Letters of Intent received in 2016

LoI 2018-1974
Communicating Astronomy in a Changing World

Date: 25 August 2018 to 26 August 2018
Category: Focus meetings (GA)
Location: Vienna, Austria
Contact: William Waller (williamhwaller@gmail.com)
Coordinating division: Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage
Other divisions: Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage
Co-Chairs of SOC: William Waller (The Galactic Inquirer)
TBA ()
Chair of LOC: TBA ()

 

Topics

The purpose of the proposed 2-day Focus Meeting is to convene stakeholders in Astronomy Communication for exploring ways in which we can optimally serve the needs and interests of people worldwide.

 

Rationale

RATIONALE
As the new millennium heads towards its second decade, many changes have simultaneously transformed Astronomy and the human condition world-wide. Exoplanets have become so commonplace, that most stars are thought to be hosts of planetary systems. Galaxies have been found with look-back times exceeding 13 billion years, thus constraining the epoch of galaxy formation to just a few hundred million years after the Hot Big Bang. And the first positive detections of gravitational radiation from merging black holes have opened up a whole new window for investigating the cosmos.

Amid these amazing astronomical developments, the human condition on Earth has become blazingly interconnected, yet beset with ever-increasing problems of over-population, pollution, and never-ending wars. Fossil-fueled global climate change has begun to yield perilous consequences. And the displacement of people from war-torn nations has reached levels not seen since World War II.

A meeting on "Communicating Astronomy in a Changing World" would endeavor to reconcile these two parallel developments. Key questions include ...

 How can communicators of astronomy optimally serve the needs and interests of people worldwide?
 How can diverse cultures inform and enrich our astronomical outreach?
 How can astronomical outreach enhance awareness and enable action on climate change?
 How can astronomical outreach help to mend the wounds of war?
 How can social networking better enable and empower diverse peoples to become cosmic explorers.

These sorts of questions may lead to difficult conversations, but could help to ensure that the quest for astronomical wisdom remains a valued part of our shared humanity.

STRATEGY

The proposed Focus Group meeting for the 2018 IAU GA will convene stakeholders in astronomy communication with an emphasis on enabling and empowering the greatest good worldwide. We will collectively consider the outcomes of the Communicating Astronomy with the Public (CAP) conferences of 2016 and 2018 with the aim of finding what we are already doing in the context of our changing world. We will consider the challenges of promoting scientific awareness in cultures where superstitions still persist. We will discuss ways to foster more fruitful dialogues among developed and native cultures in terms of our mutual interests in astronomy. We will find ways to validate the reality of global climate change in the context of Earth as a planet. And we will explore options for engaging children in astronomy in a wide variety of settings – including refugee settlements – where IAU-affiliated organizations have already made headway.

OUTCOMES

We will document these deliberations in the form of contributed papers that will be archived on a website dedicated to this Focus Meeting. The website, in turn, will be promoted via the CAP Journal, IAU Outreach Newsletter, and other pertinent venues. We will also create a dedicated Facebook Group page, whereby the discussions and celebrations can continue.