IAU General Assembly 2024 - Cape Town
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Starlit Creations: Winners of the Beauty of Astronomy Competition

September 25, 2024/in Africa, Outreach/by ramv

“The Beauty of Astronomy” online art competition, a collaborative effort between the International Astronomical Union General Assembly 2024 (IAU GA), the African Astronomical Society (AfAS), the University of Western Cape, the University of the North West, the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory, Square Kilometre Array Observatory, IDIA, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Standard Bank, The Carl & Family Fuchs Foundation, concluded successfully. The competition aimed to inspire young artists to explore the universe through their creativity and to rewrite the narrative about Africa.

Participation and Entries

The competition received an overwhelming response, with a total of 120 entries from across the African continent. Participants were categorized into three groups: primary school, high school, and university students. The diverse range of submissions showcased the talent and imagination of young artists from various backgrounds.

The submitted artworks demonstrated a remarkable level of creativity and technical skill. Participants effectively translated astronomical concepts into visually appealing and thought-provoking pieces. The entries explored a wide range of astronomical themes, including celestial bodies, space exploration, and the impact of astronomy on society.

The competition successfully achieved its objectives of inspiring young artists & promoting STEM education. The competition sparked interest in astronomy among young people and encouraged them to express their creativity through art. The competition provided a platform for participants to learn about astronomical concepts and their significance.

The “The Beauty of Astronomy” online art competition has been a valuable initiative that has contributed to the promotion of astronomy and the empowerment of young African artists. By building on the success of this event, future competitions can continue to inspire and educate the next generation of astronomers and artists.

Additionally, a collection of the submitted artworks has been compiled into a book titled “Starlit Creations.” This book serves as a testament to the creativity and talent of the participating students and is a lasting legacy of the competition.

Starlit creations book
https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Artwork-2024_MoemediMoka-scaled.jpg 2560 1920 ramv https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IAU-logo-date-transparent.png ramv2024-09-25 15:41:532024-09-25 15:58:43Starlit Creations: Winners of the Beauty of Astronomy Competition

Africa day 2023!

May 25, 2023/in AfAS, Africa, News, Outreach/by Vanessa McBride

Come join us in celebrating Africa and Astronomy in Africa this Africa Day on 25 May!

#AfricaLookUp #AfricaDay

As we celebrate Africa Day on the 25th of May, let us use this day to reflect on and appreciate the remarkable achievements made by the nations and individuals on this African continent. We should recognise that these successes have come through hard work, perseverance, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges that Africa faces. Yet, despite these difficulties, Africans have shown extraordinary resilience and a determination to succeed. As we commemorate Africa Day, let us commit ourselves to harness this spirit of resilience and creativity to continue advancing towards a brighter future for Africa and its people.

In honour of Africa Day, turn your eyes to the stars and embrace the wonders of the cosmos. Astronomy is a gateway to understanding our place in the universe and the unique role that Africa plays in it. It offers a platform for cross-cultural collaboration and opens doors for scientific and technological advancements. Therefore, we encourage you to use this day as motivation to promote and engage in astronomy activities. Whether it be stargazing, attending astronomy lectures, or participating in community outreach events, we can show the world the depth of talent and creativity that Africa has to offer. Together, let us create a brighter future for the continent through the exploration of the cosmos.

Share your African experience with us!

We’d like the World to get involved and celebrate what Africa means to them.

We encourage everyone to share an original picture or short video (under 5 mins) based on what you most love about Africa or your favourite African experiences. This could be anything: you can tell us about your culture, language or share your fondest memory from your time in Africa.

  Examples could include:

  • An interesting or beautiful place in Africa
  • A welcome to where you live in Africa, in your home language
  • People in cultural clothing/indigenous attire
  • Videos of singing and celebration, storytelling, reciting poetry, etc
  • Pictures of the African dark night skies
  • Pictures of your astronomy community/facilities in Africa
  • A Drawing, image or painting showcasing aspects of astronomy in Africa
  • Videos of people greeting in their home languages

Please share your photo/story/video on social media platforms using the hashtags #AfricaDay and #AfricaLookUp, alternatively, you can also email us your submissions to info @ astronomy2024.org (with “Africa Day Submission” and your name as the subject line) and we will share them on our website and social media platforms.

https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/BusanAfrica_cropped.png 488 892 Vanessa McBride https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IAU-logo-date-transparent.png Vanessa McBride2023-05-25 09:41:032023-05-25 09:41:04Africa day 2023!

