Teaching Astronomy for Development (TAD)

TAD is intended to assist a country with currently little astronomy which wants to significantly enhance its astronomy education. TAD operates on the basis of a proposal from a professional astronomy organization or on the basis of a contract between the IAU and an academic institution, usually a university.

The capabilities of the TAD program are limited to assistance with university-level activities, such as:

1. The creation of university-level astronomy/astrophysics courses and the faculty training and equipment associated with the development and first offering of such courses
2. A basic, largely educationally oriented research capability for faculty and students
3. Travel (i.e. transportation) costs of foreign visiting lecturers and of students invited for study at foreign universities, and
4. Professional preparations needed as a prerequisite for plans to offer astronomy in schools and for the public. TAD can provide advice about education of school teachers, but not financial support. The training of school teachers and the actual performance of school teaching and public outreach is considered to be part of the national resources.

Links

• IAU C46 Program Groups