stem5: An initiative shaping the STEM narrative in Pakistan

stem5 is a STEM education initiative based at University of Engineering & Technology (UET) at Lahore, Pakistan. The initiative aims to rejuvenate STEM education in Pakistan by engaging university faculty and students in outreach activities targeted towards underprivileged students studying in the public school system. Volunteers include faculty, researchers and students from across various engineering disciplines of the university. This paper presents an overview of the two main outreach activities being conducted under the umbrella of stem5 - science outreach program at public primary schools and summer coding camps for public secondary school students. The science outreach program has been in operation since 2013 and is currently underway in a total of 9 schools in the cities of Lahore and Faisalabad. The summer coding camp is a new addition and was held in Lahore in the summer of 2015. The basic purpose of such camps is to introduce computer science and programming to young students by creating animations and games using Scratch. We conclude by discussing future directions and suggest how the current work may be adopted by other universities in Pakistan to enable synergistic efforts that may influence the narrative for STEM education reform in the country.