The African Astronomical Society 3rd Annual Conference Special Session

April 2, 2023/in AfAS, Africa, Meetings/by Duduzile

The African Astronomical Society 3rd Annual Conference Special Session – IAU General Assembly 2024 in Cape Town: Gearing up for the GA in 2024

The African Astronomical Society’s third annual conference took place in Johannesburg, South Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand Origins Center from 13 – 17 March 2023. This meeting is especially important for the African community as it provides an opportunity for astronomers across Africa and around the world to engage, network, and reconnect.

On Monday, 13 March, the National Organising Committee of the IAU General Assembly 2024 arranged a Special Session to update the community on the progress of the very first General Assembly on African soil which is set to take place in August 2024.

Chairing the session was Professor Vanessa McBride, co-chair of the National Organising Committee(NOC). The opening talk was then given by the inspirational Dr. Khotso Mokhele, former President and CEO of The National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF), who played a major role in securing support for the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) Project, hosted at the South African Astronomical Observatory, the success of this also contributed to South Africa being awarded to host a huge portion of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), which will be the largest radio telescope ever built. In Africa, the SKA will be built in South Africa and 8 other countries. In addition, Dr. Mokhele played an important role in South Africa being awarded the bid to host the IAU General Assembly 2024.

What followed were presentations by various committee chairs, first by the co-chair of the NOC, Dr. Charles Takalana, Professor James Chibueze, chair of the Science Committee, Dr. Sally Macfarlane, co-chair of the Outreach, Development, and Education Committee and Mr. Prospery Simpemba, co-chair of the Africa committee.

Some of the main points echoed in the session were the following:

  • Africa should show science that is impactful and significant. It is not enough to host IAU-GA if there won’t be good quality science to share.
  • with all the astronomy developments in Africa, it is of utmost importance to prioritize the empowerment and development of the African people, let the science that we do and the achievements we celebrate also reflect in our societies and benefit everyone in our communities.
  • several planned activities rely on the power of collaborations, partnerships, knowledge sharing, and most importantly, proactive members willing to commit their time, hearts, and energy to the realization of this goal.

The African community is certainly excited about this big event and all hands are on board to ensure that this is one General Assembly the world will never forget, but most importantly, the community is working on various activities and projects to ensure that IAU-GA2024 leaves a lasting legacy to the lives of the African people and the development of astronomy in our beautiful continent.

We are looking at the year ahead with a bold and audacious vision.

It’s time for Africa!

https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FrNj4E1X0AMDFc9-e1680467282329.jpeg 546 1200 Duduzile https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IAU-logo-date-transparent.png Duduzile2023-04-02 22:30:132023-10-31 14:31:02The African Astronomical Society 3rd Annual Conference Special Session

Astronomy 2024 Full Moon Hike

April 2, 2023/in Africa, Astronomical events, Outreach/by Duduzile

Efforts are underway as we gear up for the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly 2024 meeting. Our Ambassador and University of Cape Town (UCT) student, Venu Prayag, organized a Full Moon Hike which was held on Tuesday, 7 March 2023. Although the weather threatened to spoil this exciting event, we were, fortunately, able to proceed and enjoy a great evening outdoors, and experienced the scenic beauty and beautiful city lights and night sky from the top of one of Cape Town’s must-see destinations, Lion’s Head, which offers picturesque and breathtaking views of the city.

Everyone was amazing in helping and caring for one another and made this a fun and safe experience for all. It was inspiring to hear members of the public getting excited about spotting Venus on the horizon and their stories about stargazing in the Kruger National Park.

We are looking forward to more fun and educational activities in the future and hope a lot more of you can join us.

NB: Look out for a call for more ambassadors to be released soon.

#astronomy2024 #IAUGA2024 #GA2024Hike

Full Moon Hike
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Africa-Europe collaborations at EAS2023

February 27, 2023/in Africa, Meetings, News/by Vanessa McBride

Join us at Special Session 1 of the European Astronomical Society meeting, from 10 – 14 July 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Submit your abstract by 1 March 2023, as we build science, training and development collaborations towards 2024 and beyond.

