Projects Presentation Day: Stories of Impact (2022 projects)

Every year, the Office of Astronomy for Development, through the International Astronomical Union, provides grants and supports projects around the world that apply astronomy in the pursuit of sustainable development. In 2022, the OAD funded 17 projects for a total of €109,822. These projects were run by multidisciplinary teams and addressed local and global challenges through astronomy-related innovations.

The selected initiatives include a community-empowerment project in Nepal; school and university-level astronomy interventions in Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria; astro-tourism projects in Mongolia, the US Virgin islands, India and Tanzania; an educational project for displaced children in Burkina Faso; virtual mentorship programmes in Colombia and Central America and Caribbean countries; and teacher training programmes in Malaysia and Peru.

As projects draw to a close, they will present their outcomes, achievements, and challenges on Friday, Feb 24, 2023. Each project will give a short presentation to an invited audience of stakeholders in the field of astronomy for impact. Through this exercise, the OAD aims to expand awareness of the  contributions of astronomy and basic sciences to development and inspire further interventions globally.

The OAD is a joint initiative of the South African National Research Foundation, through its Department of Science and Innovation, and the International Astronomical Union

Kindly register below to receive the zoom meeting link.

UTC

Friday, Feb 24

Agenda
12:00 – 12:05 Welcome
12:05 – 13:00 Presentations (part 1)
  Astronomy training outreach for preschool teachers in Malaysia
  Astro-tourism with nomadic herder in forest area of Mongolia
  Bringing radio astronomy to classrooms with affordable radio telescopes, Nigeria
  Astro-tourism development in Tanzania
  Astronomy for community empowerment in Nepal
  Education for All: promoting education in internally displaced communities in Burkina Faso
  SciGirls — Empowering girls in science through astronomy, Ethiopia
  Guide training workshop for tribal students, India
  Astrolab 2022, Africa
  Astronomy in Ghana
  Q&A
13:00 – 14:00 Presentations (part 2)
  Acornhoek Physics Summer School, South Africa
  Mobile Astronomy Village, Benin
  CosmoAmautas: Virtual teacher training in vulnerable regions in Peru
  Beyond the Beach: Foundations for Caribbean Astro-tourism
  Astro3DBol— Archeoastronomy Teaching Kit in Bolivia
  A virtual community mentorship program for development in Colombia
  Cenca Bridge, Central America & Caribbean
  Q&A and Introductions by new 2023 projects