Applications are now open to host the IAU Hands-On Workshops (I-HOW) programme in 2025 and 2026. Applications should be submitted to one of the I-HOW steering committee members by the deadline of 31 August 2024.

The IAU Hands-On Workshops (I-HOW) Programme is a series of workshops in space science for early-career scientists in developing countries. The programme consists of two-week-long, hands-on, capacity-building workshops, during which participants learn how to access and analyse archived astronomical data and use it to conduct original research.

The programme is co-sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the IAU, which jointly provide half the funding for each workshop, while the local host country contributes the other half.

With typically three workshops held per year, the I-HOW programme has trained over 1500 

participants from over 50 different countries so far, from master’s students to early-career scientists. The diverse topics covered have ranged from Earth’s surface and atmosphere to space weather and science with small satellites.

Participants work on data analysis and scientific projects under the supervision of senior scientists, who give their time voluntarily. The programme covers participants’ accommodation and meal expenses throughout the two weeks and, in some cases, also contributes to travel costs to enable attendance at the workshop.

In 2023, Mariano Méndez, Director of the I-HOW programme, was awarded the Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal for his work over decades setting up a space-science education programme in developing countries around the world.

The I-HOW programme, established in 2021, as well as the long-running International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYAs), established in 1967, are key activities in the IAU's long-term strategy to promote the careers of young scientists in developing countries. The workshops and schools support and encourage aspiring astronomers, with many previous participants having gone on to become well-established scientists.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation fosters path-breaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation and preservation of the special character of the Bay Area. Follow @MooreFound.

Links

• I-HOW Call for Proposals
• I-HOW Steering Committee
• List of Past I-HOW Workshops
• I-HOW Proposal Form

Contacts

Mariano Méndez
I-HOW Director
Email: mariano@astro.rug.nl 

Trity Pourbahrami
Communications Officer, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Email: trityp@moore.org

Lina Canas
IAU Membership Coordinator
Email: lina.canas@iau.org / iaupressoffice@iau.org

Guido Schwarz
IAU Press Officer
Email: iaupressoffice@iau.org