IAU STRATEGIC PLAN “ASTRONOMY FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD” BUILDING FROM IYA 2009

1. IAU STRATEGIC PLAN “ASTRONOMY FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD”BUILDING FROM IYA 2009 GEORGE MILEY IAU Vice President (Portfolio: Development & Education) Chair OAD Steering Committee • History • Strategy • Implementation Roadmap and OAD • Issues for Workshop Input http://iau.org/static/education/strategicplan_091001.pdf

2. HISTORY

3. ROAD TO STRATEGIC PLAN - MILESTONES • May 2007 • IAU Executive Committee decides to develop plan • Motivation • Commission 46 activities • Visits (WWDA), Research schools (TAD, ISYA), Teacher training NASE • Complementary external activities • e.g. GTTP, UNAWE, HoU, Japan TRIPOD/ODA, Robotic telescopes • Build on momentum of IYA • Whole greater than sum of parts • Expansion desirable > needs funding > needs credible plan • January 2008 • Brainstorm of stakeholders at IAU HQ • 2008 – 2009 • Several drafts of SP and feedback from stakeholders • Endorsed by IAU General assembly (August 2009)

4. OAD - MILESTONES • 2009 • Announcement of Opportunity for OAD (October) • 2010 • 20 proposals for OAD received – many excellent ones • Selection of SAAO as host by IAU Executive Committee (May) • Contract for joint venture with SA NRF signed (July) • Strong support from SA Ministry of Science and Technology • 2011 • Kevin Govender appointed OAD Director (March) • International recruitment and selection board • Inauguration of OAD by Minister Pandor – 16 April • Stakeholders workshop (November)

5. OFFICE OF ASTRONOMY FOR DEVELOPMENT • Staff • Director (KG) • Project Officer (not yet filled) • Administrative Officer (Nuhaah Solomon) • OAD Steering Committee (Board) • IAU (3 reps), • Megan Donoghue (America), • George Miley (Europe - Chair) • Kaz Sekiguchi (Asia) • NRF/ SA (3 reps) • Claude Carignan (UCT), • Khotso Mokhele (Vice-Chair,ex-President NRF), • Patricia Whitelock (SAAO)

6. WHY ASTRONOMY AS TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT?

7. ASTRONOMY FOR HUMAN CAPACITY BUILDING Excites Stimulates imagination Introduces science Inspires Gateway to sciences and engineering Most approachable science Wide interest Entry to world-class research and cutting-edge technology Analytic skills International teams Careersin technology Management

8. STRATEGY

9. 1. Integrated STRATEGIC PHASED approachMix dependent on situation in country

10. WORLD DEVELOPMENT - ASTRONOMY RESEARCH • Considerable differences between regions • Sub-Saharan Africa is least developed No. of countries

11. WORLD DEVELOPMENT – EDUCATION Literacy etc • Considerable differencesbetween regions • Sub-Saharan Africa has most need for education

12. STAGES OF ASTRONOMICAL RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT • DEVELOPED Group 1A • 4 IAU Members per million • DEVELOPED Group 1B • 0.5 - 4 IAU members per million • Participate in or host front-line facilities • EMERGING Group 2 • 0.5 - 4 IAU members per million • Do not yet participate in or host front-line facilities • DEVELOPING Group 3 • Not yet national member of IAU, but > 1 individual IAU members • POTENTIAL DEVELOPING Group 4 • No astronomers as yet, but well-developed tertiary education • UNDERDEVELOPED Group 5 • No astronomers. Tertiary education not yet well-developed TARGET FOR STIMULATING RESEARCH GROWTH TARGET FOR STIMULATING RESEARCH GROWTH TARGET FOR INITIATING RESEARCH GROUPS TARGET FOR STIMULATING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

13. STRATEGY • 1. Integrated STRATEGIC PHASED approach • Education (primary, secondary, tertiary ), Research, Public outreach • Mix dependent on situation in country • 2. Increase regional involvement • Better appreciation of special conditions and closer to the targets • Bottom-up IYA-type approach • Demand driven with local “ownership” of activities • Special attention to Sub-Saharan Africa (most need) • 3. Enlarge number of active volunteers • Potential resources • ~ 10,000 IAU members (established professional astronomers) • Previously ~ 30 -40. Already ~350 enrolled in 3 months. • Amateur astronomers • Postdocs, senior graduate students • Teachers, educational specialists, outreach experts

14. STRATEGY • 4. Initiation of new programs • Inspirational semi-popular lectureship program • Institute twinning • Part-time positions for expatriates? • 5. Use IYA as springboard • Continue , rationalise and stimulate several cornerstone projects • Developing science globally • Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) • Universe Awareness (UNAWE) • Other cornerstones where relevant Strategic Plan Official IAU activities (Rio GA)

15. STRATEGY • 1. Integrated STRATEGIC phased approach • Education (primary, secondary, tertiary ), Research, Public outreach • 2. Increase regional involvement • Better appreciation of special conditions and closer to the targets • 3. Enlarge number of active volunteers • 4. Initiation of new programs • Endowed semi-popular lectureship program • Long-term Institute twinning • Part-time positions for expatriates? • 5. Use IYA as springboard • Continue and stimulate cornerstone projects • 6. Exploit new possibilities • Internet (e.g. distance-learning and mentoring) • Robotic telescope networks • Archives of large astronomical facilities • Software tools (e.g. MS World Wide Telescope) • Astro-buses (Tunis Cite des Sciences, GalileoMobile)

16. TUNISIAN ASTRO-BUS • Innovative activity of La Cité des Sciences, Tunis. • Transports small telescope + mini-planetarium + exhibition. • Inspiring children throughout Tunisia, even in remotest villages. • During 2008 > reached 150,000 children! Idea could be exported tomany countries

17. STRATEGY • 1. Integrated STRATEGIC phased approach • Education (primary, secondary, tertiary ), Research, Public outreach • 2. Increase regional involvement • 3. Enlarge number of active volunteers • 4. Initiation of new programs • 5. Use IYA as springboard • Continue and stimulate cornerstone projects • 6. Exploit new possibilities • Distance-learning, Robotic telescopes, Astronomical archives, Astro-buses • 7. Creation of small office for strategic coordination – OAD (e.g. IYA, UNAWE) • Essential to • facilitate expansion of volunteer activities • provide strategic guidance • demonstrate professional management to fund givers

18. IMPLEMENTATION

19. IMPLEMENTATION STRUCTURE • 1. Activities carried out through TASK FORCES • for universities and research • for schools and children • for the public • Diversity of activities with larger number of volunteers • 2. Demand driven - via REGIONAL NODES where possible • Favour environments conducive to sustainability • 3. Where useful, enlist contributions from EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS • 4. Strategic guidance and coordinationvia OAD • 5. FUND RAISING • International (Initiatives coordinated via OAD) • For general Astronomy for Developmentprogramme • National (Local initiatives – with international help, where effective) • For specific activities or countries • Fund raising

20. STRATEGIC PLAN ASTRONOMY FOR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TASK FORCES

21. FUND RAISING ESSENTIAL • IAU has ~ € 100k to subsidiseAfR activities • Will be channeled strategically to demand-driven activities of TFs • Needed • > € 1M per year for IAU TFs University and Research/ Public Outreach • Larger amount (> € 10M/ yr) needed for primary, secondary education • In-kind contributions from astronomical institutes/ organisations • International and national foundations • Multinational companies operating in developing countries • Philanthropists • National/ regional governments of targeted countries • International and regional development agencies • Ambitious but feasible goal for decade as whole • Demonstrated professional organisation and credible plan • Huge potential pool of volunteers • Backing of SA authorities

22. TEN-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE (RIO GA) • Flexible • In step with available funding • Establishment of OAD has priority • Fund-raising and coordination

23. SOME ISSUES FOR YOUR INPUT

24. ISSUES: TASK FORCES 1 • 1.How can large numbers of volunteers be most effectively ORGANISED into TF sub-groups? • Repositories of global expertise driven by regional demand coordinated by OAD • Should combine pragmatism with effectiveness • Methods of communication that provide necessary glue with minimum bureaucracy • Should motivate and give a sense of ownership to volunteers • Breakdown according to activity? • Parallel sub-groups with similar composition? • Breakdown according to region and/or language? • 2. What qualities are needed for CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF TFS and sub-groups? • Knowledge of the tasks combined with demonstrated management expertise? • Note that the coordinators and the experts/ drivers are not necessarily the same. • Please give suggestions to Kevin off-line • 3. How should we ensure EXPERTISE OF VOLUNTEERS and + suitability to join relevant TFs? • Filtering/selection process. Who decides? • TF Chair and vice chair? • Personal knowledge or in consultation with referees needed

25. SOME ISSUES: TASK FORCES 2 • 4. Are there INNOVATIVE TOOLS that could assist the work of your task group? If so, how should we proceed in harnessing them? Set up working groups? • Distance-learning and mentoring? • Robotic telescope networks? • Archives of large astronomical facilities? • Software tools (e.g. MS World Wide Telescope)? • Astro-buses • 5. How can we use ASTRONOMICAL TECHNOLOGY and engineering to stimulate capacity building (universities/research, high school, public)? • More visits by instrumentalists? • More emphasis on technology in IAU schools? • Always try and include a “high-tech” lecturer? • Public lectures to combine inspirational astrophysics with astronomical technology, where possible? • 6. Other issues involving the task forces.

26. SOME ISSUES: REGIONAL NODES • 1. How the should the regional nodes INTERACT WITH THE OAD AND THE TFS to ensure that the delivered activities are • Demand-driven with the desired expertise of volunteersand minimum of bureaucracy? • 2. Would geographically separated language-defined regions be useful? (e.g. Portuguese speaking countries in Africa, Europe, South America). • If so, how should they be incorporated into the structure? • TRANS-REGIONAL LANGUAGE WORKING GROUPS? • But this would be an extra layer for communication purposes • 3. How to ensure demand-driven activities in regions that do not yet have regional nodes? • 4. How much effort should be devoted by the OAD to language issues? Should translation of educational materials be organised centrally by the OAD, by the regional nodes or by the relevant countries? • 4. Should there be limits on the sizes of “regions” or should we be pragmatic? • 6. Do you see other issues with the regional nodes?

27. SOME ISSUES: OUTSOURCING AND FUND RASING • 1. What activities should we consider OUT-SOURCING to suitable organisations? • e.g. Public outreach (IAU – NAOJ) , Inspirational public lectures? • Would your organisation be willing to help with coordinating some AfDactivities? • 2. Could DISTANCE-LEARNING, INSTITUTE TWINNING or other activities (specify) contribute to development goals in your country? • Would your organisation be willing to contribute to such an activity? • 3. How could organisations benefit by their contribution to AfD activities? • 4. Are there other global organisations that we should consider working with to help us achieve our goals more effectively? • 5. Do you have suggestions for POTENTIAL FUND GIVERS that could/should be approached? • Think about multinationals operating in your country • Other issues that need discussion?

28. SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS Culture Technology • Pre-OAD Era > OAD Era • Analogy: Small telescopes > large telescopes • Different way of working and management essential • Exciting new opportunities • Decadal Plan • Next 6 months • Formation of Task Forces • AO for Regional Nodes • Fund-raising plan • With your help • Astronomy FOR Development • Mutually beneficial to society AND astronomy INSPIRATION Science

29. THANKS FOR COMING