This document provides information about the International Astronomical Union's Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). It discusses how astronomy can contribute to sustainable development through social, economic, and human capital benefits. It outlines OAD's strategic plan for 2010-2020, which focuses on using astronomy for education, skills development, and technology transfer. It also describes OAD's structure, including regional offices and volunteers, and provides an overview of funded projects in areas like astronomy for universities/research, children/schools, and the public. It emphasizes measuring the impact of projects and using a positive feedback loop to improve outcomes for a better world.

1. International Astronomical Union
Office of Astronomy for Development:
Astronomy and Developing Nations
Kevin Govender
kg@astro4dev.org
GHOU, Hawaii, 4th August 2015
www.astro4dev.org
1
Eli Grant
eg@astro4dev.org

2. ASTRONOMY
OPTICS
High-
precision
adaptive
optics
COMPUTERS
Fastest
hardware
Complex
software
ELECTRONICS
Most
sensitive
detectors
Fastest
clocks
SPACE
Satellite
Miniaturization
Precision
PHYSICS
Laboratory of
extremes
Making heavy
elements
CHEMISTRY
Producing
organic
moleculesBIOLOGY
Building
blocks of life
MATHEM-
ATICS
Abstract
thought
INSPIRATION
Career in
science and
technology
ANTHRO-
POLOGY
Ancient
civilizations
Our roots
HISTORY
Evolution of
Universe
Our roots
PERSPECTIVE
IMMENSITY OF
UNIVERSE
Tolerance
and global
citizenship
TECHNOLOGY
AND SKILLS
SCIENCE AND
RESEARCH
CULTURE
AND SOCIETY
ASTRONOMY
The IAU Strategic Plan
2010-2020:

3. Astronomy for Sustainable Development!
• Social benefits (common humanity, scientific
engagement & discourse)
• Human capital development (education,
skills, career choices)
• Economic growth (technology transfer,
knowledge economy)
3

4. Development?
• Health
• Human
knowledge
• Education
• Environment
• Equality
• Wealth
• Human rights
Economics
-Econometric evaluation
-Game theory (predict agent
interactions)
-Macro & development theory
Education
-Intervention models
-What works
-Theories of learning
Sociology
-Structural location
-Peer effects
-Identities
Psychology
-Cognition
-Motivation
-Bias
-Behaviour change
Statistics
-Causal evaluation
-Measurement
-Prediction
International development
-Systems, policy context
-Implementation
-Needs, interactions
Medicine/Public health
-Evaluation frameworks
-Evaluation methods
-Policy implementation

6. Science is more than a body of
knowledge; it’s a way of thinking,
a way of sceptically interrogating
the universe.
-Carl Sagan

7. OAD
Astronomy for
Universities and
Research
Astronomy for
Children and
Schools
Astronomy for the
Public
Regional Coordination
OAD Steering
Committee
“Astronomy for a better world!”
OAD Structure
7
1st Element:
Foundations

8. OAD Regional Offices
East Asia/Chinese
China
South East Asia
Thailand
OAD
Global Office,
South Africa
East-Africa
Ethiopia
West Africa
Nigeria
Andean Countries
Colombia
Lusophone
Portugal
South Caucasus
Armenia
Southern Africa
Zambia
Operational
Proposal submitted
Proposal approved
Arab World
JordanCentral America/Carribbean
Mexico

9. OAD Volunteers
•IAU members, amateurs, professionals, teachers, students, public
•Over 550 worldwide (on this map they are grouped by location)

10. Overview of funded projects (68)
Astronomy for
Universities &
Research
Astronomy for
Children & Schools
Astronomy for the
Public

11. 2014 TF1 Research & Universities
Project Title Country Amount
(€)
Type Development Aims
Summer Visiting Program for Astronomers at
the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics
USA
(international
participants)
3680 Academic Exchange Human capital
Time Variability in Modern Astrophysics Thailand 4590 Summer School Astronomy capacity
Latin American School of Observational
Astronomy
Mexico 4500 Summer School Astronomy capacity
Summer School on Statistical Data Analysis and
Data Mining in Astronomy
Kenya 4500 Summer School Astronomy capacity
Optical camera for a 14-inch telescope in
Namibia
Namibia 4500 Equipment Astronomy capacity
Astronomy for Africa: Student Support for
Astronomy Modules via Distance Learning
South Africa 2200 Curriculum
Expansion
Astronomy capacity
National School on Astrophysical Simulation Nepal 2500 Summer School Astronomy capacity
Introducing Data Analysis in the University
System
Zambia 3140 Summer School Astronomy capacity
TARA, Fergusson College Node, Pune, India India 4500 Equipment Astronomy capacity
Guatemalan School of Astrophysics 2015 Guatemala 5000 Summer School Astronomy capacity
Andean Cosmology School Colombia 5250 Summer School Astronomy capacity

12. 2014 TF2 Children & Schools
Title Countries Amount
(€)
Type Development Aims
The Travelling
Telescope
Kenya 10000 School intervention & teaching
resources
Astronomy education exposure
& teaching quality
GalileoMobile
Constellation
Multiple:
South America
10000 School intervention, teaching
resources & teacher training
Astronomy education exposure
& teaching quality
Astro-Science
Ambassadors
Outreach for Science
Education in Tanzania
Tanzania 5400 School intervention,
extracurricular & teaching
resources
Astronomy education exposure
& teaching quality
Discover the
Universe/Decouverte
de l'Univers
Francophone
countries
7200 Teacher training & teaching
resources
Astronomy education exposure
& teaching quality
AstroMcGillos Adopt
an Astronomer
Canada 2730 School intervention Astronomy education exposure
Astronomy Outreach
for Inner City Youth
USA 1000 Extracurricular Astronomy education exposure
How Big Is Earth? Chile, China,
Nepal, Russia,
South Africa,
USA
1000 Online school intervention,
teaching resources &
curriculum development
Astronomy education exposure
& teaching quality

