Bisma Solangi and seven other classmates devoted most of their time to a science project at their school in Karachi, trying to make anti-sleep glasses that would prevent drivers from dozing off by triggering quick alerts.
The invention was one of the big winners at an inter-school science competition on the themes of eco-sustainability and entrepreneurship, paving the way for the team of eight students to attend the prestigious US Space and Rocket Center’s educational space camp in Huntsville, Alabama, last month. They were joined by two other schools’ teams, each with 8 students.
“Our teacher gave us the idea, and we made the project for night driving,” Solangi told Arab News. “But now we will work on it and make it for the day as well.”
The anti-sleep glasses use algorithms to detect eye movements and facial expressions to determine when a driver was about to fall asleep, Solangi explained, sending alerts to prevent the driver from dozing off behind the wheel.
“Eight students from our school were selected and we made anti-sleep glasses together,” Mudassir Hassan, who was on the same team as Solangi, told Arab News.
Speaking about their time attending the US camp, the students described it as a “learning” experience.
Solangi said she had always wanted to become a doctor but after attending the camp and completing many tasks and missions, she wanted to grow up to be a scientist.
“They used to tell us about space, how people travel in space and how they eat and live there,” she said.
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“We made a rocket, took a Moon-Shot ride and did a simulated moonwalk,” she added, describing a ride that simulates rapid acceleration followed by a couple of seconds of actual zero gravity.
Hassan said the experience had expanded his concepts of science.
“We saw and learned a lot of things about rockets,” he said. “We met a real astronaut whose name was Dr. Larry and also learned to make a rocket in two days … They took us to watch a movie about space and also showed us a rocket launcher.”
Another student, Barhamdag Ameer Buksh, whose school’s team earned their spot at the US camp after making paper from wheat straws and chicken feeders, described the visit as an “amazing experience.
“It was a lot of fun and a very proud moment for me,” he told Arab News. “I want to become an environmental scientist and my future plan is to stop deforestation.”
Buksh’s family and larger community were also proud of his achievement, he said.
“When I entered my neighborhood [after returning from US], everyone welcomed me,” he said.
