Focus Meeting 14 - Abstracts
The PACA Project Ecology: Development Strategy for Successful Pro-Am Observing Campaigns
Yanamandra-Fisher, Padma
The interactions of amateur astronomers with professional astronomers have changed significantly in the digital era, from an occasional exchange of individual images to a sustained collaboration. Today, amateur astronomers, with sophisticated equipment and software, provide several valuable resources to the professional observers/astronomers: coordinated global networks of amateur astronomers and robotic telescopes; a vast collection of legacy and temporal data and help build bridges between the scientific and public communities. The Pro-Am Collaborative Astronomy (PACA) Project, evolved from the successful NASA observational campaign CIOC to characterize Oort-cloud comet C/2012 S1(ISON) in 2013 on its initial passage through the inner solar system. With the inclusion of amateur astronomers; adaptation of various social media platforms and components of emerging field of citizen science, four phases for a successful pro-am collaboration were identified: (1) identification of a scientific knowledge gap; (2) integration of the pro-am communities; (3) adopt emerging technology and (4) stay in the limelight with results of the campaign. Several important results that emerged from the successful campaigns are: (i) establishment of a global network of astronomers that can be galvanized into action on short notice; (ii) provide an alert-sounding mechanism to all observers; (iii) immediate outreach and dissemination of results via our media/blogger members; (iv) provide a forum for discussions between the communities to help strategize the observing campaign for maximum benefit and (v) identify potential challenges on the data archival and its crowdsourcing. I will illustrate these concepts and strategies for building successful pro-am campaigns, with examples from various successful PACA- and non-PACA campaigns, including NASA/CIOC campaigns; ESA/Rosetta mission to comet 67P; and NASA 2017 Total Solar Eclipse polarization experiment with citizen scientists.
VO for education
IAFRATE, GIULIA
The goal of the Virtual Observatory (VO) is to allow astronomers to make best use of the large quantity of data archived every day in professional observatories all over the world. The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) is a world-wide organisation defining the relevant standards for data interoperability. IVOA is also interested in education (through an Education Interest Group) and dissemination (covered by a dedicated Media Group).VO for education is a project developed within the framework of the European Virtual Observatory (EuroVO) with the aim of diffusing the VO data and software to the public, in particular students, teachers and astronomy enthusiasts, thanks to the easy access to the data guaranteed by simple interfaces and to a choice of interesting use cases.VO for education offers use cases, pedagogical units, and simplified professional software that allows a taste of the emotion of scientific research even to those approaching astronomy for the first time or simply wishing to wander among stars.The educational material and software tools of VO for education have been designed specifically for teachers in support of an effective presentation of astronomy in the classroom. The main characteristics of our educational software tools are the following: they are free, multilingual, based on professional tools and they easily access VO data. The core of VO for education consists of use cases we designed and complemented with proper multilingual documentation covering both the astrophysical context and the use of the software. Use cases and software have been revised during an intense program with high school students in the framework of the EU H2020 ASTERICS project.
Effectively Coordinating Museums and Planetariums Worldwide
SubbaRao, Mark
Informal science educators at museums and planetariums face the challenging task of engaging a diverse public audience in contemporary science. To do this they need a solid background in the science itself, educational pedagogy, and modern practices in science communication. The task has gotten even more challenging in the era of big data. Interpreting and visualizing these datasets in planetarium shows and museum exhibits requires specialized technical skills. Furthermore, the increasing pace of discovery means that informal science educators have less time to accomplish these tasks. This presentation will summarize a variety of museum and planetarium community efforts to address these challenges through worldwide collaboration and coordination among museums and planetariums. Solutions include content sharing and distribution mechanisms as well as networking museums and planetariums together to create global worldwide events.
The IAU 2020-2030 Strategic Plan: outreach connecting the world
van Dishoeck, Ewine
The mission of the IAU is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects (including research, communication, education and development) through international cooperation. Over the past year, the new strategic plan for the IAU has been put together, providing an overview of all IAU activities and formulating a number of long-term goals and actions. Here a brief overview of the new Strategic Plan will be presented with a focus on future outreach activities connecting people across the world. Also, the close interactions with other activities of the IAU, in particular the OAD and education, will be highlighted.
Pro-am collaboration in Occitanie, outreach and consequences
Vauclair, Sylvie
The collaboration between professional astrophysicists and amateur astronomers have always been very active in France, and particularly in the south-west region which is now called "Occitanie". Since the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, where I was in charge of the events in the whole region, new associations have been created, with specific actions towards society, economy, ecology, etc. in connection with the observations of the night sky. I will present several achievements and on-going projects, like the solar observations at Pic du Midi Observatory, done by amateurs with a professional aim, the help of amateurs for professional observations with the 2m telescope, the important labelled dark sky region "RICE" which concerns more than 250 towns and villages, all implied for a better sky visibility, etc. I will present these topics and also discuss them in the framework of the large philosophical question "Humanity facing the Universe".
