Close
  • Home
  • About
    • Supporters
    • Code of Conduct
  • Registration
    • Fees
  • 2023 Conference proceedings
  • Schedule
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Location
    • Local Information
  • Contact Us
  • Archives

    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • June 2022
    • February 2017
  • Categories

    • Astronomy Education Practice
    • Astronomy Education Research
    • Future of Astronomy Education
    • Technology
    • Uncategorized
logo2023_colour_2
  • Home
  • About
    • Supporters
    • Code of Conduct
  • Registration
    • Fees
  • 2023 Conference proceedings
  • Schedule
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Location
    • Local Information
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • Supporters
  • Registration
    • Fees
  • Schedule
  • Keynote Speakers
  • Location
  • Local Information
  • Contact Us

published by astronomy education journal 2023 coference proceedings Conference Proceedings Bridging Research & Practice Astronomy Education 2023 10th - 12th MAY 2023
Toronto, Canada
Conference Schedule
An exciting adventure Conference program 10th - 12th May 2023
University of Toronto, Canda
Conference Schedule Poster Schedule
A Traveller's Guide Visiting toronto 10th - 12th May 2023
University of Toronto, Canda
Local Information

The inaugural AstroEdu Conference in 2019 showed that there is a need for a conference dedicated to bringing together researchers and practioners from the astronomy, astronomy education, general education and other communities. The second AstroEdu Conference will adhere to this mission, and will provide an overview of what has happened in the five years and look ahead into the future.

Where

University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada

When

Wednesday – Friday
10th – 12th May 2023

SCIENTIFIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE

CHAIRS
  • Urban Eriksson (Lund University, Sweden)
  • Paulo S. Bretones (Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Brazil)
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
  • Janelle Bailey (Temple University, USA)
  • Julia Plummer (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
  • Akihiko Tomita (Wakayama University, Japan)
  • Michael Fitzgerald (LCO, Australia/USA)
  • Tania Johnston (ESO, Germany)
  • Lars Lindberg Christensen (NSF Noirlab, USA)
  • Boonrucksar Soonthornthum (NARIT, Thailand)
  • Nur Nafhatun Md Shariff (Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia)
  • Mieke de Cock (KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Italo Testa (University of Naples Federico II, Italy)
  • Jorge E. Horvath (IAG-USP, Brazil)
  • Sophie Bartlett (Cardiff University, UK)
  • Saeed Salimpour (Deakin University/IAU OAE, Australia/Germany)
LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE
  • Michael Reid (University of Toronto, Canada) – LOC Chair
  • Kara Manovich (University of Toronto, Canada)
  • John Percy (University of Toronto, Canada)
  • Julie Bolduc-Duval (UofT/Discover the Universe, Canada)
  • Ilana MacDonald (University of Toronto, Canada)
  • Leo Alcorn (University of Toronto, Canada)
  • Saeed Salimpour (Deakin University/IAU OAE, Australia/Germany)

THANKS FOR THE GENEROUS SUPPORT

AstroEdu 2023 would like to acknowledge generous travel funding provided by the following individuals:

Anwesha Sen
John Percy
Zoraida Anaya
Christine Clement

2023 Conference Themes

Theory and Methodology

Astronomy Education Research

Highlighting the developments and innovations in research methodologies and theoretical perspectives.

Tangible outcomes

Astronomy Education Practice

Highlighting the innovations in bringing astronomy into the classroom and beyond.

Image Credit: N. Mulambo & M. Mulambo (UNAWE)

The Future of

Astronomy Education

Learning from the past, building the present, and looking forward to the future

Abstract Submission

You can submit your abstract for a talk, workshop and/or poster using the below.

Abstract submissions are now closed. 

 

The organising committees will be reviewing the submissions and will inform everyone via email.

Travel Grant Request

You can submit your request for a travel grant to the AstroEdu Conference 2023 using the below.

Travel Grant requests are now closed. 


The organising committees will be reviewing the submissions and will inform everyone via email.

Subscribe to the
AstroEdu Conference 2023
Mailing List
Click here to Subscribe Now

Important Dates:

8 March 2023
Abstract Submission Deadline
Travel Grant Submission Deadline


10 April 2023
Early-Bird Registration Deadline  

Student Registration Discount:
50% using the code STUDENT50

 

Registrations closed. The Conference has ended. 

See you next time!

Click here to Register

Registration fees will be indexed based on the Gross National Income (GNI) of a country.

You can use the below list as a guide to determine in which group your country is located.

Registration Fees

Click here to Register
Please note: The below registration fees do not include GST/HST.
In-person (high GNI Country)

CAD450

CA$508.50 (including GST)
In-person (medium GNI Country)

CAD250

CA$282.50 (including GST)
In-person (low GNI Country)

CAD25

CA$28.25 (including GST)
Online Only (high GNI Country)

CAD225

CA$254.25 (including GST)
Online Only (medium GNI Country)

CAD125

CA$151.00 (including GST)
Online Only (low GNI Country)

CAD25

CA$28.25 (including GST)
High GNI country (Group 1)
  • Bermuda (UK)
  • Liechtenstein
  • Switzerland
  • Norway
  • Isle of Man (UK)
  • Luxembourg
  • Ireland
  • United States
  • Denmark
  • Guernsey Jersey Channel Islands (UK)
  • Iceland
  • Singapore
  • Cayman Islands (UK)
  • Sweden
  • Qatar
  • Australia
  • Netherlands
  • Hong Kong (China)
  • Finland
  • Austria
  • Germany
  • Belgium
  • Israel
  • Canada
  • Macau (China)
  • Andorra
  • United Kingdom
  • New Zealand
  • France
  • Japan
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Kuwait
  • Italy
  • South Korea
  • Greenland (Denmark)
  • Brunei
  • Malta
  • Spain
  • Slovenia
  • Cyprus
  • Sint Maarten (Netherlands)
  • Bahamas
  • Estonia
  • Czech Republic
  • Portugal
  • Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
  • Aruba (Netherlands)
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Lithuania
  • Puerto Rico (US)
  • Slovakia
  • Greece
  • British Virgin Islands (UK)
  • Cook Islands (New Zealand)
  • Faroe Islands (Denmark)
  • Gibraltar (UK)
  • Guam (US)
  • Monaco
  • Northern Mariana Islands (US)
  • Saint Martin (France)
  • San Marino
  • Taiwan
  • S. Virgin Islands (US)
Medium GNI country (Group 2)
  • Bahrain
  • Nauru
  • Latvia
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Hungary
  • Croatia
  • Barbados
  • Poland
  • Curaçao (Netherlands)
  • Uruguay
  • French Polynesia (France)
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Oman
  • Chile
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Palau
  • Romania
  • Panama
  • Seychelles
  • New Caledonia (France)
  • Costa Rica
  • World
  • China
  • Russia
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritius
  • Bulgaria
  • Argentina
  • American Samoa (US)
  • Venezuela
Low GNI country (Group 3)
  • Turkey
  • Saint Lucia
  • Grenada
  • Mexico
  • Guyana
  • Montenegro
  • Kazakhstan
  • Cuba
  • Serbia
  • Libya
  • Maldives
  • Dominican Republic
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Dominica
  • Brazil
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Gabon
  • Belarus
  • Botswana
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Tuvalu
  • Peru
  • South Africa
  • Colombia
  • North Macedonia
  • Albania
  • Ecuador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Moldova
  • Paraguay
  • Tonga
  • Marshall Islands
  • Iraq
  • Kosovo
  • Guatemala
  • Azerbaijan
  • Fiji
  • Jamaica
  • Georgia
  • Armenia
  • Namibia
  • Jordan
  • Suriname
  • Belize
  • Palestine
  • El Salvador
  • Indonesia
  • Ukraine
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Samoa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Mongolia
  • Eswatini
  • Algeria
  • Philippines
  • Tunisia
  • Vietnam
  • Egypt
  • Lebanon
  • Iran
  • Bolivia
  • Morocco
  • Cabo Verde
  • Djibouti
  • Vanuatu
  • Kiribati
  • Bhutan
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Bangladesh
  • Honduras
  • Laos
  • Ivory Coast
  • Ghana
  • Solomon Islands
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • India
  • Nigeria
  • Nicaragua
  • Kenya
  • Uzbekistan
  • Timor-Leste
  • Angola
  • Mauritania
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Cameroon
  • Cambodia
  • Senegal
  • Pakistan
  • Comoros
  • Haiti
  • Zimbabwe
  • Benin
  • Lesotho
  • Nepal
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Myanmar
  • South Sudan
  • Zambia
  • Guinea
  • Togo
  • Ethiopia
  • Syria
  • Mali
  • Burkina Faso
  • Rwanda
  • Uganda
  • The Gambia
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Yemen
  • Sudan
  • Chad
  • Malawi
  • Liberia
  • Eritrea
  • Niger
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Central African Republic
  • Sierra Leone
  • Madagascar
  • Afghanistan
  • Mozambique
  • Somalia
  • Burundi
  • North Korea

Meet Our

Keynote Speakers

Julia Plummer

Professor of Education, Penn State University

Michael Fitzgerald

Project Astronomer, Las Cumbres Observatory

Carola Knockwood

Executive Director of Mi'kmaq Services (Department of Education - Nova Scotia)

2023

Conference Schedule

All session times are based on Toronto, Canada

Poster schedule can be seen here
PDF version of Schedule
  • All Topics
  • Breaks
  • Events
  • Keynotes
  • Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
  • Sandford Fleming Building 3201
  • Talks
  • Wallberg Building 119
  • Wallberg Building 130
  • Workshops
Expand All +
  • Day 1 - Wed 10th May


  • Day 2 - Thu 11th May


  • Day 3 - Fri 12th May


  • 08:00 - 08:30
    Registration & Welcome Coffee

    Sign-up and get your morning energy boost as we dive deep in the the world of Astronomy Education
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 17:00 - 19:00
    Reception

    Get to meet your colleagues in a chilled and relaxed setting at the Faculty Club, Wedgewood Room (41 Willcocks St)
    Events
    Where
    Faculty Club, Wedgewood Room (41 Willcocks St)

  • Bryan Gaensler
    08:30 - 08:35
    Welcome - Director Dunlap Institute
    By Bryan Gaensler Director - Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics

    A warm welcome from the Director of the Dunlap Institute who is hosting this exciting conference
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 08:35 - 09:00
    Introduction to AstroEdu Conference 2023

    Welcome to an exciting adventure!
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • Julia Plummer
    09:00 - 10:00
    Keynote AER - Spatial Thinking in Astronomy Education Research
    By Julia Plummer Professor of Education, Penn State University

    Research on how we learn astronomy, as well as in other STEM domains, has found that spatial thinking - the complex ways we reason about the spatial properties of objects - is central to developing expertise. Learning astronomy requires us to apply understanding about spatial relationships and use spatial information to explain observations and solve new problems. This talk explores the importance of considering the challenges and possibilities of spatial thinking when conducting research on how and why students learn astronomy. I will also discuss trends in research suggesting how we can promote spatial thinking through the design of learning environments and curricula to improve astronomy learning.
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:00 - 10:30
    Morning Coffee and Poster Session - Day 1

    An energy boost with some delicious morning treats!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Where
    Just outside Health Sciences 610, Posters in Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 10:30 - 10:45
    “The Embodiment of What Astronomy Could Be”: Students’ Experiences in a Cultural Cosmology Project for Astronomy Majors
    By Janelle Bailey Temple University