Key topics of discussion during the Special Session include:

  • Science and infrastructure developments to foster Africa-Europe collaboration
  • Joint initiatives in education and outreach
  • Astronomy and its impact on sustainable development goals
  • Engagement with policymakers

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Webinar about the image of the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way

June 2, 2022/in AfAS, Africa, Astronomical events, News/by wpadmin

The African Astronomical Society is organising a public webinar on the recently released image of the black hole in the centre of our Galaxy by the Event Horizon Telescope. This epochal image was everywhere in the media and all of us would like to know more about it, and what it represents. This webinar on the black hole image is being organised by the African Astronomical Society and the Department of Science & Innovation, South Africa. The poster is attached to this email and we request you to forward this to your colleagues and friends. The pdf has the links embedded. 

What: “The First Image of the Black Hole at our Galactic Centre”
When: 3 June 2022, Friday; 1400 CAT (1200 UTC)
Zoom registration link:https://bit.ly/3wWPRuO
YouTube live: https://bit.ly/3NMoN6P

You will need to pre-register for a personal zoom link (see above). You can also see the webinar live on youtube (see link above) instead.
The astrophysicists who will speak at the webinar are

  • Michael Backes (UNAM, Namibia)
  • Roger Deane (Wits & UP, SA)
  • Iniyan Natarajan (Wits, SARAO, Rhodes, SA)
  • Jeandrew Brink (UFS, SA)
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Newly elected Executive Committee member of the African Astronomical Society

March 23, 2022/in AfAS, Africa, News/by wpadmin

We extend our congratulations to the newly elected committee and look forward to our close partnership in realising the African vision of the IAU GA in 2024.

THEBE RODNEY MEDUPE (PRESIDENT)

Prof. Thebe Rodney Medupe is a professor of Astronomy at the North-West University, South Africa. He obtained his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cape Town in 2002 on the research area of stellar astrophysics with specialization in stellar pulsations. His PhD studies was a collaboration between UCT and the Danish university of Aarhus. He has co-authored over 55 articles with co-authors from all around the world. His h-index is 15. He has experience in both observational and theoretical (numerical) modelling of pulsations in stars. He has successfully supervised 5 PhD and 6 MSc students and many Honours students at NASSP and at North-West University. He was a co-founding member of the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme (NASSP). From 2015 until 2018 he was the chairperson of the NASSP consortium. He pioneered the NASSP Winterschool as a vehicle of including South African students from universities that did not have astronomy research programmes into the astronomy community. The success of the Winterschool changed the face of astronomy in South Africa significantly. He has taught stellar structure both at Honours and MSc at the NASSP as well as at North West University in Mahikeng campus. Prof. Medupe founded astronomy research group at the Mahikeng campus in 2010, the group has been getting strong and now has 4 astronomers. He has supervised 5 postdoctoral fellows.

Prof. Medupe is also passionate about public outreach of astronomy, having been part of two African astronomy documentary movies, namely Cosmic Africa and the Scribes of Timbuktu. Cosmic Africa deals with African indigenous Astronomy. The Scribes of Astronomy looks at the astronomy content of the ancient manuscripts of Timnuktu in West Africa. The international success of Cosmic Africa has led to him being listed in Africa’s most influential people by the New African Magazine which is based in London in 2011 and 2014. Prof. Medupe was also invited to give public lecture on the subject of Cosmic Africa at the Royal Society events in London. He has written two children books titled “The Stars under the African Skies” and “Children of Stars”. He also has written a High School level book on “Astronomy during Timbuktu”. He has written chapters in books on the topic of history of African astronomy. Prof. Medupe also established and founded the Mahikeng Astronomical Observatory in 2015. The observatory was officially opened by the South African minister of Science and Technology in 2018. The main telescopes of this observatory are the 16inch Meade and the Planewave 20inch CDK20 with QSI 683 and SBIG Aluma AC4040 Cmos cameras. The observatory also has an echelle spectrograph with resolution R=10000. The observatory holds monthly open nights for the public and schools in the North West Province of South Africa.

Prof. Medupe’s leadership ability is shown by the fact that he is currently the deputy Dean for Community Engagement at the NWU since 2018. He has also been involved in the National Research Foundation (NRF) astronomy advisory Council and other panels. His experience and passion for Africa and history of Astronomy in Africa will be invaluable to the advancement of the African Astronomical Society.

