Preparing for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy
Preparing for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy

Author: Michael G. Gibbs

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 616

ISBN-13:

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"Endorsed by the United Nations, UNESCO, and the International Astronomical Union, 2009 is designated as the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) and provides a year to celebrate and reflect on 400 years of changing perspectives of the universe. In conjunction with the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) convened an IYA symposium and series of workshops at the AAS summer meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, from May 31 to June 4, 2008. During this conference, astronomy and space science professionals gathered to share ideas and plans, forge connections and collaborations, and organize their efforts to make 2009 a singular year for advancing astronomy awareness and education. This volume contains the content of the meeting, plus an additional resource section. It serves as a reference to aid those involved in the IYA as they make professional connections, access resources, and maximize their efforts to encourage the world's citizens to look up and discover anew the universe around us. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), founded in 1889, increases the understanding and appreciation of astronomy by engaging scientists, educators, enthusiasts and the public to advance science and science literacy. Visit www.astrosociety.org for additional information regarding the ASP and how you can join the Society and support the cause of improving science literacy."--Publisher's website

Reports on Astronomy 2006-2009 (IAU XXVIIA)
Reports on Astronomy 2006-2009 (IAU XXVIIA)

Author: Karel A. van der Hucht

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2009-03-23

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 9780521856058

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The Transactions XXVIIA Reports on Astronomy 2006-2009 provides a comprehensive and authoritative review of what has been achieved in astronomy during the years 2006 to 2009. These insightful and up-to-date reviews have been written by the presidents and chairpersons of the IAU scientific bodies: the Divisions, the Commissions, and the Working Groups. Topics covered in this wide-ranging volume include: fundamental astronomy; the Sun and heliosphere; planetary sciences; stars; variable stars; interstellar matter; the Galactic system; galaxies and the Universe; optical and infrared techniques; radio astronomy; space and high-energy astrophysics; and other IAU activities. The reviews have been written at a level suitable for colleagues in the same fields, but will also be useful for students and researchers wishing to gain an overview of astronomical fields beyond their own research area.

Future Professional Communication in Astronomy II
Future Professional Communication in Astronomy II

Author: Alberto Accomazzi

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2011-05-10

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 1441983694

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The present volume gathers together the talks presented at the second colloquim on the Future Professional Communication in Astronomy (FPCA II), held at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA) on 13-14 April 2010. This meeting provided a forum for editors, publishers, scientists, librarians and officers of learned societies to discuss the future of the field. The program included talks from leading researchers and practitioners and drew a crowd of approximately 50 attendees from 10 countries. These proceedings contain contributions from invited and contributed talks from leaders in the field, touching on a number of topics. Among them: - The role of disciplinary repositories such as ADS and arXiv in astronomy and the physical sciences; - Current status and future of Open Access Publishing models and their impact on astronomy and astrophysics publishing; - Emerging trends in scientific article publishing: semantic annotations, multimedia content, links to data products hosted by astrophysics archives; - Novel approaches to the evaluation of facilities and projects based on bibliometric indicators; - Impact of Government mandates, Privacy laws, and Intellectual Property Rights on the evolving digital publishing environment in astronomy; - Communicating astronomy to the public: the experience of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Astronomers as Diplomats
Astronomers as Diplomats

Author: Thierry Montmerle

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-07-08

Total Pages: 524

ISBN-13: 303098625X

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This book illuminates a few highly significant events in history in which astronomers have helped keep contacts between astronomers of different states in moments of international political tensions or even crises. The chapters, written by 20 international authors, focus on four periods where astronomers were particularly active in international relations: 1. The WWI period, the epoch of the creation of the IAU, in the context of the simultaneous creation of other scientific unions. The book also singles out the important role of A.S. Eddington and his network “across forbidden borders”. 2. The Cold war period and its consequences, when several countries were divided between opposite blocs. “The China crisis” is told here from different viewpoints by Chinese astronomers, both from the mainland and from Taiwan, in parallel with the evolution of astronomy in South and North Korea. Germany’s twisted path in its membership of the IAU, from its admission in 1951 to its reunification in 1991 is shown as another example. 3. The book then highlights a third period, when radio astronomers, in particular, were very active in “building bridges” between East and West. It also tells the history of how the apparently innocuous issue of the “lunar nomenclature” became extremely sensitive. The part ends on two chapters on Russian robotic missions and lunar surface features as well on the Russian participation in the “International Virtual Observatory” project. 4. The fourth part reports for the first time on the “hidden story” of the relations between the IAU and the United Nations after the “Moon race” when the United Nations decided to challenge the IAU’s authority on “extraterrestrial names”. The final chapter reviews how twenty years later UNESCO and the IAU had become strong partners in the difficult, but highly successful organization of the International Year of Astronomy (2002-2009), and of the “Astronomy and World Heritage” intitiative (2008).

Teaching with Harry Potter
Teaching with Harry Potter

Author: Valerie Estelle Frankel

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2013-03-07

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 0786472014

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The Harry Potter phenomenon created a surge in reading with a lasting effect on all areas of culture, especially education. Today, teachers across the world are harnessing the power of the series to teach history, gender studies, chemistry, religion, philosophy, sociology, architecture, Latin, medieval studies, astronomy, SAT skills, and much more. These essays discuss the diverse educational possibilities of J.K. Rowling's books. Teachers of younger students use Harry and Hermione to encourage kids with disabilities or show girls the power of being brainy scientists. Students are reading fanfiction, splicing video clips, or exploring Rowling's new website, Pottermore. Harry Potter continues to open new doors to learning.

The International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union

Author: Johannes Andersen

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-02-20

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 331996965X

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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919, in the wake of the First World War, together with its sister Unions in related natural sciences. It will thus turn 100 years in 2019. Written by a mixed team of insiders and outsiders, this book presents the IAU in the changing context of the historical, scientific and technological development of astronomy during the past 100 years. While much important scientific progress took place already before 1945, the book naturally focuses on the accelerating evolution during the second half of the century. In the past few decades, the previously narrow IAU focus on organising professional astronomy has broadened to include societally relevant activities such as addressing the hazard of asteroid impacts, the planetary status of Pluto in the Solar System, and the hugely successful International Year of Astronomy. Most recently, it is spearheading a combination of science literacy and public outreach. The book will be of interest to professional astronomers as well as an astronomically interested general audience. The book features live personal interviews with as many of the key actors as still possible.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy

Author: Jörg Matthias Determann

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-11-14

Total Pages: 195

ISBN-13: 3031461134

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Astronomy is a field concerned with matters very distant from Earth. Most phenomena, whether observed or theorized, transcend human spaces and timescales by orders of magnitude. Yet, many scientists have been interested not just in the events that have occurred millennia before Earth's inception, but also in their very own society here and now. Since the first half of the twentieth century, an increasing number of them have pursued parallel careers as both academics and activists. Besides publishing peer-reviewed papers, they have promoted a great variety of underrepresented groups within their discipline. Through conferences, newsletters and social media, they have sought to advance the interests of women, members of racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, and disabled people. While these activists have differed in the identities they focus on, they have come to share a conviction that diversity and inclusion are crucial for scientific excellence as well as social justice. In this book, you will read of the biographies and institutional contexts of key agents in the diversification of modern astronomy. As most are recent figures whose discoveries have not been commemorated by Nobel Prizes, they are relatively unknown among historians of science. They have, however, been central to discussions about who has privileged access to the tools of astronomical inquiry, including powerful telescopes and extensive databases. As such, they have also significantly shaped views of our universe.