IAU Commission 46 (Astronomy Education and Development)

See "IAU Commission 46 Terms of Reference, Rules and Guidelines" for further information on the various program groups.

* designates individuals who are neither a member of the IAU nor a consultant member of Commission 46.

International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA):

In the 1960's, the IAU created a programme named "International School for Young Astronomers" (ISYA) to support astronomy in developing countries. This programme is based on three-week schools for typically 30 students at academic levels between BSc and PhD. ISYA seeks to broaden the participants' perspective on astronomy through lectures from an international faculty on selected topics of astronomy, seminars, practical exercises and observations, and exchange of experiences. There is wide regional (multi-country) representation of both lecturers and students. When held in a country with a national astronomy program, part of the school may take place at an observatory site, for training in observational techniques and data reduction. An important goal of an ISYA is to reinforce and to structure the astronomy programme in the country where it takes place.

Financial support given by the ISYA is only for travel, both international and within the host country. The host institution must obtain the funds to cover expenses during the ISYA.

For details of the ISYA to be held in 2007 see: http://www.angkasa.gov.my/isya2007/index.html

Any information concerning the organisation of an ISYA can be obtained from Michele Gerbaldi - gerbaldi@iap.fr.

For list of previous schools click here.

Jean-Pierre de Greve (Chairman), jpdgreve@vub.ac.be
Kam-Ching Leung (Vice-Chairperson), kleung@unlserve.unl.edu

Teaching Astronomy for Development (TAD):

The TAD Program Group assists a country with little astronomy activity in the enhancement of the country's astronomy education and astronomical research in support of education. TAD is intended to assist a country with currently little astronomy that wants to enhance its astronomy education significantly or to enhance its astronomy research infrastructure in support of education. TAD operates on the basis of a proposal from a professional astronomy organization or on the basis of a contract between the IAU and an academic or governmental institution, usually a university. The Chairperson of the Program Group TAD, with the advice of other members of the PG, negotiates the proposal or contract so that the proposed activities fall within the financial and managing/supervisory capabilities of the IAU and have a good chance of being realized within a few years. An active local leader of the project must be clearly identified, but consideration will be given to supporting all the astronomical institutions in a country so that astronomy may progress on a national basis.

The membership of the PG is to include the Chairperson, the EC member of the OC, at least one advisor for each country in which there are current TAD activities, and, as an ex officio member, the Chairperson of the PG WWDA. All persons participating in financial decisions must be IAU members.

The capabilities of the TAD program are limited to assistance with university-level activities and in support of those TAD programs either already in place or for which a proposal has been accepted or contract completed. Examples of such assistance include the following:

1. the creation of university-level astronomy/astrophysics courses and the faculty training and equipment associated with the development and first offering of such courses;

2. a basic, largely educationally oriented research capability for faculty and students;

3. travel (i.e. transportation) costs of foreign visiting lecturers to the host country, of local scientists or technicians abroad for advanced training, and of local graduate (and in special, approved cases, bachelor-level) students for study at foreign universities; and

4. professional preparations needed as a prerequisite for plans to offer astronomy in schools and for the public.

TAD can provide advice about education of school teachers, but not financial support. The training of school teachers and the actual performance of school teaching and public outreach is considered to be part of a country's national resources.

Progress of each project is to be reviewed regularly, at least annually in connection with preparation of the next year’s budget, and evaluated in reference to the annual and long-range plans expressed in the original proposal or contract. After three years, a review of long-range plans is expected; this review will include an estimate of the time, typically six to nine years after the beginning of the project, when the goals of the project are probably accomplished and support by the IAU TAD program may end. The long-range review should include an outline of when or how continuing expenses (for journals, annual professional meetings, etc.) are to be taken over by local institutions.

When it becomes appropriate to consider new proposals from additional countries, the TAD Chairperson will announce this opportunity formally in the Information Bulletin and also by communication with astronomers in non-member countries, particularly those known to the PG WWDA.

To propose a project, please contact one of the co-chairpersons of this PG.

Edward Guinan (Co-chairperson), edward.guinan@villanova.edu
Laurence Marschall (Co-chairperson), marschal@gettysburg.edu
Armando Arellano Ferro, armando@astroscu.unam.mx
Khalil Chamcham, chamcham@star.cpes.susx.ac.uk
David Clarke, d.clarke@astro.gla.ac.uk
Nguyen Dinh Huan, dinhhuan@vol.vnn.vn
Nidia Morrell, nmorrell@oveja.lco.cl
Derek McNally, dmn@star.herts.ac.uk
John Percy, jpercy@credit.erin.utoronto.ca
Maria Cristina Pineda de Carias, mcarias@hondutel.hn
Nguyen Quang Rieu, Nguyen-quang.Rieu@obspm.fr

Programme Group for the Worldwide Development of Astronomy (PGWWDA):

The role of this PG is to visit countries with some astronomical expertise at tertiary (i.e. post high school) level, which are probably not IAU member states, but which would welcome some development of their capabilities in teaching and/or research in astronomy. As a result of making initial contact and paying these countries a visit at the institutions with at least one astronomer, a report will be written for the Commission 46 President and sent to the IAU Executive Committee. If the conditions were deemed favorable, then follow-up work by TAD or other program groups of Commission 46 may be appropriate.

