Applications are now open for the next two International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA). Originally planned for 2020, and postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these two events are now set to go ahead in 2023 in Mexico and South Africa.

ISYA is a long-standing project of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and is now co-sponsored by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (NASL) through the Office for Young Astronomers (OYA).

The ISYAs are three-week-long international postgraduate schools held in regions where students have fewer opportunities to be directly exposed to the full extent of up-to-date astrophysics. The aim of the schools is to broaden the horizons of students through interactions with experts from around the world, who will give lectures on current topics in astrophysics, both theoretical and observational.

The 43rd school, ISYA2023Mx, will take place in Tonantzintla, Mexico, from 17 July to 4 August 2023 at the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE). Early-career graduate students from Latin American and Caribbean countries are encouraged to apply. The school will focus on large database exploitation, while maintaining an entry-level general astronomy approach. The deadline for applications is 20 February 2023.

The 44th school, ISYA2023SA, will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 19 November to 9 December 2023 at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). Early-career graduate students from African countries are encouraged to apply. The focus of the school will be observational astronomy. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2023.

The 43rd and 44th schools will each accept about 30 students with full support from the ISYA programme and the host institutions. The scientific programmes of the schools are set out below.

Scientific Programme (43rd ISYA 2023 Mexico):

• Exoplanets, Yilen Gomez Maqueo Chew (IA-UNAM, Mexico)
• Stellar Astrophysics, Alessandro Bressan (SISSA, Italy)
• Interstellar Medium, Monica Rodriguez (INAOE, Mexico) and Roberto Galvan-Madrid (IRyA-UNAM, Mexico)
• Galaxies, Daniela Calzetti (UMass-Amherst, USA)
• Cosmology, David Mota (University of Oslo, Norway)
• Spectral/SED Fitting Techniques and Databases, Roberto Cid-Fernandez (UFSC, Brazil).
• Machine Learning in Astronomy, Sara Webb (Swinburne University of Technology, Australia).
• Introduction to Python in Astronomy, Daniel Rosa-González (INAOE, Mexico)
• Observational Optical Astronomy, Erika Benítez (IA-UNAM, Mexico)
• Observational Millimetre Astronomy, Arturo Gómez Ruíz (GTM-INAOE-CONACyT, Mexico), Alfredo Montaña (INAOE, Mexico) and Luis Zapata (IRyA-UNAM, Mexico).
• Career Development Workshop, Itziar Aretxaga (INAOE, Mexico) and David Mota (University of Oslo, Norway)

Scientific Programme (44th ISYA 2023 South Africa):

• Stellar Structure and Evolution, Itumeleng Monageng (SAAO/UCT, South Africa) 
• Galaxy Evolution, Michelle Cluver (Swinburne University of Technology, Australia)
• Cosmology, David Mota (U. Oslo, Norway)
• Galactic (MW) Astronomy, Francesca Figueras (University of Barcelona, Spain)
• Interstellar Medium, Alexander Tielens (Leiden University, Netherlands)
• Solar System and Exoplanets, Jane Luu (MIT, USA)
• Virtual Observatory and Databases, Itziar Aretxaga (INAOE, Mexico)
• Radio Astronomy, James Chibueze (North-West University, South Africa)
• Astrostatistics Lab, Juan Rafael Martínez Galarza (Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, USA) 
• Optical Observational Techniques, Rudi Kuhn (SAAO, South Africa)

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.

Links

• Webpage for the 43rd International School for Young Astronomers, ISYA 2023 Mexico
• Webpage for the 44th International School for Young Astronomers, ISYA 2023 South Africa

Contacts

Itziar Aretxaga
ISYA Director
Email: itziar@inaoep.mx

David F. Mota
ISYA Deputy Director
Email: d.f.mota@astro.uio.no

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Director of Communications
Cell: +1 520 461 0433/+49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars.christensen@noirlab.edu