eaas Workshop

TO THE STARS

HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED AT THE 6TH EAST AFRICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY (EAAS) WORKSHOP.

By: Lusanda Tamesi

This three-day program that took place from 20-23 May was based on observational astronomy, women in science, community outreach and development. The main objective was to promote and enhance the development of Astronomy in the East African region.

In the beginning of humankind, astronomy was communicated in a language that you and I understood. Scientific communication was common among cultures and passed on from generation to generation without us being aware. Advanced technology has made astronomy seem like a new member in town introducing English and Afrikaans as the dominant languages in South Africa.This phenomena led to science being poorly communicated amongst other ethnic groups but the establishment of the Masakhane group has made science and astronomy a day-to-day thing as this development is able to translate astronomical articles from English to Swahili.

There were many familiar faces on the list of Astrozoomers: Petri Vaisanen (SAAO Director), Kevin Govender (AOD Director), Carolina Odman-Govender (Astrophysics Professor from UWC) and Edward Guinan (Villanova’s Astrophysics and Astronomy Professor at Univ. USA).

Professor Odman-Govender took us down memory lane of the apartheid regime era where colonialist (Dutch, British and Spanish) introduced modern astronomy through ships along the coastline. She argues that in order for astronomy to reach full attention to the public we need to attract young people. The encouragement of day and night training, location of site and meetings is vital in astronomy. “Astronomy should be taught in a language that everyone understands,” said Professor Odmand-Govendor.

“We are living in times where science is going to be the deciding factor for our future, and it needs to be acknowledged and understood by the public. Even if the science-based protocols are clear, people need to be convinced that science is valid and that it can have many motivations and goals on a personal level,” said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, senior commissioning scientist at SARAO. Ramanujam adds that talks alone cannot communicate science effectively and that a contextual model should be used to prove that science is indeed what scientists do.

In order to be able to give answers to astronomical questions like: What is a lifespan of a star? Or: How to calculate distance from the stars (distance ratio)? teachers need to conduct small experiments and calculations that students can do by themselves. Ramanujam said that there is a rapid need to create quality material in regional languages and that a failure in convincing people to follow guidelines is a failure in science communication.

It is no secret that the African continent is facing a huge gap of gender in science. Women still make up only 30% of the scientists in Africa. The African Network of Women in astronomy has identified the various factors that impede women's success in astronomy in Africa: • Poverty • Sexism • Cultural and traditional practices • Lack of role models • Lack of sponsorships • Lack of awareness especially in astronomy • Lack of sensitisation on the field • Gender inequality in society in general

African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA), an initiative that aims to connect women working in astronomy and related fields in Africa, has identified the factors as the key elements that hinder success for women in astronomy in Africa. The public argument was that if gender inequality and other mentioned factors were not an issue, we would be smooth sailing when addressing women astronomical issues. A strategic approach and mission needs to be put in place.

To support your studies in astronomy, visit:

NRF: nrf.ac.za CSIR-DST (Postgraduates): csir.co.za/dst-csir-inter-bursarysupport-programme SARAO: ska.ac.za/funding NASSP Bursaries: star.ac.za ASSA/HartRAO: assa.saao.ac.za/about/scholarship