scholarly journals C46 ‘ASTRONOMY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT’: A PECULIAR COMMISSION

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (T29A) ◽  
pp. 205-208
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre de Greve ◽  
Beatriz García ◽  
Michèle Gerbaldi ◽  
Roger Ferlet ◽  
Edward Guinan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Astronomy Education ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
Education Outreach

C46 was a Commission of the Executive Committee of the IAU under Division XII (Union-Wide Activities), then after 2012 under Division C (Education, Outreach, and Heritage). It was the only commission dealing exclusively with astronomy education; a previous Commission 38 (Exchange of Astronomers), which allocated travel grants to astronomers who needed them, and a Working Group on the Worldwide Development of Astronomy, have been absorbed by Commission 46.

scholarly journals Before OAD

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (S349) ◽  
pp. 388-393
Author(s):  
Alan H. Batten
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
International Schools ◽  
Outer Space ◽  
Vice President ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Astronomy Education ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
Year 2000

AbstractOAD, the Office of Astronomy for Development, one of the most significant innovations within the IAU, was created at the XXVII General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2009 and opened in 2011. The new office brought together and strengthened several activities of the IAU aimed at helping astronomers in developing or isolated countries to keep in touch with their colleagues elsewhere and up-to-date with the developments in our science. Those activities were mediated through the old commission structure by Commission 38 (Exchange of Astronomers) and Commission 46 (Astronomy Education and Development) which oversaw the International Schools of Young Astronomers (ISYA), the Visiting Lecturer Programme (VLP) and Teaching for Astronomy Development (TAD). In addition, Jorge Sahade, during his term as IAU President (1985–1988), formed the Working Group for the Promotion and Development of Astronomy, as a sub-committee of the Executive Committee, and asked the present writer, then a Vice-President, to act as chair. That Working Group (later renamed the Working Group for the Worldwide Development of Astronomy, WGWWDA) operated within the context of the already existing services of the IAU and in cooperation with the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). In this paper, the writer gives an account of the activities of the WGWWDA both during and between General Assemblies, until the year 2000, shortly after which he relinquished responsibility for them.

scholarly journals Commission 38 (Exchange of astronomers) and Commission 46 (Teaching of astronomy): two commissions that played a unique role in the history and development of the IAU

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (S349) ◽  
pp. 374-387
Author(s):  
John B. Hearnshaw
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Working Group ◽  
International School ◽  
Astronomy Education ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Hands On ◽  
History Of ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
General Secretary ◽  
Active Change

AbstractThe founding and development of two commissions of the IAU that played a unique role in IAU history are traced. Commission 38 for the Exchange of astronomers was founded in 1946 with Frederick Stratton as first president, and it expended funds (initially granted by UNESCO) for astronomers to travel on exchange visits. Commission 46 for the Teaching of astronomy was founded in 1964 with Evry Schatzmann as first president. This was a time of rapidly growing interest in the IAU for teaching astronomy and in due course for promoting astronomy in developing countries. For a while, both commissions operated under the wing of the Executive Committee. Their role was unique as they were the only IAU commissions to have their own budget, as well as aspiring to bring about social change in the astronomical community. By 2000 both commissions merged into C46 (Astronomy education and development) and by that time various programmes such as the International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA), the working group World-wide Development of Astronomy (WWDA) and the working group Teaching Astronomy for Development (TAD), which grew out of the Visiting Lecturers’ Program (VLP), were all run by C46. When the IAU established the Office of Astronomy for Development in 2011, many of these functions were removed from the commission and in any case C46 ceased to exist in 2015 when all the old commissions were disestablished. In 2015 the Office for Young Astronomers took over the running of the ISYA. The history of C38 and C46 represents a time of active change in the way the IAU was engaging with people. It was more than just a union for scientific research, but in the world of scientific unions, it was remarkable for taking an active hands-on role in implementing social change. In the history of these two commissions, the Swiss astronomer Edith Müller played a leading dynamic role. She served as president of C46 (1967-73), of C38 (1985-88) as well as IAU General Secretary (1976-79).

scholarly journals What If the ‘Anthropocene’ Is Not Formalized as a New Geological Series/Epoch?

Quaternary ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentí Rull
Keyword(s):  
Present State ◽  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Environmental Sciences ◽  
International Union ◽  
Quaternary Stratigraphy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Geological Sciences

In the coming years, the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) will submit its proposal on the ‘Anthropocene’ to the Subcommission of Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) and the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) for approval. If approved, the proposal will be sent to the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) for ratification. If the proposal is approved and ratified, then the ‘Anthropocene’ will be formalized. Currently, the ‘Anthropocene’ is a broadly used term and concept in a wide range of scientific and non-scientific situations, and, for many, the official acceptance of this term is only a matter of time. However, the AWG proposal, in its present state, seems to not fully meet the requirements for a new chronostratigraphic unit. This essay asks what could happen if the current ‘Anthropocene’ proposal is not formalized by the ICS/IUGS. The possible stratigraphic alternatives are evaluated on the basis of the more recent literature and the personal opinions of distinguished AWG, SQS, and ICS members. The eventual impact on environmental sciences and on non-scientific sectors, where the ‘Anthropocene’ seems already firmly rooted and de facto accepted as a new geological epoch, are also discussed. This essay is intended as the editorial introduction to a Quaternary special issue on the topic.

