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A Talk with Dr. Fauzia, Pakistan’s first female Cyber Security Analyst

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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A Talk with Dr. Fauzia, Pakistan’s first female Cyber Security Analyst

Today’s digitalized world is characterized by the connectivity provided by internet, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and smart glasses. While on one hand, this connectivity has opened a plethora of innovations such as the Internet of things (IoT), whereby everything can be controlled from within the touch of fingertips, it eventually gives rise to the big threats such as National and global security. Increasing incidents of cyber-attacks, cyber-theft and bullying point to nowhere but an imminent threat of regional or global cyberwar.

While it is a general misperception that Pakistan does not have any contributions in the field of Science and Technology and that women are discouraged from education, let alone pursue STEM, Dr, Fauzia Idrees Abroo, Pakistan’s first female cyber-security analyst, is a pleasant surprise for many science enthusiasts. 

Dr. Abro, Pakistan's first female security analyst.

Dr. Abro started her educational career when she obtained her Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro. She hails from rural Sindh and despite all the hurdles against the education of women, she pursued her passion and obtained masters in Cryptology from NUST. This was just a beginning in her career which took her to pursue a Ph.D. in Cyber Security from City, University of London.

Her research interests are malware analysis, detection and prevention, mobile security, VoIP, network security, machine learning, IoT and Artificial Intelligence, most of them have been published in various academic journals and conference proceedings. She serves on several editorial boards and program committees of international journals and conferences.

Currently, she is working on the security of the Internet of Things (IoT). This scribe had a chance to interact with Dr. Abro, who is Pakistan’s first female with a doctorate in Cyber Security from a foreign University, the first female Ph.D. of Pakistan Armed Forces (Tri-services) as well.

Following are the excerpts from my conversations with Dr. Abro.

Let us know about your childhood and who inspired you most during your academics?

I belong to a remote area of Sindh. Life was quite hard, getting an education was extremely difficult due to social and cultural problems. I used to study a lot because I always dreamed of becoming an outstanding professional. I was lucky to get an unending support from my family. Today, I have everything one can dream for and I’m content that all is earned through sheer hard work. During my studies in Pakistan, I was inspired by my mentor Professor Bhawani Shankar who has been supporting and helping out many students of Pakistan to excel through their education. I’m also inspired by Professor Rahman Aziz of City University London who has never stopped supporting thousands of students from all over the world.

Do you encounter obstacles in your life and career? How do you manage and what will you suggest for working ladies in Pakistan?

Yes, I do, especially in my career. I opted for Engineering and Military, both being male-dominated fields and especially in third world countries like Pakistan, there are people who do not support women in male-dominated fields. There is a big list of obstacles from gender discriminations to biases against working women and mothers of young children. I have two children and before each of them, I had to go through miscarriages due to non-conducive working conditions.

I knew that I had to be strong, communicative and competent to survive in order to see my dreams turn into reality. I had to give extra time to my work to fill the gaps created during my absence due to maternity leaves. I was able to manage the circumstances with selfless support from my husband. I would not be where I am today without his support after my marriage. I would suggest to the working ladies, work hard and keep a balance between family and work life. There is no peace without a peaceful family life and there is no happiness without. Don’t isolate yourself in workplaces, be active, inclusive and participate in activities positively. Try to minimize the communication gap between you and the people you work with.

You have diverse academic experience from being an electrical engineer to cryptologist. What were the factors which led you to pursue these fields?

I joined Pakistan Air Force as an Electronics Engineer and was trained to work on avionics systems besides networks, IT and electronics equipment. I had an interest in security and luckily PAF selected me for Masters in Cryptology/information security to fulfill its cryptology and cyber security requirements. After my masters, I assigned to work in information/network security which further increased my interest in cyber security. Eventually, I was selected for European Union scholarship for Ph.D. from the UK. My work experience in PAF Cyber security setup and my Ph.D. in Information security have contributed to my career choice. Now it has become my hobby, career and something I’m passionate about.

We should realize that each smart gadget is not very smart against cyber threats and each social media application is accruing our personal information from our gadgets.

The concept of security has evolved from the traditional security dilemma of a state to the vulnerabilities faced by individuals. What are the threats and challenges faced by individuals and states in the context of cyber security?

With the ever-increasing role of internet in almost everything we do, we’re more and more vulnerable to cyber threats. Anyone using the internet for anything is exposed, hence awareness about requisite security measures is extremely essential for each individual. It’s an ever-evolving field which requires persistence and continuous focus of both the developers and end-users. Although, every organization is conscious of the threat and ensures regular measures but still we see so many breaches all over the world very frequently. This implies that the importance of cyber security will always remain extremely critical for both individuals and organizations all over the globe.

The emergence of cyberspace has opened new battlegrounds. How will future developments in cyberspace and new technologies shape any future warfare?

Almost all contemporary and future concepts of warfare have a very heavy dependence on cyberspace. With the emergence of super computational technologies and rapid developments in associate gadgetry, each segment of cyberspace is being exploited as an essential tool of warfare. A paradigm shift in warfare is that cyber warfare is now an everlasting activity which would only intensify in times to come.

Dr.Abro recently awarded sixth global Cyberjustu award
Dr.Abro recently awarded sixth global Cyberjustu award

What can be done at an individual level to get secured from cyber threats?

First of all, each individual should get himself acquainted with the potentials and impact of cyber threats on our daily life. Usage of social media is increasing and so are the chances of cyber threats for the users. We need to educate especially our children to be careful while sharing their personal information on social media. We should realize that each smart gadget is not very smart against cyber threats and each social media application is accruing our personal information from our gadgets.

We must know that Cameras, Mics and our files in our gadgets are accessible to cyber attackers. We need to be careful about what are we sharing on social media, storing on our smart devices and how are we accessing the internet. Use strong passwords for online services accounts, install good anti-virus programs and update the software regularly.

 Are there any global efforts done by the international society and bodies to overcome the threats of cyberwar between states or any cyber-attack by a group or individual?

There are international bodies that are monitoring the hackers and cyber activities but we must know that all international intelligence agencies are intensely involved in cyber monitoring and are using individual’s data for their covert activities. There are on-going global efforts by UN, Council on foreign relations and some other international organizations and think tanks for regulating the cyberspace especially in terms of cyber-attacks and cyber warfare.

