Kevin Govender: Astronomy and Developing Nations

International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Development:

Astronomy and Developing Nations

Kevin Govender [email protected]

GHOU, Hawaii, 4th August 2015

www.astro4dev.org

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Eli Grant [email protected]

ASTRONOMY

OPTICS

High-precision adaptive optics

COMPUTERS

Fastest hardware

Complex software

ELECTRONICS Most

sensitive detectors

Fastest clocks

SPACE

Satellite Miniaturization

Precision

PHYSICS

Laboratory of extremes

Making heavy elements

CHEMISTRY

Producing organic

molecules BIOLOGY

Building blocks of life

MATHEM-ATICS

Abstract thought

INSPIRATION

Career in science and technology

ANTHRO-POLOGY

Ancient civilizations

Our roots

HISTORY

Evolution of Universe

Our roots

PERSPECTIVE IMMENSITY OF

UNIVERSE

Tolerance and global citizenship

TECHNOLOGY AND SKILLS

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

CULTURE AND SOCIETY

ASTRONOMY

The IAU Strategic Plan 2010-2020:

Astronomy for Sustainable Development!

• Social benefits (common humanity, scientific engagement & discourse)

• Human capital development (education, skills, career choices)

• Economic growth (technology transfer, knowledge economy)

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Development?

• Health

• Human knowledge

• Education

• Environment

• Equality

• Wealth

• Human rights

Economics -Econometric evaluation -Game theory (predict agent interactions) -Macro & development theory

Education -Intervention models -What works -Theories of learning

Sociology -Structural location -Peer effects -Identities

Psychology -Cognition -Motivation -Bias -Behaviour change

Statistics -Causal evaluation -Measurement -Prediction

International development -Systems, policy context -Implementation -Needs, interactions

Medicine/Public health -Evaluation frameworks -Evaluation methods -Policy implementation

Science is more than a body of knowledge; it’s a way of thinking, a way of sceptically interrogating the universe. -Carl Sagan

OAD

Astronomy for Universities and

Research

Astronomy for Children and

Schools

Astronomy for the Public

Regional Coordination

OAD Steering Committee

“Astronomy for a better world!”

OAD Structure

7 1st Element: Foundations

OAD Regional Offices

East Asia/Chinese

China

South East Asia

Thailand

OAD

Global Office, South Africa

East-Africa

Ethiopia West Africa

Nigeria

Andean Countries

Colombia

Lusophone

Portugal

South Caucasus

Armenia

Southern Africa

Zambia

Operational Proposal submitted Proposal approved

Arab World

Jordan Central America/Carribbean

Mexico

OAD Volunteers

•IAU members, amateurs, professionals, teachers, students, public •Over 550 worldwide (on this map they are grouped by location)

Overview of funded projects (68)

Astronomy for

Universities &

Research

Astronomy for

Children & Schools

Astronomy for the

Public

2014 TF1 Research & Universities Project Title Country Amount

(€)

Type Development Aims

Summer Visiting Program for Astronomers at

the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for

Astrophysics

USA

(international

participants)

3680 Academic Exchange Human capital

Time Variability in Modern Astrophysics Thailand 4590 Summer School Astronomy capacity

Latin American School of Observational

Astronomy

Mexico 4500 Summer School Astronomy capacity

Summer School on Statistical Data Analysis and

Data Mining in Astronomy

Kenya 4500 Summer School Astronomy capacity

Optical camera for a 14-inch telescope in

Namibia

Namibia 4500 Equipment Astronomy capacity

Astronomy for Africa: Student Support for

Astronomy Modules via Distance Learning

South Africa 2200 Curriculum

Expansion

Astronomy capacity

National School on Astrophysical Simulation Nepal 2500 Summer School Astronomy capacity

Introducing Data Analysis in the University

System

Zambia 3140 Summer School Astronomy capacity

TARA, Fergusson College Node, Pune, India India 4500 Equipment Astronomy capacity

Guatemalan School of Astrophysics 2015 Guatemala 5000 Summer School Astronomy capacity

Andean Cosmology School Colombia 5250 Summer School Astronomy capacity

2014 TF2 Children & Schools Title Countries Amount

(€)

Type Development Aims

The Travelling

Telescope

Kenya 10000 School intervention & teaching

resources

Astronomy education exposure

& teaching quality

GalileoMobile

Constellation

Multiple:

South America

10000 School intervention, teaching

resources & teacher training


& teaching quality

Astro-Science

Ambassadors

Outreach for Science

Education in Tanzania

Tanzania 5400 School intervention,

extracurricular & teaching

resources


& teaching quality

Discover the

Universe/Decouverte

de l'Univers

Francophone

countries

7200 Teacher training & teaching

resources


& teaching quality

AstroMcGillos Adopt

an Astronomer

Canada 2730 School intervention Astronomy education exposure

Astronomy Outreach

for Inner City Youth

USA 1000 Extracurricular Astronomy education exposure

How Big Is Earth? Chile, China,

Nepal, Russia,

South Africa,

USA

1000 Online school intervention,

teaching resources &

curriculum development


& teaching quality

2014 TF3 Public Outreach

Title Countries Amount (€) Type Development Aims

Sensoroteca Astronomica Colombia 3300 Access Science literacy, support & enrollment

Public Library Astronomy Corners South Africa 2500 Access Astronomy literacy & public support

Sign Language Universal

Encyclopedic Dictionary

Global 4000 Access Astronomy literacy & capacity

Cosmic Light: Bring Galileo’s

Starry Messenger to Vietnam

Vietnam 2500 Education Science literacy & capacity, science

enrollment

Astronomy on Camel Cart India 5400 Education Science literacy & support

Poetry and Sky Competition China 4000 Appreciation Support for astronomy?