scholarly journals Proceedings of the Joint Discussion: Parameters of the Earth's Gravitational Field

1966 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 607-609
Author(s):  
A. H. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Gravitational Field ◽  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
International Astronomical Union ◽  
Earth’S Gravitational Field ◽  
International Astronomical ◽  
Astronomical Constants

The Chairman, W. Fricke, President of Commission 4, opened the Joint Discussion by drawing attention to the purpose and proposed procedure for the meeting. The Joint Discussion had been arranged by the Executive Committee of the Union in order to avoid the necessity for separate discussions by each Commission that was affected by the Report of the Working Group on the IAU System of Astronomical Constants. The Organizing Committee therefore proposed the following resolution:‘The members of the IAU at this Joint Discussion recommend to the Executive Committee that the following resolution be put before the General Assembly: “The International Astronomical Union endorses the final list of constants prepared by the Working Group on the System of Astronomical Constants and recommends that it be used in the national and international astronomical ephemerides at the earliest practicable date.’”

scholarly journals Proceedings of the Joint Discussion: Arguments in Favor of the Revision of the Conventional System of Astronomical Constants

1966 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 604-606
Author(s):  
W. Fricke
Keyword(s):  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Conventional System ◽  
International Astronomical Union ◽  
International Astronomical ◽  
Astronomical Constants

The Chairman, W. Fricke, President of Commission 4, opened the Joint Discussion by drawing attention to the purpose and proposed procedure for the meeting. The Joint Discussion had been arranged by the Executive Committee of the Union in order to avoid the necessity for separate discussions by each Commission that was affected by the Report of the Working Group on the IAU System of Astronomical Constants. The Organizing Committee therefore proposed the following resolution:‘The members of the IAU at this Joint Discussion recommend to the Executive Committee that the following resolution be put before the General Assembly: “The International Astronomical Union endorses the final list of constants prepared by the Working Group on the System of Astronomical Constants and recommends that it be used in the national and international astronomical ephemerides at the earliest practicable date.’”

SciAccess: Making Space for All

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (S367) ◽  
pp. 124-127
Author(s):  
Anna Voelker ◽  
Caitlin O’Brien ◽  
Michaela Deming
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Space Science ◽  
Annual Conference ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
International Working Group ◽  
Stem Programs ◽  
Mentorship Programs ◽  
Diversity In Stem ◽  
Education Outreach

AbstractThe SciAccess Initiative (“SciAccess”) is dedicated to advancing disability inclusion and diversity in STEM education, outreach, and research. In this paper, the authors present an overview of accessible STEM programs run by the SciAccess Initiative, including an annual conference, international working group, and space science mentorship program for blind youth. Recommendations for creating accessible mentorship programs and networking events, both virtually and in-person, are detailed so that these inclusion-focused efforts may be replicated by others.

scholarly journals Working Group on Future Large Scale Facilities in Astronomy

1997 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-60
Author(s):  
H. R. Butcher
Keyword(s):  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
The Hague

The idea for a Working Group (WG) on “Future Large Scale Facilities in Astronomy” grew from a discussion held on 20 August, 1994, during the IAU General Assembly in The Hague. The IAU Executive Committee approved its formation in August, 1995, and its composition in October, 1995. The WG will remain active at least until the XXIIIrd General Assembly in Kyoto in 1997. Members are: H. Butcher (Chairman), R. Ekers, B. Fort, N. Kardashev, M. Longair, F. Pacini, L. Rodriguez, G. Swarup, Y. Tanaka, H. Tananbaun, and L. Woltjer (ex officio). The WG carries out its work mostly by email and FAX.

scholarly journals Working Group on Hot Massive Stars (Groupe De Travail Sur Les Etoiles Massives Chaudes)

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-185
Author(s):  
Philippe Eenens ◽  
Joseph Cassinelli ◽  
Peter Conti ◽  
Catharine Garmany ◽  
Karel van der Hucht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Committee ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Starburst Galaxies ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Hot Stars ◽  
Ob Stars ◽  
Luminous Blue Variables

The Working Group on Hot Massive Stars has been officially recognized by the IAU Executive Committee during the XXIII General Assembly in August 1997. Its origins are the Hot Star Newsletter, launched in 1994, and a long tradition of interaction and collaborative research strengthened by a series of meetings on hot beaches. It gathers over 500 researchers working on OB stars, Luminous Blue Variables, Wolf-Rayet stars, and in general all topics related to the evolution of massive stars and to the physics and consequences of winds from hot stars. The very successful recent symposium on “Wolf-Rayet phenomena in massive stars and starburst galaxies” is an indicator of the increasing interest of the extragalactic community in the study of these extraordinary stars.

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