As we start this new year, we want to bring your attention to the XXXI IAU General Assembly to be hosted in August in hybrid mode in Busan, South Korea. Our Office will have a special session that will focus on the IAU outreach initiatives to understand (1) the framework and alignment of the programs planned and being implemented; (2) the contributions that the IAU community, as a group, can bring to achieve a successful implementation of the IAU Strategic Plan and (3) how the legacy of the IAU 100th anniversary celebrations was incorporated and built upon. We, therefore, encourage everyone in our IAU community to join us at the IAU General Assembly to share your best practices and be actively engaged in a new decade of astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement initiatives.
We couldn't start our programme for 2022 in a better way! The IAU Global Project Women and Girls in Astronomy celebrates the role of women in advancing science and invites girls to consider careers in astronomy. The project takes place every year from the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February to the International Women’s Day on 8 March. Join us for the first Meet the IAU Astronomers | Special Edition: Women and Girls interview series with Jessica Mink, astronomer and software developer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The event will be live-streamed on 11 February at 15:300 UCT, on OAO’s YouTube channel.
In this issue of our newsletter, we highlight news from our sister offices, the Office of Astronomy for Development and the Office of Astronomy for Education. We are happy to share with you the launch of IAU’s Astronomy Education Journal, a new peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the astronomy education community. Plus, don’t miss news from the IAU and from our National Outreach Contacts (NOCs).
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) IAU Outreach Women and Girls in Astronomy
We invite you to join us in this year’s edition of the Women and Girls in Astronomy, an annual event that takes place from 11 February to 8 March and recognises the role of women in advancing science and encourages girls to consider careers in the field. Outreach practitioners, parents, youth and astronomers can contribute to the programme by supporting a number of virtual and in-person events organised by OAO’s NOCs and the outreach community. You can also join us in our online campaign or take part in the Draw an Astronomer contest for a chance to win a telescope, courtesy of the Stars Shine for Everyone project.
2) Join the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Sessions during the XXXI IAU General Assembly
The XXXI IAU General Assembly (GA2022) will be held from 2 to 11 August 2022 in Busan, South Korea in a hybrid format, meaning participants can register either as in-person or virtual attendees. The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach will present a specially dedicated programme for the IAU community attending the General Assembly. Abstract Submission is open until March 31, 2022.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU), as part of its Strategic Plan 2020–2030, is reaching out to engage with amateur astronomers around the world and invites all amateur astronomers worldwide to fill out a survey to respond with their views on how amateurs can engage with the IAU professional community.
4) Dark and Quiet Skies II for Science and Society Working Group Reports Published
In October 2021, more than 700 people from 76 countries took part in the United Nations/Spain/International Astronomical Union Conference on Dark and Quiet Skies for Science and Society online. At this second meeting, delegates focused on the feasibility of implementing the specific measures to mitigate the impact of artificial interferences affecting the visibility of the sky and the detection of cosmic radio signals recommended in the first conference. The results of this meeting are shared in the reports, which are now available online.
The IAU has published the first issue of the Astronomy Education Journal (AEJ). This new online publication is produced by IAU Commission C1 Astronomy Education and Development and it aims to serve the astronomy education community by bringing together practical, newsworthy and scholarly publications involving developments in the field.
6) IAU to Help Coordinate the UN International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development in 2022
On 2 December 2021, the General Assembly of the United Nations officially declared 2022 the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) serves on the steering committee of IYBSSD and will help coordinate the year’s activities, together with other scientific institutions.
7) IAU Office of Astronomy for Development Launches the Results of the 2021 Call for Proposals
The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) is pleased to announce the results of its 2021 call for proposals, through which seventeen projects around the world will receive a total of €109 822 in 2022. These projects will address various socio-economic and sustainable-development challenges using astronomy-related interventions.
8) IAU Office of Astronomy for Education Publishes Proceedings of 3rd Shaw–IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education
What should everyone who is active in astronomy education know, in order to be successful in the field? This was the theme of the 3rd Shaw–IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, which was held online from 12 to 15 October 2021. The proceedings of this event have been published online.
9) News from the NOCs: NOCs from the Arabic Region, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Italy
a) NOCs from the Arab region have been collaborating in monthly webinars and workshops. Hosted in Arabic, the events covered various exciting topics, including “Periodic Meteor Showers”, “Science and Fiction on the Path of Astronomy”, and “Our Sense in Space”. February’s event will be led by NOC Sudan, followed by NOC Iraq in March.
b) NOC Bangladesh in collaboration with Bangladesh Science Popularization Society (SPSB) and Universe Awareness Program (UNAWE) organized the "F.R. Sarker Astronomy Workshop 2021". The three-day event took place from 20 to 22 December. It engaged pupils 15 to 16 years-old and covered diverse astronomical topics, such as the History of Astronomy, Gravity, Blackholes, and Astrobiology.
c) On 18 January, NOC Barbados and the Barbados Astronomical Society hosted “Look Up!”, a public live stream on the near pass of Asteroid 1994 PC1.
d) Since the start of 2022, NOC Egypt has organized a series of online events. On 10 January, Dr Mouhamed Shaban presented a lecture on the most important astronomical events and phenomena that will take place in 2022, and on 17 January, Dr Somaya Saad spoke to the public about the James Webb Space Telescope. NOC Egypt will also be hosting a workshop for young Astronomers on 5 February. More information on the upcoming workshop is available at https://fb.me/e/14p6a4GYn.
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!