    Co-authors: Kim Coble and Kim Long Le (San Francisco State University
    Providing students the opportunity to explore cultural aspects of cosmology (such as those of Indigenous, non-Western, or marginalized groups) can be a powerful way to support an inclusive environment within astronomy. We investigated the impacts of the inclusion of a cultural cosmology project in a writing-intensive, upper division course for astronomy majors at a diverse, master’s-granting university in California. Project instructions included recommendations to integrate indigenous or underrepresented knowledge sources or to challenge modern science’s dominant narratives (of largely White, western, male origins). Data sources include early semester reflective essays and multiple components of the cultural cosmology project from 57 students, plus interviews with 7 of them after the completion of the course. We used an inductive coding approach to identify themes around the “what, why, and how” of the approaches students took in their projects, as well as any challenges they made to dominant narratives. Students frequently chose a culture to study that was related to their heritage and identity, and many identified ways in which the cosmological beliefs of their selected culture(s) overlapped or aligned with current science, within the culture’s technological abilities. Students also reported that the projects helped them feel that the astronomical community would be welcoming of them even if they are not from the majority demographic and that the culture provided a model for integrating their whole selves with their scientist identities. Finally, many noted that the project strengthened their interest in cosmology specifically and that it supported goals of continued astronomy learning.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Explore the Expanding Universe with Vera C. Rubin Observatory
    By Ardis Herrold Vera C. Rubin Observatory

    Presenters: Ardis Herrold, Fernanda Urrutia and Justine Schaen
    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    Are you looking for a way to teach Hubble’s Law and properties of the Universe using real data? Vera C. Rubin Observatory has developed a series of free online astronomy investigations using authentic data that provide rich and interactive experiences for students. During this session you will learn how we can observe the expansion of the universe through time by analyzing data from galaxies and supernovae. You will explore our new Expanding Universe investigation and related support materials. The primary audience is advanced middle school through college introductory astronomy (“Astro 101”) students. There will be opportunities to discuss how this investigation may be adapted to work in your classroom contexts and support your learning outcomes. Please bring your computer."
    Wallberg Building 130
    Workshops
    Where
    Wallberg Building 130 (WB130)

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Astrophotography of the Multi-Wavelength Universe! (MWU!): Radio Observing Experiences for Undergraduate Students
    By Dan Reichart University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Aimed at in-person participants

    For the past 14 years, UNC-Chapel Hill has been developing a unique, survey-level astronomy curriculum, primarily for undergraduate students. Called “Our Place In Space!”, or OPIS!, this curriculum leverages “Skynet” – a global network of ≈20 fully automated, professional-grade telescopes that we have deployed at some of the world’s best observing sites. The curriculum has now been adopted by over two dozen institutions, and we have recently received (1) $1.85M from NSF's IUSE program to expand it nationwide, and (2) $3M from DoD’s NDEP program (a) to integrate a global network of 10m – 30m diameter radio telescopes into Skynet, and (b) to develop a follow-up curriculum to OPIS!. Both grants come with funding for new instructors. Astrophotography of the Multi-Wavelength Universe (MWU!) will be for students who have already completed OPIS!, and will be able to provide this smaller group of students more telescope time per student, making possible color- and radio mapping-, inquiry-based explorations. MWU! will consist of at least a dozen observing experiences (half optical, half radio), primarily on the subjects of stars, galaxies, and light-producing mechanisms. Astrophotography will serve as this curriculum’s “hook”. Most of the development effort to date has been on the optical observing experiences, as those facilities were already ready. However, we are now turning to the radio observing experiences. In this workshop, participants will learn how to queue radio observations on Skynet, and will carry out at least one of MWU!’s radio experiences (other MWU! radio activities will be overviewed more quickly).
    Workshops

  • 10:45 - 11:00
    Astronomy and Culture: Using social semiotics to make deeper connections in education
    By Saeed Salimpour Deakin University/IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

    Co-authors: Michael Fitzgerald
    Every culture around the world has some connection to the sky whether it is through art, religion, mythology, social practices and much more. This unique characteristic of astronomy offers a rich untapped potential that may offer new insights into teaching and learning, inform innovative pedagogies that are connected, and avenues for bringing astronomy into education. This talk is based on a recently published study, which uses theoretical perspectives grounded in social semiotics and representation construction, together with experience from the classroom to inform a conceptual framework that taps into the interdisciplinarity of culture using it as a context to bring astronomy education into the classroom. This framework is made concrete through the use of practical examples from Indigenous and Persian cultures showing how various events, festivals and calendars can be used to take students on a journey from the familiar socio-cultural context to the astronomical conceptual knowledge.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:00 - 11:15
    Wonder and Awe observing the sky
    By Joana Marques Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço

    Co-authors: Andrew P. Carlin, Miguel Gomes
    There is a component of wonder well known to practitioners in astronomy education and outreach activities. Emotions such as awe and surprise play an important role in engaging audiences, yet there exists no systematic study of this phenomenon in the astronomy education literature. In this paper we analyse moments where these emotions are expressed and displayed – what we call “Awe Moments” – in diurnal and night sky observations with telescopes. Using an interactional perspective, rooted in Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis (EMCA), we analyzed 10 hours of video and audio recordings of these observations with telescope, collected in different events and institutions in Portugal. Through the fine-grained study of these recordings and corresponding transcriptions we describe and discuss how these emotions are produced interactionally by guides/astronomers and public - what are their characteristics and role? how are they managed? In our data these interactions are recurrent. These Awe Moments happen in situ, in the details of the interactions taking place. The data show, among other things, guides and public validating, enhancing and prolonging these moments through interaction. Moreover, the sharing of these emotions gives space for connection and creates common ground between guides/astronomers and public. The identification and description of such interactions and the discussion of their importance in educational activities contributes to the literature on emotions in educational settings, and also to the training of guides and the evaluation of astronomy educational events.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:15 - 11:30
    Exploring students’ attitudes towards astronomy along secondary school grade levels
    By Italo Testa Department of Physics "E. Pancini", University Federico II, Naples

    Co-author: Silvia Galano
    In this paper, we present the results of a cross-sectional study about Italian secondary school students’ attitudes towards astronomy. About 2,500 students were involved in the study. We initially designed a 26-item survey building on literature. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine factors underlying the instrument, resulting in a three-dimension structure: 1) interest in astronomy (4 items); 2) intention to become a professional astronomer (4 items); 3) perceived relevance of astronomy for society (5 items). Then, we used the final 13 retained items as indicator variables to perform a latent class analysis on the whole sample. Statistical indices supported a 6-class model. Only a small fraction of students (N = 184, 7.4%) have high interest in astronomy, a moderate intention to become a professional in astronomy and an average positive perception of astronomy for society. A slightly bigger class (N= 236, 9.5%) had an overall negative attitude towards astronomy. The remaining four classes have mixed attitudes towards astronomy, with a very low interest in pursuing a career as professional as common trait. The emerging classes are significantly associated with gender (p < .05) and grade level (p < .001). In particular, the percentage of students interested and attracted by an astronomy career steadily decreases from 9th to 13th grade, while the percentage of uninterested and unattracted students increases. Overall, our study calls for major curriculum reforms in order to improve students’ attitudes towards astronomy.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:30 - 11:45
    Priming the Source-Path-Goal image schema for teaching distances in Astronomy: an account of a journey to the edge of the observable UNIVERSE along UNIVERSity Avenue
    By Tshiamiso Makwela University of Cape Town/IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

    Co-authors: Dale Taylor, Sarah Blyth and Saalih Allie
    Studies in South Africa (2014 & 2018) and Norway (2018) indicated that students perform poorly on questions regarding distances and sizes in astronomy. despite marked educational and language differences between the two groups. This raised the intriguing possibility of a deeper cognitive issue rather than, say, poor teaching. We investigated this further by probing the way students engage cognitively with different distance regimes by eliciting detailed written responses for 7m, 100km, and distance to the moon (384 403km) using specially constructed questions. The student’s written responses were carefully analyzed for key explanatory ideas which were grouped into categories. In keeping with the Grounded Theory/Theorizing Methodology that underpinned the study, the categories were used to construct a unified explanatory model. This localized explanatory model was identified as being consistent with the cognitive perspective of Embodied Cognition. In particular, when engaging with a task, activates a specific “image schema” that is used for understanding the task at hand (i.e., all abstract and conceptual thinking). These “image schemas”/ “thinking templates” arise from associating repeated infant bodily experiences i.e. sensory-motor activity with specific neural activation. In this work, a “phase transition” could be seen between in student responses, from a calibrated counting explanation for 7m, and journeying for 100km, the “journey” category is closely related to the “source-path-goal” image schema. Our teaching intervention was based on trying to prime this “source-path-goal” schema intentionally while teaching astronomical distances, which led to learning gains that show much promise. In my talk, I would like to share the steps taken in this study."
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:45 - 12:00
    Characterization of prior astronomy knowledge, identified in undergraduate teacher training in physics
    By Daniel Felipe Mera Valverde Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

    Co-authors: Giovanni Cardona Rodriguez
    This paper presents a characterization of the prior knowledge in basic astronomy topics of the teachers in training for a degree in physics at the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. The first characterization showed that the emphasis on the notions that they have regarding the teaching of the phases of the Moon would serve as an indicator for the description of the pedagogical knowledge (PCK) of the study group. For the PCK analysis a modified CoRe instrument was used to investigate the trends of the PCK in natural sciences based on the CoRe matrix proposed by (Melo, Cardona, Martínez, et al., 2018), taking as a starting point the categorization of the orientations in teaching science as proposed by (Magnusson, Krajcik, & Borko, 1999). The methodology chosen for this purpose is qualitative - interpretive based on the content analysis techniques of (Fraenkel,Wallen, & Hyun, 2012). It was found that undergraduate trainee teachers in physics manage two types of pedagogical content knowledge, based on conceptual change (Roth, Anderson & Smith, 1987) and activity-driven (Anderson, & Smith, 1987) orientation. It was also evidenced that the conceptual elements that trainee teachers use to design learning spaces are disarticulated among themselves, leading to a didactic management of models analogous to the phases of the Moon with no impact on the teaching process"
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 12:00 - 13:30
    Lunch and Poster Session - Day 1

    A bit of energy after all this excitement

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201
    Where
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 13:30 - 13:45
    Implications of Artificial Intelligence for Astronomy Education
    By Martin Connors Athabasca University

    Co-author: Vive Kumar
    The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) has been in the news a lot recently, in part due to potential misuse by students. Astronomy is arguably a good subject for use of AI due to its varied content in which knowledge of specialized terminology is important. For example, multiple choice tests are arguably more effective in testing astronomy learning than in, for example, physics, with its more limited introductory number of concepts, but usually assessed through problem-solving competence. With this in mind we have conducted some tests using the online ChatGPT service, which allows entry of topics, with directives, to generate text output. The directives may include such statements as “generate a multiple choice test” and “in 100 words explain”, followed by a topic. Queries were also attempted at higher levels including expert knowledge expressed with mathematics. It is also possible to conduct a “Turing test” comparing human expert answers with those generated by ChatGPT. The positive outcomes of these tests frame possible help that ChatGPT can give to instructors. Generation of multiple choice astronomy tests gave results comparable to those from test banks, needing some slight correction before they could be considered for use with students. Short explanations generally were clear and could be used in making course materials. Negative outcomes included that students could likely generate answers for assignments without actually doing much work, or attaining understanding through study as is the intent. Progress in AI likely needs to be factored into astronomy education in both senses.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • Julia Plummer
    13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Practical Strategies for Astronomy Education Research
    By Julia Plummer Professor of Education, Penn State University

