Andean Region

  • Setup the program for the OAD Workshop at the Latin American Regional IAU Meeting 2016.
  • Gave feedback to 40+ OAD expressions of interest. Decided to support twelve of them (6 TF1, 5 TF2, 1 TF3). Started to work directly with three projects.
  • Will have our first Steering Committee Meeting September 29, 2016.

Arab World and Arabic Language

  • Qatar Project for the discovery of extra-solar planets (Lecture); July 21, 2016
  • New Horizons: recent developments (Lecture); July 7, 2016
  • Observational instruments in astronomy (Lecture); August 4, 2016
  • Astronomy Observational Workshop; August 7, 2016
  • Observational Camp
    (Perseids’ meteor showers); August 11, 2016
  • Space Exploration: Past, Present & Future; August 18, 2016
  • Solar Energy: Principles & Practice (Lecture); August 25, 2016
  • Solving the Schrodinger Cat Dilemma (Lecture); September 1, 2016
  • Global Navigation Satellite Systems (Lecture) September 8, 2016
  • The Moon-Earth-Sun Movements (Lecture); September 29, 2016

East Africa

  • Prepared annual plan for 2009 EFY
  • Conducted Cultural Astronomy in Ethiopia
  • Submitted 2 proposals to OAD/IAU
  • Submitted 1 proposal to ICSU
  • Launched MEARIM-program to be hosted from April 10-15, 2017
  • Strengthen our collaboration with our partners

East Asia and Chinese Language

  • Public talks throughout China: 3 at high schools, 1 at primary school, 1 at Beijing planetarium
  • Further engagement in curriculum development in new astronomy departments at universities (Qiannan Normal College for Nationalities in Guizhou province; China-West Normal University in Sichuan)
  • EA-ROAD visit to Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and summer school
  • Monthly articles in the Amateur Astronomer magazine
  • Two EA-ROAD publications (Institute of Physics/IOP Life blog, 2016 / The Winnower, 2016)

Portuguese Language

  • PLOAD website is up with logo (http://pload.org/)
  • Two new partnerships and MOU are ready to sign: Coimbra Astronomical Observatory (Coimbra University) and Astronomical Portuguese Society.
  • An agreement with Ciência Viva (Portuguese agency for the promotion of public awareness of Science and Technology in Portugal) was held
  • New science trails in Principe are being prepared– to be shared with other Portuguese speaking countries.
  • PLOAD was presented on Brazilian Astronomical Society, in local universities and on the Brazilian Planetarium Society meetings.
  • The first steps to develop the field of astronomy in Cape Verde are ongoing and collaborations between PLOAD coordination and PLOAD Brazil are being fruitful.

South East Asia

Upcoming Events

    • 71st ASEAN COST- ASEAN Committees on Science and Technology Meeting
    • Thai Government and UNESCO Agreement Signing Ceremony for the establishment of International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO
    • New comer at NARIT: We are going to have one new staff in the department of Foreign Affairs who can help us to work for SEAROAD and UNESCO

South West and Central Asia

  • Mar-Oct 2016: OAD project AstroTourism conduction
  • Jun 2016: Kazakhstan and Tajikistan joining SWA ROAD (renaming to SWCA ROAD)
  • Aug 2016: Iran mission (Areg and Sona): Workshop, discussions
  • Sep 2016: IAU SWCA ROAD Steering Committee telecon
  • Sep 2016: 5BISS with participation of 3 Georgian, 4 Iranian and 1 Turkish students and 1 Georgian and 1 Uzbek lecturers
  • Sep 2016: SREAC meeting (Areg and Sinan Alis (Turkey) participating)
    Forthcoming: Oct 2016: ArAS School Lectures

Southern Africa

  • The Steering Committee of the SA ROAD has been appointed.
  • The regional node has responded to the OAD’s call for proposals by
submitting up to 13 proposals (going by number of expression of
interest).
  • The Copperbelt University funded the local expenses for
6 members of staff who mounted viewing sites in 7 different districts
of Zambia namely Lusaka (helped by staff from the University of
Zambia), Kitwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Serenje, Mpika, Chinsali and Isoka.
  • Funding for the regional school is to be finalized this week and 
invitations will be sent to facilitators.
  • Dr Sohan Jheeta will be returning in November to:
      Inaugurate the telescopes that he is donating to both Copperbelt
University and the University of Malawi;
      Give lectures and talks at universities, colleges and schools;
      Set up astronomy clubs in Kitwe and Blantyre; and
 Collaborate with the universities to seek to raise funding from OAD
for the mobile planetarium (AZOP and AMOP) projects planned for early
next year

West Africa