Astronomy for the Filipino Youth

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Dec 01

2016

by Norman Marigza

Astronomy compels us to look up to the skies, to wonder and to discover. The youth of today’s generation will belong to the space generation; and last November 29, the Manila Street Astronomers decided to promote that fact to the grade 10 students of Quezon City Science High School. The group was invited to speak during the school’s career orientation in order to inspire them to take interest in other subject fields such as astronomy and space sciences. Astronomy is relatively new in the Philippines with only two universities offering a degree program. Because of this I decided to give a talk entitled Astronomy for the Filipino Youth. Here I tackled what astronomers do and the role they play in society.

The Philippines is on the verge of establishing its own space agency through The Philippine Space Act of 2016. This will open the country to various opportunities for growth and provide jobs for today’s youth. I also presented the different cross-disciplines and career options that stem from space science applications such as astrobiology, astrophysics, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, etc.