Pakistan drafted its cyber security policy in April 2019. Is this policy comprehensive enough to tackle the challenges faced by Pakistani users and state?

As per my knowledge, some work was kick-started to formulate the cyber security policy guidelines but it’s not complete yet. Cyber security policy is a subject which needs to be reviewed very frequently and should be formulated by competent professionals with the involvement of different stakeholders of the state.

Dr.Abro is a proud Mom of two kids and believes that There is no peace without a peaceful family life
Dr.Abro is a proud Mom of two kids and believes that there is no peace without a peaceful family life

 You are currently working on IoT (Internet of Things). Let us know about the latest developments and challenges in this technology?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing network of connected smart sensors/devices. It is becoming the foundation of many services such as smart homes, smart cities, health monitoring, agriculture system, smart environment, and smart water control systems. IoT will bring the next Industrial Revolution because it’s changing the way people live, work and communicate.

In 2017, around 29% of organizations had already installed IoT technology (Vodafone IoT Barometer, 2017-18). According to research by management consulting firm Bain, the IoT market is set to grow to around £397 billion by 2021, more than double the £179 billion that was spent in 2017. It is envisaged that by 2020, the number of connected devices will rise to 20.4 billion worldwide (Gartner report 2017) and the global IoT devices market is expected to reach around USD 158,140 million in 2024 (Zion report 2018).

As IoT continues to expand, the number of challenges the emerging technology faces is also on increase. The main concern is the availability of connectivity, data integrity, big data, security and privacy of connected devices, cloud and network.

You got several awards including the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto lifetime achievement award. What are your future targets to achieve and your future research plans?

I always try to motivate and encourage our young students especially the females to opt for STEM studies. I would also like to work on drone security. I have started an organization for women: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (WiSTEM) to help and support the women working or studying STEM. I’ll continue working for the empowerment of women. I’ll be using the WiSTEM platform to work for equal opportunities for women. As for as my research is concerned, I will be working on IoT security especially the intrusion detection system for IoT connected devices.

What is next for you? Your message for womenfolk in Pakistan?

I try to remain abreast with the latest research and development in the domains of cyber security. I see myself as a leading cyber security entrepreneur in the next five years providing its products and services worldwide. I’m an enthusiast to provide a flexible and conducive working platform for women in cyber security and STEM.

My message to women of Pakistan is to work hard and know their potentials. Only courage can lead to success and motivate others who struggle to survive in very challenging environments. To get something extra you need to do extra.

READ ALSO: A Talk with Dr. Fariha Hasan on Astrobiology https://scientiamag.org/a-talk-with-dr-fariha-hasan-about-astrobiology-and-career/

The Rise of Machines: A Dilemma of Digital age

Rahim Khan
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The Rise of Machines: A Dilemma of Digital age

The premise is a simple one – a robot gains sentience deems its human masters inferior and sounds a binary war cry, overthrowing mankind’s yoke. It is a story that has been told umpteen times in all manner of sci-fi, born, perhaps, from the kernel that was Frankenstein or even Lucifer – the creation challenging its creator. But whatever issues we, as a species, maybe dealing with by telling these stories, the advent of a robot insurrection still largely seems like a whole lot of science fiction or is it?

AI has changes our Lifestyle at all.
A Western Street
AI has changes our Lifestyle at all

With computers the size of our palms now our constant companions, technology on a whole only stands to get smarter and our lives, well, our lives are going to get a lot more complicated. This may seem counterintuitive at first but bare with me.

The rise of the machines, if you will, is two-pronged for on the one hand you have the technological singularity of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) being ‘born’ and on the other, you have less fanciful, more tangible applications of smarter machines. 

The latter is something that has been within our midst since the industrial revolution and so warrants our attention first. Ever since an object other than our own two hands were used to perform a task, we immediately forged a double-edged sword – something that would aid us but also have the potential to harm. Increasing mechanization and automation have built the modern world but as byproducts of all these mod cons, we have compromised the natural world, leading to a future where the climate may strike before the robots get a chance. But forecasts of doom aside, a ‘smart’ world is all but assured, with glimpses of it now heralding the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

 In the next 20 years, technological feats that may appear mere fancy will be with us – in our homes, at work, maybe even in our bodies. Drones, for example, are already (painfully) among us and this technology will only ‘improve’ with greater autonomy and miniaturization leading to such applications as drone swarms and smaller, more personalized drones capable of more than just buzzing around. Amazon has been testing drone delivery for a while now while passenger-carrying drones have been tested in the skies above Dubai. 

The drone’s cousin, autonomous cars are already in their beta phase and they too will see rapid advancement with Tesla and Waymo clocking millions of driverless miles slowly getting us to the point where your next uber will be driverless. 

Your home, of course, is the most obvious place where robots and AI are going to make their presence felt and in concert with the Internet of Things, homes of the future may be autonomously run with domestic units taking care of the daily chores while a basic AI will be managing these as well as the house’s utilities. 

Of course, the robots of the next two decades aren’t just going to be basic geometric shapes,  puttering about your living room, cleaning up after you, no, they are going to be the workhorses of the future, robotic assistants that will be both brain and brawn. Every couple of months or so, Boston Dynamics, the famed American robotics company manages to scare humanity into an existential crisis with videos of their creations running ‘amok’. But their robots, perhaps the most advanced out there (or at least that DARPA is willing to share) are exactly the kind we’ll be seeing more of – replacing animals or even humans in many roles. Their US military experiment – BigDog, was the equivalent of a robotic mule – an all-terrain vehicle with legs. Of course, being ‘too loud for the battlefield’ meant that BigDog went the way of the Dodo but its successor; the eerily lifelike Spot has all the makings of a personal assistant, more Jeeves than a pet.

Of course, these are but a taste of things to come with countless other areas such as health, biotech, and communications all benefitting from automation and the greater use of robots. But is there a downside to all of this or even a dark side?

A question that preys on the minds of industry owner, worker, and analyst alike, do more technology mean fewer jobs?