    Mieke De Cock (KU Leuven), Saeed Salimpour (Deakin University/IAU OAE), Sophie Bartlett (Cardiff University), Michael Fitzgerald (Las Cumbres Observatory)

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    The goal of this workshop is to provide guidance on planning and implementing research for the astronomy education community. We anticipate that this workshop will be of interest to new researchers, people with some research experience but an interest to strengthen their research skills, and researchers familiar with one research paradigm but interested in exploring another. We will begin by discussing the two major research paradigms - qualitative and quantitative - focusing on when to use each and why. Participants will learn about research methods through specific examples shared by the presentation team. During the second half of the workshop, workshop leaders will engage participants in small group discussion around a range of research topics; participants will choose which small group discussion they wish to join, to deepen their understanding of research methods. Full author list: Julia Plummer (The Pennsylvania State University), Mieke De Cock (KU Leuven), Saeed Salimpour (Deakin University/IAU OAE), Sophie Bartlett (Cardiff University), Michael Fitzgerald (Las Cumbres Observatory)
    Wallberg Building 130
    Workshops
    Where
    Wallberg Building 130 (WB130)

  • 13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Coding unplugged: a powerful education tool for everybody
    By Silvia Casu Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)

    Presenters: Silvia Casu, Maura Sandri, on behalf of INAF Play-Coding Group

    Aimed at in-person participants

    Computer programming is the language of technology. The ability to ""speak"" this language is crucial not only for future computer technicians, engineers and scientists, but for all of us: in a world that will be increasingly rich in computer applications, technology and digital devices, knowing what they are, how they are made and how they work, allows us to use them wisely and consciously. The foundations of a programming language are based on computational thinking, which could be considered as the ability to translate the world around us into something understandable by computers. Coding, then, is not just about chips, software and language syntax, but first and foremost about logical connections between different elements (what we usually call Algorithms). Logical connections, sometimes complex, but that can be broken down and analysed in small ways. We here present an activity of coding unplugged, i.e. activities that introduce the fundamental concepts of computer science and the logic of programming without the use of digital tools. Coding unplugged is a powerful tool in education: it is democratic and inclusive, it is creative, it is reasonably low cost, and, although it is often used only for young children, it is instead suitable for all ages. During the workshop, we will present the main guidelines of coding unplugged, some possible astronomical scenarios and some practical applications. This work has been developed by the INAF working group on coding and educational robotics.
    Workshops

  • 13:45 - 14:00
    Fundamental Python Skills in the Introductory Astronomy Classroom
    By Imad Pasha Yale University

    Marla Geha
    Programming is a fundamental research skill in astronomy, and is growing ever-more important to teach earlier in students’ careers. However, in many cases, this task is left to workshops, bootcamps, and extracurricular opportunities (such as REUs or summer schools), or to students to pick up on their own, which can create barriers for many students, particularly those from under-represented minorities. Additionally, while some programming is often included in astronomy courses, it is not often the primary focus of introductory-level courses, leading to a stochastically-gained, heterogeneous understanding that lacks key fundamentals. I have been responsible for developing and teaching two university-level courses that explicitly center programming in an astronomical data analysis context, and am in the process of publishing a textbook aimed at first time programmers as they begin astronomy research. I will use feedback and data gathered from these courses and materials to present lessons learned and a framework for approaching programming fundamentals in the astronomy classroom, including the use of interactive online resources such as Binder, Google Colab, Jupyter-book, and Github Classroom.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:00 - 14:15
    An Immersive Approach to Virtual Programming
    By Emilse Alvarado Adler Planetarium

    Many informal education organizations have implemented virtual programming as a way to continue engaging with the school audience during 2020 closures. The most common way to reach audiences virtually has been in the form of tour and demonstration-like experiences via video call platforms. Adler’s immersive virtual field trip is a fresh take on virtual programming where students explore the size and scale of planets in a virtual solar system. Using the Mozilla Hubs VR-style platform, students engage with their personal Adler Educator, and with each other via avatars. With this innovative technology, Adler has completely customized the virtual space based on our audience’s needs to implement an experience that promotes authentic collaboration between students, whether remote or in their classrooms. The uniqueness of the platform allows students to take control over their experience, exploring what they find most interesting and choosing to explore independently or with the help of their educator. During this session, participants will get an overview of the program and the technology, and will be provided the opportunity to explore the 3-D world, experiencing the solar system first hand, with an invitation to join a virtual field trip link via mobile devices. Attendees will be presented with implementation techniques to assist in this different form of student engagement. They will also learn about the challenges with communications around a unique program, overcoming obstacles in explaining the user experience and in introducing registrants to new technology.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:15 - 14:30
    Alternative conceptions, metacognition and didactic integration of augmented reality in learning astronomy.
    By Leonor Huerta Universidad de Santiago de Chile

    The Astronomy Diagnostic Test (Hufnagel et al. 2000) is an excellent tool to identify students' alternative conceptions about astronomy (although it has been used extensively as a pre and post test in subjects related to astronomy). However, in the ADT there are no questions that allow identifying conceptions about the distances and relative sizes of the sun and the planets of the solar system. Therefore, an instrument was developed to identify these alternative conceptions, and to support the metacognitive process of the students, by integrating it into a didactic sequence. Augmented reality resources on relative sizes and distances in the solar system were developed to facilitate learning using 3D digital models. The didactic sequence was implemented during three semesters (2019 to 2021) in the 2nd year Physics of the Universe course with pre-service science teachers, achieving a high evaluation by the students, and significantly improving learning on this topic. It can be reviewed one of the augmented reality resources at this link: https://universopantagina.cl/rocosos.html.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:30 - 14:45
    Bringing the Universe to Every Classroom: The Impact of Digital Technologies on Children's Astronomy Education in Iran
    By Shahrzad Mirsoltani Founder of Kargahe Setare, Children's astronomy educator, Member of Zaferanieh Observatory

    Astronomy education can be a crucial part of Iranian children's education and has the potential to inspire a lifelong passion for science and technology. However, it has been neglected in children's educational systems, particularly among the socioeconomically disadvantaged population. Efforts have been made in the past to improve astronomy education for children in Iran. Still, they were unsuccessful in underprivileged communities due to a lack of facilities and support. In recent years, the internet and digital tools have greatly helped reach a much wider audience and deliver educational content to children who would otherwise have limited access. Kargahe Setare online project was launched in Iran with the goal of using astronomy to inspire a new generation of scientifically literate and curious citizens, regardless of their financial and locative situation. We will explain how we reached out to more than 10000 Iranian children from the big cities to the most deprived villages to promote astronomy. We will discuss how we revised our teaching methods to bring STEM and STEAM activities to the class through online tools and common household objects as educational props. We will show how not only the Covid-19 pandemic did not negatively affect us but how it significantly accelerated the process of gaining public trust in online education. Also, we will discuss how we created a bridge between children, researchers, and the most-known organizations in this field. By sharing our experiences, we aim to demonstrate the potential and outcomes of online education in promoting astronomy and children's development.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:45 - 15:00
    Creating research-institute-level online educational resources for planetary sciences: Lessons learnt from teachers and science educators
    By Ulysse Pedreira-Segade Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure

    Co-author: Anita Heward
    In recent years, the education and outreach team in the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure project, the Europlanet Society’s Outreach Working Group and the Europlanet Early Careers network have developed a number of resources to support teaching of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics subjects. Among these, we have created ready-to-use, adaptable planetary science and astrobiology lessons. These lessons are linked to six planetary field analogues that Europlanet 2024 RI enables scientists and engineers to visit to carry out research projects. Europlanet is aiming for diversity and inclusivity in the use of its educational resources, and is especially willing to reach out to underrepresented European countries and communities. To reflect on our resources and engage a wider community, we crafted, translated in 10 languages, tested and circulated an online consultation in 2022. Our aim was to (i) promote Europlanet’s set of educational resources and collect earnest feedback on their qualities; (ii) understand our target audience; (iii) understand how COVID has changed their habits and needs; (iv) create a community that will sustainably use, improve and create new resources in collaboration with us. This presentation will report on the findings of this consultation and share the lessons learnt for interrogating education and outreach professionals from diverse countries, backgrounds and expertise. We will explore their habits and practices, their struggles, their plans, and their interest in planetary sciences and astronomy. These results might benefit education, public outreach, and communication professionals as well as researchers who less often collaborate in outreach and education projects.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 15:00 - 15:30
    Afternoon Coffee and Poster Session - Day 1

    A bit of energy to keep things going to the end of the day!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Where
    Just outside Health Sciences 610, Posters in Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 15:30 - 15:45
    Photon Ranch – “A Different Sense of Scale”
    By Katie Ciurleo Las Cumbres Observatory

    The Photon Ranch (PTR) project from Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is a budding educational endeavor that focuses on real-time observing and primarily manual scheduling across a heterogeneous telescope network. The network includes both PTR-owned telescopes as well as school and private observatories, with current test sites in California, New Mexico, and Australia. A self-paced extended mastery-based course is central to the functioning of the PTR network. Admission is by application, and observing credits on the telescope network are earned by completing labs and tasks within the course. Students can be of all ages, but the course is primarily aimed at keen middle school students. The project’s goal is to maximize the depth to which students can learn, explore, and undertake scientific investigations using research grade instrumentation - scaling for depth of experience rather than for raw numbers of users. This talk will outline the PTR project, its educational design, and how the telescope networks function and support this educational approach. Currently, the project is looking for “alpha” or “early adopter” students and observatories as well as educators who may have proposals to test the network in useful or unique ways. In 2023, approximately 12 telescopes at 8 sites will be added to the current test telescopes as the project scales up to support more users and observatories.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 15:30 - 17:00
    [Workshop] - Astrophotography of the Multiwavelength Universe! (MWU!): Student Observing of the Visible and Invisible Solar System
    By Megan Dubay University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    In addition to the development of the introductory astronomy curriculum Our Place in Space! (OPIS!) at UNC Chapel Hill, a $3M dollar DoD NDEP grant has been awarded for the development and implementation of another survey-level course and integration of several radio telescopes into the Skynet network. OPIS! is currently implemented in over 20 institutions and is funded by the NSF IUSE program for further expansion, including funding for new instructors. This second course, Astrophotography of the Multiwavelength Universe! (MWU!) is designed for students who have used robotic telescopes previously, and it allows for students to explore both optical and radio wavelengths for the exercises. The focus for MWU! is on color- and radio-imaging to explore the solar system, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Students utilize the Skynet system of ~20 fully robotic, professional-grade telescopes around the world, including sites like the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Students in MWU! can use the telescopes to create astrophotography images that showcase what we can learn from the color. They then use radio observations to examine the object in a different way, such as creating a color and radio image of the Moon—using the optical to learn about lunar mineralogy and the radio to calculate the temperature of the Moon. This workshop will highlight an MWU! exercise that teaches students about our solar system. Participants will walk through a demonstration of the tools used to create a “true color” lunar mosaic as well as radio “images” of the Moon and Jupiter.
    Workshops

