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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Nature Astronomy has published a selection of News and Comment articles focusing on Astronomy in Africa. (use the links below to view them outside of the paywall) Editorial The potential of astronomy for socioeconomic development in Africa by the team at the Office of Astronomy for Development and Tawanda …
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What is Astronomy for Development? A short introduction on how astronomy can influence society and how the tools of astronomy are being applied to solve challenges in food production, wildlife conservation, urban planning etc. Examples from projects funded by the OAD as well as other projects such as the STFC …
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OAD funds and coordinates projects that aim to use astronomy to impact on one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It may not be obvious to everyone how the tools, methods and content of the field of Astronomy are relevant to the SDGs. However, below are some …
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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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In this guest blog, Megan Ray Nichols explores some ways in which developments in Astronomy and space have influenced the energy sector Modern astronomy has roots dating back to the earliest cultures on Earth and, although we have high-tech tools and gadgetry that make it possible to study the science without …
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In this guest blog, Megan Ray Nichols explores some ways in which developments in Astronomy and space have made their way into the aerospace sector Of all the flights that people take, none top the flights into space, whether to launch humans or satellites that peer into our univese. Such work has …
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Continuing the series of blogs, Megan Ray Nichols explores some ways in which developments in Astronomy and space have made their way into the medical field As long as there have been people with questions, there have been people looking to the stars for answers. While asking the stars for answers …
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