Session 5 – ORALS

Astronomy can be challenging to effectively teach at the best of times, being an inherently complex and abstract research topic. Under normal circumstances a lecture with 2D telescope images is often the go-to for informal education settings, such as school workshops and public events. However, as visual technologies have made massive leaps and bounds in the past decade, so has the people’s expectations, and we must keep up in physics if we want to continue inspiring the next generation. Prior to the pandemic we developed a successful 3D hologram workshop program – which enabled researchers to provide a fun, interactive talks to explain complex topics in an easy-to-understand format in informal education settings, all while capturing the imagination of participants.
In the pandemic world we now find ourselves in (where virtual talks are the norm) the need to employ technology to provide an innovative, powerful, highly effective and attention grabbing experience is an essential! In this talk we will discuss the results and feedback from our pre-pandemic workshops, then demonstrate how with a little bit of effort (and no budget) you can make your own 3D holograms to accompany virtual talks which your audience can then arts-and-craft project into their own living rooms.
Example of the 3D holograms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raLo8TmMImY

We shall present with examples how analysis of astronomy data can be used for an educational purpose to train students in methods of data analysis, statistics, programming skills and science cases. Special reference will be made to our IAU-OAD project on «Astronomy from Archival Data» where we are in the process of building a repository of instructional videos and reading material for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Virtual Observatory tools will also be discussed and applied. As this is an ongoing project, by the time of the conference we will have the projects and work done by students included in our presentation. The material produced can be freely used by the community.

A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is an instructional model that integrates scientific research with education by giving introductory-level undergraduate students an opportunity to do authentic research with real data. Its goals are threefold: (1) to teach that science is a process of discovery, not just a body of knowledge, (2) to improve attitudes towards science and STEM careers, and (3) to develop critical thinking, teamwork and goal-driven work skills that are important in any career path.
We have developed several authentic research projects in astronomy; e.g., recovery observations of near-Earth asteroids, searching for classical novae in M31, and measuring the photometric redshifts of distant galaxies. Each project uses real astronomical data from professional observatories to investigate authentic research questions for which the answers are not known. In other words, in order to learn science, students are given the opportunity to actually do science. The results of participating student research have been submitted to scientific databases, presented at professional conferences, and published in refereed journals.
In my talk I will discuss how CUREs work, the benefits for students, and how large datasets, e.g., from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, will enable future investigations for those without access to telescopes.

Astronomy education is an efficient means of attracting people to study science and not just astronomy. We teach astronomy at the college of the University. Not all students are from STEM areas in our classes, so we adapt the class to be at an algebra-based level and keep the interest of all students with no science mayors. Fortunately, astronomy is a multidisciplinary science and the diversity in the majors of the students, allows us to cover all fields of interest. Our goal is not only to teach astronomy to what will clearly be STEM students, but to make all students fall in love with the science of the stars. Our non-traditional method of using real data and observations for our classes has the objective of show a hint of the real work that astronomers do we look that they try to find from that knowledge possible applications in the everyday life. We are hopeful that some of those non-STEM students will one day convert to STEM majors or at least support science from its future job positions. I have been teaching online astronomy for three years in asynchronous mode and one year in synchronous mode, also the regular face to face class. Professor Carreto had taught astronomy for more than 12 years in face to face mode.
The methodology used consists in three synergies: the first with the Tortugas Mountain Observatory, the second with the education program of the Vera Rubin Observatory (LSST) and the third with Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We use in our classes literacy to do a laboratory of exoplanets.
We use observations from regular research observatories for the class, and we use our synergies to work a big data analysis in the computer laboratory with the students.
Online classes allow us to be more inclusive with all students regardless of disability, where they live, or their study schedule. Every semester we try to publish one paper including the most interested students in these projects or laboratories. We introduce them to feel part of the citizen science.
Using CANVAS and Blackboard platforms we design discussions, based in recent published articles, with students, in this way they can think and discuss trending and hot topics.
Finally, we introduce an innovation in education, with support of the aerospace program in the college and one supervisor from NASA we have one special final work related to one city in the space.

I will present several examples of projects for students and teachers using data and resources from the Faulkes Telescope Project and the National Schools’ Observatory. Both projects have recently celebrated their 15th anniversary and both provide free access via the internet to 2-metre robotic telescopes. Each project contains supporting material on several aspects of astronomy.
I will show examples of IBSE (Inquiry-Based Science Education) type activities, designed to be ’teacher-free’, as extended projects for students interested in aspects of astronomy and space science. These include the study of, and background to, open clusters and population studies of exoplanets. As a recent addition to these projects, I will discuss a Citizen Science project, initially using data from Type Ia supernovae discovered by Gaia Alerts. Users are instructed how to perform browser-based photometry on these images using their data to add additional datapoints to the Hubble Plot, enabling them to measure the expansion rate and age of the Universe.
These projects use real data and allow students to explore the science of these objects as well as associated STEM topics such as graph plotting and measuring uncertainties. These projects allow exploration of data archives from the Faulkes Telescope Project and National Schools’ Observatory.
Other simpler activities are suitable for younger pupils and all are intended to further students’ knowledge of science and mathematics, while also improving computer literacy and communications skills, strengthening critical thinking and allowing them to experience real-world applications in science and technology.
Based in South Wales, the Faulkes Telescope Project provides free access, via both queue-scheduled and real-time observations, to a global network of 2-metre, 1-metre and 0.4-metre telescopes. The National Schools’ Observatory (NSO) is located at Liverpool John Moores University. It has a mission to enable «Access to the Universe for All» and provides access to the 2-metre Liverpool Telescope on La Palma.