Technologists and futurists are both of the thinking that the very nature of the industry will be dominated by robots, with Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired saying “Most of the things that are going to be produced are going to be made by robots and automation.” According to projections by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) even if automation is conservatively adopted, 15% of the global workforce, or around 400 million workers, will out of jobs by 2030. But in the same breath, the projections also state that said automation will create entirely new jobs, with around 8 – 9% of the workforce engaged in these new fields. So again, a double-edged sword but one that will not see mass employment as once feared but mass displacement. Your average blue-collar worker may no longer be needed on the assembly line but they will be needed to manage the assembly line. 

What is becoming clearer now is that while automation will continuously increase, no matter how sophisticated, the robots will nonetheless be smarter hammers and tongs; they are far from possessing the creativity, the judgment to say design haute couture, make a gourmet meal, argue the law and vice versa. These are skills that require training, talent, ambition, dedication – all qualities that are perhaps singular to human beings. But this begs the questions, for how long?

Thanks to the likes of Elon Musk, Stephen Hawkings, and a host of experts from the field, the story now goes that the single, gravest threat that we as a species will face is AI. Musk has gone on record numerous times to sound the alarm, to bring attention to humanity’s “biggest existential threat”.  But is this a case of needless alarmism or as some put it, ‘technological pessimism’?

 The futurist Ray Kurzweil had predicted that at some point within the next two to three decades a computer will pass the Turing Test, meaning that it will exhibit intelligent behaviour ‘equivalent to’ or ‘indistinguishable’ from humans.  

Even though AI is one of the hottest properties out there, with everyone trying to cash in on the field, it is still largely shrouded in maybes. Google, one of the major players in the field, has developed some human confounding AIs like AlphaGo for example but its victory over Go master Ke Jie taught us a nuance about the possible nature of AIs ‘thought process’. Our idea of a computer ‘thinking’ as we may traditionally define the word was in the case of AlphaGo, a combination of machine learning and neural networks – in lay terms, learning from experience. This meant that the AI got better over time by learning from each game is played as opposed to an instinctual or intuitive flair for the game that players or masters have. And Go is a game, governed by seemingly straightforward principles – what about something less cerebral? Something that is influenced by numerous factors and requires a combination of skills? How will AIs fare then? Researchers in the autonomous automobile industry, the very same that has logged millions of driverless miles, are still scratching their heads for while driving may seem simple enough, AIs would flat out fail a driving a test. They may have gotten a hang of the mechanics of it but we all know that’s half the battle. Autonomous cars have a problem interacting with the human element on the road, which is all they will encounter. In 2018, an autonomous car hit and killed a pedestrian.  While this does not mean that machines may not be capable of higher brain functions one day, separating right from wrong, managing the daily commute, it certainly does point to a complete puzzlement as to the state of AI and its possible future. But that does not mean that the concern that Musk et al express isn’t well-founded, returning to the argument of a double-edged sword. 

This concern is not a typical sci-fi one – the AI deeming us inferior, marking us for extinction. It is much simpler than that. Max Tegmark, a physics professor at MIT, said in an interview, “When we got fire and messed up with it, we invented the fire extinguisher. When we got cars and messed up, we invented the seat belt, airbag, and traffic light. But with nuclear weapons and A.I., we don’t want to learn from our mistakes. We want to plan.” 

In 1983, malfunctioning computers twice issued warnings to Soviet early-warning satellites that the US had launched a preemptive missile strike. If not for the intervention of Stanislav Petrov, a Russian air defence colonel, who insisted that the computers were in error, we would have been living in a very different world right now. The computers, in this case, were quite simple compared to the home PCs of today but imagine if they had AIs on board, similarly malfunctioning. It could be assumed that even if wrong, the AI would not recognize it as such or would be resistant to human intervention or entreaties – what then?

It is, as they say, better to err on the side of caution and if industry leaders are saying that it is paramount to approach AI with as much caution as possible, – to study, regulate, and even democratize it, then it’s a fair bet to listen loud and clear.

Beating the Odds: A journey from Buleda to Cambridge

Saadeqa Khan
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Beating the Odds: A journey from Buleda to Cambridge

It has been a few days since the news about India’s spacecraft losing contact with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) began doing the rounds. While Isro has managed to locate the spacecraft, it hasn’t been able to establish contact again. Will India accomplish this mission? It might. But what is the status of our own forays into this area and can Pakistan make its first manned space mission a reality?

Dr. Yarjan Abdul Samad thinks so.

Dr. Yarjan working on a project at Grephene center
Photo Credit: ESA

Following a series of talks he held in Quetta recently, I had the chance to interact with Dr. Samad, who holds the distinction of being the first Pakistani space scientist to be working at the University of Cambridge.

Dr. Samad hails from Buleda, a small town in Balochistan’s Kech region, but was able to rise above all difficulties, forging for himself an offbeat career as a satellite and space scientist at Cambridge.

Dr. Samad received his early education at an Urdu medium school in Karachi’s Lyari area. Despite his humble beginnings, he went on to graduate from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) — arguably one of the best engineering institutes in the country — with two gold medals under his belt. The university nominated him in 2009 for the Pakistan Engineering Council Best Graduate Engineer of the Year award.

After pursuing a Ph.D. program, Dr. Samad started working at Cambridge as a postdoctoral research associate. Later on, he was hired by the university as a senior research scientist and teaching fellow.

In 2016, he joined the Cambridge Graphene Centre as a research associate and since then his work has been focused on space-based technologies.

His career came into the spotlight when the European Space Agency (ESA) hired him to work on a solution for a problem they were having with their spacecraft. His team was the first to perform an experiment with graphene (a form of carbon) under zero-gravity conditions.

Here, I provide some excerpts from my conversations with Dr. Samad.

Hailing from a small village in Balochistan, you made your way out to one of the best universities in the world, the University of Cambridge. What can you tell us about your struggles in getting there?

I spent my childhood in Buleda, a town near Turbat. The only school we had access to was a public school, which in those days — the late 80s and early 90s — was a taat school (small makeshift school in which students used to sit on gunny bags called taat). We used to write on a loh (wooden board) with a homemade qalam (bamboo pen). All our studies were in Urdu but, ironically, we weren’t able to speak the language.