Research scientist at the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, Ghana. Her PhD research was on understanding the evolution of massive young stellar objects using complex organic molecules such as methanol and methyl cyanide at the University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Center For Astrophysics with supervision from Prof Gary Fuller. She was was part of the first batch of advanced students sponsored by DARA (Development of Africa through Radio Astronomy) funded by the Newton Fund to study in the UK. She is currently continuing her research into the Astrochemistry of Massive Young Stellar Objects using observation, theoretical and computational analysis at Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute/ Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory. She is a tutor and facilitator for the ongoing DARA Basic training at the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory. She is currently the administrative secretary of the astronomy outreach program PRAGSAG funded by the OAD. She is very active in outreach to young people especially girls and in mentoring other African students

Naomi believes Africa is ripe to take a bold step into being a contributing partner in astronomy research. She is a motivated and hardworking scientist who is eager to put Africa on the scientific map using her research work and her outreach activities. She is always ready to speak up about Astronomy and Africa’s important role in furthering the world’s Astronomy research goals and activities.

NAOMI ASABRE FRIMPONG (VICE-PRESIDENT)
ELIZABETH NALUMINSA

Elizabeth Naluminsa is a postdoctoral fellow on the astronomy operations team of the Southern African Large Telescope. She obtained her Phd researching on the gravitational instability of disk galaxies from the University of Cape Town in 2019. She is originally from Uganda and is Uganda’s  first female astronomer. Her research field is extragalactic star-formation, while her interests and expertise spread to astronomical instrumentation, software development, pipeline building, science engagement/outreach and teaching. With a passion for education and people, her personal mission has always been to “make science attainable, penetrable and relatable to everyone”.

Following an undergraduate degree in physics and education (physics major), she joined the National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme in 2011 for her honours and masters degrees at the University of Cape Town after which she undertook her doctoral research under the South African SARChI bursary of the NRF. Post graduation, she returned to Uganda and worked as a lecturer at Kyambogo University Uganda while doing astronomy outreach to secondary schools, with resources support from the IAU Office of Astronomy for Development and the SALT Collateral Benefits programme. She held the first ever astronomy exhibition at Kyambogo university in 2020. She is at present involve in ongoing efforts by the Space Technology Agency Uganda to take astronomy to schools in the refugee settlements of Uganda, and documenting the indigenous astronomy knowledge of the refugee communities for posterity.

Mr Alemiye Mamo is an Astronomer and science communicator by profession. He is among the few individuals who laid the foundation for space Science development in Ethiopia. Mr Alemiye is currently working as coordinator of East Africa Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (EA-ROAD), National outreach coordinator (NOC) and researcher at Ethiopian Space science and technology institute (ESSTI) based in Ethiopia. Mr Alemiye has been working in the development of astronomy and space science in Ethiopia for the past two decades. He is one of the founders of the Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) and a contributor in the establishment of Entoto Observatory which is now upgraded to ESSTI.

ALEMIYE MAMO YACOB
MIRJANA POVIĆ

Mirjana Pović is a Serbian-Spanish astrophysicist, working as an assistant professor at the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI), an associate researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía in Spain, and as an honorary lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in Uganda. She obtained her PhD in astrophysics in 2010 from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain). Her main research interests are galaxy formation and evolution, in particular nuclear activity in galaxies, star formation, morphological classification of galaxies, and galaxy clusters. In addition, over more than 10 years, she worked on development in astronomy, science, and education in different parts of Africa, through different projects and initiatives related to research collaborations, education, institutional development, human capacity building, policy development, and women in science. She is a current secretary of the IAU Division C on Education, Outreach and Heritage, African Astronomical Society Science Committee member, co-convener of the Astrophysics and Cosmology Working Group under the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics, and founder of the African Network of Women in Astronomy. She received several awards and recognitions for her scientific achievements and contribution to society, in particular for her work in Africa, including the 2018 inaugural Nature Research Award for Inspiring Science, and the 2021 inaugural European Astronomical Society Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal. She believes that through education, science, and technology we can combat poverty in the long term and make our world to be a better place for everyone in the future, regardless of where the children are born.

Dr Sinenhlanhla Precious Sikhosana is a second-year South African Radio Astronomy postdoctoral fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Astrophysics Research Centre (ARC). Her research interests include studying non-thermal astrophysical processes and magnetic fields in galaxy clusters. Her research involves collecting data from multiple multi-wavelength telescopes, such as MeerKAT, GMRT, VLA, Chandra, and SALT.