  • 15:30 - 17:00
    [Workshop] - Stargazing Live! Inspiring with semi-live astronomy data; teaching curriculum topics using smart education tools
    By Joanna Holt Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) & Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    Stargazing Live! aims to capture the imagination of students of all ages with live and interactive planetarium lessons incorporating semi-live data from the Dutch MeerLICHT and BlackGEM telescopes. Results from the evaluation study in classrooms show that learners are engaged and inspired by the planetarium lesson but find it difficult to link the topics to what they learn in their physics lessons, supporting the need for follow-up classroom-based activities. To address this omission, lesson activities have been created for upper secondary school level to accompany the planetarium shows using the interactive tool DynaLearn (https://dynalearn.nl/). The lessons challenge students to model key curriculum concepts linked to the telescopes and their science such as stellar properties and the balance within a main-sequence star. The lessons were created using a co-creation model – led by science education experts with significant input from astronomers, astronomy outreach/education professionals and physics teachers. Knowledge questionnaires, completed immediately prior to and after the ‘stellar properties’ activity showed a significant increase in the number of students able to correctly describe the causal relationships between mass and other properties in a main-sequence star such as luminosity, gravity, and temperature. In this workshop, participants learn about the Stargazing Live! project and experience the (freely available) concept modelling activity in the DynaLearn tool. Participants need to bring their own laptop and have access to the internet during the workshop.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 16:00
    How Big, How Bright, How Far? Teaching Astronomical Inquiry at PASEA and UBC
    By Linda Strubbe Strubbe Educational Consulting

    Astronomy evokes deep curiosity for many people, making it a beautiful topic for supporting students to learn scientific practices and develop as scientists. Inquiry is a powerful approach for teaching astronomical content and practices together: students ask their own questions about a phenomenon, investigate their question in a small group, and then synthesize and share their results. My colleagues and I have designed and taught an inquiry-based lab sequence about distances in the Universe for two venues: the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers (PASEA), and a first-year astronomy course at the University of British Columbia (UBC). PASEA is a short course in astronomy for university students and teachers from across Africa, designed and taught by a collaboration of astronomers from Africa, North America and Australia. I’ll share our inquiry curriculum in both places, how we teach new instructors to facilitate inquiry, and evidence that students learn astronomical concepts and build their self-efficacy. (This work was recently published in the journal CourseSource.) We encourage other astronomy instructors to try an inquiry approach to help students develop as scientists while exploring topics they are curious about.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:00 - 16:15
    Astronomy Education for the Elderly Learners
    By Shigeyuki Karino Kyushu Sangyo University

    Co-authors: Takako Otabe and Harumi Kagawa
    Recently, the population has been rapidly ageing, especially in developed countries. In regard to the elderly, learning plays an important role in improving their quality of life and connecting to the society. However, the contributions of sciences including astronomy have not been considered in previous studies on elderly education. It has been recognized that the learning needs of the elderly is different from that of the younger generations. Moreover, educational methods that are effective with younger generations may not be equally favored by the elderly. We are therefore investigating the needs of older learners for learning astronomy and their preferred learning strategies. Based on the findings, and contrary to previous theories, elderly learners are simply enjoying learning itself and aiming to broaden their perspectives through learning. In this respect, astronomy education could contribute by satisfying the curiosity of elderly learners and making their learning experience fulfilling and meaningful. On the other hand, it has also been suggested that the elderly prefer traditional lectures in the classroom rather than learning with the latest audiovisual materials. We would like to discuss how the astronomy education community can contribute to the active ageing of elderly learners, in the near future, by using a range of strategies matched to their needs and characteristics.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:15 - 16:30
    STEM-MED: a co-design project in the Mediterranean
    By Sara Ricciardi INAF - National Institute for Astrophysics

    Co-authors: Stefano Sandrelli, Stefania Varano, Silvia Casu, Giuliana Giobbi, Riccardo Leoni, Claudia Mignone, Gloria Tirabassi, Rosa Valiante, Alessandra Zanazzi, and Anita Zanella
    From our experience with schools and educational communities, we have realized that the weak link in developing scientific citizenship starting from primary school is not the contents but the difficulties in building valuable educational practices that are rich and feasible for teachers and students. Those practices engaging pupils should also allow students to "look inside" scientific research and understand how it works. Our focus, therefore, as IAU Office of Astronomy for Education Center Italy, was aimed to stimulate and co-design educational practices interesting for schools in the Mediterranean countries. However, first of all, we had to glue together a community of astronomers, educators, and practitioners in the Mediterranean Area who could work together, reflecting on the educational value of astronomy at school commonly but also thinking about strategies for working with the various environments within our collaboration. Our choice led us to a co-design process; talking about educational resources, together we grew a community of practice among IAU National Astronomy for Education Coordinators (NAECs), encompassing various countries from southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. One of the Office's priorities is to exchange ideas about Astronomy Education and stimulate a conversation about fully engaging the various National communities of teachers and students. We strived to create an equitable partnership among all teams involved. After defining together a common theme for this educational project (light in its multiple facets), we worked on individual resources already developed in the various countries, analyzing them and understanding how to make them usable in other partner countries. We aimed to produce universal resources centered on students' needs, emphasizing hands-on methods. We embarked on a co-creation project where each NAEC presented its educational resource. Then through peer-to-peer discussion facilitated by Office members, we tailored those resources for a broader audience and different educational contexts. After a long online process (October 2021 to June 2022), we finally met for our first in-person meeting on the island of Lampedusa, a highly symbolic location in the middle of the Mediterranean. Here, each participant showcased their revised activity, and we collectively created a structure for those resources. We are now documenting the process and finalizing a multilingual, multicultural educational resources booklet. Over two years, 23 National representatives joined the project as advisors for other NAECs or in the tailoring and translation process, while about 11 Mediterranean countries are proposing a resource. This presentation will describe the two-year process that led to these outcomes, highlighting the growth and development of the NAEC Mediterranean community.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:30 - 16:45
    NASA’s Universe of Learning: A multi-mission approach to engaging informal learners in astrophysics
    By Kelly Lepo Space Telescope Science Institute

    Co-authors: Denise Smith, Emma Marcucci, Gordon Squires, Kathleen Lestition, Travis Schriner, Colleen Manning, Jai Jeter, Mitch Watkins, and the NASA’s Universe of Learning team.
    The NASA Science Mission Directorate’s Science Activation program, established in 2016, is a new approach to help learners engage with NASA science, shifting away from the former mission-by-mission approach to education and public outreach. Competitively-selected teams form a cooperative network to connect NASA’s science, data, and science experts with learners of all ages in a way that activates minds and promotes a deeper understanding of our world and beyond. NASA’s Universe of Learning (NASA’s UoL), a Science Activation program, creates astrophysics-themed data tools, multimedia experiences, community programs, and professional learning experiences for informal educators and self-directed learners. NASA’s UoL is a partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with external evaluation from the Goodman Research Group. The partners work together to use NASA Astrophysics mission data, experts, and discoveries to engage audiences in learning about the universe. Our resources and learning experiences are tied to major themes in modern astrophysics, best practices in informal education, and audience needs. In this presentation, I will give an overview of how NASA’s UoL is working to meet the needs of learners and science experts in today’s world; describe our multi-mission, multi-wavelength approach; and highlight resources developed by the program, including JWST resources you can use in your programming and education efforts.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:45 - 17:00
    Initiatives of the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD)
    By Timothy Spuck AUI

    The North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) has launched two new initiatives, Women and Gils in Astronomy for Development and Making Astronomy Accessible for All. The NA-ROAD is working to advance additional initiatives in five areas: 1) astronomy for science diplomacy, 2) use of astronomy and astronomy facilities/resources to support economic development in local communities, 3) use of astronomy to facilitate STEM interest, education and outreach, 4) the use of astronomy to promote STEM interest, careers and employment for incarcerated individuals, and 5) advance collaboration and sharing to support Indigenous communities and peoples. Come learn about these initiatives and how you can get involved. The NA-ROAD is a collaboration including the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL, Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) in Washington, D.C., Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) in Washington, DC, Geneva Lake Astrophysics and STEAM, (GLAS Education) in Williams Bay, WI, and the Office of Astronomy for Development in Cape Town, South Africa.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • Michael Fitzgerald
    08:30 - 09:30
    Keynote AEP - Considerations for, and barriers to, implementing astronomy innovations into the K-12 school system
    By Michael Fitzgerald Project Astronomer, Las Cumbres Observatory

    Robotic Telescopes (RTs) for use in education have been in their infancy for the last few decades. Some major teetering and tottering, but successful, steps have been taken with both large and small telescope networks to provide reliable access to astronomical data through robotic telescopes attached to intelligent automated asynchronous schedulers. The dream of the early pioneers in RTs has been for students to directly, and deeply yet accessibly, access telescopes in a meaningful and scalable way in the everyday classroom to boost learning, attitudes and self-efficacy in science. RTs, and other astronomy innovations, are spruiked as game-changers and field-flatteners in STEM education allowing use - for free - by any interested teacher or student. The reality though is that - without intervention - it is the advantaged schools that are far more likely to be able to benefit from these opportunities than underserved and disadvantaged teachers and students. At the same time, it isn’t a mystery as to why this is the case. In this talk, I will walk through what we know about barriers to astronomy education from the research literature and what we can potentially do (and what some have tried) to help implement astronomy innovations into an authentic classroom environment …. even those led by a biology teacher! Some school systems around the world these barriers are amplified and, in others, partially overcome. The findings in this talk are broader than robotic telescopes; a simple moon on a stick with flashlight model can be just as tricky to embed in the classroom as a robotic telescope and they are broader than astronomy: most of the issues are not specific to the content area itself but stem from broader social, political and economic factors as well as the limitations of existing in a 4D universe that includes a finite amount of time within it.
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • Carola Knockwood
    09:30 - 10:00
    Keynote - Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing) as a guiding principle
    By Carola Knockwood Executive Director of Mi'kmaq Services (Department of Education - Nova Scotia)

    Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing) as a guiding principle This is an opportunity to learn about my journey using Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing as a guiding principle in the spaces I’ve worked. The most important aspect of this work is first to grow essential understandings of Mi’kmaw (Indigenous ) ways of being and knowing. Doing so enables the work to go forward in a good way.
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:00 - 10:30
    Morning Coffee and Poster Session - Day 2

    Let us recharge after an early start

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Where
    Just outside Health Sciences 610, Posters in Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 10:30 - 10:45
    Creating Space for Place-based Learning and Indigenous Astronomy Knowledges in Canadian K-12 Classrooms
    By Heidi White UofT (Dunlap Institute) / Discover the Universe

    Co-author: Julie Bolduc-Duval
    Within Indigenous communities, learning is holistic, land-conscious and communal, but these values are rarely reflected in Canadian education systems. Instead, Western/Eurocentric astronomies tend to dominate space in the classroom. Opportunities for hands-on immersive learning in remote communities are also unfortunately quite rare due to underfunding and unequal access to educational opportunities and resources. In this talk, I will be describing two recent initiatives aimed at helping address the learning/opportunity gap that exists between Indigenous and settler communities and at creating space for Indigenous Astronomy Knowledge (IAK) in Canadian classrooms. I will present “Beyond the Stars”, a series of place-based, remote observing projects (taking place from Feb-May 2023) for Grade 9-12 students from four schools located within Canadian Indigenous communities. I will describe how we have developed an innovative target selection approach which allows 1) students to engage in authentic scientific investigation while remaining immersed in local heritages, cultures, and landscapes of their region, and 2) teachers to position this cultural foundation as motivation for studying the Universe. I will also report on our experiences in performing remotely-supervised telescope observations in low-connectivity environments and share insights for similar future projects. Also discussed will be “Astrodigenous”, a newly developed online portal which provides teachers and educators with search-like access to a wealth of Indigenous sky-knowledge resources. I will provide a tour of the core features of our website, demonstrate the functionality and utility of our search engine, and describe the unique materials we have developed to guide Settler K-12 teachers in exploring their own positionality with respect to the resources in our database and towards mindfully holding space for IAK in their classrooms.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Our Place In Space! (OPIS!): Skynet-based Labs for Undergraduate Students
    By Dan Reichart University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Aimed at in-person participants

