IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter

2015 #19 December #2

In this newsletter:

  1. From the Editors
  2. Communicating Astronomy with the Public — How to apply for support to attend
  3. NameExoWorlds winners announced
  4. Results of the OAD 2015 Annual Call for Proposals
  5. IYL Official Closing Ceremony in February
  6. Beyond Cosmic Light: Light Beyond the Bulb
  7. Beyond Cosmic Light: Cosmic Light Awareness — Cosmic Light EDU kit
  8. Beyond Cosmic Light: Cosmic Light Awareness — Quality Lighting Teaching kit
  9. Remote telescopes
  10. Meetings & global events around the world for 2016
  11. Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter for 2016

 

0) From the Editors

In this final issue of 2015, we proudly announce that the NameExoWorlds contest is over and that the 19 ExoWorlds now have new names that were decided by the public; we invite you to learn more about the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) 2015 Call for Proposals results, and plan ahead for the top astronomy meetings and events that will happen in 2016.

The International Year of Light Official Closing Ceremony will take place in Mexico in February 2016. As Cosmic Light — the IYL2015 special programme officially sponsored by IAU — reaches an end, we review all the projects and present the Cosmic Light legacy that will continue to shine well beyond 2015.

With this year’s final issue, our Office for Astronomy Outreach team wants to send a special thank you to everyone around the world who has contributed to this newsletter through the past year. Astronomy outreach activities blossom around the world, and we thank you all for sharing your great astronomy stories with us.

Clear Skies!
Lina Canas & Sze-leung Cheung
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

 

1) Communicating Astronomy with the Public — How to apply for support to attend

If you would like to apply for a grant to attend the 2016 Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP2016) conference, please fill in and submit the application form on the CAP2016 website before 15 January 2016. Each application will be reviewed based on need, the submitted abstract, the amount requested and the geographic location of the participant. Successful applicants will be notified by 15 February 2016.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/1Z709iL

 

2) NameExoWorlds winners announced

The votes are in — the names of 19 ExoWorlds (14 stars and 31 exoplanets orbiting them) have been chosen by public vote in the NameExoWorlds contest and accepted by the IAU. Reflecting the truly international interest in astronomy, over half a million votes from 182 countries and territories have contributed to the new official designations of the alien worlds.

Learn more: https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau1514/

 

3) Results of the OAD 2015 Annual Call for Proposals

The IAU-Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) fourth annual Call for Proposals has successfully concluded, and 18 projects have been selected to receive funding in 2016. The Call for Proposals received a total of 124 applications, and after the Task Forces had reviewed all the completed applications, the Steering Committee approved the final list of projects to be implemented during 2016.

Learn more about the approved projects: https://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann15049/ .

 

4) IYL Official Closing Ceremony in February

The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015 (IYL 2015) will be brought to an official close with a ceremony to be held over three days, from 4–6 February 2016, in the beautiful city of Mérida, Mexico. This final event of the IYL 2015 global celebration will be attended by the key figures of the international year, including academics, international diplomats and decision-makers, CEOs, and science and industry leaders from across the globe.

Learn more: http://bit.ly/1Qjf8Dc

 

5) Beyond Cosmic Light: Light Beyond the Bulb

Light Beyond the Bulb will finish 2015 with approximately 675 exhibit sites around the world — in over 30 countries, with more than a dozen language translations. Examples of exhibit locations include the O’Hare Airport in Chicago, U.S.; the Village Baykal in Dolna Mitropolia, Bulgaria; the St. Ignatius College Siggiewi Primary School in Siggiewi, Malta; the K11 Art Mall in Shanghai, China; and the Galway Astronomy Festival in Ireland. Exhibits will continue into 2016 and well beyond. The project has greatly rejuvenated and expanded the volunteer base of organisers created in 2009 for the International Year of Astronomy, and we look forward to continuing to work with so many excellent partners. Additional topics for future similar public science projects are actively being considered

Learn more about Light: Beyond the Bulb: http://lightexhibit.org/

 

6) Beyond Cosmic Light: Cosmic Light Awareness — Cosmic Light EDU kit

The Cosmic Light EDU kit reached over 40 countries in more than 100 events. The kit was distributed to all organisers, and reports are coming in from the different sites that hosted cosmic light training events. The Galileo Teacher Training Program and the Cosmic Light EDU partners plan to have this kit as a live legacy of IYL2015, by continuing the enrichment of the repository and fostering the promotion of further training and collaboration efforts.