Dr Samad with colleagues at the European Space Agency (ESA). — Photo courtesy: ESA
Dr. Samad with colleagues at the European Space Agency (ESA). — Photo courtesy: ESA

My father used to work on his agricultural lands. He started doing some agricultural work at Hub in Balochistan, on the outskirts of Karachi. As a result, we moved to Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood and I started going to a small Urdu medium school there, named Al-Karim.

I was in the 6th grade when I started thinking that learning English was inevitable if one had to progress. Consequently, I, along with my father, visited a reputed school in Clifton, Karachi, for admission. Due to my disadvantaged educational background and inability to speak in English, the principal told me, “These studies aren’t for you. You’ve got to work in the fields.”

We made several failed attempts to secure admission in so-called esteemed schools. Eventually, I got admission at the newly built White Rose Grammar School in Lyari and was in their first batch of students. This school was also as small as Al-Karim but the medium of instruction was English.

When I reached 9th grade, I found out that every student in Lyari was making use of the widely available ‘help’ in board examinations as a way to clear the exams. I shared the scenario with my father and his words stayed with me forever: “You cannot copy someone else’s dreams.”

Seeing everyone using the ‘help’, it was a tough decision for me at the time but I made a rule for myself: Jo Karna hai khud Karna hai (Whatever I will do, I will do on my own).

I scored fairly well and secured admission at Karachi’s DJ Science College, one of the best public colleges in Karachi, where some of my teachers, especially Shehzad Muslim Khan and Kamil Sher, inspired me to pursue engineering.

I graduated in 2009 from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI), arguably one of Pakistan’s leading engineering institutes, with two gold medals. The university also nominated me for the Pakistan Engineering Council Best Graduate Engineer of the Year 2009 award.

My teacher, mentor, and coach at GIKI, Prof Fazal A. Khalid, was an eminent name in nanotechnology research. He helped and mentored me for a career in research. After graduation, I worked at Engro for about a year while preparing for the next step in my academic journey.

Later on, I pursued a Ph.D. from Khalifa University, UAE, in collaboration with MIT and the University of Tokyo which I completed in 2016. That same year I started working at the University of Cambridge as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and was later hired as a Senior Research Scientist and Teaching Fellow.

How did you start thinking of this unconventional career in satellites and space devices?

It was never planned. I got a degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from GIKI and went on to pursue a Masters and a Ph.D. in developing materials and devices for energy and environmental applications. It wasn’t until 2016 when I joined the Cambridge Graphene Centre as a research associate after my Ph.D. that I started working on space-based technologies.

Dr Samad experimenting under zero gravity conditions. — Photo courtesy: ESA
Dr. Samad experimenting under zero-gravity conditions. — Photo courtesy: ESA

The University of Cambridge collaborates with several agencies and companies for research work. The ESA and some other space organizations and research centers approached Cambridge Graphene Centre to provide a solution to a problem they were having with their spacecraft. I proposed a solution and was, therefore, roped in for the project.

I have since been working on such projects with many partners across Europe. Our team was the first to test a material called graphene in zero gravity. We have performed experiments in several zero-gravity flights arranged for us by the ESA and have also launched a sounding rocket that went as far high as approximately 150,000km above the earth.

Some other spacecraft such as Space RIDER (Space Reusable Integrated Demonstrator for Europe Return) will also be used in the future and we plan on taking some of our experiments to the International Space Station (ISS).

I was recently promoted to a senior scientist position by the university to work on these projects.

You have the privilege to work at the Cambridge Graphene Centre which runs in collaboration with the ESA and other research institutions. What is it like to work there?

The University of Cambridge carries a legacy of excellence in research and so does the Cambridge Graphene Centre for the kind of work I am doing. The environment, with all sorts of research facilities as well as great colleagues and seasoned scientists, is favorable for high-quality research.

One is challenged daily to think out of the box and develop interdisciplinary skills to tackle today’s scientific challenges. Partnerships with industry, government organizations, and other academic institutions also enrich the experience and prepare researchers to solve real and interdisciplinary scientific problems.

What are some of the expectations from you coming in as the first Pakistani space scientist at Cambridge University? What do you think the next big thing should be for Space and Upper and Upper Atmosphere Research Com­mission (Suparco) to promote space sciences in Pakistan?

There are a lot of things that I feel responsible for delivering on, and that’s a driving force and a source of motivation. It reminds me that I need to work hard to better myself as a scientist who is able to face the fiercest of challenges.

In my opinion, the first thing that Suparco needs to do is engage with local institutions in research projects, which are of strategic importance to the country. There are a lot of beautiful minds out there in our academic institutions that need to be tapped into for important projects rather than engaging them in a useless race of writing low quality and impractical scientific papers.

I am in talks with a few organizations here to develop a microsatellite in partnership with an academic institution in Pakistan. This will be announced in due course. Projects like this need to be a routine and Suparco will have to take such initiatives.

Behind every space mission, there is a huge team of engineers, scientists, and researchers to make the discovery happen. Can we do it here in Pakistan with our fewer resources? Make our first manned space mission a reality?

There are challenges, of course, when it comes to resources as well as the right leadership. However, there is no doubt in my mind that a manned vehicle can be launched whenever Pakistan determines to do so.

Launching man into outer space is not a new thing. To make such missions fruitful, for the country and for our economy, we need to utilize them for research that has never been done elsewhere.

What do you think about the importance of STEM education for Pakistani youngsters?

During my visit to different universities, I was most impressed by the passion of students to learn and grow. Students from Balochistan, especially, demonstrate a great thirst for knowledge. This presents a great opportunity for the country to step up and further develop such talent for a better and brighter future. In this era of knowledge-based economies, the most precious resources are such intrigued and enthusiastic minds.

What led you to develop an interest in the field of space sciences?

Dr Samad with renowned ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy. — Photo courtesy: ESA
Dr. Samad with renowned ESA astronaut Jean-François Clervoy. — Photo courtesy: ESA

Scientific problems that are interdisciplinary and are challenging for the scientific community around the globe intrigue me. As a researcher working on the development of materials and devices, I developed an interest to look into making materials and devices for space applications.

