innovation if they are given the right opportunity and support – that is the core purpose behind Innovation Forum,” Ariful said.

Since its inception 2016, the hub of around fifty five thousands members, Innovation forum arranged 128 programs focusing on avenues related to youth and technology. Also, apart from a group above sixteen thousand active volunteers, there are designated teams for accomplishing the different types of work such as IOT, Database and data science.

Innovation Forum believes working with school  students will accelerate their journey to reach the ultimate goal of building a technology based culture. “We have started diversified training and workshop programs ranging from ‘Nijer Haate Robot Banai’, ‘Workshop on Rocket Making’  with school students with the aim that when these children step their foot into youth they can work in advance level,” said Ariful while explaining the reason behind expanding the range of target group.

Bangladesh Innovation Forum is enriching children with knowledge of science and technology through a series of programs. One of such is ‘Bangladesh NASA Scientific Problem Solver’ as a part of NASA’s big program named ‘NASA Solve’. They are working with different problem solving methods of NASA in this programme. A professor from MIT and a group of scientists are associated with it.

“We want to educate our children in four different areas including science, technology, mathematics and engineering through this program. Nijer Haate Robot Banai, Workshop on Rocket Making is part of this program. ” added Ariful.
After five successful events, around six hundred children are now affiliated with the program. Moreover, in October, Innovative Forum is going to arrange South Asia’s biggest three-days-long Space Camp at United International University. “we are expecting that around 2000 children from nursery to class ten in three groups will be participating in the camp,” added by him.

Raising his concern on sustainable implementation of any initiative or programme, Ariful said, “When previously decided tenure of any  period ends everyone leaves the initiative in the middle without any follow up. To provide a platform to continue our endeavors with further follow up, we aspire to build a Lab in next two years,”.

There will be two different sections in the lab: one for children and another for adults. “Along with research facility, the lab will be facilitated with essential equipment and technical mentor support”, he mentioned.

Not only people from Bangladesh’s IT industry but many from abroad express their intention to support the lab initiative. Though the lab is yet to open, but many equipments including a 3Dprinter from America, telescope, tools for Robotics have started enriching the shelves of the lab.

On 2014 Innovation Forum introduced NASA Space Apps Challenge – one of the biggest competitions of NASA in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh part of NASA Space Apps Challenge is currently leaded by BASIS. The competition is about young scientists’ effort in solving different scientific problem.

“This year, Bangladesh won world championship after five years of tireless effort. ‘Team Alik’ from Shahjalal Science and Technology University, worked on ‘Lunar VR’ and won the championship” said Ariful, who was the director of BASIS and president of BASIS Student Forum during the competition which began in Bangladesh in 2016.

Ariful is one of the leading organizers behind the national round of NASA Space Apps Challenge during 2014 to 2016 as a president and 2017.

Recently the space agency - NASA invited the champion country at the Kennedy Space centre to watch the Rocket launching of Falcon-9, mentioned by Ariful. They are setting off for Orlando, Florida on July 19.

As an associate partner to the government, Innovation forum has been providing technical support in many significant programme including digital world, mentioned Ariful. Along with information technology and innovation, the organization has been putting in their effort in agriculture and astronomy.