We want to highlight the Zero Shadow Day, a day to call for outreach and educational activities in Equatorial communities. Zero Shadow Day is a great chance to promote twinning activities with other groups who are also observing. Check some of the cool websites celebrating these special days.
In this issue, discover more about this year’s edition of NASA’s Space App Challenge; Global Hands-on Universe 2017 paired with August 21st Eclipse observations and the latest issue of the IAU Commission C1 Education and Development of the Astronomy Newsletter.
Last but not least, our team would like to take this opportunity to once again thank all our collaborators who translate the IAU outreach newsletter into different languages, as well as our contributors who share with us their favourite outreach and education activities occurring around the world.
Happy reading and clear skies!
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach team
1) IAU Commission C1 Education and Development of the Astronomy Newsletter #85
IAU Commission C1 Newsletter #85 is now available. In this IAU publication, you can find updates from the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development, the report from CC1 Working Group: Theory and Methods in Astronomy Education, announcements related to the Robotic Telescopes, to the Student Research and Education Conference on June 19-22, 2017, and much more. The editors kindly ask all members of the IAU to participate by providing news or articles for the next issue. For more information, please contact us here.
The Quality Lighting Teaching Kit (QLT Kit) is wrapping up a very successful first phase of the program. To better understand the impact and assess the kit’s implementation, the team is now conducting a survey of all recipients of the materials and the learning communities reached. The data analysis will help with the second phase of the QLT Kit program, and the feedback will be invaluable in forming the program’s next steps. The survey can easily be completed online, and for everyone who participates within the deadline, the QLT kit team will be holding a draw for 20 people to receive “Our Globe at Night” posters. The deadline for completing the survey is June 1st.
3) National Outreach Contacts (NOC) Corner: News from Japan
a) Charting the Skies of History
In a collaborative effort between the arts and sciences, researchers at Japan's National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) and Kyoto University, have used historical documents to garner better insight into the patterns of past solar events. The multidisciplinary investigation is casting its literary sources in a new light: magnetic storms recorded as auroral sightings in Meigetsuki ("The Record of the Clear Moon," ca 1180-1241) a private diary of Fujiwara no Teika, and in Song Shi ("History of Song", commissioned 1343) an official historical work from China, have provided researchers with the ability to reconstruct a chronology of past astronomical events.
Their findings appeared in the journal Space Weather, and you can read the Press Release from Kyoto University here and from NIPR here.
4) Gaza Ambassadors of the Universe
In 2017, an IAU Astronomy for Development grant was awarded to the Gaza Ambassadors of the Universe project. By mixing Astronomy and Technology, and being part of the Palestinian youth, the group wants to send a message of hope, passion, and desire to live to the participants and the community. They aim to raise awareness of astronomy knowledge in society through activities that excite passion for astronomy in a three-day boot camp challenge encompassing forty astronomy-related ideas.
5) Volunteer as a Total Solar Eclipse Subject Matter Expert
Join the many efforts to engage the public in learning about the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse by volunteering as a subject matter expert! The initiative welcomes scientists, engineers, science writers, amateur astronomers, and science educators to identify themselves as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) available and interested in supporting programs around the US. By signing up, you will be connecting with groups who can reach out to you to take part as an expert speaker in their event. To be considered as subject matter expert, you will need to have a minimum understanding of selected Eclipse content.
During Zero Shadow Day (ZSD) everyone who lives in a place between +23.5 (the Tropic of Cancer) and -23.5 (the Tropic of Capricorn) degrees latitude can observe the zero shadow. ZSD is an opportunity for communities in the same latitude with the same zero shadow day to join and share experiences. You can find a list of global locations, made by an amateur astronomer from Bhopal in India and the Public Outreach & Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India dedicated web page. Here you can find maps, videos, and articles, and you can also download a list of ZSD dates, presentations, and activity guides. In Hawai`i, ZSD is called “Lahaina (Lāhainā) Noon” (“la"=the Sun, “haina”=cruel). You can also find references to activities on Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai`i and Subaru Telescope web pages.
7) Global Hands-on Universe Call for Abstracts
The deadline for registration and submitting abstracts for the GHOU Conference with total solar eclipse has been extended to 31 May 2017. Don't miss this chance to participate in an exciting astronomy education conference and observe the Great American Eclipse from a location not far from the place of longest duration. The GHOU conference venue, Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA is within the path of totality. Conference dates: 15–21 August 2017 (Eclipse day - 21 August 2017).
From 29-30 April, for 48 hours across the world, problem solvers can join the International Space Apps Challenge, one of the largest hackathons in the world. Empowered by open data, participants can collaborate with strangers, colleagues, friends, and family to solve puzzling challenges in new and unexpected ways. You can follow up on what last year's Galactic Impact Award winners have been up to since Space Apps during previous years on the Space App Blog.
Here you can find a list of astronomy outreach & education conferences and events around the world. Plan ahead for a year full of interesting events!
Recently added
European Planetary Science Congress 2017
Date: 17–22 September 2017
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, Riga, Latvia
More Information: http://www.epsc2017.eu/
Important Dates
Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) Conference 2017 with the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) International Workshop 2017 Deadline for Submissions: 31 May, 2017
Dates: 15-21 August 2017
Location: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, US
More Information: http://handsonuniverse.org/ghou2017/
b) Yuri’s Night
Date: 12 April
Location: All around the world
More information: https://yurisnight.net/
c) Fourth Middle-East and Africa Regional IAU Meeting (MEARIM IV)
Date: 22–25 May 2017
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
More Information: http://www.eorcworkshop.com/mearim-iv-home
d) Women in Astronomy IV: The Many Faces of Women Astronomers
Date: 9–11 June 2017
Location: Austin, Texas
More Information: http://bit.ly/2kgLbsL
e) Robotic Telescopes, Student Research and Education (RTSRE) Conference
Dates: 18–22 June 2017
Location: San Diego, CA, USA
More information: http://rtsre.org/
f) Starmus Festival IV: Life And The Universe
Date: 18–23 June 2017
Location: Trondheim, Norway
More information: https://www.starmus.com/
g) European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)
Date: 26–30 June 2017
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
More information: http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2017/about.jsp
h) Asteroid Day
Date: 30 June 2017
Location: Around the world
More Information: http://asteroidday.org/
i) Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting 2017
Date: 2–6 July 2017
Location: University of Hull, United Kingdom
More Information: https://nam2017.org/
j) The International Symposium on Education in Astronomy and Astrobiology
Date: July 3-7, 2017
Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands
More Information: http://ise2a.uu.nl/
k) 13th Asian-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting (APRIM 2017)
Date: 3–7 July 2017
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
More Information: http://www.aprim2017.tw/
m) Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) Conference 2017 with the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) International Workshop 2017
Dates: 15-21 August 2017
Location: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, US
More Information: http://handsonuniverse.org/ghou2017/
o) European Planetary Science Congress 2017
Date: 17–22 September 2017
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, Riga, Latvia
More Information: http://www.epsc2017.eu/
p) 3rd COSPAR Symposium
Date: 18–22 September 2017
Location: Jeju Island, South Korea,
More information: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/
If you are interested in translating our newsletter to your language, please let us know via outreach@iau.org.
11) Contributions to this newsletter - looking forward to hearing from you in 2017!
Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we are always looking for more news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2017! If you are organising any large-scale events at a regional or international level, offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any innovative projects or inspiring stories, looking for professional–amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to outreach@iau.org.
