This symposium marks the launch of the special issue ‘Karoo Futures: Astronomy in place and space’ of the Journal of Southern African Studies. The special issue is the result of an interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars in the social sciences and humanities on astronomy in South Africa, and particularly South Africa’s …
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Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) and Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have entered into a formal collaboration for AHLC and this project will now officially be a part of IIA’s outreach program. Through this collaboration, we will be able to leverage IIA’s expertise in training the locals on astronomy and handling …
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As the big data deluge continues across the world amidst privacy concerns, various groups are beginning to utilise it as a ‘force for good’. Astronomers are not far behind, applying their big data skills to tackle societal challenges. Challenges in public health, disaster management and environmental protection may be addressed …
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Vietnam is one of the places where OAD funding has had a massive impact, due to the work of a dedicated team of amateur astronomers at the Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astrononomy Club (HAAC). The HAAC, supported by the OAD, succeeded in bringing together most of the amateur astronomy …
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Columba Hypatia is a OAD funded project used astronomy as a tool for promoting meaningful communication and a culture of peace and non-violence between the various communities living on the divided island of Cyprus. The island has been in a post-conflict environment for over 40 years, with its two main …
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela Astronomy for Literacy is a 2016 OAD funded project that focused on using Astronomy to improve literacy amongst middle school children in rural parts of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a small country …
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In the past, astronomy’s place in society was well understood. We relied on the moon and positions of stars to determine our calendars, we tracked the movements of planets and drew inspiration from the Milky Way. We raced to be first on the moon as a sign of progress and …
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It is important to note that the OAD forms part of a broader conversation around science-for-development. In exploring the world of “astronomy for development” it is ever more clear that all sciences have significant contributions that can be made in order to achieve global development goals. It is only through …
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We have established a national network of astronomers interested in public outreach to act as liaison between Brazilian astronomers and the press. The members actively pursue the appearance of national research in the press in order to counter the unbalanced coverage of international astronomy-related news; this in turn will bring …
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The Naval Hill Planetarium is presently the only digital planetarium in South Africa. Planetarium patrons come from vastly diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. In order to make pre-rendered shows (typically produced in developed countries in the northern hemisphere) accessible and relevant, we need to produce supporting full dome planetarium content …
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