Anyone who is interested in a refreshing, inspirational, and dynamic exchange of ideas on how to bring astronomy and space closer to people is invited to save the date for the next Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP) conference: 16–20 May 2016. The conference is targeted towards professional communicators, research astronomers, press officers, journalists and facilitators engaging children and teenagers with science and technology.

Communicating Astronomy with the Public is the eighth in the series of conferences organised by Commission 55 of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) with the goal of facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practices in the field of astronomy and space communication, as well as informal education. CAP 2016 will be hosted by the science centre Parque Explora in the city of Medellín, Colombia. This will be the first time that a CAP conference has been held in South America.

Further details will be posted in 2015 on a dedicated webpage. Meanwhile, we invite you to follow the IAU CAP Conference Facebook page, watch a video teaser produced by the local organisers, and check out the last CAP Conference, which took place in 2013 in Warsaw, Poland.

More Information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 10,000 professional astronomers from almost 100 countries. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects 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.

Links

• Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2016 website
• Communicating Astronomy with the Public
• Previous CAP conferences
• Colombia proposal for 2016
• IAU CAP Conference Facebook page

Contacts

Sze-leung Cheung
IAU International Outreach Coordinator / SOC co-chair of CAP2016
Tokyo, Japan
Tel: +81 422 34 3896
Cell: +81 80 9274 2454
Email: cheungszeleung@iau.org

Oana Sandu
SOC co-chair of CAP2016
ESO education and Public Outreach Department
Tel: +49 89 320 069 65
Email: osandu@partner.eso.org

Luz Ángela Cubides
LOC co-chair of CAP2016
Astronomy Coordinator, Medellín Planetarium
Parque Explora Corporation
Tel: +57 4 516 83 52, Fax: +57 4 516 83 81
Cell: +57 301 534 59 04
Address: Carrera 52 #73-75
Medellín - Colombia
Email: luz.cubides@parqueexplora.org

Paula Andrea Ortiz Otálvaro
LOC co-chair of CAP2016
Leiden University
Email: ortizotalvaro@strw.leidenuniv.nl

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer / President of IAU Commission 55
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org