Our team is happy to announce that the IAU Astronomy Translation Network (ATN) is now reaching 300 volunteers doing amazing work on the translation, proofreading, and scientific review. The materials translated are verified valuable resources for reaching out to communities in their native languages and supporting astronomy education and outreach educators around the world. Help us disseminate the translated resources in your communities.
In this issue, we highlight the Inspiring Stars event in Chile, Scientist for a Day Essay Contest and the Universe in My Pocket resource.
If you want to join our network, the IAU is currently seeking national representatives to act as National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs). If your country doesn’t yet have a national representative, you can apply or nominate someone you believe is suited for the position. We are much looking forward to collaborating with you!
Wishing you all Happy Reading & Clear Skies!
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) Call for IAU National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs)
The IAU is seeking candidates to become National Outreach Coordinators (NOCs). The NOCs will play a significant role in coordinating the IAU 100th anniversary activities. If your country/region does not have a NOC, and if you are interested, please contact
outreach@iau.org or forward this message to any potential candidates.
2) Join the Celebrations! — How to Get Involved in the IAU100
The IAU centennial celebrations in 2019 will stimulate worldwide interest in astronomy and science and will reach out to the global astronomical community from professional and amateur astronomers, from policy-makers to teachers and students, to families and the general public. Plan ahead for an exciting year and find out how you can get involved and take the best out of this global celebration of astronomy.
Inspiring Stars is an IAU100 Global Project designed to highlight, support, and promote inclusive initiatives that encourage equality of participation in outreach and teaching and at a professional level in the field of astronomy. On October 19, the project was presented in Santiago, Chile highlighting the Chilean community’s many efforts in the area of inclusive astronomy through the project “Astronomy for All”. This project is powered by a national cooperation between astronomical institutions that help to bring astronomy to everyone in an accessible way.
Ifrane Astronomy Festival, 7th edition
Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco, organized the 7th edition of the Ifrane Astronomy Festival from 21 to 25 September 2018 under the theme "Space Conquest and Robotics". This activity was part of Al Akhawayn University's efforts to disseminate scientific knowledge to the general public and to promote science among young people to stimulate their interest in science and technology. This festival is a flagship scientific and cultural event in the Ifrane region and in the national landscape. Since its first edition in 2012, the Ifrane Astronomy Festival has focused on promoting astronomy among young people, highlighting the discipline as a stimulator for science learning in schools.
International Interdisciplinary Workshop on Light Pollution
The International Interdisciplinary Workshop on light pollution will be held in Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco, from 22 to 26 of October 2018. The workshop is organized in the framework of a new project called Atlas Dark Sky Morocco (ADSM) (website in French). The project is aiming to create a Dark Sky Reserve around the Oukaimeden Observatory in Morocco. The reserve will cover a large area including the Toubkal National Park and the Oukaimeden Observatory, With a radius of about 80 km, it will become the largest Dark Sky Reserve worldwide and the first in North Africa.
Find more about the workshop here: http://atlasdarksky.com/the-first-atlas-dark-sky-workshop/ (We would like to send a warm thank you to Benkhaldoun Zouhair, our National Outreach Coordinator (NOC) for Morocco for sharing the news with us.)
5) 2018-19 Scientist for a Day Essay Contest
The Scientist for a Day essay contest challenges students in grades 5-12 (ages 10-18) to think like scientists studying the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Participants examine three possible moons and choose the one they think NASA should return to that would yield the best scientific results. This year's topics are Saturn's moon Enceladus, Saturn's moon Titan, and Jupiter’s moon Europa. After researching the three options, students write an essay under 500 words explaining their choice. The deadline for entries is February 8, 2019. If you are interested in organizing this contest in your country, please email scientistforaday[at]jpl.nasa.gov
Find out more about the 2018-19 edition of Scientist for a Day Essay Contest here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scientist-for-a-day/ (We would like to send a warm thank you to Rachel Zimmerman Brachman, International Scientist for a Day contest coordinator, for sharing this news with us.)
6) TUIMP (The Universe In My Pocket)
TUIMP (The Universe In My Pocket) is an international project to produce small astronomy booklets. The booklets are intended for children from nine years old and for anyone curious about astronomy. They are written in simple language, amply illustrated, revised and translated by professional astronomers. These booklets, folded from just one sheet of paper, can be used in classrooms, at open public conferences, or during visits to observatories and planetariums.
7) Europlanet Public Engagement Funding Scheme 2019
The call for applications for the Europlanet Public Engagement Funding Scheme 2019 is open! Europlanet awards grants of between 5000 and 15 000 Euros to fund projects to engage the public with planetary science. Through the funding scheme, Europlanet aims to encourage new ways of bringing planetary science to audiences across Europe and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The call will close on 31st January 2019.
NASA Wavelength is your pathway into a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels – from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs. These resources, developed through funding of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), have undergone a peer-review process through which educators and scientists ensure the content is accurate and useful in an educational setting. Use NASA Wavelength to quickly and easily locate resources, connect them to other websites using atom feeds, and even share the resources you discover with others through social media and email.
b) Starmus Festival V: A Giant Leap
Date: 24–29 June 2019
Location: Bern, Switzerland
More information: https://www.starmus.com/
c) 3rd Workshop on Dissemination and Education of Astronomy (WDEA III)
Dates: 2 July (Solar Eclipse), 4- 5 July 2019
Location: San Juan, Argentina
More information at http://sion.frm.utn.edu.ar/WDEAIII/
Have we missed something? Then share your astronomy outreach and education international meetings or events with us via outreach@iau.org.
10) IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter in other languages
- Translations into Serbian are available, by Dr Liliana Gracanin from Serbia: https://twitter.com/IAU_srpski ;
- Translations into Japanese are available, carried out by Akihiko Tomita through the Astronomy Translation Network: http://bit.ly/2xlNyCR. If you want to receive the Japanese newsletter translation, please subscribe to the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association here: http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html, or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy here: http://www.tenkyo.net/;
- Translations into Galician are available, by Martin Pawley, Agrupación Astronómica Coruñesa Ío, in Spain here: http://agrupacionio.com/gl/tag/boletin-iau
- Translations into Spanish are available by Emílio Zuniga, the Association of Amateur Astronomers from León, Nicaragua: http://asafile.blogspot.jp/p/blog-page_12.html;
If you are interested in translating our newsletter into your language, please let us know via outreach@iau.org.
11) Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter—looking forward to hearing from you in 2018
Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we’re always looking for news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2018! If you are organising large-scale events at a regional or international level, offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any innovative projects or inspiring stories, looking for professional–amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to outreach@iau.org.