    For the past 14 years, UNC-Chapel Hill has been developing a unique, survey-level astronomy curriculum, primarily for undergraduate students. Called “Our Place In Space!”, or OPIS!, this curriculum leverages “Skynet” – a global network of ≈20 fully automated, professional-grade telescopes that we have deployed at some of the world’s best observing sites. The curriculum has now been adopted by over two dozen institutions, and we have recently received (1) $1.85M from NSF's IUSE program to expand it nationwide, and (2) $3M from DoD’s NDEP program (a) to integrate a global network of 10m – 30m diameter radio telescopes into Skynet, and (b) to develop a follow-up curriculum to OPIS!. Both grants come with funding for new instructors. OPIS! consists of eight, and soon nine, labs in which students use the same research instrumentation as professionals to collect their own data. They then use this self-collected data (astronomical images and spectra) to reproduce some of the greatest astronomical discoveries of the past 400 years, and gain technical and research skills at the same time. Although students are not carrying out cutting-edge research, they are using cutting-edge research instrumentation, and consequently there is great overlap with the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) pathway model. Furthermore, these labs/observing experiences are specifically designed to pair with standard introductory astronomy curricula, facilitating widespread adoption. In this workshop, participants will learn how to queue observations on Skynet, and will carry out at least one of the OPIS! experiences."
    Workshops

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Equity and inclusion in astronomy education: Developing our multicultural perspectives together
    By Linda Strubbe Strubbe Educational Consulting

    Aimed at in-person participants

    Justice, Equity, Decolonization, and Inclusion (JEDI) is a beautiful and important goal in astronomy education. Broadly speaking, JEDI in astronomy is about creating welcoming environments that support students and teachers of all identities, acknowledging and working to mitigate structural barriers to participation. But what JEDI looks like in detail can vary greatly across communities and different areas of the world -- connected to culture, history (e.g., colonization and migration), etc. For example, which identities are minoritized or disadvantaged, what are the experiences of people who hold those identities, and what kinds of structural barriers and supports to participation exist? Minoritized identities may include different racial / ethnic groups, LGBTQIA2S+ people, women, people of different religious beliefs, people who are abled differently, and others. Even which words are considered appropriate for describing JEDI and minoritized groups varies by culture and place. Through my JEDI work and collaborations across five continents, I have seen directly a beautiful diversity of interpretations and embodiments of JEDI in astronomy and physics. The goals of this workshop are to help participants deepen and broaden each of our personal understandings of what JEDI can mean, and take steps to support each other in our unique JEDI efforts. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to collaboratively: (1) reflect on what JEDI means in each of our particular contexts, and why; (2) share our JEDI goals, efforts, strengths and barriers; and (3) offer mutual support to others in our astronomy JEDI work.
    Workshops

  • 10:45 - 11:00
    Elimisha Msichana Elimisha Jamii na Astronomia (Swahili for "Educate a Girl, Educate the entire Community with Astronomy").
    By Ann Njeri Newcastle University

    Although ~70.4% of girls (15-19yrs) in Kenya complete primary education, few (4.5%) fully complete their secondary education because of several socio-economic issues, such as teenage pregnancies, early marriages, poverty and lack of mentorship. 86.5% live in rural Kenya with only 14.3% enrolling for secondary. Addressing this issue of gender disparity and equality in education is critically important for socio-economic growth. Elimisha Msichana Elimisha Jamii na Astronomia (EMEJA), is addressing some of these issues in rural Kenya (and now Uganda) via Astronomy outreach, mentorship, targeted STEM workshops and scholarships opportunities, guided by long-term student tracking/monitoring. Specifically, I will show how EMEJA is using Astronomy and basic sciences to promote quality education in rural and underserved schools in Kenya and Uganda. Through the Astro-STEM Workshops & Mentorship programme, we are providing intensive astronomy themed workshops targeting Years 1&2 female (14-16 yrs) students in high school in a bid to motivate more girls into STEM courses and careers. We engage the students in a rigorous 2-day hands-on targeted STEM practicals. Astro-STEM aims to change STEM misconceptions & promote early participation of girls in sciences, improved grades in STEM, increase number of girls selecting Physics & sitting for the Physics national examination; create resources (e.g. for Physics laboratory) for these often underfunded and underdeveloped rural schools; and lastly create computer literacy (almost non-existence) in these regions.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:00 - 11:15
    Creating equitable, sustainable, and innovative educational projects using robotic telescopes
    By Edward Gomez Las Cumbres Observatory

    Co-author: Alice Hopkinson
    My aim for this talk is to show how to scale education programmes and make them sustainable. I will use the Global Sky Partners as a case study. The Global Sky Partners is the flagship educational project from Las Cumbres Observatory. It addresses the key question of how to run an efficient and sustainable education programme in astronomy. Las Cumbres Observatory is a homogeneous network of 25 telescopes, across 7 professional observatory sites. They do not operate in the same manner as a traditional observatory, as observations are queue scheduled with an algorithm deciding which observatory takes the data. We wanted to use this network effectively without needing to expand the education support team. Global Sky Partners was the answer. In this talk I will discuss how having calling for proposals for educational projects to use telescope time, and working with education delivery partners across the globe, impacted 100,000 individuals in 2022. A core audience for this programme are disadvantaged or underrepresented communities, which in 2022 represented over 58% of the users.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:15 - 11:30
    Cosmology in Education: old and new challenges
    By Jorge Ernesto Horvath Astronomy, IAG-USP, São Paulo SP

    Several years ago an interesting debate was raised by the late J. Pasachoff in the AER. The central issue was the imperative to bring students and public to "modern" views of science, and of cosmology in particular. The opposite view held that not even the simplest things like tides or Kepler's laws were properly understood and grasped, and thus it should be better to take frontier topics out of curricula. The situation, if anything, is worse now. New instruments and wild ideas have appeared, and are very attractive to the students and public, but we have not yet solved how to cope with the problem of teaching. I shall discuss these topics in this talk, and exemplify some points with a Resource Survey made in Brazil, in which some crucial issues emerge quite clearly.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:30 - 11:45
    Journey Through the Universe Hawai‘i: Plans for 20th Anniversary
    By Peter Michaud NOIRLab

    Co-author: Christopher Phillips, Leinani Loz
    For the past 19 years, the Hawai‘i Journey Through the Universe (JTTU) program has delivered innovative, hands-on programs for Hawai‘i Island classrooms. The program originated as part of the national Journey Through the Universe program developed by NASA’s National Center for Earth and Space Education under Jeff Goldstein. Led by the International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF in a partnership with the Hawai‘i Department of Education and more recently with the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the program includes participants from all of the Maunakea Observatories, NASA, and dozens of local community partners. The Hawai‘i JTTU is the only remaining community hosting JTTU out of the original 14 across the US. In early 2024, the JTTU program will celebrate its 20th consecutive year with many new initiatives and concepts planned. In addition to the core program, which includes several hundred classroom presentations each year by observatory STEM professionals (and beyond), multiple STEM career panels, teacher training, and local public events. As the program enters its 3rd decade, plans include expanded community programming, the development of presentation modules, and teacher workshops aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. In this presentation, the history of JTTU in Hawai‘i will be presented, along with plans for the 20th anniversary of the program.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:45 - 12:00
    Exoplanets in the Classroom - Resources for educators, by educators
    By Marie-Eve Naud Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, Université de Montréal

    Co-author: Julie Bolduc-Duval, Nathalie Ouellette, Frédérique Baron, Heidi White
    Astrophysicists, science educators and teachers collaborated to create a wealth of educational resources presented in Des exoplanètes à l’école (Exoplanets in the Classroom). Activities, slide decks, short videos, biographies of Québécois and Canadian astrophysicists, an FAQ, a glossary, play cards and more, are all available for free on our website: http://www.exoplanetesalecole.ca (French only at the moment). They can be used by primary and secondary school teachers and kids to learn more about exoplanets and the search for life in the Universe. During this talk, I’ll present the resources and how they were developed, in a process led by astrophysicists and science educators at the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Université de Montréal, in close collaboration with Discover the Universe and other educational partners, with funding from the Québec provincial government. More than a hundred teachers in Québec have been involved from the start of the project in 2021 up to the publication of the resources in March 2023. They participated in brainstorming sessions, helped test the resources in their classrooms, and were consulted on many occasions to ensure the resources were adapted to their realities and needs. The reaction of the teachers is extremely positive : they told us the resources are easy to adopt and adapt, have significant connections with the Quebec school curriculum they must teach, and provide a novel way for them and their students to review mandatory topics and learn more about cutting-edge actual research topics and the scientists who make them.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 12:00 - 13:30
    Lunch and Poster Session - Day 2

    A bit of energy after all this excitement!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201
    Where
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 13:30 - 13:45
    Student Projects in Astronomy With Increasing Levels of Autonomy
    By Kailash Elumalai Stanford Online High School

    A spectrum of student projects in astronomy, from introductory to advanced, is presented here. First, Exoplanet Watch is a NASA Citizen Science project that has been implemented in high school and university classes. As part of participating in the project, students learn how exoplanet transits are measured, and plug into the active community of astronomers, observers, and educators on the project's Slack channel. Even without a telescope, Exoplanet Watch participants can request datasets from the Harvard-Smithsonian MicroObservatory's robotic telescope network, upload their work to the American Association of Variable Star Observers Exosite, and be credited if their analysis is used in subsequent publications. Students with experience measuring stars as is done for Exoplanet Watch can then undertake double star projects, in which they measure the position angle and separation of a double star and compare this to historical data to assess the likelihood that the pair is binary. To earn a spot for their measurement in the Washington Double Star Catalog, would-be student double star astronomers must experience the academic review process by publishing their work in the Journal of Double Star Observations. Finally, a student-led project analyzing galaxy clusters using graph theory will also be shown as an example of a more self-directed investigation. These three project types are presented, along with some reflections from the author, who was introduced to astronomy through this progression.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Hack an exoplanet: Bringing real satellite data into the classroom!
    By Cátia Cardoso Aurora Technology B.V. for ESA

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    Elsa Alfonso Sanchez (Aurora Technology for ESA); Other co-authors: Monica Talevi (ESA); Allysse Marshall (ESA); Laylan Saadaldin (EJR-Quartz for ESA); Kate Isaak (ESA); Maximilian Guenther (ESA); Sandor Kruk (ESA); Davide Gandolfi (ESA CHEOPS Science Team member/University of Torino)
    Hack an Exoplanet is a hackathon activity for secondary students organised by ESA Education. This inspirational learning activity challenges students (14 to 19 years old) to be space detectives for one day and profile two ‘mysterious’ exoplanets: KELT-3b and TOI-560c. Join this workshop to become a space detective and hack an exoplanet. The activity includes an online event in April 2023, and physical hackathons taking place in April and May 2023 at ESA facilities, as well as volunteer science centres and schools across Europe. The hackathon activities are freely available in 21 languages. Teams that participate in a hackathon are invited to submit their project and apply for the Best Project prize. During the hackathons students have access to data collected by ESA’s Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite) specifically for this activity. Cheops is a satellite that studies known exoplanets in-depth. Its mission is to observe known exoplanets and characterise them by looking at the dip of stellar light caused by the planets’ transit of their host stars. The data collected by the satellite in January 2023 has been made available immediately by ESA for the hack an exoplanet activity, but can also be used for scientific purposes. The Hack an Exoplanet platform provides a variety of inspirational resources for educators to engage students in STEM subjects using the fascinating topic of exoplanets as the learning context, including classroom resources, videos with experts, a quiz, the opportunity to ask a scientist a question and much more. This educational activity was developed by ESA Education in collaboration with the ESA Science directorate, with support from members of the international Cheops Mission Consortium and the ESERO network.
    Workshops

