GAM 2019 Blog

by Kumiko Usuda-Sato, Wanda Diaz Merced, Hannah E. Harris, Lina Canas, and Maria Rosaria D’Antonio

Published: Saturday, April 06 2019 03:45

In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) commemorates its 100th anniversary and is organising a year-long celebration to increase awareness of a century of astronomical discoveries as well as to support and improve the use of astronomy as a tool for education, development and diplomacy under the central theme "100 Years: Under One Sky" (IAU100).  One of the underlying themes for the celebrations is Inclusive Astronomy and the IAU invites the global astronomy community to join the celebrations with inclusive measures at the center of everyone’s actions.

The IAU100: Inclusive Astronomy program aims to foster a more inclusive, diverse, and accessible astronomy community through the organization of public outreach events throughout 2019. Inclusive Astronomy events support this goal by communicating and implementing best practices in accessible event organization, celebrating the accomplishments of women and minority astronomers, and inclusively welcoming the next generation of astronomers around the world. To accomplish these goals, Inclusive Astronomy includes a number of special projects and events that address aspects of diversity and inclusion, including the Women and Girls in Astronomy project, Inspiring Stars and the first IAU symposium on Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Inspiring Stars

The project Inspiring Stars is a Global Project of the celebrations and the IAU intends to go further in its existing actions for the promotion of inclusion focusing on the egalitarian participation in Science. Science is an area of knowledge that grows rapidly, however, it is still difficult to access for people who, having the curiosity and interest to develop it, find it difficult to do research due to barriers such as lack of access to laboratories, or the fact that the data treatment is almost exclusively visual.

The Inspiring Stars exhibition at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Vienna. Credit: IAU/M. Zamani

Inspiring Stars is a travelling international exhibition, led by the IAU and supported by the American Astronomical Society, that is designed to highlight, support, and promote inclusive initiatives to address equity and equality of participation in the field of astronomy.

After its debut in 2018 in Austria, the exhibition has travelled to Chile, Ethiopia, Belgium and Italy presenting diverse events in close relation to the local communities needs in terms of accessibility and inclusion. In close collaboration with the national communities, the project is broadening everyone’s horizons by showcasing assistive research tools and inclusive practices inspiring the love for science and the possibility of contributing to it in spite of apparent hurdles. It aims to elicit a chain reaction of committed engagement for egalitarian participation of people with disabilities in the field of astronomy.

The first IAU symposium on Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

In 2019, November 12 to 15, Japan will host the first IAU symposium on Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. This symposium is for all astronomy professionals who wish to bring inclusiveness to their research and diversity to their teams, practices, work environments and institutions.

Official poster for the IAU Symposium on Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

The symposium will be a roadmap to action, highlighting the role diversity and inclusion play in producing better science and how they contribute to competitiveness and innovation, and, will focus on specific steps that lead to change in the field. As the first IAU symposium of its kind, this meeting will lay the foundation for an IAU Resolution on Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies in Astronomy for official endorsement by the Executive Committee and at the 2021 IAU General Assembly in Busan, South Korea.

The organization firmly believes that this first IAU symposium is of great relevance, proven by the support received from the IAU’s Divisions, and reflects a shared vision that the IAU embodies to create an inclusive and diverse work environment for the betterment of Astronomy.

Registration and Abstract submission are now open, and the organization welcomes contributions on the following topics:

• Learning from Best Practices in Disabilities and Establishing a Framework to Address Equity and Equality in Astronomy Organizations, Facilities and Academic Institutions;
• Identify and Address Barriers to Access: fostering a climate of inclusivity;
• New Technologies for Accessibility: diversity and disability;
• Astronomy for society — Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Empathy in Communicating Astronomy;
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): gender equality and empowerment;
• IAU100: Global Perspectives on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Astronomy.
• Diversity in Research: identity, ethnicity and culture in research teams

Requests for IAU Financial Support can be submitted until June 15, 2019. The IAU grants are meant to support participants to whom limited means of support are available.

Women & Girls in Astronomy Project and Contest

The Women & Girls in Astronomy Project celebrates women astronomers and encourages girls to consider careers in astronomy. The project kicked off with the United Nations Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and will continue throughout the year with worldwide events including public talks and workshops with women astronomers, lectures on the history of women in astronomy, and educational events for girls and students.

Credit: IAU/IAU100

To celebrate Women & Girls in Astronomy throughout 2019, the IAU100 organization, produced special graphics to depict a gathering of children and adults listening to the wisdom of ancient and contemporary women in astronomy and space science from around the world. (Learn more about the poster here) 

In addition, a prize has been established for event organisers who conduct an activity for the Women and Girls in Astronomy Project. This prize will recognize and celebrate the efforts of event organizers worldwide who promote women and girls in astronomy through the organization of innovative, creative, accessible, and sustainable public outreach events.

To participate in the contest, event organisers are invited to register their eligible event(s) with IAU100 and submit an evaluation form after their event concludes for consideration in this contest. One winning event organizer will be invited to the IAUS 358 Symposium "Astronomy for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion" in Tokyo, Japan and receive funding to cover registration, travel, and accommodation costs.

About the IAU

The IAU is the largest association of professional astronomers with more than 12,000 members in nearly 100 countries worldwide and its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation.

Kumiko Usuda-Sato is a PhD astronomer at Public Relations Center of National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). She works with visually impaired people to develop tactile models using a 3D printer, and supervised the "Touch the Universe" special exhibit at the Tactile Museum of Japan Braille Library in 2018. She is also a member of "Astronomy Sign Language Working Group" in Japan.

Wanda Diaz Merced is from Puerto Rico. She is a PhD in Computer Science and multimodal analysis of Astronomy Data. She has published numerous scientific publications on the exploration evidenced that the use of sound as an adjunct to visual display increases the sensitivity of traditional astronomers to events that might be masked to the eye.

Hannah E. Harris studied Astrophysics and Russian Language and Literature at Wellesley College and has worked in North America, Europe, and Asia as a science communicator and researcher. She is the Project Manager of the IAU100: Inclusive Astronomy program.

Lina Canas joined the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2015 and is currently the International Outreach Coordinator for the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (OAO), based at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). With a degree in Astronomy and a Masters in Geophysics,  Lina Canas has worked for the past thirteen years in astronomy outreach and education.

Maria Rosaria D’Antonio is the leader of the IAU Inspiring Stars Task Force. She worked in the Departmental Staff of the Minister for Scientific and Technological Research in Italy, was Executive Secretary to the President of the Italian Space Agency, as well as being Assistant to the Galileo Programme National Director office of the Under-Secretary of the Council of Minister in Rome.