NUCLIO didn’t take a break during the summer of 2024! On the contrary, we remained active and present at various significant international events that made this summer a truly special season, where the words Science and Education were always in the spotlight.
It was demanding but not exhausting because, after all, this is our mission: to bring innovation and development in education to all parts of the world, in a spirit of diversity and inclusion.
Looking back, here are the most important international events we participated in:
❊ We attended the CAP 2024 Conference – Communicating Astronomy with the Public, which took place in Toulouse, France, from June 24 to 28.
The NUCLIO team presented various projects in several specialized sessions throughout the five days of the conference.
Rosa Doran highlighted the EXPLORE project in the presentation Scientific Tourism under the Stars and participated in the discussion panel Communicating Astronomy across Languages: Experiences Among Nations, which addressed the challenges and solutions for communicating astronomy in different languages and cultural contexts. Gustavo Rojas presented best communication practices through the StAnD and EXPLORE projects and introduced the D.O.M.E. project at the Cité de l’Espace planetarium. Joana M. da Silva gave a presentation focused on evaluating the impact of science communication activities, where she introduced the Surrounded by Science project.
PLOAD ( IAU Portuguese Language Office of Astronomy for Development, which is coordinated by NUCLIO) was also present, with regional coordinators Joana Marques and Patrícia Spinelli actively participating in the event. Patrícia was also one of the keynote speakers at the conference.
❊ We participated in the European School Innovation Academy – ESIA Summer Schools, toking place in Marathon, Greece, during the first two weeks of July (June 30 to July 5 and July 7 to 17).
During the first week, we focused on the schools of EXPLORE, StAnD and Otters projects.
In the second week, it was time for the schools of SYNAPSES, Geo-Academy, Discovery Space and SoundScapes projects.
The participants delved deeply into the various courses, which included presentations, team working sessions, and hands-on activities.
It was truly inspiring to witness the enthusiasm of all the teachers and, in the end, to see their creativity and work come to life in the innovative scenarios they developed.
❊ NUCLIO was also present at COSPAR 2024, which took place in Busan, South Korea, from July 13 to 21.
As part of the COSPAR Panel on Education (chaired by Rosa Doran), two special sessions were organized during the scientific assembly: one dedicated to the professional development of primary and secondary school teachers (Space Explorers in Schools) and another where scientists, educators and outreach specialists gathered to present their ideas on Education and Outreach (Current Trends, Initiatives and Research in Education and Outreach for Space Sciences).
It was an unforgettable journey of knowledge sharing and cultural exchange, creating memories that will last forever.
❊ From July 22 to 26, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Astronomy Education Adventure in the Canary Islands (AEACI 2024).
The 2024 edition of AEACI, once again organized by the IAC – Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (as part of the PETeR project), in collaboration with NUCLIO (as the coordinator of GTTP), and also the Faulkes Telescope Project, The Schools’ Observatory, and the ESA/CesaR initiative, among other institutions and projects, was dedicated to the theme Explore the Universe with Us.
The course took place in a hybrid format and was attended by 65 teachers from 23 countries (on-site and online), who had the opportunity to participate in an educational experience integrating astronomy and STEAM that connects the world of research with the educational community. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the IAC facilities and the Canary Islands Astronomical Observatories.
NUCLIO conducted workshops, gave a lecture on innovative methodologies in education, and presented some of its latest projects: EXPLORE, StAnD, Geo-Academy, SYNAPSES, and Discovery Space.
The feedback from the teachers who participated in this edition was extremely positive!
❊ From August 6 to 15, NUCLIO and PLOAD participated in the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, held in Cape Town, South Africa, which hosted over 2,000 participants.
Joana Latas presented two posters related to PLOAD’s Lusophone Constellation project, Rosa Doran gave an oral presentation on the LaSciL project (Science and Discovery in the Classroom – the LaSciL project), and another highlight was the participation in the meeting of the IAU’s Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), of which PLOAD is a part.
These were extremely inspiring days!
❊ From August 12 to 15, and representing Science on Stage Portugal (which is coordinated by NUCLIO), we accompanied the Portuguese delegation selected for the European Science on Stage Festival 2024 – SonS 2024 to Turku, Finland.
Portugal participated with a delegation of 12 teachers who presented the 7 winning projects from the National Festival, as well as a Joint Project developed in collaboration with the United Kingdom. Accompanying our delegation were Isabel Borges (coordinator of SonS Portugal) and Ana Costa (NUCLIO).
The Portuguese Ambassador to Finland, Dr. Francisco Vaz Patto, attended the opening ceremony and kindly visited all the Portuguese stands to learn about the projects in detail and speak with all our delegates.
Portugal has received awards and/or honorable mentions in many previous editions, but this time the jury’s selection favored projects from other countries. Nevertheless, we congratulate our teachers for representing us so well in Turku!
❊ NUCLIO also supported the 17th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which took place from August 17 to 27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Our colleague Gustavo Rojas coordinated and accompanied the team of Portuguese students who participated in the Olympiad and delivered an outstanding performance, winning a Bronze Medal (Bruno Ralha) and an Honorable Mention (Cátia Silva). The team also included students Daniel Valério, Sebastião Mendonça, and Vicente Rasteiro.
Congratulations to all!
Upcoming Events
❊ NUCLIO will also participate in Space Week Nordeste 2024, which will take place from September 16 to 22 in São Luís – Maranhão, Brazil.
Space Week Northeast is the largest aerospace event in the Northeast of Brazil, bringing together industry and academia in a journey that highlights space science and technologies for the benefit of nature and society.
NUCLIO will be represented by Rosa Doran, who will be one of the keynote speakers with the lecture Educating Future Generations for the Sustainable Exploration of Space.
❊ The international summer events will conclude with a bang at the beginning of autumn with the 2024 edition of the Global Hands-On Universe Conference – GHOU 2024, which will take place online from September 23 to 27!
GHOU 2024 will have an exciting lineup of keynote speakers and registered attendees will present talks and workshops. Sessions will be hosted in 3 different time zones so everyone can join us online from anywhere in the world.
The conference will once again be organized by NUCLIO/GTTP/GHOU, in collaboration with various international projects and institutions, and will be broadcast live via Zoom for all registered participants, as well as through the GHOU Facebook page for the general public, making it a truly global event!
Don’t miss it!