The project that we got at the University of Cambridge, in which ESA and many other EU organizations were involved, manifested itself to be the platform where I could put my knowledge and skills to use in the field of space technology. I then started working proactively on other such projects.

What challenges did you face in building devices specifically for use in space-bound satellites?

The space environment is still not fully understood. When it comes to making devices for space, one needs to have a comprehensive understanding of the space environment and its effects on spacecraft, on devices inside them, and on human life.

The biggest challenge for us is that we design materials and devices on Earth and then test them in zero gravity. Therefore, sometimes we meet surprises and challenges that we need to tackle there and then within a short period.

Tell us about the future of space devices that can run without consuming energy and electricity.

Although the space environment poses a plethora of challenges, there are several unending resources in space that can be harnessed to make things function out there. For example, the space environment is an infinite heat sink, which enables us to design devices that do not need any electricity to function.

In the future, we believe that we can develop devices that not only run without electricity but will also use the abundantly available radiation and the infinite heat sink to generate energy as well.

What space destinations are you still most excited about? What is the future of space travel with more sophisticated technologies like nanotechnology coming into the mainstream?

The destinations favored by me are not devoted to space and space missions alone. In fact, I aspire to work with many persistent scientific challenges close to my areas of expertise and interests — space is but one of them.

Nano and quantum technologies augmented with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are going to be indispensable parts of all future technologies including space-based technologies.

I foresee the launch of micro and nanorobots performing several tasks, in outer space and on other planets, such as investigating the environment, exploiting resources there to produce water and oxygen, and growing plants. All of this is pertinent before human beings can consider habitation there.

What is next for you? Would you like to coordinate with Suparco?

I would love to coordinate and collaborate with Suparco and contribute to their efforts as much as I can. I have kept my connection with several academic institutions in Pakistan and have been quietly playing my part in constructive activities. I am also trying to get a microsatellite project completed by students in Pakistan, which we hope can be launched into space on their behalf.

The Interview is originally Published at DAWN.com and reposted here with the prior permission of author and publication.

Read Also: An Interview with Dr.Bruce Damer https://scientiamag.org/extraterrestrial-life-a-conversation-with-dr-bruce-damer/

All Set for Lahore Science Mela 2019

Scientia
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All Set for Lahore Science Mela 2019

 Science relates to our daily life and everything that happens around is according to the laws, whether of physics, chemistry, biology or other branches of science. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the transport we use, and the ways we communicate today, all are outcomes of science and technology.

Unfortunately, here in Pakistan, a majority of students have a hard time with science subjects due to lack of skilled science teachers and an appropriate way of teaching. Here, the majority of science teachers are inexperienced and try to explain science concepts in a manner that makes them hard to comprehend. More often than not the school projects assigned to the students hardly meet the criteria of scientific research.

Our educational system emphasizes only on covering the syllabus and hence completely fails to build curiosity of learning in our kids. However, science activities unleash the creativity of the kids, encourage them to think outside the box, solve problems, explain their ideas, and bring out the results. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) focuses on the overall development of the kid’s mind in every sphere of knowledge.

Glimpses of one day workshop organized by KSS

Conceptually, a science project is something very straightforward, in which a student chooses a scientific question he or she is curious about. Then, library and internet research gives the student the background information about that question that students need to formulate a hypothesis and design an experiment. Later they investigate, draw a conclusion, and display their result with confidence.

Science fair is a popular form of STEM activity which provides a genuine platform where students display their research ideas, models, and projects and get a chance to unveil their hidden talent in front of their friends, teachers, parents, and the general public who visit the fair. At the same time, it contributes to the social and mental development of students and breeds healthy competition among the students of different schools. The science fair is a source of great inspiration and encouragement toward making science easy, interesting, useful, and popular for the layman.

one day science workshop organized by KSS

Khwarizmi Science Society is a non-profit volunteer organization, aiming to promote practical and theoretical science in an easy and accessible manner to all, whether kids, youngsters or adults. This society has conducted around 400 science events around the country which include two consecutive science fairs in 2017 and 2018 in Lahore. These events got an overwhelming response of the public and were widely covered by national and international media.

In 2019, Lahore Science Mela is coming up with a thematically sectioned festival with active exhibitions will be focused on the wonders of chemistry including elements, minerals, compounds, mining, and major industrial processes. The other sets of exhibits will be divided into several parts such as life sciences, wildlife flora and fauna, AI and electronics, mineral and agricultural resources and space sciences, 

LSM 2019 Logo_

Lahore Science Mela 2019

As 2019 is declared as the International Year of the Periodic Table, a special focus on materials, chemistry, and the elements are drawn. The ultimate aim of the event is to welcome the people of Lahore and beyond to explore the scientific discoveries and milestones in Pakistan. Many budding scientists and youngsters from various schools of the city and outside are going to exhibit their models, projects, active science shows and demonstrations at the event. Come and join the most exciting science event of the year on 12-13th October 2019 at Ali Institute of Education, Ferozepur Road, Lahore.

One Day science Workshop

A one-day school science mentorship workshop in collaboration of School Education Department (SED), Punjab, held on 16 Sep, at National Museum of Science and Technology, to ensure the participation of schools from all districts of Punjab in the upcoming Lahore Science Mela 2019. A total of 36 teams of young scientists and science teachers are being supervised by the science mentors of KSS under this science mentorship program.

Science workshop organized by KSS

In the workshop, the participants briefed on science communication techniques, experimentation, and presentation to the public by Dr. Hira Khalid, Lalah Rukh of Science Fuse and Dr. Mustafa. It was a brilliant, informative and motivating day for the participants going to perform in the upcoming Lahore Science Mela on 12-13 October.

The immortal “Tardigrades”

Aniqa Mazhar
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The immortal “Tardigrades”

No matter how much science advances and thinks it has conquered all, new and more perplexing discoveries are made with each passing day. The diversity of living organisms and their unique features never cease to amaze us. Stumbled upon by a team of Japanese scientists in 1983, Tardigrades were found in a pile of moss in Antarctica. They are a millimeter long and resemble teddy bears and caterpillars. Weird enough, huh?

