In continuation of the first Teacher Training Call issued in early 2019, we are launching a second call for IAU100 Open Astronomy Schools (OAS) teacher training events to be offered during 2020.
The main goal of this call is to promote innovative astronomy teacher training events following the criteria established for the OAS, with a special focus on practical astronomy.
As an incentive, IAU100 is donating 250 telescope kits, kindly offered by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). Each successful applicant will receive at least 12 telescopes kits. In total, up to 20 proposals will be awarded telescope kits.
The deadline for proposals is January 31, 2020.
Awarded Proposals
The Evaluation Panel received more than 50 proposals for the call. After careful evaluation, the Panel selected the 25 proposals listed below. Each organizer will receive a shipment of 9 or 10 telescopes. We congratulate everyone for the time dedicted in submitting a proposal, and wish a very successful training session. We will continue to update this website with future opportunities.
| Workshop Coordinator(s) | Institution | Country |
| Mimoza Hafizi | Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tirana University | Albania |
| Famil Mustafa | Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory name after N.Tusi | Azerbaijan |
| Tshiamo Motshegwa | University of Botswana | Botswana |
| Ana Cecilia Soja | Federal Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul (IFMS) – Brazil | Brazil |
| Ángela Pérez, Andrés Torres, Mauricio Chacón, Carlos Molina, Camilo Delgado | Planetario de Medellín, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano, OAD and OAO Colombia, Urania Scorpius Asociation, Sabana University | Colombia |
| Somaya Saad | National research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) | Egypt |
| Alemiye Mamo Yacob | Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) | Ethiopia |
| Adrian Schmidt | Kibera Aeronautics and Space Academy (KASA) | Germany/Kenya |
| Emmanuel Proven-Adzri | Pragsac, Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) | Ghana |
| Brajesh Kumar, Amit Kumar and Ravindra Yadav | Indian Institute of Astrophysics | India |
| Manika Singla, Sarthak Choudhary, Soumya Sengupta, Swastik Chaturvedi | Indian Institute of Astrophysics | India |
| Priya Shan Hasan | Maulana Azad National Urdu University | India |
| Ali Al-Edhari | Al-Muthanna University | Iraq |
| Ahmad Chaalan | Lebanese University | Lebanon |
| Hafez Murtza, Amirul Hazim | Apadilangit / Universe Awareness Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Julio Rafael Baizabal Hernández | Neuronared | Mexico |
| Bashir Sanusi Yusuf | National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) | Nigeria |
| Therese Maiyamma | St. Peter’s College, Garaku, Nasarawa State | Nigeria |
| Gabriela Calistro Rivera | European Southern Observatory | Peru |
| Nasser Alkadi | The Syrian Astronomical Association | Syria |
| Noorali Tayabali Jiwaji | Astronomy and Space Science Association of Tanzania (ASSAT) | Tanzania |
| Doh Koffi Addor | Geological science for sustainable developpement NGO/ IAU National Outreach Coordinator | Togo |
| Imen Titouhi | Tunisia Science City | Tunisia |
| Sinan Kocak | Konya Science Center | Turkey |
| Doreen Agaba | Space Technology Agency | Uganda |
| Robert Walsh | University of Central Lancashire | United Kingdom/Rwanda |
Training Session Requirements
To be eligible to this call, the proposed IAU100 OAS training must obey the following conditions:
- Address elementary themes and/or concepts of astronomy.
- Address at least one of the following IAU100 themes:
- New Worlds: ‘Are we alone?’,
- 100 Years of General Relativity: Eclipse,
- Astronomy Natural and Cultural Heritage,
- Inclusive Astronomy.
- Offer a dedicated training session on how to assemble and use the telescope kit.
- Use resources that address small telescopes observations, and at least one of the following activities:
- hands-on activities,
- new technologies,
- robotic telescopes and data mining.
- Address student-centered methodologies such as inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, etc.
- Address at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- Be organized between May and December 2020.
In order to receive the official “IAU100 Open Astronomy Schools” certificate for all the participants, the session coordinator must submit a summary report of the session, photos and request that participants fill in a form.
Open Schooling training
The IAU100 OAS organizers will offer free training on the Open Schooling Movement via a series of webinars and online support sessions devoted to teachers and ambassadors taking part of the OAS activities. These activities are done in partnership with the project Open Schools for Open Societies. Among the issues to be addressed in these sessions are:
- What is the role of schools as knowledge hubs?
- How to transform students into change makers of their communities?
- How to solve problems using the Design Thinking methodology?
- The added values of the OSOS tools.
About the Telescope Kit
This is a newly designed, easy-to-assemble kit produced by Vixen, Japan. The 50mm lens aperture and two eyepieces providing 16x and 66x magnification allow children and adults to observe the moon and planets in detail. The focuser barrel is compatible with standard 1.25” eyepieces. The kit also includes an adaptor that facilitates the use of smartphone cameras.
Technical Specifications
- Aperture: 50mm optical glass achromat doublet
- Focal length: 399mm
- Eyepieces: 25mm Huygens / 6mm Plossl
- Magnification: 16x/66x
- Weight: 265 g
- Support: A screw nut set fits standard camera tripods (tripod not included)
Call for Proposals
This call for teacher training proposals in the framework of OAS will be open from 13 December 2019 to 31 January 2020. Promoters willing to have endorsement and certification of their training sessions should present their proposals using this online form. The proposals must be written in English. Each proposal will be reviewed by the IAU100 OAS task force and the approved sessions will be eligible to use the IAU100-OAS logo, to be announced in both IAU100 and OAS websites and social media.
Participants will be entitled to receive the IAU100-OAS participation certificate and promoters the IAU100-OAS ambassador certificates. The applicants will have to secure the funding for these training sessions by themselves, with the IAU providing the telescope kits to be distributed among the successful applicants.
This call for proposals is targeted at providing telescope kits to stimulate teacher training workshops in developing regions, although exceptions with appropriate motivation will be accepted. The main concern simply being who the beneficiaries would be. Proposals should also be in alignment with the IAU100 goals and more specifically the OAS goals listed above.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be considered in the selection of projects.
- Alignment with the IAU100 Goals.
- Quality and relevance of workshop content.
- Innovativeness and creativity of approach.
- Clear timeline indicators.
- Sources of funding.
- Previous experience in teacher training sessions.
- Degree of the impact of the project with potential for sustainability.
Proposal Evaluation
The proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the OAS Task Group in consultation with the IAU100 committee.
Proposal Requirements
All proposals must be submitted in English using the online application form.
Closing Date
This call for proposals will be open until 31 January 2019 at 23:59 UT. All applicants will receive feedback regarding the decision by February 28, 2020.
For more information contact the OAS Task Force;
Gustavo Rojas (e-mail)
Jorge Rivero (e-mail)
Rosa Doran (e-mail)