In this Newsletter, we remember our dear colleague, Dr Carolina Ödman-Govender. Though she has passed, her legacy will persist through the solid foundation she left behind. See the Feature below for ways to remember Carolina.
Once again, we encourage you to participate in the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter Survey, if you haven't already. This is your chance to shape the future of the Newsletter, and we hope each of you will take the opportunity to express your opinions about how we can improve.
We would also like to extend warm congratulations to our colleagues at the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM), who are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. You can find their special edition in the item below.
While there are many opportunities and resources to take advantage of this Newsletter, we would like to stress one in particular: the Out to Innovate Career Development Fellowship for trans, intersex, and non-binary graduate students and postdocs. If you or a student you know would benefit from this programme, please spread the word. The deadline for applications is fast approaching.
Many of our National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs) are busy with final preparations for NameExoWorlds. The deadline to build a team, perform an outreach event, and submit a name for the competition is nearly here. Find your NOC at this link to learn more about how you can get involved today! Thank you to our NOCs who make these and many other OAO programmes possible.
May your skies be dark and quiet,
Kelly Blumenthal, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
Remembering Carolina Ödman-Govender It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and friend, Carolina Ödman-Govender. Carolina was an Associate Professor at the University at the Western Cape (UWC) and Associate Director of Development & Outreach for the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy in South Africa (IDIA). Carolina had a long history of service to astronomy outreach and education through the IAU and beyond. She was the first International Project Manager of Universe Awareness (UNAWE) at Leiden University from 2005 to 2010 and served on the organising committee of the Commission C2 Communicating Astronomy with the Public.
Dr Ödman-Govender's pioneering work has changed the astronomy outreach, development and education landscape, and in 2018, during the XXX IAU General Assembly, she was awarded a special IAU award for Astronomy Outreach, Development and Education. IAU President Debra Elmegreen notes, "Carolina was a role model of courage and resilience, and her eternal good cheer was an inspiration for us all."
Dr Carolina Ödman-Govender will be greatly missed by our community. Her memory and legacy will continue on through the people she touched throughout her life.
Her funeral took place on 20 November, among family and friends. You can find a stream of the funeral service at this link.
Click here for a special message of love, thanks, and remembrance from Carolina’s husband, Kevin Govender (Director of the Office of Astronomy for Development).
If you have met Carolina and would like to share your memories of her, you can send your message to celebrate.carolina@gmail.com.
1) Participate in our IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter Survey
For years, the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter has brought you news from the IAU, the astronomy outreach community, our National Outreach Coordinators, and opportunities and resources from all over the world. Looking forward, we want to shape the Newsletter into something that better serves our communities. By taking this survey, you will be helping us improve the resources we provide. Thank you, in advance, for your contribution.
2) Preliminary Proceedings for the 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education
The 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education has come and gone, but there’s still a chance to learn from the speakers if you missed the event (or if you’d like to follow up on something you heard). The preliminary proceedings of the Workshop are available online. You can find the articles on this website.
3) Astronomy Day in Schools YouTube Channel Opens
The IAU Working Group Astronomy Education Research & Methods, under Commission C1 Astronomy Education and Development, has produced a new YouTube Channel for Astronomy Day in Schools (ADiS). Find out more and view their videos on their channel.
4) 20th Anniversary of the Journal of Science Communication
The Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) has released a special issue in honour of its 20th anniversary. This issue features commentaries on the nature and state of science communication, inclusion and justice practices, the intersection of research, practice, and theory, and the ways in which JCOM has contributed to the advancement of the field. For access to this special issue, see this link.
5) Join the Next Open Cultural Astronomy Forum Seminar
The Open Cultural Astronomy Forum (OCAF) focuses on ways that diverse cultures have perceived celestial objects, hoping to better understand the role of astronomy in cultures and the influence of cultures on current astronomy. The next OCAF seminar will take place on 1 December at 23:00 UTC via Zoom. Professor Hilding R. Neilson from Memorial University of Newfoundland & Labrador will give a talk entitled: The night sky is part of the land: the ongoing colonization in astronomy research and space exploration.
6) Updates from the IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs)
Many of our National Outreach Coordinators are busy planning and implementing outreach events for the NameExoWorlds 2022 competition. Find your NOC at this link, and see how you can get involved!
a) Morocco
Our former NOC Morocco, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, is helping to plan the Marrakech Astronomy Festival that will take place from 28 November to 3 December. Find out more at their website.
b) Haïti
A member of the NOC Haiti Team, John Masken Larose, has created another astronomy educational video and hosted it on his YouTube channel. This latest video is on the Orion constellation. You can view it now here.
7) Opportunities
a) Fellowship for Trans, Intersex, and Non-Binary Graduate Students and Postdocs
The Out to Innovate Career Development Fellowship, formerly known as the Ben Barres Fellowship, is a $2000-$5000 award for the professional development of trans, intersex, and non-binary graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in STEM.
The deadline to apply is 2 December at 23:59 UTC-5.
b) Book Review of Strategic Science Communication: A Guide to Setting the Right Objectives for More Effective Public Engagement
In the article, Balancing practice and research: a framework for strategic science communication, the author reviews the book Strategic science communication: A guide to setting the right objectives for more effective public engagement by John Besley and Anthony Dudo. Read more about this book, strategic science communication, and how to bring research to practice at this link.
c) First Announcement: AfAS 2023 Annual Conference
The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) Annual Conference will be held from the 13th to the 17th of March, 2023. The conference will be organised as a hybrid meeting (online and in-person) in collaboration with the Wits Centre for Astrophysics. The physical venue is the Wits Origins Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Please consider submitting an abstract (scientific or related to education, development, and outreach) by 9 January 2023.
d) AfAS, DARA, OAD, and IDIA Data Science Hackathon
The African Astronomical Society (AfAS), in conjunction with Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) Big Data, the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), and the Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), is organising an in-person Data Science Hackathon event at the University of the Witwatersrand from 18-20 March 2023. Undergraduate and postgraduate students, in addition to young professionals from all STEM fields across Africa, are welcome to register for the event. Information and registration for the hackathon are at this link.
e) The Inaugural Hong Kong Laureate Forum is Recruiting Young Scientists
The Hong Kong Laureate Forum (HKLF) is a week-long programme among in which selected Laureates will have the opportunity to interact and share ideas with world-renowned scientists, including Shaw Laureates. The inaugural Forum will be hosted on 13-18 November 2023. Young scientists in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and related subjects are encouraged to apply before 18 December at 23:59 UTC+8.
To find out more, click this link. For more information about eligibility, sponsorship, and enrollment, see this document.
8) Cool Resources
a) Ohana Kilo Hoku Opportunities and Resources
The Native Hawaiian-led organisation, Ohana Kilo Hōkū, has excellent resources and opportunities for professional astronomers looking to do outreach, community members hoping to engage with astronomy, educators wanting to bring astronomy into their classrooms, and so much more. Find out more on their website.
b) Shadow the Scientist
Ever wondered how observational astronomers look at the night sky? This is your chance to eavesdrop on an astronomer’s observing run. The Shadow the Scientist programme allows members of the public to tune into astronomers observing the Universe using the telescopes on Maunakea. For more information about past and upcoming sessions and how to get involved, see their website.
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 Andrea Ahumada of the Observatorio Astronómico, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and Ileana Andruchow of the Instituto Astrofísica de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. For translations of previous Newsletters in Spanish, thanks to Emílio Zuniga of the Association of Amateur Astronomers in León, Nicaragua, click here.
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!