  • 13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Skynet’s Cluster HR Diagram and Image Processing Tools
    By Daryl Janzen University of Saskatchewan

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    This workshop will introduce participants to the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network’s photometry-based tri-colour image processing software and its cluster HR diagram plotting and isochrone modelling tool, which were created for the second-semester STEAM education Multi-Wavelength Universe! curriculum. Participants will work through the standard implementation of a star cluster project: data collection and raw image reduction with Skynet; source extraction, photometry, and image processing with Skynet’s Afterglow Access software; and HR Diagram plotting and isochrone fitting with Skynet’s Cluster Pro Plus webapp. Thus, participants will learn how to use this web-based software to: create photometrically-calibrated and reddening-corrected colour images; automatically photometer all sources in a set of images; incorporate information from Gaia to remove field stars based on proper motion and parallax; estimate a cluster’s distance, age, metallicity, and reddening through isochrone fitting; and query external catalogues (Gaia, APASS, WISE, 2MASS) for supplemental photometry and (often) improved isochrone fitting. Along the way, we will highlight ways to accommodate partial or non-standard implementations, such as the ability to query catalogues directly from Cluster Pro Plus without adding personal data.
    Workshops

  • 13:45 - 14:00
    The Development and Assessment of a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) for Online Astronomy Majors
    By Molly Simon Arizona State University

    Co-authors: Heather B. Hewitt, Chris Mead, Skylar Grayson, Grace Haverstock-Beall
    There has been a tremendous shift towards online learning over the past two decades. At the crux of this shift is the desire to make higher education more accessible. In the summer of 2020, Arizona State University introduced the first online bachelor’s degree program in Astronomical and Planetary Sciences (hereafter, the APS program) in the United States. The APS program, as it currently stands, does not adequately prepare students for advanced degrees in astrophysics or planetary science. As the APS program has progressed, many students have expressed interest in pursuing graduate degrees in related fields. By broadening access to course-based research experiences through online CUREs, rather than emphasizing individual research experiences exclusively, the research community will be more representative of our nation’s diverse population of learners. To this end, we have developed and are currently assessing one of the first fully online CUREs for astronomy majors. Our CURE utilizes the citizen science project, Exoplanet Watch, as the backbone of the course. Students in the course work collaboratively to update the orbital parameters of a Hot Jupiter exoplanet observed using a network of small, ground-based, robotic telescopes. A preliminary analysis of survey responses from students enrolled in the Fall 2022 pilot offering of the course indicated that students who completed our CURE reported improved research self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and increased exoplanet content knowledge.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:00 - 14:15
    A Novel Method for Teaching Large Astronomy Courses Online
    By Rupinder Brar Ontario Tech University

    Co-authors: Margaret C. Moulson (Toronto Metropolitan University)
    Pandemic precautions forced many university courses to be taught online for the first time, including the large introductory astronomy courses at Ontario Tech University. Online synchronous courses, where material is delivered live over video conferencing software using slides and lecturing, do not offer the effectiveness of in-person courses. Similarly, asynchronous courses with recorded lectures and other components have several drawbacks compared to in-person courses. In response to these limitations, I developed a novel synchronous method for teaching astronomy online that resulted in better student outcomes than in-person courses. This synchronous mixed method approach consisted of first creating a series of easy-to-make, high-quality, and reusable videos of the main lecture content. These videos were then played live for the first time during the online synchronous lecture with the students. As each video played, I moderated a class-wide written discussion, where I answered student questions, clarified points made in the video, and seamlessly deployed engagement tasks throughout. In between these short videos longer questions were addressed, deeper discussion was generated, and interactive quizzing was conducted. Following the synchronous class time, the recorded videos were posted in the learning management system and available to the students for the remainder of the course. In this talk, I will describe the details of this synchronous mixed method approach. I will also present comparisons of student outcomes, showing that this approach resulted in greater student success than traditional in-person classes both before and after the pandemic (e.g., average final grade increase from 72.9% to 77.3%).
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:15 - 14:30
    Hunting in the dark: an educational escape room on star and planetary formation
    By Silvia Casu Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)

    Co-authors: Alessia Zurru, Silvia Leurini
    There are many different trends in using active learning strategies in classroom to improve student engagement, understanding and collaboration. Active learning approaches include problem based learning (PBL), laboratories and hands-on activities, peer learning, and game-based learning (GBL) such as gamification and games for learning (G4L). A particular role in educational active G4L tools is played by escape rooms, logic games based on a sequence of puzzles to be solved, mysterious objects to find, encrypted doors to open. Escape rooms have been proved to be particularly engaging and stimulating toosl, especially for young people, and applicable at school in order to propose curricular and extracurricular topics. They allow to activate motivation, to develop problem-solving skills, enhance cooperative spirit and improve the pleasure in learning. We here present a recent in-person escape room (“Hunting in the dark”), designed by the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica and targeted to middle school students. The project arises from the need to effectively tell astronomic topics such as interstellar medium and stars and planetary formation. We present the objectives, the storytelling context, the structure and some features of the “Hunting in the dark” escape room. Moreover, we discuss the results of preliminary tests with different classes, and the future application in astronomy education programs.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:30 - 14:45
    PIXEL: Challenges and lessons learned in designing a board game both for market and high-school Education
    By Giannandrea Inchingolo INAF - National Institute for Astrophysics

    Co-authors: Rachele Toniolo, Silvia Casu, Valentina La Parola, Riccardo Leoni, Giovanni Contino, Stefania Varano, Alessandra Zanazzi, Andrea Ligabue, Sara Ricciardi
    PIXEL - Picture (of) the Universe is a board game developed by INAF - Italian National Institute for Astrophysics in collaboration with GAME Science Research Center. The game simulates the research environment in Astrophysics, with particular emphasis on the observation and study of cosmic bodies at different resolutions. ​​Image resolution is a crucial element in astrophysics, but the intrinsic complexity and challenges of making high-resolution images of the distant Universe are not easily and generally perceivable. For this reason, we envisioned PIXEL. Theme and mechanics in PIXEL recreate the environment of research in Astrophysicsand its relations: players have to make decisions autonomously and in collaboration with others, as happens in actual research. They have to manage the observation time and resolution to choose whether to study small details at high resolution or the entire body at low resolution. As in actual research, moreover, research results are shared with the community of the other players in the game and publications help obtain more winning points at the end. In this contribution, we discuss the co-design process of the game in collaboration with different professionals, such as astrophysicists, game developers, illustrators, and linguists. Furthermore, we also present our preliminary analysis of the public response we collected at several public events and game-based learning activities with high school students.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:45 - 15:00
    Non-digital educational games to support conceptual change in astronomy education
    By Adriana Cardinot University of Galway

    Co-authors: Veronica McCauley and Jessamyn Fairfield
    Research on astronomy education has primarily focused on investigating students' conceptual understanding through the lens of student cognition. However, learning involves more than just acquiring or reorganizing ideas. Despite this, there have been very few studies that have examined the learning process through multiple perspectives within a naturalistic environment. Additionally, the lack of validated astronomy game resources aligned with curriculum learning outcomes has hindered the inclusion of Game-Based Learning (GBL) in astronomy education. To address this issue, this presentation explores the use of non-digital games as a pedagogical approach to support multidimensional conceptual change in post-primary astronomy education. Two dimensions of learning were examined: affective and cognitive. A mixed-methods quasi-experimental research approach was employed on a cohort of 474 post-primary students, divided into intervention and control groups. This approach included knowledge diagnostic tests, affective learning surveys, focus groups, and classroom observations. The results demonstrate robust evidence of the efficacy of non-digital games in promoting sustained conceptual change for post-primary students. The sociocultural environment created by the games was observed to favour student motivation and prolonged cognitive conceptual change. Additionally, differences across groups of students were identified in both domains of learning (cognitive and affective). The GBL pedagogical intervention created multiple opportunities for students to review and refine their knowledge and perception of astronomy. Through this presentation, the authors will report on how GBL facilitated the student learning process and the positive impacts of teaching astronomy with non-digital games. This will contribute to the advancement of both theory and practice in astronomy education.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 15:00 - 15:30
    Afternoon Coffee and Poster Session - Day 2

    A bit of energy to keep things going to the end of the day!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks

  • 15:30 - 16:00
    Social Event - Trivia

    Following the poster break, we will convene in the main hall to play astronomy trivia games. You’ll need a web-enabled device to participate. Prizes will include a custom LEGO set of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, CHIME (https://chime-experiment.ca/en). Everyone is eligible to play and earn prizes, including remote participants.
    Events
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610 and online

  • 16:00 - 18:00
    Social Outing - Walking Tour of Toronto

    We will be exploring some of Toronto’s iconic neighbourhoods. We will begin at the main conference hall and visit landmarks such as Kensington Market, Chinatown, Yonge-Dundas Square, Old City Hall (and the current City Hall, which has famously featured as an alien landmark in Star Trek), Union station and the CN tower. The tour will end at Steamwhistle Brewery (https://steamwhistle.ca/our-story) for a tasty beer. The entire walk is about 5.4 km one-way, but there are subway stops along the way should you want to duck out early. The walk will end near Union Station, only a few subway stops from campus.
    Events

  • 09:00 - 10:00
    Keynote - Future of Astronomy Education a dialogue

    A diverse panel of experienced researchers, early-career researchers, and teachers will look at their crystal balls, offering their perspectives on the Future of Astronomy Education
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:00 - 10:30
    Morning Coffee and Poster Session - Day 3

    One more morning bite for the road!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Where
    Just outside Health Sciences 610, Posters in Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 10:30 - 11:00
    Invited Talk - IAU Office of Astronomy for Education
    By Carolin Liefke Deputy Director - IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

    An overview of the IAU Office of Astronomy Educaiton
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Let’s learn with AstroEDU!
    By Edward Gomez Las Cumbres Observatory

    Livia Giacomini, Stefano Sandrelli, Silvia Casu

    Aimed at in-person participants

    How do you transform an in-person educational project that you have developed in classroom in an online activity that teachers from all over the world can easily replicate? In this workshop, we will show the process of optimization and publication of an educational activity in AstroEDU (https://astroedu.iau.org), IAU open-access platform for educational peer-reviewed activity. After an overview of some examples of activities that have been published, the participants will be engaged in the process of finalizing an education activity to propose it for publication in AstroEDU.The participants will be divided in groups and each group will be guided by a facilitator of the editorial board in the interactive process of analyzing and discussing a case study to be optimized for the reviewing process of AstroEDU. After the workshop, participants will be invited to submit their own activities to AstroEDU for publication.
    Workshops

  • 10:30 - 12:00
    [Workshop] - Observations with the LCO Robotic Telescopes
    By Priya Shah Hasan Maulana Azad National Urdu University

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    The Robotic Telescopes of the Las Cumbres Observatory provide a unique opportunity for users to make astronomical observations from state of the art telescopes. In this workshop, we shall give participants a hands-on-session on observations of select star clusters. We shall explain the basics of photometry, HR Diagrams and their application to star clusters.
    Workshops