In her undergrad years, she received a scholarship for being amongst the top 10 African female achievers in her college for three consecutive years. She has also received numerous awards in her postgrad career. Some awards include; UKZN’s Wonder Women in Science in 2017, the Department of Science & Technology TATA African Women in Science Doctoral Scholarship in 2018 and the Lo’real-UNESCO For Women In Science research grant in 2019. She was amongst the top 20 young scientists selected to represent South Africa at the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany in 2019. She was part of the South African Young Academy of Science’s blog team in 2020.

Dr Sikhosana is passionate about empowering the youth through education. Hence, she is part of UKZN’s Astrophysics Research Centre outreach committee. She has participated in various educational outreach programs in partnership with UKZN’s PR office. She was recently elected as the Astrophysics Research Centre’s diversity and inclusion committee member, as her passion also extends to the transformation of the science academic sphere.

SINENHLANHLA PRECIOUS SIKHOSANA
STHABILE KOLWA

Astronomy is one of my great passions and is the reason why I embarked on a journey to become a professional astronomer when I began my undergraduate studies. With scholarship awards from the SKA-NRF, I complete a BSc in Astronomy and Physics at the University of Cape Town. Choosing to stay in the field, I went on to complete an MSc in Physics, with distinction, at the University of the Western Cape. Thereafter, I enrolled in an International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) PhD program and earned a Dr. rer. nat. (PhD equivalent), cum laude, from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 2019.

At the start of the post-PhD phase of my career, I took a postdoc position at the Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA) in Cape Town for a year. While here, I continued working on research projects I had begun with collaborators from my former institute who supervised my PhD project. I also started working on projects associated with the MeerKAT International GHz Tiered Extragalactic Exploration (MIGHTEE) working group which I had formed a connection with during my MSc. While in the first year of the postdoc, I was offered a lecturing position at the Physics Department of the University of Johannesburg. Given my fondness for the teaching and learning process, I took on this new role knowing that I would have the opportunity to carry out research while also being more directly involved with students as a lecturer and project supervisor. The educational aspect of this role has provided me with the motivation to continue working in this field as I have a personality type that is geared more strongly towards altruism and being motivated by a greater purpose. Having a direct view of the impact higher learning has on young minds and lives has made my work in Astrophysics worthwhile.

Within research, my main research interests fall under Extragalactic Astronomy. My first research project involved a study of the correlation between group environment groups of AGN and their radio power which represents the strength of their jets (Kolwa et al 2019a). This publication was partly based on my MSc research work.
During my PhD, I became a member of a working group that investigates the circum-galactic medium within distant radio galaxies (beyond redshift two i.e. z > 2). We make use of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre/sub-millimetre Array) and MUSE (Multi-unit Spectroscopic Explorer) datasets to dissect the structure of the extended halo gas around these galaxies and attempt to trace their origin. These galaxies host radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) and are therefore excellent tracers for kinetic feedback between the AGN and the stellar disk as well as its extended interstellar and circumgalactic medium gas. In 2019, we published a peer-reviewed paper using the MUSE data to study the ionised component of the CGM around a z=2.9 galaxy (Kolwa et al 2019b). A follow-up study, which focusses on the molecular gas traced via neutral carbon line emission and continuum, is in preparation. Up until now, the complex physics underlying interactions between the radio jets produced by the AGN and the extended CGM have not been understood very well. This is especially true for galaxies at high redshifts. This subject is therefore a major frontier for new discoveries concerning the evolution of distant galaxies.

Additionally, as a member of the MIGHTEE working group, I am also interested in exploring the properties of star-forming galaxies and AGN host galaxies. The Early Science MeerKAT detections of such galaxies within the XMM-LSS and COSMOS fields will form the basis for our upcoming research. We will combine the MeerKAT data with uGMRT (upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope) detections within the same fields to obtain radio spectral indices spanning 0.3 – 2.0 GHz in observed frequencies. This study will later be extended to include multi-wavelength photometry with which we will perform a spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis. These procedures will provide insights into the star-formation and AGN properties of the galaxies detected by MeerKAT.
Throughout my early-research career this far, I have given numerous talks and seminars at local and international seminars, meetings, and conferences. I am also developing a popular science communication page where I discuss Astronomy developments within South African front in a way that is accessible to the public. It can be accessed at the web address: sthabile.medium.com (hosted by the website Medium).