Learn more about Cosmic Light EDU kit: http://bit.ly/1O1Sdvt

 

7) Beyond Cosmic Light: Cosmic Light Awareness — Quality Lighting Teaching kit

The Education and Public Outreach (EPO) group at the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) received support from the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Optical Society (OSA) to produce official Quality Lighting Teaching Kits for the IYL2015 cornerstone theme, Cosmic Light. The goal is to increase student and public awareness of light pollution issues and quality lighting solutions. Reaching the end of 2015, the predicted 100 Cosmic Light Quality Lighting Teaching Kits are being shipped around the world. In these final weeks of 2015 twenty kits have already gone out to SPIE student chapters, thirty kits were shipped to OSA and ten to the International Dark-Skies Association.

Learn more about Quality Lighting Teaching kit: http://www.noao.edu/education/qltkit.php

 

8) Remote telescopes

There are various universities, organisations and companies that own remotely accessible telescopes. These are used for both research and educational purposes and are available mostly to partners, members or paid users.

This project aims to consolidate information on remote telescopes available for education and provide students at universities and schools with a pathway to access.

Learn more about the project here: http://www.astro4dev.org/remote-telescopes/

 

9) Meetings & global events around the world for 2016

As we move closer to the end of 2015 here is the list of the most awaited astronomy outreach & education conferences and events for 2016. Plan ahead for a year full of interesting events. Feel like we have missed something? Share your astronomy outreach and education international meetings or events with us via outreach@iau.org

a) ESO Astronomy Camp
Date: 26 December 2015 to 1 January 2016
Location: Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, Saint-Barthélemy, Nus, Italy
More Information: http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann15038/

b) American Astronomical Society meeting
Date: 4—8 January 2016
Location: Kissimmee, Florida 34746, USA
More information: http://aas.org/meetings/aas227

c) Global Astronomy Month
Date: April 2016
Location: All around the world
More information: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/

d) 9th International Meeting of Astronomy and Astronautics
Date: 14—16 April 2016
Location: Campos de Goytacazes, Brazil
More Information: http://9imaa.eventbrite.com/

e) Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2016 conference
Date: 16—20 May 2016
Location: Medellín, Colombia
More Information: https://www.facebook.com/CAPconference

f) International Meteor Conference (IMC) 2016
Date: 2—5 June 2016
Location: Egmond, Netherlands
More Information: http://imc2016.imo.net/

g) International Planetarium Society Conference
Date: 19—25 June 2016
Location: Warsaw, Poland
More Information: http://www.ips2016.org/

h) .Astronomy 8
Date: 21—23 June 2016
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
More Information: http://dotastronomy.com/events/eight/

i) Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting 2016
Date: 27 June to 1 July 2016
Location: Nottingham, United Kingdom
More Information: https://www.ras.org.uk/news-and-press/2730-national-astronomy-meeting-2016

j) European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)
Date: 4—8 July 2016
Location: Athens, Greece
More Information: http://eas.unige.ch/EWASS2016/

k) 41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
Date: 30 July — 7 August 2016
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
More Information: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/content/cospar-2016-0

l) International Conference on Artificial Light at Night (ALAN 2016)
Date: 26—28 September 2016
Location: Cluj, Napoca, Romania
More Information: http://www.artificiallightatnight.org/

m) LARIM 2016: XV Latin American Regional IAU Meeting
Date: 3—7 October, 2016
Location: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
More Information: http://larim.unal.edu.co/

n) IAU Symposia IAUS 326: Research in Astronomy Education: Far-reaching Impacts and Future Directions
Date: 4–7 October 2016
Location: Heidelberg, Germany
More Information: https://www.iau.org/science/meetings/future/symposia/1159/

o) International Observe the Moon Night
Date: 8 October 2016
Location: All around the world
More Information: http://observethemoonnight.org/

p) DPS-EPSC Joint Meeting 2016
Date: 16—21 October 2016
Location: Pasadena, CA, United States
More Information: http://www.epsc2015.eu/

 

10) Contributions to IAU Outreach Newsletter for 2016

Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach we are always looking for more news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. In 2016 please continue to share your stories with us! If you are organising any large-scale events at a regional or international level, are offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any special innovative projects or inspiring stories, are looking for professional–amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to outreach@iau.org.