Coordinator: Dr. Sonali Raje
07Thu
Coordinator: Prof. Jyotsna Vijapurkar
Ramasamy Venugopal, Office of Astronomy for Development, South Africa
The IAU established the Office of Astronomy for Development in 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa, to implement the goals envisioned in the IAU Strategic Plan for 2010-20, i.e., to use astronomy to stimulate education and development globally. To achieve these goals, the OAD coordinates and funds a number of projects as well as undertakes collaborations internationally.
Since its inception, 100+ projects have been funded globally and nine regional offices have been established. Projects range from activities that use Astronomy to inspire students to take up STEM, astronomy outreach for underrepresented groups, applying Astronomy tools and methods for development challenges, as well as teacher training and workshops/education projects in Astronomy. This talk will provide a brief update on the OAD and its activities, our future goals & explore overlapping areas of interest. http://astro4dev.org/
Ramasamy Venugopal is the project & communications manager at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development in Cape Town, South Africa. He has a background in engineering and space science & technology. He is also involved in space advocacy & volunteers for World Space Week and Space Generation Advisory Council under the United Nations. His interests include science communication & science for development.