Panel discussion of NOC activities in Middle-East and Africa Regions
Simpemba, Prospery
We schedule a panel discussion of the IAU National Outreach Contacts (NOCs) activities in the Middle-East Africa Region alongside the IAU General Assembly. The NOC network was established in 2012 by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) to coordinate worldwide astronomy outreach activities. In this panel discussion we will invite the NOCs from the Middle-East and Africa Regions to discuss their activities and issues relating to the region.
Transforming Research (and Public Engagement) through Citizen Science
Blickhan, Samantha
Processing our increasingly large datasets poses a bottleneck for producing real scientific outcomes and citizen science - engaging the public in research - provides a solution, particularly when coupled with automated routines. In this talk we will provide a broad overview of citizen science approaches and best practices. We will also highlight in particular recent advances through Zooniverse, the world’s largest platform for online citizen science, engaging more than 1.6 million volunteers in tasks including discovering exoplanets, identifying features on Mars’ surface, transcribing artist's notebooks, and tracking resistance to antibiotics.
Reporting live on astronomical research — what have we learnt?
Sandu, Oana
Between January and March 2016, a team of 30 scientists from eight countries invited the public to follow their observations looking for a planet around the closest star to our Solar System, Proxima b. Dubbed Pale Red Dot, the observing and outreach campaign put forward a different kind of science proposition.Unlike the standard journey of a scientific result, Pale Red Dot communicated with the public throughout the entire scientific process, from observing runs, data reduction and analysis, writing the science paper to the publication of the results.On the one hand, such a campaign offered opportunities to explain the rigorous scientific process that often remains hidden from the public eye. It also offered a chance to explain the current technologies available, but also why we need to continue investing in science. Engaging with the scientists themselves brought people closer to the topic and generated awareness, interest and expectation.On the other hand, the campaign raised some eyebrows and brought up delicate issues such as embargoes, journal's rules, peer review.In this talk, we reflect on what went good and what went not so good with the Pale Red Dot campaign in an attempt to share our lessons learnt with the community. We will also present the communication methods that helped the result achieve the global reach it did, hoping we can encourage IAU members to communicate astronomy professionally and efficiently. We also believe that our talk can spark a conversation on one of the IAU strategic goals put forward at the General Assembly, Goal I, point 1, sub-point: Stimulate and facilitate sharing of astronomical knowledge among professional astronomers, Consider publication aspects (e.g., open access; (…) publication of data, (…).
Conclusions from the Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference 2018
Sandu, Oana
In a world permanently connected online, our society is also facing challenges that science never imagined could rise again. We find ourselves increasingly dealing with fake news, alternative facts and mistrust in science. In this post-factual era, achieving science literacy at large scale becomes imperative. The community of astronomy communicators stands in the front line of that endeavour.The theme of the 2018 Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference — Communicating Astronomy in Today’s World: Purpose & Methods — is an invitation to reflect on our role in and our means of facing such challenges locally, nationally and as a global community.This talk will present the main conclusions from the conference, including the challenges identified by participants and their recommendations in facing them. The authors of this presentation, in their role as conference SOC co-chairs, would like to ensure that the inputs of astronomy communicators around the world are shared with IAU members interested in science communication.Another central point for the conference is the IAU’s 100th anniversary in 2019 — an exciting opportunity for the outreach community to once again come together, celebrate and set another milestone for the future of astronomy outreach and communication.This topic will also be reported on during the talk, with the hope that the outreach activities identified during CAP 2018 for the IAU anniversary can gain new supporters from IAU members.The CAP Conference is one of the largest gatherings focused on astronomy communication in the world. The conferences are organised by Commission C2 of the International Astronomical Union in partnership with local organisers, roughly every two years since 2005. The CAP 2018 conference is organised in cooperation with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and Fukuoka City.
Astronomy Translation Network (ATN)
Shibata, Yukiko
Language barriers act as constraints to share and access information, resources, activities, and experiences in astronomy outreach and education among educators, teachers, and amateurs around the world. To address this issue, and in direct alignment with the IAU Strategic Plan for the next decade, the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and collaborators initiated a new project: the “Astronomy Translation Network.” The project aims to share resources for astronomy education and outreach in different languages by connecting volunteer translation efforts in a global network. As any pioneer - the project being the first to try to implement a sustainable large global network for translations in astronomy communication - the challenges faced are many. Here we discuss how to maintain the quality check on translations, provide worthy astronomy content, and motivate volunteers through the initial results of the project. We present how the network is now being planned and discuss the three main phases predicted; test of the workflow; development of the web platform; and improvement of functions, contents, and distributions.
