At the age of five, Riyam Ojaimi first experienced curiosity for space 一 planning a mass migration to Saturn, which later developed into a lifelong fascination with quantum physics and astrophysics. 

Ojaimi 一 now a first-year life sciences student at UTM 一 recalls discovering her love for astrophysics through the portals opened by the cinematic universes of Stranger Things and Marvel’s multiverses. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduces viewers to the mind-bending realities of the quantum realm. 

What started as a childhood fascination grew as Ojaimi joined youth astronomy societies and advocacy groups for women in STEM fields, even mingling with astronauts at conferences in Sweden, where she used to live. It also helped her overcome social anxiety. “At that age, it’s kind of common for people to get nervous around big crowds, [but] I loved doing everything.”

However, back in Sweden, Ojaimi’s mentors and superiors undervalued her, and she struggled to gain recognition for her work. As the constant need to be seen and heard drained Ojaimi, she emphasized the importance of knowing when to stop proving oneself to others — a lesson shaped by her experiences as a woman of colour with immigrant parents. 

“As women of colour, we’re taught to keep running, but sometimes, you have to learn when your values aren’t as valued as you want them to be to make a change,” said Ojaimi.

A key thought behind starting Space Point is channelling Ojaimi’s knowledge, experience, and skills into creating something where she could control her achievements and recognition. Ojaimi worked as a photographer, editor, and illustrator in her high school magazine, which initiated her love for storytelling — all of which she brought to her own space-themed publication Space Point. 

“As women of colour, we’re taught to keep running, but sometimes, you have to learn when your values aren’t as valued as you want them to be to make a change,” said Ojaimi.

Space Point: The meeting place for all things ‘space’

Ojaimi single-handedly creates content and illustrations, and manages the magazine’s social media — all while balancing her studies and research.

Space Point magazine, founded in July, features educational posts on space and astronomy. Ojaimi said in an interview with The Varsity that “most people are interested in space because of how cool and beautiful it is, but the actual science and explanations behind it can be daunting.” “People do want to know about that and Space Point takes the heavy scientific stuff and puts it into a beautiful visualization offered across formats,” she added.

The website, alongside its social media counterparts, offers illustrations in vibrant colours. Each post has striking photos accompanied by diagrams that help break down the information from the magazine and blog posts. 

The first issue has been up for three months, with its second recently published on November 1. Each issue has a theme that the magazine’s content follows. For example, the theme for the latest issue was ‘The Multiverse’ — the sci-fi category that drew Ojaimi into learning about space as a teenager and made her a hardcore Marvel fan. 

Outside of the magazine the site also offers weekly blog posts on various new developments in the field of astronomy. These posts also include any new information related to recent discoveries and the scope for future explorations. One series is the ‘Cosmic Files’ on the planets in our solar system. Each Cosmic File explains the composition, characteristics, and the process of formation for the planets in our solar system and beyond. Another set of posts covers mind-bogglers like the Fermi Paradox, black holes, and time travel. 

Future aspirations

Looking forward, Space Point will launch an online educational series which will feature several different introductory courses in astronomy for anyone with no background in the subject. Currently, Ojaimi is focusing on developing an introductory course in astronomy called “The Voyage.” 

“‘The Voyage’ takes you through everything, from Earth to Mars and the Moon, and different galaxies,” she said. “It’s an introductory course for everything you need to know about space in order to do other courses.” 

Right now, Ojaimi will focus on growth and consistency so the magazine can reach an audience that can get familiar with the magazine and decide if they want to invest further in Space Point. Ojaimi also plans to sell physical copies of the magazine by next summer. “A lot of people have requested physical copies, so that’s one of the big things I have in mind,” she said. 

Eventually, she plans to connect her project as a student researcher in UTM’s Biology department with Space Point. 

Ojaimi’s project explores how space flight affects astronauts’ physical and mental states. From topics on brain metabolism to energy consumption and hypoxia 一 which is the shortness of oxygen in our bodily systems 一 which she hopes to connect to future Space Point editions. 

When she first started this magazine, her friends and families couldn’t see her full vision. She could only enact her ideas after promoting Space Point online and receiving hundreds of positive reactions from her followers. “I started seeing the potential in Space Point when I saw how people reacted to it. Because I created a whole other world in my head, I didn’t know how people would react and that my love for space would be reciprocated that way,” Ojaimi said.

Through Space Point, Ojaimi sets an example to the next generation of science communicators and women in STEM.

For Ojaimi, this is just the beginning. Her next steps? Ojaimi, as a registered attendee, will participate in NASA’s Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop, an annual event focusing on research on space biology and improvements to human space flight.