The tardigrades, along with the moss, were collected and preserved by the scientists at a temperature of -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, there they lay, pretty much forgotten.

In 2014, they were thawed and placed on an agar plate, where they started moving around as though nothing had happened and reproduced.

Scientists studied these ‘water bears’, quite mesmerized by their ability to survive in almost any condition. These little guys can resist heat because they produce heat-shock proteins and can also form bubbly cysts around themselves in harsh environments. Tardigrades have proven themselves to be one of the toughest animals on Earth due to their extreme resilience to every climate and latitude. They are found in the oceans and in the soil of every continent. There are many species of tardigrades found across different regions.

Tardigrades are one of the toughest beings on the planet
Tardigrades were found in a pile of moss in Antarctica in 1983 by a team of Japanese scientists

Tardigrades, also known as moss piglets, are microscopic creatures measuring between 0.002 and 0.05 inches (0.05 to 1.2 millimeters) long. They have endearingly tubby bodies and eight legs tipped with tiny “hands.”

How did Tardigrades end up on the Moon?

That’s right. These little hydrobears have reached the moon! In April, the Israeli lunar lander, Beresheet crashed on the moon due to a computer error. Beresheet, a robotic lander, had carried human DNA samples, along with the tardigrades and 30 million small digitized pages of information about human society and culture. This was carried out in case if ever the human race goes extinct, so aliens and extraterrestrial life could get to know about life on Earth.

 Tardigrades were chosen along because they can survive vacuum as well. And they survived the crash as well, so every time you look at the moon, you are looking at a population of tardigrades as well.

Tardigrades can survive conditions that would be deadly to any other form of life, weathering temperature extremes of minus-328 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-200 degrees Celsius) to more than 300 F (149 C). They also handily survive exposure to the radiation and vacuum of space. Research has also shown that they can survive pressures up to 87,022.6 pounds per square inch — six times what you’d find in the deepest part of the ocean. (Around 43,00 PSI, “most bacteria and multicellular organisms die,” Nature reported.) They’re that tough.

Another tardigrade superpower is their ability to dehydrate their bodies into a state known as a “tun.” They retract their heads and legs, expel the water from their bodies and shrivel up into a tiny ball — and scientists have found that tardigrades can revive from this dehydrated state after 10 years or more. As tuns, the tardigrades produce glycerol (antifreeze) and secrete trehalose, a simple sugar that mummifies them in a glass suit of armor. This process is called vitrification, and scientists have studied it for use in protecting other delicate cellular tissues like sperm and eggs. As a tun, the tardigrade reduces its metabolism by 99.99 percent as it waits for a more suitable environment. If a cataclysm wipes out most of life on the planet — including humans — it’s likely that tardigrades will survive.

Importance of Tardigrades on the Moon

The moon formed more than 4 billion years ago. And for the entirety of its existence, it has been a completely sterile place. Humans first brought life to the moon — in the form of microbes hiding in feces and other human waste — 50 years ago, with the Apollo missions. And now, it has tardigrades too.

It will be fascinating if, one day, astronauts decide to go back and collect them. Because if they can survive on the surface of the moon — an incredibly harsh, irradiated environment — it helps us understand the resiliency of life.

Tardigrades under a microscope
Tardigrades under a microscope

It could also help us investigate the hypothesis that life didn’t start on Earth at all. Rather, perhaps it was seeded by microbes from another world. If life can survive on the moon, even in a dormant state, it could mean that life can survive long stretches of time in the deep reaches of space, traveling between worlds, propagating life along the way.

“Can simple life spread through the cosmos like radio waves, or does it need to wait billions of years until there are technological species with spaceships to spread it?” planetary scientist Phil Metzger recently asked on Twitter.

That’s a huge question in astrobiology. Maybe these tardigrades, one day, can help us discover the answer.

Also Read: ASTROBIOBOUNDS: SEARCH FOR LIFE IN SOLAR SYSTEM

A Stunning collection of Astrophotographs

Scientia
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A Stunning collection of Astrophotographs

Take a tour of some of the stunning, rare images captured by NASA, ESA and SETI Institute.

Gaint Star Zeta Ophiuchi and shock waves captured by Spitzer Telescope

a stunning astrophotgraph of Gaint Star Zeta Ophiuchi,
Photo Credit: NASA JPL

The Spitzer Space Telescope was launched by NASA in August 2005 to observe the solar system and other galaxies. In 2010, however, liquid Helium coolant finished, rendering it unable to operate fully. But the passive cooling design has proved beneficial and the mission will end fully in January 2020.

The above Spitzer image displays the gigantic star Zeta Ophuichi and the shock wave in front of it. Visible only in infrared light, the bow shock is created by winds that flow from the star, making ripples in the surrounding dust. Located roughly 370 light-years from Earth, Zeta Ophiuchi dwarfs our Sun: It is about six times hotter, eight times wider, 20 times more massive and about 80,000 times as bright. Even at its great distance, it would be one of the brightest stars in the sky were it not largely obscured by dust clouds. 

A close view of Neptune captured by Voyager- 2

A close view of Neptune captured by NASA
Photo Credit: NASA

This is a close view of Neptune, captured by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. It is wrapped in teal and cobalt bands of clouds of methane, showing similarity to Jupiter and Saturn.

A Dark and gloomy scene in the constellation of Gemini

The constellation of Gemini captured by NASA's Hubble telescope
Photo credit: NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope

This beautiful shot was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and it shows a dark and rather gloomy scene in the constellation of Gemini. Two symmetrical lobes can be seen, which make up a planetary nebula. The orangish star at the center is thought to be a remnant of a sun-like star that blasted many years ago.

Enceladus showing off its South polar plumes

NASA's CASSINI MISSION TO SATURN
Photo Credit: NASA/ Cassini mission to Saturn

This is Enceladus, the 6th largest moon of Saturn. We can observe its south polar plumes and E-ring diffusions in the astrophotograph, taken in 2006 by NASA’s Cassini Mission to Saturn.