One key target for this program group is to foster astronomical development in the 19 nations which currently have individual IAU members but which do not adhere to the IAU. In 2004 members of PGWWDA have made visits to Mongolia and Kenya with IAU support, and also to Iraq.

From time to time, PGWWDA organizes conferences or meetings on astronomy in developing countries. One such session was a Special Session of the IAU General Assembly in Manchester, UK in 2000 (proceedings publ. by Astron. Soc. Pacific, edited by A.H.Batten, 2001)

A longer term goal for WWDA in partnership with TAD could be to explore the possibilities of setting up a third-world institute for astronomy in a developing country, or to have a number of nodes to such an institute distributed through several geographical locations. The ICTP in Trieste could be a model.

To propose a project, please contact the Chairperson of this PG.

John Hearnshaw (Chairperson), john.hearnshaw@canterbury.ac.nz
Athem Alsabti, aalsabti@ulo.ucl.ac.uk
Alan Batten, alan.batten@hia.nrc.ca
Julietta Fierro, fierroju@servidor.unam.mx
Edward Guinan, edward.guinan@villanova.edu
Yoshihide Kozai, kozai@wave.plala.or.jp
Hugo Levato, hlevato@casleo.gov.ar
Hakim Malasan, hakim@sirius.as.itt.ac.id
Laurence Marschall, marschal@gettysbury.edu
Peter Martinez, peter@saao.ac.za
Jayant Narlikar jvn@iucaa.ernet.in
Pereira Osorio, jposorio@ic.up.pt
Jay Pasachoff, jmp@williams.edu
Kala Perkins, quasar9@mac.com
Jin Zhu, jinzhu@bjp.org.cn

Collaborative Programs (CP):

The Program Goup works on activities co-sponsored by UNESCO, COSPAR, UN, ICSU, etc, and interactions with other international organisations such as the International Dark-Sky Association.

Hans Haubold (Chairperson), haubold@kph.tuwien.ac.at
Johannes Andersen, ja@astro.ku.dk
Christopher Corbally, ccorbally@as.arizona.edu
David Crawford, dcrawford@noao.edu
Julieta Fierro, fierroju@servidor.unam.mx
Dale Smith, dsmith@newton.bgsu.edu
James C. White II, jwhite@rhodes.edu
Peter Willmore *, apw@star.sr.bham.ac.uk

Exchange of Astronomers:

To promote the exchange of astronomers, the IAU Commission provides a limited number of grants to cover travel expenses associated with medium to long
term visits abroad (three months or longer). These grants are open to faculty/staff members, post-doctoral fellows, or graduate students at recognized educational institutions or observatories. All visits must have the approval of the directors of both the host and the home institutions, and the visitors must plan on returning to their home institutions or countries at the completion of the visit.

A major goal of the program is to enhance the opportunities for exchanges between developing countries and established astronomical centers elsewhere in the world. Detailed rules and application procedures are available at http://physics.open.ac.uk/IAU46\travel.html.

John Percy (Chairperson), jpercy@utm.utoronto.ca
Kam-Ching Leung (Vice-chairperson), kleung@un1serve.un1.edu

National Liaisons on Astronomy Education:

Many countries have a National Liason, listed here. The exchange of information about astronomy education in different countries is important and in Commission 46 is facilitated mainly through the triennial national reports on astronomy education (but also through conferences organised by Commission 46 and via the Newsletter). The main duties of the National Liaisons are:

1. to write the triennial national report such as to be a valuable resource for countries wishing to enhance their astronomy education, and
2. to transmit to the educators of his/her own country the insights that they may gleam from the reports and conferences of Commission 46.

Barrie Jones (Chairperson), b.w.jones@open.ac.uk

Newsletter

The Newsletter is published twice a year, and is available (including back issues) here, where information on submission of material is also available.

Barrie Jones (Chairperson and Editor), b.w.jones@open.ac.uk
Tracey Moore (web pages), t.j.moore@open.ac.uk

Public Education at the time of Solar Eclipses:

This Program Group offers timely advice to countries that will experience a solar eclipse. It also offers advice about transits of the Sun by Venus and Mercury. It maintains a website at http://www.eclipses.info, and consults with local astronomers and newspapers.

Jay Pasachoff (Chairperson), jmp@williams.edu
Ralph Chou *, ralph.chou@sympatico.ca
Julieta Fierro, fierroju@servidor.unam.mx

Exchanges of Books, Journals, Equipment, etc:

Rajesh Kochhar, rkochhar2000@yahoo.com (Co-chairperson)
Susana Deustua, deustua@aas.org (Co-chairperson)
Mary Kadooka, kadooka@ifa.hawaii.edu

Other Organizing Committee Representatives:

Silvia Torres Peimbert, Executive Committee Representative,
Margarita Metaxa, m-metaxa@otenet.gr

In addition, there are National Liaisons from most of the countries which adhere to the IAU. There are unofficial liaison people from many other countries in which astronomical activity exists.