Addressing a billion different needs - lessons from India
Ramanujam, Niruj
An organisation like the IAU has its strength in its global nature, encompassing all nations and peoples. This naturally aligns with a vision of astronomy for everyone, and the belief in a shared sky. In practice, both the needs of each participant as well as the motivations of each outreach professional differ widely, and are culture dependent. Combining these seemingly disparate claims on the IAU necessitates a degree of political awareness, sensitivity and democracy. The upcoming campaign around 100 years of the IAU will be one such exercise. I will try and address some of these issues based on the collective experience of the science communication community in India over many decades, as well as my personal experience as the Chairperson of the Public Outreach and Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India.
IAU Strategic Plan Synergies
Govender, Kevin
The IAU has drafted a strategic plan for the 2020-2030 decade. A key part of this plan is the outreach/communications section, which needs to synergise with other parts of the plan such as the "astronomy for development" part. My contribution to the panel discussion will be to reflect on such synergies between IAU offices and to indicate potential areas for collaboration betwen the OAO and the OAD.
Effectively Navigating the Media Landscape
Christensen, Lars Lindberg
In this panel discussion, we will look at best (and worst) practices at all stages of the astronomy media relations process. We aim to raise and discuss the questions that are of most interest to three main audiences: scientists (who make newsworthy discoveries), Public Information Officers (who work with scientists to turn those discoveries into press releases and/or presentations at press conferences), and journalists/science writers who receive those press releases and then decide whether to write or produce a story based on them.These are some of the questions we aim to discuss:Are press releases still relevant in the astronomy ecosystem?What makes an astronomy story newsworthy?The good, the bad and the ugly of media attention for new discoveriesThe importance of visuals in astronomy press workDo's and Don'ts for organisational press work
Astronomy and host communities - considerations of science, culture, environment and relationships with host communities
Squires, Gordon
For modern astronomy projects, we need to think expansively about the permeable boundaries of host communities given our networked world, and refresh traditional thinking about relationships with the host communities for our projects. In this presentation, we discuss the implications and strong desires for people to be connected to a “community” and whether there are opportunities for astronomy in this regard. We also consider the implications of astronomy facilities co-existing in special locations for host communities (often mountains) and the implications when culture and sensitive environmental ecosystems intersect with astronomy. We also touch on how trust in science may be effecting our work. To frame this discussion, we draw on our experiences with the TMT International Observatory. For the past 10 years we have been developing relationships in Hawaii Island, and more recently in La Palma - possible locations for installation of the telescope. A review of some of our efforts provides insights and direction on how to merge the diverse goals.
Outreach Action and Advocacy in the Context of IAU’s 2020-2030 Strategic Plan
Cheung, Sze-leung
This is a panel discussion of under the theme "Outreach Action and Advocacy in the Context of IAU’s 2020-2030 Strategic Plan". In the panel discussions, we wish the following topics will be discussed Addressing key aspects of the IAU 2020-2030 Strategic Plan Supporting IAU research scientists in their outreach Supporting amateur astronomers and other volunteers in their outreach Developing and coordinating astronomy information and resources dissemination plans Working with UNESCO, ICSU/ISSC, etc. for more inclusive outreach
Panel discussion of NOC activities in N.American and European Region
Tsinganos, Kanaris
This is a panel discussion of the IAU National Outreach Contacts (NOCs) activities in the N.American and European Region. The NOC network was established in 2012 by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) to coordinate worldwide astronomy outreach activities. These panel discussion will invite the NOCs from the N.American and European region to discuss about their activities and issues.
Panel discussion of NOC activities in Asia-Pacific Region
Dhurde, Samir
This is a panel discussion of the IAU National Outreach Contacts (NOCs) activities in the Asia-Pacific Region. The NOC network was established in 2012 by the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO) to coordinate worldwide astronomy outreach activities. It seems necessary to have regular discussions among NOCs, in particular those that represent regions with many countries having similar geographic, social or economic distributions. This panel discussion will invite the NOCs from the Asia-Pacific region to discuss about their activities and issues during the Focus Meeting 14 of the IAU General Assembly.