A heartbreaking View of cloud pattern

A hearbreaking photograph observed over Rocky Mountain National Park
A strange cloud pattern observed over Rocky Mountain National Park

This breathtaking view is of a cloud pattern observed over Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado on 10th May 2019. These are lenticular clouds, formed in orographic-induced waves developing in the lee of elevated terrain. They are composed of tiny drops of water and can remain stationary for hours on end.

An illustration of underwater hydrothermal systems at Axial Seamount

An computer based photograph designed by SETI's astrophysicist
Photo Credit: SETI Institute

Pablo Sobron, a SETI Institute physicist, along with Laurie Barge, a NASA scientist, have designed PSTAR, NASA Planetary Science and Technology from Analog Research. This is to study underwater hydrothermal systems at Axial Seamount, the largest and most active volcano on a plate.

FOR ASTROPHOTOGRAPHS LOVER, DO VISIT: https://scientiamag.org/steve-a-new-wonder-in-the-night-skies/

A Rare full moon will light up Tonight

Sabeeka Zafar
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A Rare full moon will light up Tonight

Coming Friday, 13th September,  will be the spooky day with extra spooky night sky having the harvest moon appearing on it. The last time the U.S. saw a full moon on Friday- the 13th was October 13th, 2000.

A boat in the middle of a body of water Description automatically generated
The stunning look of a Harvest Moon
A sailboat crosses in front of the rising full moon at Punta Prima beach in San Luis, Menorca, in Spain’s Balearic Islands, in August. (David Arquimbau Sintes/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

For those living in the  Eastern Time Zone, full Moon will occur at 12:33 a.m. on Saturday, September 14, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. However, Americans in the Pacific, Central, Mountain, and Alaskan time zones will get to gaze the full Moon before midnight on Friday, Sept. 13.

The term “harvest moon” refers to the full, bright moon that occurs closest to the start of autumn, marking the end of the summer and the start of the fall. The harvest moon is also called “corn moon” since September is the time of the year when farmers begin harvesting their crops. Normally, the moon rises around 50 minutes later each day on average. But in the days leading up to the Harvest Moon, this interval shortens to around 27 minutes on average, enabling the farmers to work later in the evening as more light is available to them after sunset.

A STUNNING LOOK OF HARVEST MOON
The Harvest Moon

This harvest moon has also been referred to as “micro moon” by the astronomers, as it will appear 14 percent smaller and 30 percent dimmer in the sky. As the moon will be at its apogee- at a point farthest away from the Earth, Time and Date says micro moons must be more than 251,655 miles away from the Earth and Friday night’s moon will be 816 miles farther than that.

Next chance we’ll have to gaze at a moon approaching fullness on Friday the 13th (before achieving total illumination the next morning) will be on May 2033. 

So mark your calendars sky-watchers, because this weekend you have the chance to experience something really mesmerizing!

For the lovers of Astrophotography: https://scientiamag.org/super-worm-equinox-moon/

The arguably mysterious Wow! signal

Sabeeka Zafar
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The arguably mysterious Wow! signal

On 15 August 1977, astronomers at the Ohio state university were studying the location of a signal in the constellation Sagittarius, as part of the SETI project. Using a Big Ear radio telescope, the origin was found to be from the stars, called chi Sagittarius. 

While scanning the skies, at 23:16, the telescope captured an incredibly strong signal, that lasted for 72 seconds and was never detected again. The signal was so strong that one of the astronomers, Jerry Ehman, who first identified the signal, circled the readout and wrote “Wow!” next to the reading, with a red pen.

The evidence of Wow signal first detected in observatory
The Wow! signal represented as “6EQUJ5”.
Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American Astrophysical Observatory (NAAPO)

Since then, this signal remained a mystery for the astronomers. They offered numerous explanations but none of them sat as a valid argument. According to some scientists, asteroids, exoplanets or even signals from Earth are the possible sources behind the signal. But the most widely accepted explanation for this signal was the existence of Extraterrestrial life.

However, professor Antonio Paris, of St Petersburg college, finally solved the mystery behind a 40-year-old signal and -spoiler-alert-it’s not aliens.

Astronomers finally explained the Wow! mystery signal

Astronomer Antonio Paris along with a team at the Centre for Planetary Science worked on this signal for a long time. In 2016, he released a paper along with his fellow astronomer Evan Davies, published in the Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. According to his research, comets are the source behind the Wow signal. The team noted two comets, 266P/Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) within the same vicinity where this signal once detected. 

The location map of Wow signal designed by Astronomers.
The location of the signal in the constellation Sagittarius.
Credit: The Centre for Planetary Science.

Both of the comets have clouds of hydrogen gas accompanying them in the diameter of millions of kilometers. Researchers observed that the frequency of the Wow signal was 1420 MHz, which is the same frequency as that of hydrogen.

Paris along with his team tested the idea, from November 2016 through February of 2017, by pointing the telescope at comet 266P/Christensen, and identified the similar signal. Paris also investigated other comets and observed the same hydrogen clouds, same signals, which makes it evident that even if comet 266P/Christensen is not, some other comet is responsible source for the signal.

Paris research disappointed most of the communities, holding the belief that the signal is a piece of evidence for extraterrestrial life. Paris hypothesis doesn’t convince all of the scientists but is the only solid argument to solve the mystery behind.

Update: The hypothesis doesn’t sit well with all the scientists. One of the scientists from OSU Radio Observatory, where the signal once detected, argued on the presence of comets. According to him, comets were too far from the telescope sightlines to generate such a powerful signal.

“The comet hypothesis, in my opinion, doesn’t work,” Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute concurred in a blog post. Shostak cites the comments of Robert Dixon, who was the director of the Ohio State observatory back in 1977. “Dixon (says) the comets were nowhere near the telescope’s sightlines when the signal was found.”

Oxford physics professor Chris Lintott also raised a tentative eyebrow on Paris work and compiled a list of questions about his work which Paris has planned to review.

Shostak says, “It’s possible (but unproven) that the signal was the result of aliens sending a short ping. If so, we may someday pick up their transmissions again. But it wasn’t a comet … which should be the end of that tale.”

Hence, Shostak argument contradicts with the latest research on this signal and raises serious questions regarding the Paris hypothesis. We might not be able to close the research on this topic but astronomers have got new interesting questions to work on about a mystery that remained unsolved for years.