While engaged in teaching and research, I also make it a priority to motivate future STEM within my immediate community. I aim to work with my group, Astronomy in Colour, to encourage young Africans to focus on building a future within Astronomy or any STEM field. We do so via webinars, social media, planetarium visits and school events/activities we are currently planning.

https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PHOTO-2022-03-18-18-19-54.jpg 960 1280 wpadmin https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IAU-logo-date-transparent.png wpadmin2022-03-23 14:00:122022-03-23 14:00:13Newly elected Executive Committee member of the African Astronomical Society

Pan-African Planetary and Space Science Network (PAPSSN) – Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Programme

March 17, 2022/in Africa, News/by wpadmin

Applications are invited from African nationals for scholarships in the fields of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space and Planetary Science, Planetary Geology and Remote Sensing. The 2nd PAPSSN Call offers the following scholarships:

TARGET GROUP 1

[Applicants from or graduated at one of the partner Universities]

1x MSc Credit Seeking* (6 months) to Copperbelt University (CBU), Zambia
1x MSc Credit Seeking (6 months) to University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
1x MSc Degree Seeking** (24 months) to BIUST, Botswana
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to Copperbelt University (CBU), Zambia
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Nigeria
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
3x Short term staff mobility (one month to AAU, CBU and UNN) and 4x Long term staff mobility (three months to BIUST, AAU, CBU and UNN).

TARGET GROUP 2

[Applicants not from one of the partner Universities]

1x PhD Degree Seeking (36 months) to University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to BIUST, Botswana
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to Copperbelt University (CBU), Zambia
1x MSc Degree Seeking (24 months) to University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Nigeria

APPLY ONLINE

https://www.papssnmobility.org

For more information email: info@papssnmobility.org

CLOSING DATE: 31st March 2022

The PAPSSN scholarship includes a return air ticket and visa costs, participation costs such as tuition fees, registration and service fees, Insurance, settling-in allowance, monthly subsistence allowance and a contribution towards the research costs associated with student mobility of 10 months or longer.

The PAPSSN consortium is committed to offering 50% of its scholarships to women and candidates from disadvantaged or marginalized groups.

PAPSSN scholarships are jointly administered by five (5) African partner institutions, where selected students and staff will be able to engage in postgraduate studies, research, teaching or training.

AFRICAN PARTNERS

Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Botswana
Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
Copperbelt University (CBU), Zambia
University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Nigeria
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa

Technical Partner: Università di Bologna, Italy

This project has been funded by the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the PAPSSN partnership, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Special session at the African Astronomical Society Annual Meeting

March 11, 2022/in AfAS, Africa, Meetings/by wpadmin

The special session builds on the progress made at the Forum on Astronomy in Africa in October 2021. The programme is as follows:

15:15 Welcome & overview
15:25 Update from Science Committee
15:30 Update from Africa Committee
15:35 Update from Outreach Committee
15:40 Call for proposals to implement Vision 2024
15:50 Discussion
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https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/AfAS_Conference-Poster-2022-1.png 841 595 wpadmin https://astronomy2024.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IAU-logo-date-transparent.png wpadmin2022-03-11 12:15:082022-03-11 18:14:54Special session at the African Astronomical Society Annual Meeting

FIRST EVER AFRICAN WOMEN IN ASTRONOMY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

March 2, 2022/in AfAS, Africa, News/by wpadmin

Cape Town – 2 March 2022

Two exceptional women in science are being recognised by the inaugural awards of the African Network of Women in Astronomy. The early career award goes to Dr. Marie Korsaga, Burkina Faso’s first woman astronomer and the senior award goes to Prof. Renée Kraan-Korteweg from South Africa.

The awards, worth €1,500 each, recognise and support the scientific achievements, and contributions to society, of women in Astronomy in Africa. They are given by the African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA), a committee of the African Astronomical Society, and by the International Science Programme of Uppsala University in Sweden. The winners are also invited to give a plenary talk at the general assembly of the African Astronomical Society in March 2022.

Early Career Award: Dr Marie Korsaga, Burkina Faso & France

Dr. Marie Korsaga (supplied)

Don’t let “early career” fool you. Dr. Korsaga has many achievements under her belt. She is the first Burkinabe woman to obtain a PhD in astronomy. Dr. Korsaga is a postdoctoral researcher at the Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg in France, and a lecturer at the Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso. In her research, Dr. Korsaga works on dark matter and where it is found in galaxies. For that, she uses observations from optical, infrared and radio telescopes, giving her a broad skillset in astronomy. Dr. Korsaga is also a passionate advocate for women in STEM in the global and African astronomy communities. She has given a number of high-profile talks, including a TEDx talk. She has spoken at the African Union and was recently honoured by the city of Huesca, Spain in their newly unveiled sundial. She is also a founding member, and sits on the editorial board, of “L’Astronomie Afrique”, the first francophone online astronomy magazine in Africa.

Senior Astronomer Award: Prof. Renée Kraan-Korteweg, South Africa

Prof. Kraan-Korteweg is a senior research scholar at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She has held a number of high-profile positions over her career, including leading the Astronomy department at the University of Cape Town from 2004 to 2014 and Astronomy department at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. Her research interests include unveiling the large-scale structure of the universe and understanding how it came to be. She is also a user of astronomical observations from various telescopes and has recently discovered a new supercluster of galaxies hidden behind the Milky Way galaxy. Her work is internationally recognised, and she has received various awards. Prof. Kraan-Korteweg has supervised over 30 graduate students in her career, attracted significant research funding (both for her own work, and for the departments she has led) and has been a key advocate for the growth of astronomy on the African continent as well as the support of women in astronomy. The award acknowledges the vast impact she has had for women in Astronomy in Africa.

Prof. Renee Kraan-Korteweg (supplied)

Many nominations were submitted late 2021 for the awards, and a prestigious panel of judges was invited to evaluate the submissions. The panel comprised:

  • Prof. Stephan Buchert, Senior Scientist at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
  • Prof. Catherine Cesarsky, an Argentine and French astronomer, formerly president of the International Astronomical Union and the director general of the European Southern Observatory. She is currently Chair of the Council of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory.
  • Prof. Ewine van Dishoek, a Dutch astronomer and chemist, formerly President of the International Astronomical Union and a pioneer of the field of astrochemistry.
  • Prof. Debra Elmegreen, an American astronomer, and the first woman to graduate from Princeton University with a degree in astrophysics is President of the International Astronomical Union.
  • Mr Kevin Govender, Director of Office of Astronomy for Development and the joint recipient of the Edinburgh Medal together with the International Astronomical Union.
  • Prof. Ernst van Groningen, former Programme Director, International Science Programme, Uppsala University, Sweden.
  • Dr. Edward Jurua, astrophysicist, and leader of the research group in astrophysics and space science at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda.
  • Dr. Jamal Mimouni, an Algerian astrophysicist and the President of the African Astronomical Society.
  • Prof. Samaya Nissanke, an astronomer at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and one of the recipients of the New Horizons in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.
  • Prof. Mirjana Povic, a Serbian-Spanish astrophysicist who works at the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute; inaugural laureate of the Nature – Estée Lauder Inspiring Science Award and founding board member of AfNWA.

AfNWA congratulates the winners of the 2022 African Women in Astronomy Awards and thanks the judges for their time and expertise. AfNWA also acknowledges the generous support of the International Science Programme (ISP), Uppsala University, Sweden.


Notes to the Editors:

African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA)
AfNWA was set up in 2019 to connect and support women in astronomy across the African continent. It forms part of the African Astronomical Society, the professional society of astronomers in Africa. Astronomy is a growing field on the continent with new telescopes being built and producing innovative world-class science, such as the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa.
https://afnwa.org/
Contact: Prof. Vanessa McBride, vanessa@astro4dev.org

African Astronomical Society (AfAS)
The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) is the primary organisation representing professional astronomers from across the African continent and is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation in South Africa AfAS is based in Cape Town on the campus of the South African Astronomical Observatory.
https://www.africanastronomicalsociety.org/
Contact: Dr. Charles Takalana, charles.takalana@afasociety.org

International Science Programme
Uppsala University established the International Science Programme (ISP) in 1961. ISP has earned international recognition for effectively strengthening research and postgraduate education capacity in low income countries in the basic sciences chemistry, mathematics and physics.
https://www.isp.uu.se/
Contact: Prof. Carla Puglia, carla.puglia@physics.uu.se

Photos: Supplied

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