Author Archives: Ram Venugopal

Virtual Program in Peru Improves Rural Teachers’ Scientific Competence

The goal of the CosmoAmautas project is to increase the scientific literacy in Peruvian school teachers and promote equity and inclusion in STEM education through teacher training. In 2022, we ran a 6-day virtual workshop to train 74 teachers in several topics across astrophysics with focus on applications of the scientific method. The participants were […]

Workshops Build Solar Eclipse Sonification Devices

The LightSound Project is building and distributing solar eclipse sonification devices across the United State, Mexico, and Canada in preparation for the upcoming October 14, 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse and the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. The project runs workshops to teach students and adults how to solder while building devices that are then […]

CanSat Ghana Elementary Campaign 2023

CanSat Ghana uses space-based techniques (actual space-based mission) to build & develop a sustainable approach to teaching & learning the basic sciences while developing hands-on skills, building capacity & human resource in Space science & Astronomy. Space engineering, instrumentation & learning, based on the experimental satellite (Cansat) design/mission concept, enables students to gain hands-on experience […]

Astronomy and Literature to Strengthen Public School Education

Although the majority of Brazil’s population is composed of black people and women, there is still an underrepresentation of women, black, LGBTQIA+ and indigenous people in the sciences, especially in Physics and Astronomy. In collaboration with pedagogues and cultural agents from our universities (UFRGS and UFRJ), Casa da Tia Ciata (Cultural Centre) and public schools, […]

Astro-tourism Guide Training in Malaysia

A diverse team, including a cultural anthropologist, a camera expert, an astrophysicist, and an entrepreneur, collaborated to train the inaugural batch of astronomy guides in Malaysia. The participants in this program come from various professional backgrounds such as city tour guides, naturalists, tourism operators, and amateurs. To equip them with profound knowledge and skills, we […]