US National Park Service Night

Skies Internship

US 3500 Education Science literacy, support for science/

dark skies

“O Universo é velho, belo e cheio

de vida”

Portugal 4800 Social &

health

Mental & emotional wellbeing of

eldery; social cohesion

“Obsesión por el Cielo”: A Weekly

Astronomy Radio Show, and “Un

Paseo por el Cielo”: A Descriptive

Guide to the Night Sky

Mexico 2577 Education Astronomy awareness, literacy &

support

TF1 - funded projects

Starlight in the university: “Astrolab”

Project leader: Prof. Jean-Pierre de Greve

Astronomy for

Universities and

Research

• Astrolab allows students to do remote

observations on their normal study time

• Astrolab has already been implemented at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for 5 years

• Tutors manual nearly ready, student manual for projects available

• Implementation being carried out in 2 partner universities, Anambra State University in Nigeria, and the Copperbelt University in Zambia (computers ready)

TF1D

www.astro4dev.org IAU Office of Astronomy for Development

Mathare Ambassadors of Astronomy, Nairobi, Kenya

TF2 - funded projects Astronomy for

Children and

Schools

TF2B


TF3 - funded projects

Barbados

Astronomy for

the public

USA

Syria USA Ethiopia

Astronomy for the extremely ill/traumatically injured children & their families, USA

TF3A


Chinese Ancient Poetry Astrophotography, China

Project leader: Ms. Bing Li

• Gathers literature teachers, astronomers

& photographers to produce 40 pictures

inspired from Chinese poetry

• Posted on the Beijing Planetarium

website & exhibition hall

• Example to unite and inspire more

people to provide different culture

astronomical poems and

astrophotography from all over the world

Our ancestors were closer to the night sky than we are. Celestial objects are mentioned in many Chinese ancient poems or stories and saw the same sky 1200 years ago.


the public TF3C


mailto:[email protected]


the public

Dark Skies Outreach to Sub-Saharan Africa, USA/Africa

TF3F


• Exposure ≠ engagement with Astronomy

• Humans are complex and embedded in complex social systems

• OAD needs to

– Identify best practices, allocate resources efficiently

– Manage risks of unintended consequences

Do projects work?

Why is measuring impact important?

• Peer groups (contagion, influence)

• Signals

• Underestimating variance

• Mis-targeting

• …and all other unexpected consequences

• Opportunity costs

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• € 110,324 to make video

– “It was really demeaning to women, and contained no science at all—just make-up..”

– “I can't believe the person in charge of this thing at the EU is actually a woman!”

– “it was a stereotype-busting effort! We receive loads of emails from girls who love science but hate being labeled geeks. Why can't scientists wear make-up, killer heels and be seen laughing?”

C

B

A

Buck, Z. (2013) AER, 12(1), 010104

Option A: 4 x more likely to misidentify dark matter in the visualisation than B or C

Not All Evidence is Created Equal

Compute

consequences

Guess

Compare to

nature

OAD Impact Cycle: Positive Feedback Loop

OAD Volunteers

•IAU members, amateurs, professionals, teachers, students, public •Over 550 worldwide (on this map they are grouped by location)

OAD Regional Offices

East Asia/Chinese

China

South East Asia

Thailand

OAD

Global Office, South Africa

East-Africa

Ethiopia West Africa

Nigeria

Andean Countries

Colombia

Lusophone

Portugal

South Caucasus

Armenia

Southern Africa

Zambia

Operational Proposal submitted Proposal approved

Arab World

Jordan Central America/Carribbean

Mexico

Astronomy for a Better World!

Kevin Govender [email protected]

www.astro4dev.org

Eli Grant [email protected]

Astronomy for Sustainable Development: SDGs

1. Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere 2. Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and

promote sustainable agriculture 3. Health: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 4. Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote

lifelong learning opportunities for all 5. Women: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 6. Water: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and

sanitation for all 7. Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern

energy for all 8. Employment/economy: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable

economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 9. Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and

sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation

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Astronomy for Sustainable Development: SDGs

10. Inequality: Reduce inequality within and among countries 11.Urban safety & welfare: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,

resilient and sustainable 12.Sustainable consumption: Ensure sustainable consumption and production

patterns 13.Climate change: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its

impacts 14.Marine conservation: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and

marine resources for sustainable development 15.Environment preservation: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of

terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss

16.Peace, security, equality: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17.Implementation: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

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