Regional Offices Activities: JUL-SEP 2021

Andean

Arab

  • The office organized, with the Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS), the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science (AUASS) and some other Jordanian & Arab institutions, several public lectures, seminars, and courses via Zoom

East Africa

  • Dr.Solomon Belay, previous Director of Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute, was elected as an IAU vice president and Dr. Mirjana Povic from ESSTI as a member of special nominating committee from East Africa.
  • Ethiopian Space kids club summer camp was held from 15 July to 26 August. lead and supervised by East African Office.
  • The office, together with ESSTI, is coordinating and organizing ‘The belt and road youth space maker camp 2021’ and ‘NASA space app challenge.

East Asia

  • Public outreach in Guangzhou: visit to high schools and give a series of lectures

Europe

North America

  • The NA-ROAD continues to have biweekly meetings and in the process of seating an Advisory Board that is representative of its focus areas and regions.

Portuguese Language

  • Several presentations made by PLOAD at the European Astronomical Society Annual meeting – “Astronomy for Development” by Gustavo Rojas and Sara Anjos and “Astronomy in Brazil: is science racialized?” by Alan Brito
  • “OruMbya” project (supported by OAD) featured at the UN Science Summit

South East Asia

  • NARIT, as the hub of SEA-ROAD, co-organized with the Institute Technology od Bandung (ITB), Indonesia the International Virtual Conference (IVC) on “Astro-statistics and Machine Learning” during 2-13 August 2021.
  • A webinar on the title of “The History of Southeast Asian Astronomy (focused on Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand)”, which was organized by the National Planetarium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • SEA-ROAD also acts, currently, as a node for creating an “IAU Pro-Am Relations Program” in the Southeast Asia region which aims to link some joint astronomical activities between professional and amateur astronomers

South West And Central Asia

  • The office contributed to the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory 75th anniversary works – BAO-75 book, BAO-75 Expo, 7th Byurakan Science Camp (7BSC), International Symposium.
  • Astronomy Day was organized in Armenia with public events, mass visits at BAO, public lectures, observations, etc.

Southern Africa

  • The Pan African School of Emerging Astronomers (PASEA) which was planned for this year November has been pushed to October 2022 due to COVID-19.
  • The SAROAD Steering Committee is being expanded from 7 to 9 members.

West Africa

  • New countries joined the West African Regional Office – Benin, Sierra Leone, Chad and Togo.
  • Astronomy Discovery Days online event was organized in Togo with the theme  “Astronomy, education and sustainable development.”
  • NASE teacher training program on basic astronomy was held in Benin.
  • Development of Africa through Radio Astronomy (DARA) practical training took place at the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory for participants from Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana.
  • Hands-On Astronomy Curriculum Training for Primary and Secondary School Teachers (HOACTS) was organized in Ondo State, Nigeria in July 2021.