As we near the end of 2021 our team is now planning and looking forward to the new year 2022. Stay tuned to our communications channels as we will start announcing shortly our yearly programme for the international IAU outreach community.
In this issue, we highlight the "Under One Sky" call for proposals, the IAU PhD prize applications and the astroEDU editor-in-chief position open call.
Wishing you the clearest skies and good health!
Lina Canas and Suzana Filipecki Martins, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) Under One Sky Call for Proposals
"Under One Sky " call for proposals supports projects in and around the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples celebrated on 9 August 2022. Projects must use cultural astronomy, astronomy outreach and communication to recognize indigenous knowledge, respect indigenous learning systems with a rights-based approach to indigenous learning.
The call is open to everyone and projects led by indigenous communities will be favoured. Proposals must be submitted online by 23:59 (your) local time on 31 December 2021.
The IAU is inviting applications for its 2021 PhD prize, an award that celebrates the outstanding accomplishments made globally by PhD researchers in astrophysics. The prize is awarded annually in each of the nine IAU Divisions - including Division C on Education, Outreach and Heritage - in recognition of the most remarkable thesis work done in the previous year.
astroEDU is a peer-review platform that seeks to improve astronomy education activities. The astroEDU team is looking for an editor-in-chief with a minimum 2-year experience in astronomy education and/or science education. The role will involve overseeing the peer-review process for the entire life-cycle of each activity, from submission to publication, and providing consistency in the quality of published activities.
4) News from the NOCs: Barbados, Brunei, Perú and Indonesia
a) Lunar Partial Eclipse
The Barbados Astronomical Society hosted a live stream of the partial lunar eclipse on 19 November for those who were unable to view the eclipse. https://fb.me/e/1VcRuHtC6
The Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD), supported by Majlis Perundingan Kampong Penabai Kuala Tutong hosted a live streaming from various locations in Brunei Darussalam & Sabah Al-Biruni Observatory, featuring an exclusive Eclipse sight from the riverside of Kampong Penabai Kuala Tutong plus special interviews. https://www.facebook.com/bruneiastronomy/
b) Astronomical Fridays
Astronomical Fridays (in Spanish) continues their traditional meetups. You can find the upcoming program here (as well as other initiatives). https://www.facebook.com/space.unmsm/
c) Human Horizontal Sundial
On 4 November, the National Education Museum of Indonesia University of Education, Bandung, Indonesia inaugurated the Human Horizontal Sundial. The sundial is unique as the gnomon is replaced by humans, so people stand at certain points accordingly.
5) "The IAU and its Evolution" article on Physics Today
"Commentary: The IAU and its Evolution" article on Physics Today. Our former President Ewine van Dishoeck, reflects on the organization’s accomplishments over the past century and what it may look like in the next one.
6) 2nd Workshop on Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses for Accessibility
The 2nd Workshop on Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses for Accessibility and Inclusion was held on 17-18 November 2021 virtually. It was an interdisciplinary meeting with participation from astronomers, educators, disability specialists, students, and science communicators, providing a new opportunity to share strategies and experiences, work toward specific objectives, discuss recent applications, and participate in initiatives that were developed for audiences with disabilities.
The Science Commission at UNESCO has unanimously passed the Recommendation on Open Science at its 41st session and it will now go to the full plenary of Member States for endorsement.
The ESA x Barbie grant, by Women in Aerospace Europe, will award an outreach project, aiming to inspire younger generations of girls and women to enter a career in STEM or foster a successful collaboration of all genders in this field. The deadline for application is 1 December 2021.
a) STEM XR: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Workshop on Science Communication in Virtual Worlds
Location: Virtual
Date: 1 October 2021 - 1 January 2022
Website: https://stemxr.org
b) African Astronomical Society (AfAS) Annual Conference
Location: Online & face-to-face at the South African Astronomical Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
Date: 14-18 March 2022
Website: https://www.africanastronomicalsociety.org/afas2022-ga/
c) XXXIst International Astronomical Union General Assembly
Location: BEXCO, Busan, Republic of Korea
Date: August 2 - 11, 2022
Website: http://www.iauga2022.org/
d) 29th Conference of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC)
Location: Timisoara, Romania
Date: 14-18 March 2022
Website: http://www.seac2022.org/
10) IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in Other Languages
Our newsletter is being translated into the following languages:
Japanese:https://bit.ly/36XeKZr
Translations are thanks to Akihiko Tomita, through the Astronomy Translation Network.
You can subscribe to the Japanese newsletter through the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association (http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html) or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy (http://www.tenkyo.net/).
If you are interested in translating the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
11) Contribute to the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter
We’re always looking to include news about astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement from around the world in the next newsletter from the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach. If you have an astronomical event, job, opportunity, educational resource, or anything else that would be of interest to the astronomy outreach community, send us an email at public@oao.iau.org with more information.
You can send us your suggestions through the 4th for issue #1 and the 17th for issue #2 of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