  • 11:00 - 11:15
    The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education multilingual glossary
    By Niall Deacon IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

    Co-authors: Markus Poessel, Saeed Salimpour, and hundreds of volunteers from the OAE’s NAEC network and beyond
    The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) is the IAU’s office focussed on astronomy at primary and secondary school level. One of the key aims of the OAE is to provide access to good resources. Towards this end the OAE is creating a glossary of just under 500 terms that commonly appear in primary and secondary school settings. The glossary serves three purposes. First the glossary provides a solid foundation for future translations of astronomy education resources between languages. Second, the glossary itself provides clear and concise definitions, vetted by scientific and educational experts, in multiple languages. Third, the individual terms can be used to tag educational resources on the OAE’s website, allowing educators to search and browse through resources on a particular subject matter. Terms for the glossary were suggested by our National Astronomy Education Coordinators who also helped to filter the suggestions and to write the initial versions of the definitions. These initial versions are currently being reviewed by hundreds of volunteer reviewers in the OAE’s custom-built translation and peer review system. We aim for each term and definition to be approved by an astronomer and a teacher. Currently 40% of the glossary’s terms have been approved. Approved terms are then passed to volunteer translators who can translate the terms and definitions into their own languages. In this talk I will outline the process for creating, revising and translating the glossary, along with detailing how the astronomy education community can get involved.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:15 - 11:30
    Curriculum research as a prerequisite for interdisciplinary and foundational courses in high school science-Implementation of "Big Idea in Astronomy"
    By Hidehiko Agata NAOJ

    Aiming to installation into government curriculum guideline, we attempt to design new curriculum of science education in Japanese high school that smoothly connect from junior high school. Social problems that we face today require interdisciplinary scientific comprehension to be addressed while students learn each science subject, which is physics, chemistry, biology, and geology in Japanese science curriculum, independently. Considering the purpose of science education and its role in society, we reconsider compulsory subject for science education that should be comprehensive and foundational in order to nurture problem solving skills. Our goal is to implement ""Big Idea in Astronomy"" into the Japanese high school science curriculum.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:30 - 11:45
    Space for All: A Multinational Astronomy Education Study
    By Christine Hirst Bernhardt University of Maryland

    School systems have historically focused on curriculum, test preparation, and disciplinary control rather than engaging in quality learning experiences (Brown et al., 2019). The post-pandemic period affords an exclusive opportunity to infuse topics of interest and relevance into science courses, which equip students as epistemic agents to engage in science-as-practice. Astronomy uniquely provides these learning opportunities, yet, existing research in astronomy education is largely centered on undergraduates. This qualitative study is the first to explore examples of pre-university astronomy education internationally, and provides context to the quantitative study by Salimpour et al., (2021). Our methods included coded surveys (N=68) and cross case analysis of 10 interviews. Our data provide exemplary case studies of international astronomy education efforts in community and schools. Results indicated that countries represented by participants favored informal, self-directed astronomy learning over mandated and formal curricula. Some nations lacked professional astronomers or university programs which limited professional growth opportunities. Partnerships, collaborations, and public outreach emerged as important ingredients to learning astronomy. This, along with the ongoing work of Salimpour and Fitzgerald, provide multinational curricular and pedagogical examples of leveraging astronomy as a “ gateway science” and inform interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approaches to teaching science. This project will inform future studies and collaborations between educators, astronomers, and informal spaces.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 11:45 - 12:00
    Astronomy and Curriculum: A global perspective
    By Saeed Salimpour Deakin University/IAU Office of Astronomy for Education

    Curricula in large part govern teaching and learning in schools. In recent times, there have been various efforts to enhance the curriculum particularly in the context of science education, to engage a diverse range of learners, and make it reflective of the contemporary practices of science. This includes creating links between various disciplines, and providing students the opportunity to engage with “authentic” science. Astronomy provides a rich context for creating such interdisciplinary links, and affording students the opportunity to experience and engage with authentic practices. However, merely forcing more astronomy into the mandated curriculum may not take advantage of the rich potential offered by astronomy to cross interdisciplinary barriers. The aim of this talk is two-fold: 1) to provide a recent overview of astronomy in the curriculum of 62 countries around the world; 2) using the insights from the review and research highlighting how curricula can take advantage of the potential offered by astronomy in enhancing education more broadly in science as well as in the humanities and arts.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 12:00 - 13:30
    Lunch and Poster Session - Day 3

    We are nearing the end and need some brain food for the last stretch!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201
    Where
    Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 13:30 - 13:45
    Astronomy School Education in Chile: Perspectives and connections from the National Curriculum, Teachers’ Content Knowledge, and Professional Development Programs
    By Lara Rodrigues Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC-Chile) and Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación (UMCE-Chile)

    Co-authors: Maximiliano Montenegro (Universidad de La Serena, ULS-Chile), Alejandra Meneses (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, PUC-Chile), Stephen Pompea (NOIRLab, Leiden University), Cristián Cortés (Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, UMCE-Chile)
    Astronomy has great potential to attract children to science and improve their scientific literacy. However, in Chile, home to the world’s largest telescopes, astronomy education is still under development and has little research. This talk presents a characterization of the Chilean astronomy school education by considering perspectives and connections from the curriculum, teachers’ content knowledge, and professional development (PD) programs. First, it characterizes the opportunities to learn astronomy within the science curriculum from grades 1 to 12, showing that it contains a small percentage of astronomical content, but there are opportunities to address more topics through interdisciplinary work. Second, it maps the astronomy content knowledge of 171 in-service primary and secondary education teachers, showing a low level of astronomical knowledge within the sample, especially in day-to-day topics, which are mandatory in the curriculum. Third, it characterizes 16 astronomy teacher PD programs according to effectiveness criteria, finding that most succeed in aligning with curricular topics and offering hands-on activities, but few evaluated knowledge and effectiveness or followed up with the teachers. These results can contribute to this emerging research field with a systemic view of astronomy school education and help astronomy institutions in Chile and beyond offer more effective and impactful educational programs.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Quantitative Astrophotography: Interpreting Astrophysics from Star-Formation Regions
    By Matthew Fleenor University of Mary Washington

    Matthew C Fleenor, Daniel E Reichart

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    As undergraduates produce their own high-quality astrophotography images, STEM identity is shown to increase. Can more be obtained? In this workshop, we focus on star-formation regions (stellar birth) as a model for quantification of astrophysical values, where participants follow the steps of undergraduate students. Participants begin with the Skynet Robotic Observatory to process narrow-band, photometric observations, including stacking, aligning, and coloring. Next, within the context of Strömgren sphere theory, participants utilize basic tools such as arc-length conversion (angular size), Wien’s rule (stellar types), ionization (shock conditions), and ideal gas law approximation (temperature measures). Through these theoretical considerations and their related measurements, threshold boundaries are established for the electron number density. By securing an upper- and lower-bound on a common astrophysical quantity, undergraduates better understand how observation and theory work together for practicing scientists. In summary, this session reveals the capacity of astrophotography for introducing quantitative measurements that may further deepen STEM identity and belonging within undergraduates.
    Wallberg Building 130
    Workshops
    Where
    Wallberg Building 130 (WB130)

  • 13:30 - 15:00
    [Workshop] - Teen Astronomy Café - To Go! Gravitational Lensing
    By Fernanda Urrutia NSF’s NOIRLab

    Justine Schaen, Christopher Phillips

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    NSF’s NOIRLab’s Teen Astronomy Café — To Go! program brings the excitement of scientific discovery to students around the world by providing them with an opportunity to explore real astronomical data using the same tools as astronomers. Students explore phenomena such as black holes, exoplanet atmospheres, and gravitational lensing using Python Notebooks. Each topic includes educator resources and strategies for implementing the activities in the classroom. No coding background is required and the materials are scaffolded to engage all learners. This workshop will introduce the history and design of the free program, include strategies for incorporating the resources into any educational setting, and provide a hands-on experience as we explore the effects of gravitational lensing using a Python Notebook, hosted by Google Colab. We will manipulate a variety of galaxy parameters to learn how different properties affect the shape of gravitational lenses. Co-presenters: Fernanda Urrutia, Christopher Phillips, Emily Peavy (NSF's NOIRLab).
    Workshops

  • 13:45 - 14:00
    Teaching Seasons by Analyzing Data and Modelling
    By Pierre Chastenay Université du Québec à Montréal

    Coming The seasons is a concept in astronomy that is particularly difficult to understand (Plummer, 2012). What’s more, it is almost impossible to teach the seasons using direct observations made by students, as the phenomenon changes almost imperceptibly from day to day and takes a whole year to unfold. To overcome this difficulty, we propose to teach the seasons by prompting students to analyse day-to-day data (sunrise and sunset times and azimuth, height of the Sun at noon, length of day, etc.) for their location, and compare it with the same data for a location positioned at the same latitude in the Southern hemisphere. By answering a series of questions about the data analysed for both locations, students are led to realise that seasons are inverted form one hemisphere to the other and that seasonal changes are mainly due to the height of the Sun in the sky and the length of day. By modelling the reasons for seasons using concrete objects (a Styrofoam ball and a lamp), students will connect the apparent motion of the Sun with the inclination of Earth’s axis of rotation to the plane of the ecliptic. We will present the results of an experiment conducted with pre-service high school teachers enrolled in an astronomy teaching course, using a Seasons Concept Inventory as pre- and post-test.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:00 - 14:15
    Supporting the development of a scientific model of the Apparent Motion of the Sun and stars
    By Mieke De Cock Department of Physics & Astronomy, KU Leuven

    Co-authors: Hans Bekaert, Wim Van Dooren, Hans Van Winckel, An Steegen
    Young children, students and adults struggle to describe and explain the motion of the Sun and stars as we observe them in the sky. Yet it is essential to have a good understanding of these apparent motions as a starting point for the study of related phenomena like seasons or tides and on more advanced topics within astronomy itself. In this presentation, we describe how we measured 17-18 years old students' ideas of the apparent motion of the Sun and stars using the Apparent Motion of Sun and Stars (AMoSS) test. The test allows to compare students’ understanding of the specific aspects of these apparent motions in relation to the time of the day, time of the year, and the observer’s latitude. The analysis of the given answers and written explanations indicates that, despite the lessons at school or a planetarium visit, students scored low on the test, but answered the Sun questions significantly better than the star questions. We were able to identify several mental models that students use when explaining the phenomenon of apparent motion. Based on these findings, we designed teaching learning activities and a related planetarium presentation to support student learning. We will discuss the underlying design ideas of this intervention and the obtained results."
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:15 - 14:30
    Global Planetarian Demographic Survey
    By Jan Sermeus KU Leuven & Royal Observatory of Belgium

    Planetariums have a long history of providing astronomy education to a diverse range of visitors. The astronomy educators (planetarians) are key players and central to understanding various aspects of visitor/student satisfaction, motivation for astronomy and learning. It is thus important to get an overview of who they are and how they operate. Schultz and Slater (2020) conducted a survey to answer this question, but their work was geographically limited. In this project we conducted a global survey with the aim to provide a detailed overview of diverse profiles of the planetarium operators, the content they present, the ways in which they interact with the audience and how they grow in their profession. An extensive online survey was developed, checked for validity and distributed through various national and international networks. The survey was also translated into twelve languages to make it accessible to individuals who may not be confident in English. A mixed-methods approach to the analysis allowed for the exploration of the various layers and correlations between different constructs in the survey, which included educational background, the amount and role of interactions during presentations, astronomy content, professional growth, and many others. This talk will provide an overview of the results from this Global Planetarian Demographic Survey which reached over 300 planetarians representing 46 countries (every continent except for Antarctica).
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:30 - 14:45
    Understanding the Skills in Visual Astronomy
    By Hugo Walsh Swinburne University of Technology

