The OAD shared a booth with the Office of Astronomy Outreach at the IAU General Assembly 2015 in Honolulu, Hawaii. For two weeks, we coordinated all our activities from the stand. It acted as the meeting point for our global network and for several Astronomy for Development discussions. Our team, along with the OAO, explained the purposes and activities of the IAU offices to visitors from around the world. OAD highlights from the 2015 GA:-
During the first week, Dr. Wanda Diaz, leader of the OAD AstroSense Programme, conducted an exciting experiment at the booth. The Sound to See Better experiment tested a tool that uses sound as an adjunct for visual processing and for facilitating the identification of signal in noisy data. The tool is designed to enhance one’s ability to spot low-level features in data and to facilitate data analysis by scientists with impaired vision.
OAD Visiting Fellow Silvia Verdolini helped run the Young Astronomers Lunch, where students and young astronomers had the opportunity to meet experienced professionals.
The OAD hosted a Focus Meeting titled “Astronomy for Development”. (presentations can be downloaded in pdf)
Agreements for 5 new OAD Regional Offices were signed at a media event.
The OAD was involved in several activities during the GA – participation in meetings of IAU Division C (Education, Outreach and Heritage), as well as the new IAU Executive Committee; several engagements with the IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group; a meeting of the OAD regional coordinators; a meeting of the OAD Steering Committee; collaboration meeting at the Institute for Astronomy with NASA and their ATLAS telescope project; and several other side meetings.
OAD participated in the Global Hands on Universe and Galileo Teacher Training Programme international workshop in Hawaii
A resolution was passed by the General Assembly for the continuation of the OAD until 2021.
Launch of new volunteer and mentorship systems
Links:
IAU General Assembly 2015 website
Focus Meeting 20: Astronomy for Development
New Regional Offices signing media event