Session 6 – ORALS

The communication project “Herschel and the invisible end of the rainbow” features the year 1800 discovery and today’s application of infrared radiation by divers methods and by using different media in order to reach a wide audience. The discovery of the sun’s infrared radiation through the Herschels is demonstrated in a creative way by the publication and performance of a theatre play and accompanying audioplay. The documentation of the historical discovery, which changed both science and our daily life, is further supplemented by background information e.g. on the role of women in science in the late 18th and early 19th century. By this, the history of the discovery of infrared radiation becomes alive and easily comprehensible. Additionally, we carry out interactive experiments and demonstrations using a capable thermal infrared camera by which a mostly unknown and strange infrared world becomes visible for all generations. Our recent findings with the infrared space telescope Herschel are used to exemplify modern science use. With this colourful, diverse and interactive communication concept, which is easily extendable and adoptable, we already took part in several science festivals, workshops and training events. Check out our project website https://space.univie.ac.at/en/projects/rainbow/

On the occasion of celebration of moon landing (2019) we designed a set of educational activities for the youngest, based on the moon. We wanted to talk, play and engage young people reflecting and enjoying different points of view and demystifying the idea of science and scientists in a personal and meaningful journey. After this year of experimentation we also engaged with public schools co-designing and tailoring those activities despite the current sanitarian crisis. We will describe a physical artifact called ‘Lunatario’ and its 3d printable version together with multidisciplinary educational activities and our temptative documentation. We will also describe how, with the help of a very diverse team, we embedded other media in our moon exploration. We work in particular with picture books and animation. We believe this is a great way to engage young people with STEAM.

The language we speak, the culture in which we grew up and where we come from have a tremendous impact on the way we learn astronomy. In a world predominantly dominated by social media and information around the globe, it is not easy to find a way to learn in-depth astronomy in a language other than English. Additionally, the historical predominance of western culture has influenced the way our modern society sees the world, and of course, the sky.
In the present talk, I will share my experience working at the Planetarium of Santiago de Chile as Outreach coordinator and Science advisor, where we explored different strategies to reach diverse communities throughout the country, like the creation of the School network of Radio Astronomy, itinerant astronomy exhibitions, online resources and activity kits, to bring the astronomy closer to broader audiences.
Even though the construction of world-renowned astronomical observatories in Chile has boosted the interest in astronomy on the community, many challenges have not yet been addressed. In that line, we created an exhibition called: ” The Universe south of the world: a celestial heritage”, where we worked with the Chilean indigenous population to raise awareness about their culture, traditions, and to include their ancestral heritage into the global picture of today’s astronomy. Finally, as part of the IAU Astronomy Translation Network, I will present the projects I have been involved in, the importance of learning astronomy in our own language, how members of different nationalities can collaborate in a diverse environment and how feasible is to implement similar initiatives in science education that can assure inclusion, diversity, and equity in our countries.

REINFORCE (Research Infrastructures FOR citizens in Europe) is a Research & Innovation Project, supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 SWAFS “Science with and for Society” work programme, which aims toengage and support citizens to cooperate with researchers to make a genuine contribution to managing open data and to actively contribute in the development of new knowledge for the needs of science and society. The expectation is that more than 100,000 citizens will be engaged in the research done in Large Research Infrastructures through a participatory design methodology that will take into account the special characteristics of different target groups and their attitudes and knowledge regarding science. They will use real and simulated data for analysis and new tools to measure properties of “messengers”, such as cosmic rays and gravitational waves, exploring the benefit of a multi-modal approach, which will also permit the inclusion of citizens that have not been considered in relation to this kind of project, such as blind and neuro-diverse people. This will be done via a user-centered approach, focusing on their perceptions, while also inviting all citizens to access the data using a new paradigm. To reach this goal, dedicated training activities on the use and analysis of data will permit citizens to perform their own inquiries, under the guidance of the REINFORCE experts. Finally, this project aims, through the analysis of indicators, to measure the impact of citizen-science activities and to be a guide for other groups planning to open their educational activities to all.

Astronomy is the oldest science in the world. It was studied from the earliest age of civilization. Students in primary level listen to the description of the sky in their Environment class. Their perception about the nature develops from this stage. But still now, in Indian villages, most of the students do not learn to observe the sky. They have not ever seen a telescope. So, it is important to give astronomy literacy to initiate their motive on science.
Philosophically astronomy teaching is essential in this sense that it will be their tool of thought process. Small models on astronomy make them motivated towards science. So, for future STEM career astronomy will be helpful.
The general public of different background may get help for their critical thinking method from astronomy. Astronomy short course may bring astronomy literacy to all. This paper wants to expose astronomy culture in Indian villages through astronomy.