    Co-authors: Prof Christopher Fluke, Dr Lisa Wise, Dr Sara Webb
    In some observationally oriented fields, like medical imaging and aviation, a crucial part of the training process is learning how to look at medical scans or inspect the sky and instrumentation for possible concerns. This training falls into two categories: (1) developing the background knowledge required to interpret the information being presented; and (2) developing the skills and strategies of looking to find and identify features of significance. Surprisingly, in the development of the professional or research astronomer, we have literature on how the knowledge-based information might be taught most effectively, but there is an apparent dearth of information on how the skills of looking at images – i.e. visual inspection – are taught. We present the results of a first of its kind survey, supported by pilot interviews, conducted between 2021 and 2022 to study how astronomers are trained in visual inspection. Survey respondents comprised 70 observational astronomers, ranging from postgraduate students to senior researchers with more than 20 years of experience in observational astronomy. We found that most respondents (60%) received informal training with a minority of respondents (21%) having received formal training. Additionally, most informal training providers identified were PhD supervisors (36%) or academic researchers within a specialty field (31%). The most surprising result was the 27% of respondents that could not identify having received any training in visual inspection. This research presents a unique insight into how observational astronomers learn a highly important aspect of observational astronomy that appears, until now, to have been overlooked within academic literature.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 14:45 - 15:00
    The Quantitative Reasoning Skills and Numerical Affect of General Education Astronomy Students
    By Kate Follete Amherst College

    Much of the dialogue surrounding effective pedagogy for college-level general education astronomy courses has been focused on how best to engender "science literacy", yet students cannot be scientifically literate without also being numerate. We present recent results from the Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) assessment, an online multiple-choice assessment administered at the start and end of a semester of general education college science instruction that is designed to measure levels of and changes in numerical skill and affect. The QuaRCS has been administered to more than 10,000 students at dozens of institutions over the past ten years. We will discuss themes that have emerged from this large dataset, including evidence supporting three broad conclusions : (1) numerical self-efficacy, a perception of math's relevance to daily life, and math anxiety level are strongly predictive of student score on the assessment, (2) achievement gaps for various demographic groups narrow substantially by compensating for these affective variables, and (3) the words and cultural contexts used in assessment questions affect their accessibility to students, impacting performance. These conclusions are important in their ability to inform effective curricular practices in general education science instruction, especially in regard to helping students improve numerical and science literacy levels. They are also an important part of the puzzle in the work that we all must do to reduce barriers to entry to STEM disciplines faced disproportionately by students from historically underrepresented groups. 
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 15:00 - 15:30
    Afternoon Coffee and Poster Session - Day 3

    The final break for the final day of an exciting conference! Yummy, delicious and one for the road!

    Poster schedule can be seen here
    Breaks
    Where
    Just outside Health Sciences 610, Posters in Sandford Fleming Building 3201

  • 15:30 - 15:45
    Unveiling the Moon: a multisensorial approach of Earth's natural satellite
    By Mariana Gomes Astronomy Museum and Related Sciences (MAST)

    Co-author: Silvia Lorenz Martins, Aires da Conceição Silva.
    It is known that Astronomy teaching uses visual perceptions and information in the majority, which generates a lack of appropriate materials to be used in the school classes, considering the specific needs of blind or visually impaired students (BVI). In the Brazilian curriculum of Basic education, it is expected that students can reflect on the position of the Earth, the Sun, our galaxies, and the human species in the Universe. Given this, Astronomy teaching assumes an essential function in the process of the student's recognition of its position and role in the Universe. To contribute towards filling this gap, the project Universo Acessivel (Accessible Universe), at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Valongo Observatory, aims to improve the teaching-learning process for this audience, developing low-cost stuff and audio resources. In this work, we aim to present the teaching resources produced by the project, intending to allow a multisensorial approach to the Moon to the BVI students. To set up this, three types of resources were considered: (1)tactile model; (2) braille booklet; (3) talking book, both addressing different topics about the Earth’s natural satellite, such as eclipses, craters, phases, and tides. Each kind of resource has its proper usability and specificity, which help to contextualize the content learned by students. We seek to discuss how exploring different resources in a ludic, active, and multisensorial way allows the engagement of more students in the journey of unveiling the Moon.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 15:30 - 17:00
    [Workshop] - Online Activities Using Real Astronomical Data
    By Fraser Lewis Faulkes Telescope Project

    Sarah Roberts

    Aimed at both in-person and online participants

    In this workshop, we will explore a range of software and datasets that can be used by educators or students independently to explore aspects of the scientific process. Participants will be shown a flavour of multiple activities around areas of astronomy such as black holes, supernovae, photometry. These activities show students how to mine data effectively, to plot graphs including uncertainties in e.g. Excel, to measure trendlines and to make conclusions from their analysis. All tools used are free to download and most are available across multiple platforms. As part of this workshop, I welcome ideas for further activities of this type.
    Workshops

  • 15:45 - 16:00
    Yumna Majeed - Cosmos to Classroom: Space Education Practice in Pakistan
    By Yumna Majeed Exploration | IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach - Pakistan

    In Pakistan's Astronomy and Space Sciences field, a lack of awareness was observed in educational institutions and among the public, from outdated curricula in schools that made science uninteresting for students to the militarization of space agency that led to no jobs in the country’s space sector. Furthermore, there were no public observatories, planetariums or science museums for students or the public to visit, nor role models or space-career counselling centres where students could progress their professional space careers. In 2016, a space education and awareness campaign was initiated by Yumna Majeed, then 18y/o medical student and aspiring astronaut. Two years later, Exploration was created as a volunteer-run organisation with Ms Yumna as a student ambassador and national coordinator for US and Europe-based space organisations. The mission was to raise awareness about Astronomy among Pakistan's public and promote Astronomy and Space Sciences as a subject and career among students. The target audience was narrowed down to primary and secondary schools. Since Astronomy is an observational science, using art mediums to engage students in themed activities proved to be a good technique. Teaching methods included presentation-based STEM lectures, day and night sky observation sessions via telescope, hands-on activities, and space-art and storytelling sessions. To build a sustainable model for the organisation and keep the outreach inclusive and diverse, private schools were charged to cover the material cost, subsequent funding enabling the same sessions to be conducted free of cost at low-income schools, trusts and orphanages. Currently, there’s high demand for Space Science workshops, and Exploration reached over 85 schools and more than 9000 children. Schools started to celebrate World Space Week, universities initiated Space Clubs and authorities and the national space agency started to address space as part of the course curriculum.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:00 - 16:15
    Shweta Kulkarni - AstroTribe: Astronomy Education for Science communication
    By Shweta Kulkarni Director, AstronEra

    The AstroTribe project was successfully implemented in 2023 and will be developed further in 2023. It was supported with a grant by the OAD, IAU. The AstroTribe project promotes hands-on astronomy activities, accessibility and affordability using open-source hardware and software, community building, and knowledge sharing for more engaging and impactful astronomy education. Learning by teaching encourages students to take an active role in their education, deepen their understanding of the material, and develop valuable skills in communication, organization, and problem-solving. It can also foster a sense of community and collaboration among students and provide the opportunity to contribute to the wider astronomy community's education and outreach efforts.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:15 - 16:30
    ELSOL: A citizen science project for college students
    By Ilhuiyolitzin Villicana Pedraza New Mexico State University-DACC

    ELSOL is a pilot project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), The objective is to improve knowledge about how to increase participation in STEM careers for minoritized individuals living in high poverty urban and rural areas seeking to transfer with an Associates of Science degree to a 4 year university. This goal will be achieved by engagement through experiential learning in which students will participate in undergraduate research citizen science project with astrobiology classes (minimesters), observations with one NASA radio telescope and data science. In this talk I will explain more details and the results for the first semester.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:30 - 16:45
    The Anthropology of Outer Space: An interdisciplinary approach to engaging undergraduates in space studies
    By Joseph Wilson University of Toronto

    Co-authors: Kathryn Denning
    Outer space is often understood to be profoundly inhuman, best approached through the physical sciences alone. But space has always been entangled in human culture, through constellations, myths, calendars, celestial navigation practices, astronomical observations, religion, ideas of distant Others in the sky, and dreams of space travel. The first crewed missions in the 1960s marked our species’ initial physical steps beyond Earth, but diverse cultural conceptions and meanings of space had long preceded the spacesuits, and are still in play in popular culture. Further, the modern exploration and use of space by governments and corporations has extensive implications for everyone on Earth. Space is therefore of profound interest to students across campus, in the social sciences, sciences, humanities, business, environmental studies, and creative arts. The Anthropology of Outer Space’ at York University is (to our knowledge) the only undergraduate course in Canada explicitly focused on using anthropology to study space. Denning launched the course in 2010 to teach students from all majors to be ‘citizens of the solar system’ together, oriented to essential facts about astronomy and space exploration, and able to engage in interdisciplinary anthropological discussions about robotic vs crewed space exploration, remote observation, space resources, possible extraterrestrial life, planetary protection, planetary defense, and the militarization of space. In 2023, Wilson incorporated media studies, semiotics, language, and communication into the course. An equitable, ethical, inclusive future for space exploration and astronomy depends on tomorrow’s astrophysicists, rocket scientists AND social scientists, lawyers, politicians, activists, and artists, thinking together.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 16:45 - 17:00
    Three Cornerstones of Modern Astronomy Education
    By Daryl Janzen University of Saskatchewan

    Co-authors: Kalée Tock
    Active, skills-based learning experiences involving real data promote deeper learning. Three recent innovations have opened doors to a variety of learning opportunities that astronomy educators can offer their students, which were not possible even a decade ago: web-based computing tools such as Jupyter Notebooks and Google Colaboratory; the proliferation of publicly available datasets from surveys such as Gaia, TESS, and ASAS; and robotic telescope networks such as Skynet and LCOGT which students can use to collect supplemental information that is not given by survey data. We will discuss three projects we have implemented in high school and university courses, involving star clusters, periodic variable stars, and double stars, focusing on the different ways each of these cornerstones of modern astronomy education add value through key project outcomes.
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Talks
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610

  • 17:00 - 17:30
    Grand Finale - Conference Closing Session
    By Urban Eriksson Lund University, AstroEdu Conference Co-chair, Paulo S. Bretones AstroEdu Conference Co-chair

    All great adventures have an end, which is in fact a beginning!
    Where have we come, where are we going?

    A few words from the conference organisers and co-chairs
    Keynotes
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610
    Where
    Main Hall - Health Sciences 610


Conference Schedule

The AstroEdu 2023 Conference Program

Please note that this schedule is subject to change if we have requests for changes

Time to Launch

The 2nd AstroEdu Conference will start in

Location

The AstroEdu 2023 Conference will be hosted by University of Toronto
Dunlap Institute for Astronomy

Click here for location
Click here for Local Information
Code of Conduct

Join us in Toronto!

Registrations for the 2023 AstroEdu Conference are now open!

Registrations Now Open

Connect with us

Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Don’t miss a thing!
Sign up to AstroEdu Conference Series
mailing list.

Mailing List Signup
© Copyright AstroEdu Conference Series
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy