This newsletter features many great opportunities to attend conferences and webinars, including the International Indigenous Astronomy Conference. We hope you attend and learn from this diverse group of individuals.
We are also pleased to publicise the Telescopes for All 2022 project! This project distributes telescopes to underserved communities around the world, and past winners have done some incredible outreach as a result. The deadline is fast approaching (1 June), so please submit your applications as soon as possible.
Finally, we hope you are taking advantage of Dark and Quiet Skies Awareness month. In alignment with UNESCO's International Day of Light on 16 May, this project raises awareness about the need to preserve dark and quiet skies. To learn more, be sure to read the International Day of Light Newsletter.
May your skies be dark and quiet,
Kelly Blumenthal, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) OAE Teacher Training Pilot Programme
The Office for Astronomy Education has initiated a funding scheme for the National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs), in collaboration with a local teacher, and an astronomer. Winning proposals will receive up to 2000 Euros to plan and implement teacher training pilot programmes. For more information, see their website.
2) News from the Women in Astronomy Working Group
a) Annual Report Update
To read the Annual Report Update of the Women in Astronomy Working Group (WiA WG), click this link.
b) Participate in a Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Astronomers’ Careers and Productivity
This is a five-minute survey, carried out by the WiA WG on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the career and productivity of astronomers. Since January, they have received 80 responses from astronomers in 19 countries. To add your voice, click this link.
c) ENSEMBLE Magazine Update
The WiA WG is still accepting contributions for the next issue of the ENSEMBLE magazine, slated to be published in June.
d) IAU WiA WG Mentoring Session
The WiA WG invites PhD students, postdocs, and researchers to join the IAU WiA WG Mentoring Session on 25 May from 13h30 -15h30 CET. This is an opportunity for mentors and mentees to convene, ask questions, get answers, share experiences, and discuss. Everyone is welcome! To register, follow this link.
e) Join the IAU WiA WG
IAU members of any gender are welcome to join the IAU WiA and its activities. If you wish to join the Working Group, please send an e-mail to iauwia2124@gmail.com.
3) OAD Crowdfunding Campaign to Train Tribal Students as Astroguides
The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) has recently funded a project to educate underprivileged tribal students in astronomy, and train them as astroguides. This project, organised by AstronEra, has now begun a crowdfunding campaign to match the grant from the OAD. For more information on the project, and how you can help support their work, see this website.
4) Telescopes for All 2022
Telescopes for All is a project spearheaded by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), Sterren Schitteren Voor Iedereen (Stars Shine for Everyone — SSVI), Bresser, and Leiden University. Their aim is to distribute 15 telescopes to underserved communities around the world. Proposals and recommendations must be written in English and submitted via this form by 23:59 local time on 1 June 2022. For more information regarding the application process, see their website.
5) International Day of Light Newsletter
The International Day of Light (IDL) is fast approaching! Be sure to check out the latest Newsletter from the IDL team, featuring stories about projects in preparation. Read and subscribe to their newsletter here, stay up to date with the latest on their website here, and register your IDL events here.
6) Updates from the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs)
b) Greece
One of the NOCs for Greece, Margarita Metaxa, in collaboration with a number of local organisations and associations, has organised a conference on dark sky prevention. For a link to their conference webpage, see the entry under Opportunities below.
c) Kuwait
Our NOC Kuwait, Khaled A. Al-jamaan, held a lecture at the Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre on the Hijiri Calendar -- the Islamic calendar which is based on the phases of the Moon. The lecture included a history of the calendar, how to calculate the beginning and end of a month, and the astronomical calculations involved in the formulation of the calendar.
7) Opportunities
a) The Challenge of Megaconstellations Webinar 7-8 May
Join the Federation of Astronomical Societies in their free two-day (7-8 May) webinar on satellite megaconstellations, their impact on astronomy, and their effects on society. Registration is open to everyone: astronomers, amateurs, students, and educators. To register, click here.
b) Dark Skies Preservation for Sustainability, Astronomical Observations, Health, Ecosystems and Culture Conference 16-17 May
One of the NOCs for Greece, in collaboration with The Greek National Astronomical Committee, the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, the Philekpedeftiki Etería, and The Office of Secondary Education of Β΄Athens, has organised a 2-day conference on dark sky preservation on 16 and 17 May. For more information and to register, visit their website.
c) IAU Office of Astronomy for Development Call for Proposals Now Open
The IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) 2022 Call for Proposals is now open. Stage 1 of the Call s due on 31 May. Only a limited number of proposals from Stage 1 will be invited to submit a proposal in Stage 2. For more information about the programme and its themes for this call, see their website.
d) International Indigenous Astronomy Conference 27-29 July
Join the International Indigenous Astronomy Conference this July to network, to learn about Indigenous Knowledge Systems, and to hear from experts about leveraging Indigenous astronomy for social, cultural, educational and economic development and empowerment. For more information, click here.
e) III Encontro da Noite 14 May
The 3rd edition of the III Encontro da Noite will take place in A Coruña, Galicia on 14 May. This free meeting will focus on light pollution, dark sky preservation, and the importance of dark skies. For more information (in Galician and Spanish), see their website.
8) Cool Resources
a) Mothers in Astronomy [Content in English]
This book holds stories from an international collection of mother astronomers. With these stories, the editors hope to amplify the voices of mother astronomers, raise awareness of the challenges that they face, highlight the positive impact of motherhood on their careers, and create a collective sense of empowerment. To read more and download the book, see this website.
b) Subaru Kids Relaunched [Content in English and Japanese]
Subaru Telescope’s site for kids has just been relaunched in English and in Japanese. Kids join Subby, the official character of the Subaru Telescope, to explore space and astronomy through online materials, quizzes, videos, and hands-on arts and crafts. You can find more information on their website.
c) Interactive Constellation Posters [Content in Portuguese]
Our colleagues at Museu da Vida have been working on a special project making interactive maps of the constellations, including those of the Guarani people. Click this link for more information.
9) 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.
10) 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!
