In this Newsletter, we present many exciting opportunities to share you work in astronomy communication and education, as well as learn from others' experiences. We encourage all of you to attend the Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education. This is an excellent chance to network, hear from experts in the field, and share best practices among peers. Other opportunities include: the On the Moon Again campaign, the Falling Walls Engagement Map, and the PARI2022 Conference which will be held in mid-July.
We are also excited to feature some early work coming out of the 2022 NOC Funding Scheme: the NOCs from Madagascar and Senegal collaborated to host workshops for aspiring leaders of astronomy clubs. With the help of the workshops, these young astronomers are now well on their way to bringing astronomy to their communities. This is an exemplary example of how dedicated our NOCs are to improving access to STEM for the next generation of astronomers. We are proud to foster this network of astronomy communicators, and thank them for their important work.
May your skies be dark and quiet,
Kelly Blumenthal, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) Registration Open for Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education
Registration has now opened for the Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, taking place this 15-17 November! The workshop topic is “leveraging the potential of astronomy for formal education”. In particular, this workshop will tackle the questions: How do we teach astronomy? What is astronomy’s role in teaching physics, chemistry, or climate change?
2) New Logo and Website for CPS
The new logo and website for the new IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference (CPS) has just been released. For more information about their programmes, dark and quiet sky protection, and activities, see their website.
3) IAU and International Visegrad Fund Launch Mobility Scheme for Astronomy Students
In partnership with the International Visegrad Fund, the IAU is sponsoring scholarships for bachelor's and master's students in the Visegrad countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland and the Slovak Republic. For more information, see this link.
4) Falling Walls World Engagement Map
Join a global community of science communicators by adding your public engagement activities to the Falling Walls World Engagement Map. Find out more here.
5) Over the Moon Again
The French Astronomical Society is proud to present Over the Moon Again, which will take place 8-10 July. Find out more information about how you can participate, see their website and register your event online here.
6) Updates from the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs)
a) NOC Bahrain
The NOC Bahrain, Myriam Algassab, planned a full day of events to celebrate Asteroid Day this 30 June, including talks and trivia. For more information, see their promotional flyer.
b) NOC Egypt
On 10 June, a member of the NOC Egypt team, Dr Mohamed El Sadek, gave a public lecture at Kottamia Astronomical Observatory to increase the public’s awareness of astronomy.
c) NOC Haiti
One of our NOC Haiti team, Rulx Narcisse, was featured on a local tv show to talk about galaxies, in particular the Milky Way. Watch the episode in French and Haitian here.
d) NOC Sudan
The NOC Sudan team, in particular Mohammed Yahya and Anwar Ahmed Osman, engaged their community in a programme entitled Astronomy for Children and Students.
e) NOC Tunisia
On 18 June, our NOC Tunisia, Mayssa El Yazidi, hosted a talk with Dr. Scott Wayne Roberts on the power of stargazing.
7) NOC Funding Scheme 2022 Project Results: Madagascar and Senegal
Responding not only to the lack of astronomy clubs in their countries, but also to the global problem of engaging with the next generation of astronomy enthusiasts that the COVID-19 pandemic posed, the NOCs from Madagascar and Senegal worked together to form the ORION Astro Labs. These two three-day hybrid workshops trained 50 total aspiring astronomy club leaders in both Madagascar and Senegal. Activities included night sky observing, hands-on activities, information sharing on fundraising, best practices, and social media. Now, the astronomy club leaders are well on their way to heading outreach activities in their local communities and putting their new skills to practice. You can find some photos of their efforts here.
8) Opportunities
a) Registration for the PARI2022 Conference is Now Open
The Public Awareness of Research Infrastructures (PARI) 2022 conference will take place next month from 18-20 July at the SKAO’s Headquarters in Cheshire, UK. PARI 2022 will address a wide range of topics of interest, from communicating the societal impact of research infrastructures; the importance of communications in promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion; engaging with a vast range of stakeholders; and science communication research in practice; to strategy; PR practice; and optional hands-on training for practitioners. Remote participation is priced at £30 and in-person participation at £230. Registration is now fully open and the detailed preliminary programme of talks is available on the website.
b) Global Research Council SDG Pilot Call 2022
The 2022 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Call of the Global Research Council (GRC) aims to facilitate and hasten the accomplishment of the SDGs through ongoing or recently completed research and innovation projects. For more information about this opportunity, please see their website.
c) Register for the ASSA Symposium this October
Celebrate 100 years of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) during their hybrid Symposium, which will take place from 14-16 October in Cape Town. For more information and to register, follow this link.
d) ASSA 30 Under 30
The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) has launched a Special Project — 30 Under 30 — that aims to support the careers of young professional astronomers, and Master’s and PhD students. For information on this opportunity, and how to nominate a young astronomer, see this link.
9) Cool Resources
a) Listening to the Magnetosphere: How Best to Make ULF Waves Audible by Archer et al. [Content in English]
A new paper has recently been published that relied on public knowledge and expertise to devise a new way to make astronomical data from the magnetosphere audible. Find the paper here.
b) Science as a Way to Heal and Connect [Content in English]
Arizona State University astronomer, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, describes in her new memoir how she finds meaning, connection, and healing through her study of the universe. Read an interview with the author here, and find out more information about the new book.
c) OpenStax Free Astronomy Textbook [Content in English] OpenStax publishes a free, online, introductory textbook: Astronomy, by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff. Though it is now the most frequently used astronomy textbook in the United States, you do not need to take a class to use it! The second edition can be found at this website along with its free ancillary materials here and Learning Management System here.
d) Arts at CERN Podcast [Content in English]
A new podcast from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) displays the connections and collisions of physics and art. Listen to their episodes here.
10) IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in Non-English Languages
Our newsletter is being translated into the following languages:
Arabic
Translations are thanks to the members of the Bahrain Stargazers Astronomy Club.
Chinese (Simplified)
Translations are thanks to Dr Chen Cao, Shandong Astronomical Society (SDAS) of China.
Portuguese (European)
Translations are thanks to Catarina Leote and João Ferreira through the Astronomy Translation Network Portuguese Language Group.
Spanish
Translations are thanks to Emílio Zuniga of the Association of Amateur Astronomers in León, Nicaragua.
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 are always looking for material about astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement from around the world to include in our next IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter. 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.
Please send us your suggestions through the 4th for issue #1 and the 17th for issue #2 of each month. We look forward to hearing from you!
