This year, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will establish the Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE), whose objective is to provide structured support to astronomy education in all countries. This support will be provided through training and resources to encourage the use of astronomy as a stimulus for teaching and education from primary to secondary school levels. An open call was issued for Letters of Intent to host the OAE, followed by an invitation for full proposals, and the IAU will soon begin the process of reviewing them.

The Shaw Prize Foundation has generously provided funding to support an annual workshop to facilitate the development of the OAE implementation plan. The 1st Shaw-IAU Workshop will take place over two days, from the afternoon of 17 December 2019 through to the morning of 19 December, at the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) auditorium near the IAU Headquarters in Paris.  

At the workshop, we will introduce the OAE host and discuss the proposed actions for the new office, with brief presentations from the selected host, invited speakers, and other attendees. We will also discuss the OAE implementation plan in regard to achieving the goals expressed in the IAU Strategic Plan for 2020–2030.

The workshop can accommodate 50 people. Those who have submitted Letters of Intent and full proposals, as well as others engaged in IAU educational activities, will be invited to attend. We also invite applications from others who are engaged in astronomy education and would like to contribute to the discussions about planning for the new office.

The agreement for the collaboration between the Shaw Prize Foundation and the IAU was recently signed and shall continue for five years, with the possibility of renewal after that time, subject to mutual agreement.

If you are interested in attending and contributing to the workshop, please submit an application by 30 July 2019. In your application, describe your reasons for wanting to attend, your engagement in educational activities, and a potential brief oral presentation you could contribute. Please also indicate whether support for travel is requested.

The selected participants will be informed by 20 August 2019.

Links

• Application form
• 1st Shaw-IAU Workshop

Contacts

Maria Teresa Lago 
General Secretary 
Paris, France 
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58 
Email: IAU_GS_2018@iap.fr 

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
IAU Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr

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