In light of the growing COVID-19 pandemic, we at the OAO are joining together with the other International Astronomical Union offices with the following message:
A Call to Action from the International Astronomical Union Offices
This is an urgent call to action during this unprecedented global pandemic, as the world struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19. We need to do whatever we can to help tackle this pandemic as well as its collateral effects on society.
We believe the astro and broader science community has a wide range of expertise and resources which could help the current situation. Thus, we would like to enable people to actively contribute their skills (data skills, communications expertise, coding, visualization, etc.). To help everyone cope with the prolonged times being spent indoors, we are also gathering digital astronomy resources and fun activities you can do at home to keep you and any children at home occupied and entertained.
Best wishes,
IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO)
IAU Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD)
IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE)
IAU Office for Young Astronomers (OYA)
This newsletter will include some of the resources gathered through this call to action. If you are interested in adding to the resources, please add fill out this Google form.
Wishing you the clearest skies and good health! Lina Canas & Izumi Hansen, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) Astronomy Resources for Students, General Public, and Educators
The offices of the IAU are compiling a list of astronomy-related resources for students, the general public, and educators. A number of the resources are listed in this newsletter and you are welcome to submit your suggestions for the. You can find the full list as it is updated at the following links:
4) Stay at Home With the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach #AstroAtHomeChallenge
he IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach will be hosting weekly astronomy challenges on social media. The challenge this week? Try a citizen science project for 30 minutes a day. Tell us what you discovered on social media with the hashtags #AstroAtHomeChallenge #IAUoutreach and we’ll share some of the coolest discoveries when the challenge is finished. We will be setting up new challenges every week.
If you have a task that needs volunteers, speak to the OAD regional office in your area or contact us (info[at]astro4dev.org) to get the task listed on the IAU OAD Volunteer Webportal.
Skype a Scientist organises meetings between classrooms and scientists and holds online talks with scientists for the general public, with a number of public events lined up through May. They welcome scientists from any discipline to sign up to talk with students around the globe.
8) Online Resources for Teachers and Outreach Professionals
A number of us are moving online, if we haven’t already, and need to transition from in-person to online work. A number of resources for this transition, as well as professional development, are available.
8) Apply to be a Global Sky Partners with Las Cumbres Observatory
Las Cumbres Observatory is accepting applications for new educational partners to join their Global Sky Partners programmes. They are looking for “people and groups with interesting, engaging, and innovative ideas for educational projects in astronomy” that can utilise the LCO 0.4m robotic telescope network. The application deadline is 17 April 2020 and projects must run between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021.
Translations into (European) Portuguese are available, carried out by Catarina Leote, João Ferreira & Jonas Souza through the Astronomy Translation Network (ATN) Portuguese Language Group (the previous issue can be found here).
Translations into Russian are available by Artem Mokhnaktin, Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pulkovo. You can find the latest translations of the newsletter here.
11) Contributions to the IAU Outreach Newsletter—looking forward to hearing from you in 2020
Here at the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach, we’re always looking for news about astronomical education and outreach events around the world. Please continue to share your stories with us in 2020! If you are organising large-scale events at a regional or international level, offering astronomy education or communication job positions, have any innovative projects or inspiring stories, looking for professional-amateur collaboration in astronomy, or have created any educational resources, let us know by sending an email to [email protected].
You can send us your suggestions until the 4th (for issue #1) and the 17th (for issue #2) day of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