Astrobiology: From the Editors’ Desk, Part Five

Scientia
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Astrobiology: From the Editors’ Desk, Part Five

Following the theme of our Astrobiology edition, we asked our readers to share their views on man’s search for life. Here is the latest part!

Questions on Astrobiology

  • 1.     How do you view astrobiology? What will be your definition of it?
  • 2.     How many chances are there for the existence of ExtraTerrestrial life and has it made any contact with us yet?
  • 3.     What do you think about the “WOW Signal” and other theories about aliens?
  • 4.     What can life look like on other planets? Can it be like what we see in popular culture or not?
  • 5.     Should we able to unravel the mysteries about our origin on this planet after learning about ExtraTerrestrial life? How can it be so?

Also Read: Syed Muneeb Ali on Astrobiology

Shahzaib Siddique

Shahzaib Siddique is a science writer based in Islamabad, who frequently contributes to various websites and is an avid blogger. He is also a YouTuber and presents science documentaries in Urdu on his channel. Here is what he had to say:

1. Astrobiology is one of the mysterious subjects for me (like quantum physics), and I think in the future, if we find any kind of life in the universe, then Astrobiology will gain a key position in Astronomy. Astrobiology introduces us with new dimensions, to understand the mechanism of universe.

2. I personally believe that there is a 99% chance of any extraterrestrial life because on earth life is composed of some basic elements, which are scattered throughout the universe.

Astrobiology hopes to unravel the mysteries of the universe

3. As we have already explored the source of “Wow Signal” and mystery of Tabby’s Star has also been resolved, therefore, I don’t believe these signals/signs were associated with some kind of aliens.

4. It’s very difficult to imagine even the glimpse of what the extraterrestrial life would be like, but one thing is for sure that “Aliens will not look like the Humans” because evolution is a random process, and even if we rewind all the history, and start evolutionary journey from the Bacteria, then there will be 99% chance that evolution will fall on some other track, and after 4.5 Billion years we’ll be able to witness life, which can be totally different as compared to humans.

5. I think we’ll be trapped in some more complications, whether if we find extraterrestrial life or not… Both have different complications because the universe is not easy to understand. Therefore, J. B. S. Haldane said, “the universe is not only queerer than we suppose but queerer than we can suppose.”

Naeem Ahmed

Naeem Ahmed is an informal student of astronomy working as a government employee in Lahore and has a desire to see Pakistan among the leaders of space science. He shared his thoughts as follows:

  1. Apparently it means the study and search of life on planets and places in the universe other than the earth. But the question is what does really mean by life? Unless and until Science defines life explicitly, the quest for extraterrestrial life may be directionless. Water and oxygen may not necessarily be the vital elements for life. Some microorganisms on this earth can live without oxygen. Anaerobes are the classification of bacteria that can survive without oxygen. According to Quranic verses, angels and jinns are allowed to visit anywhere in the universe. These creatures are not supposed to rely on water and oxygen. How would science define their existence on other planets? Astrobiology, in my opinion, is a branch of science that is looking for signs of life dependent on water and oxygen and the hosting place of such life can be a habitat for humans.
  2. Keeping in mind the definition of life mentioned above, there are fifty percent chances that such life may exist in the universe other than the earth because we don’t have evidence in favor or against the extraterrestrial life. So far no evidence is found that aliens ever tried to contact us. Although certain claims by individuals exist on the internet that aliens or UFOs were seen at various places around the world but these claims are not acceptable by experts.
  3. These signals received by Professor of Astronomy in St. Petersburg College Florida, Mr. Antonio Paris and his team firstly on Aug. 15, 1977, when they were working on radio observatory in Ohio and secondly after 40 years around 2017 while observing the star Sagittarius with a radio telescope of 10 meters. Interestingly on both occasions, a comet (266P/Christensen) was found in that area covered with clouds of hydrogen. So Mr. Antonio opined that the signals were reflected when radio waves of the telescopes touched those hydrogen clouds. All other theories regarding WOW signals cannot be entertained after Mr. Paris’s opinion about those signals. So we can say that aliens are still fiction.
  4. In my opinion, the chances of finding the life exacting as we find on earth are very rare because of a combination of mass, gravity, climate, magnetic field and proportion of water and land as it is found on earth, very impossible to find anywhere else in the universe. Even it is very difficult to find life as is described in various religions and cultures except for Islam. As a Muslim, I believe that angels, jinns or any other immaterial creatures may be found in the universe other than earth.
  5. I am sure that man cannot solve this mystery depending on his wisdom only, even if he finds trails of extraterrestrial life in this universe because science does not accommodate the sayings found in divine books. We believe that man was sent from heaven (Jannat) to earth but science is not able to access Jannat tracing that mystery. Furthermore, there are scientific theories supporting that religious explanation of our origin on this planet that the evolution of mankind was not completely terrestrial. Although these theories are yet to be approved.

World Space Week 2019, Celebration

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World Space Week 2019, Celebration
World Space Week 2019, celebration by are organizing SUPARCO

World Space Week (WSW) globally celebrated each year as a tribute to space science and technology, and to their role, they played for the betterment of the human life on Earth. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 1999 that World Space Week will be held each year from October 4-10. These dates commemorate following two events

October 4, 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus, opening the way for space exploration.

October 10, 1967: The signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

The major goals of these celebrations are to educate people around the world about the facts they are benefitting from space exploration and to encourage greater use of space for sustainable economic development worldwide. Likewise past in 2019, globally space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetarium, museums, and astronomy clubs in a common timeframe will celebrate interesting activities to motivate youth for space sciences and foster economic coordination in space outreaches.

The theme of World Space Week 2019, “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars,” in memorial of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing.

Poster of World space week 2019 celebration

In Pakistan, the Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) is organizing a Space Fair, with the theme, “THE MOON: GATEWAY TO THE STARS!”

and invites young learners, school/university students, and the general public to commemorate the event of World Space Week by not only witnessing numerous activities but also participating in different competitions. The initiative of organizing Space Fair at Karachi is to create awareness among the schools about space science and its applications and encourage the schools across Karachi to become a part of this mega event

Following competitions along with several different activities will be arranged at the venue:

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