Reaching the Most Underserved and Dispossessed through Astronomy
Simmons, Mike
Astronomers Without Borders programs for sharing resources within and via the astronomy community have focused primarily on helping those who remain outside the resource and distribution networks of the many organizations already supporting traditionally underserved communities. The Big Impact Giving (BIG) program crowdfunds resources needed by established programs in developing countries where certain resources, such as small telescopes, are difficult or impossible to acquire. Eclipse glasses for the 2017 eclipse in the USA, donated by other organizations for distribution by AWB, were sent to children’s cancer hospitals, retirement homes, troubled children residential facilities, and other institutions that were not part of the networks that distributed millions of donated eclipse glasses. Since the 2017 eclipse, AWB has collected two million eclipse glasses for use by schools during future eclipses taking place around the world, beginning with the 2019 and 2020 total and annular eclipses in South America and Asia, respectively. Efforts will be made to distribute the glasses to rural and isolated areas, where they will be particularly difficult to acquire. AWB’s Telescopes to Tanzania educational program has expanded throughout the country but was created initially to serve an isolated mountain community. While there are no restrictions for participation in AWB’s Building on the Eclipse STEM Education Program, it was designed for easy implementation in schools where resources are lacking. Efforts are underway to expand this established STEM education program, which now requires very little funding to implement, to schools in developing countries. School programs in astronomy are particularly important for introducing STEM in underserved areas and to underserved populations because of astronomy’s accessibility to both teachers and students with minimal investment.
AAS Nova and Astrobites as Bridges Between Astronomy Communities
Kohler, Susanna
Education and outreach in astronomy often focuses on communicating broad astronomical concepts. But how can educators and outreach practitioners also share current astronomical research results with students and the public, conveying both the process of science and the excitement of new discoveries? AAS Nova and Astrobites are two resources freely available to the astronomy community and the general public, intended to help readers learn about the most recent research published across the field of astronomy. Both supported by the American Astronomical Society, these two daily astrophysical literature blogs provide accessible summaries of recent publications in AAS journals and on the arXiv. As both AAS Nova and Astrobites directly distill original studies, these resources constitute a critical bridge between astronomy researchers and educators, outreach practitioners, and the broader astronomy community. The material on these two websites — which includes a total archive of more than 2,500 research study summaries — is written accessibly while still providing access to the original sources and outcomes. As a result, AAS Nova and Astrobites can be used by educators and outreach practitioners to easily introduce the latest in astronomical research studies into classrooms and outreach events.
SPACE SUITE -- Telling a 10-billion-year-long story in 1 min 20 sec
Matthews, Jaymie
The four-part challenge: (1) Capture the attention of a television viewer or web surfer and hold it for a couple of minutes. (2) In that time -- with images, few words of text and rarely narration -- teach and inspire them about astronomy and space. (3) Synchronise it all with classical music. (4) Achieve steps (1) -- (3) on a budget of 4000 euro per episode.The 30-episode solution: SPACE SUITE. Commissioned by Knowledge Network (the provincial educational television network of British Columbia, Canada), Space Suite segments cover everything from the life story of our Sun (condensed into 1 min 20 sec), the mythology and science of the aurora, galactic collisions, our fascination with Mars, stellar nucleosynthesis, light pollution, to astronomical art, and more.With mostly text which could be translated into any language, and music which is universal, Space Suite is a cost-effective format for astronomy education of all ages on many different platforms around the world. Become an audience for Space Suite and find out how you could compose your own series of space-astronomy 'music videos'.
Globe at Night: Citizen-Science Assessing the Darkness of our Skies
Walker, Connie
Globe at Night (GaN) encourages citizen-scientists worldwide to record the brightness of the night sky. During ten-days per month of moonless evenings, children and adults match the appearance of a constellation with star maps of progressively fainter stars found at www.globeatnight.org/webapp/. In the 12 years of the program, over 175,000 observations from 180 countries have been contributed to the campaign.The GaN (open) database is a source of research projects. With GaN, citizen-scientists measured the darkness of the daytime sky for the total solar eclipse (TSE) in the USA in 2017. (Plans are forming for the TSE in Chile in 2019.) Students conducted research to understand the lesser long-nosed bats’ avoidance of city center at night. On-the-fly mapping enables citizen-scientists to see contributed observations immediately. The 12 campaigns per year offer 4 ways of taking measurements. The online app for data submission is in 28 languages. STEM activities allow young children and problem-based learning activities for older students to experience real-life scenarios: role-playing sea turtles hatching (misdirected by lights on shore) or analyzing an ISS image of Houston to estimate the wasted energy, cost and carbon footprint. In-situ and on-line workshops have been given on using GaN in all its capacities, as well as for the activities. Our Facebook page exists to encourage dialogue and bring cutting edge news. To entice interest, we had monthly newsletters and serial podcasts starring the Dark Skies Crusader. GaN has been part of special campaigns like with the National Park Service and the National Geographic BioBlitz. Partnerships also include SciStarter (working with participants), Fieldscope (working with data analysis), and STARS4ALL (working with other light pollution initiatives). We have built a community of practitioners in various ways worldwide and plan to continue to help reduce the effects of light pollution through awareness and action.