13. 2014 TF3 Public Outreach
Title Countries Amount (€) Type Development Aims
Sensoroteca Astronomica Colombia 3300 Access Science literacy, support & enrollment
Public Library Astronomy Corners South Africa 2500 Access Astronomy literacy & public support
Sign Language Universal
Encyclopedic Dictionary
Global 4000 Access Astronomy literacy & capacity
Cosmic Light: Bring Galileo’s
Starry Messenger to Vietnam
Vietnam 2500 Education Science literacy & capacity, science
enrollment
Astronomy on Camel Cart India 5400 Education Science literacy & support
Poetry and Sky Competition China 4000 Appreciation Support for astronomy?
US National Park Service Night
Skies Internship
US 3500 Education Science literacy, support for science/
dark skies
“O Universo é velho, belo e cheio
de vida”
Portugal 4800 Social &
health
Mental & emotional wellbeing of
eldery; social cohesion
“Obsesión por el Cielo”: A Weekly
Astronomy Radio Show, and “Un
Paseo por el Cielo”: A Descriptive
Guide to the Night Sky
Mexico 2577 Education Astronomy awareness, literacy &
support

14. TF1 - funded projects
Starlight in the university: “Astrolab”
Project leader: Prof. Jean-Pierre de Greve
Astronomy for
Universities and
Research
• Astrolab allows students to do remote
observations on their normal study time
• Astrolab has already been implemented at
the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for 5 years
• Tutors manual nearly ready, student manual
for projects available
• Implementation being carried out in 2
partner universities, Anambra State
University in Nigeria, and the Copperbelt
University in Zambia (computers ready)
TF1D
www.astro4dev.orgIAU Office of Astronomy for Development

15. Mathare Ambassadors of Astronomy, Nairobi, Kenya
TF2 - funded projects
Astronomy for
Children and
Schools
TF2B
www.astro4dev.orgIAU Office of Astronomy for Development

16. TF3 - funded projects
Barbados
Astronomy for
the public
USA
SyriaUSAEthiopia
Astronomy for the extremely ill/traumatically injured children & their families, USA
TF3A
www.astro4dev.orgIAU Office of Astronomy for Development

17. Chinese Ancient Poetry Astrophotography, China
Project leader: Ms. Bing Li
• Gathers literature teachers, astronomers
& photographers to produce 40 pictures
inspired from Chinese poetry
• Posted on the Beijing Planetarium
website & exhibition hall
• Example to unite and inspire more
people to provide different culture
astronomical poems and
astrophotography from all over the world
Our ancestors were closer to the night sky than
we are. Celestial objects are mentioned in many
Chinese ancient poems or stories and saw the
same sky 1200 years ago.
TF3 - funded projects
Astronomy for
the public
TF3C
www.astro4dev.orgIAU Office of Astronomy for Development

18. TF3 - funded projects
Astronomy for
the public
Dark Skies
Outreach to Sub-
Saharan Africa,
USA/Africa
TF3F
www.astro4dev.orgIAU Office of Astronomy for Development

19. • Exposure ≠ engagement with Astronomy
• Humans are complex and embedded in complex
social systems
• OAD needs to
– Identify best practices, allocate resources efficiently
– Manage risks of unintended consequences
Do projects work?

20. Why is measuring impact important?
• Peer groups (contagion, influence)
• Signals
• Underestimating variance
• Mis-targeting
• …and all other unexpected consequences
• Opportunity costs

22. 22

23. • € 110,324 to make video
– “It was really demeaning to women, and contained
no science at all—just make-up..”
– “I can't believe the person in charge of this thing at
the EU is actually a woman!”
– “it was a stereotype-busting effort! We receive loads
of emails from girls who love science but hate being
labeled geeks. Why can't scientists wear make-up,
killer heels and be seen laughing?”

25. C
B
A
Buck, Z. (2013) AER, 12(1), 010104
Option A: 4 x more likely to misidentify dark
matter in the visualisation than B or C

26. Not All Evidence is Created Equal

28. Compute
consequences
Guess
Compare to
nature

29. OAD Impact Cycle: Positive Feedback Loop

30. OAD Volunteers
•IAU members, amateurs, professionals, teachers, students, public
•Over 550 worldwide (on this map they are grouped by location)

31. OAD Regional Offices
East Asia/Chinese
China
South East Asia
Thailand
OAD
Global Office,
South Africa
East-Africa
Ethiopia
West Africa
Nigeria
Andean Countries
Colombia
Lusophone
Portugal
South Caucasus
Armenia
Southern Africa
Zambia
Operational
Proposal submitted
Proposal approved
Arab World
JordanCentral America/Carribbean
Mexico

32. Astronomy for a Better World!
Kevin Govender
kg@astro4dev.org
www.astro4dev.org
Eli Grant
eg@astro4dev.org

33. Astronomy for Sustainable Development: SDGs
1. Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and
promote sustainable agriculture
3. Health: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
4. Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Women: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Water: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all
7. Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all
8. Employment/economy: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
9. Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation
33

34. Astronomy for Sustainable Development: SDGs
10. Inequality: Reduce inequality within and among countries
11.Urban safety & welfare: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
12.Sustainable consumption: Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns
13.Climate change: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts
14.Marine conservation: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources for sustainable development
15.Environment preservation: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification
and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
16.Peace, security, equality: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build
effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17.Implementation: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise
the global partnership for sustainable development
34