The advertisement for a part-time Education Coordinator for CASCA attracted 17 strong applications. The Selection Committee (Jayanne English, Nathalie Martimbeau and I) are going through these; we hope to interview the short list soon, and to make an offer by 1 October.

We have recently been compiling a draft list of Canadian Contributions to

Astronomy, for future use in several ways. Mary Lou Whitehorne of the

RASC has produced SkyWays: A Teachers Guide to Astronomy. Mary Lou spent

three days in Toronto, making some final edits. This version will be made available this fall to teachers who are willing to use and assess it, so a final version can be produced in 2003. This would join the RASC’s three other publications which are so useful for education and outreach: the Observer’s Handbook, the Beginner’s Observing Guide, and the Calendar. We hope that this will be one of several ways in which CASCA and the RASC can cooperate in education and public outreach.

The Journal of the RASC carries some useful articles on education, mostly in its Education Notes column. I refer you to Bill Dodd’s article on Astronomy in the Canadian Curriculum (K-12) in the June issue, page 114.

I remind you that Bev Caswell and I have produced a teacher-friendly draft Grade Six unit on astronomy at:

Congratulations to St. Mary’s University, which celebrates its 200^th birthday this year. An asteroid has been named after the University, and I understand that there will be a stamp to honour the occasion.

Every three years, the International Astronomical Union’s Commission 46 (Astronomy Education and Development) compiles reports on astronomy education in countries around the world. These are available in the Newsletters of the Commission, at:

physics.open.ac.uk/IAU46/newslet.html

I have attached my report on behalf of Canada (wearing my hat as National Representative to IAU Commission 46).

This report covers the period 1999.5 to 2002.5, and was compiled by John Percy with

the help of the Education Committee of CASCA: Canadian Astronomical Society - Societe Canadienne d’Astronomie. During that period, the Canadian astronomical community embarked on a major education and public outreach (E/PO) initiative. It is led by CASCA, an organization of professional astronomers, in partnership with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) -- an organization of primarily amateur astronomers, the planetariums and science centres, and other astronomical organizations. It is funded by the PromoScience program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada;

In Canada, as in the US, astronomy is most commonly taught to non-science students, who are required to take some science courses as part of their degree requirements. Enrolments continue to be high. A large and increasing number of non-science students also take astronomy courses in two-year Community Colleges and University Colleges, where students generally transfer to the universities to complete their degree. Decreased government support for universities, and an emphasis on research at the expense of teaching, has strained the resources for undergraduate teaching.

Distance education astronomy courses are offered at the introductory level by Athabasca University and in French by the Tele-Universite. These courses are based on printed materials but supplemented by electronic media. Enrolments have increased markedly in the past several years, showing that home study students desire accredited astronomy courses.

Planetariums and science centres continue their work, though there is still no major planetarium in Toronto to replace the McLaughlin Planetarium which closed in 1995. In Calgary, the Digistar projector was replaced, making way for next-generation technology. Attendance in planetaria continues to grow; Calgary attracted a record high in 2001, with 170,000 visitors. Montreal hosted the International Planetarium Society’s biennial meeting in 2000, welcoming over 400 delegates from around the world. Several planetaria across the country presented shows on climate change and global warming issues, a subject dear to the heart of our current federal government. Planetarium shows that were mostly pre-recorded in past years, are now returning to the live style, in which the lecturer interacts with the audience to encourage critical thinking and a "minds-on" mentality.

Public awareness and understanding of astronomy is promoted by almost every part of the Canadian astronomical community. The RASC, through lectures, star parties, print and electronic resources, reaches over 400,000 Canadians a year; other local amateur astronomy clubs nationwide reach tens of thousands more. International Astronomy Day is widely celebrated.

Two new books have appeared which I commend to you: Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching: Strategies for ASTRO 101 by Timothy F. Slater and Jeffrey P. Adams, and Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy, by Adams, Edward E. Prather, and the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research Team. Both are published by Prentice-Hall. Many of you remember Tim Slater’s plenary lecture and graduate student workshop at CASCA 2002 in Penticton, so you are aware of Tim’s dynamic style, and the importance of his message. Every teacher of introductory astronomy should have, understand, and use this material.

In my work with the IAU and other organizations, I enjoy finding out how astronomy education and outreach are done in other countries. This summer, I got to broaden my understanding of astronomy education in Europe, and the excellent work which is done by the European Association for Astronomy Education (EAAE). I was Keynote Speaker at the Sixth Annual Summer School of EAAE. It was held in the second week of July, in Enontekio, in northern Finland—the land of reindeer, mosquitos, and the Midnight Sun. Despite the numerous warnings, the mosquitos failed to materialize, apparently because the weather had been so dry. But a hundred teachers and teacher educators did materialize, from all over Europe. The Organizing Committees were headed by Rosa Maria Ros (Spain) and Irma Hannula (Finland). The school consisted of a dozen intensive workshops, all of them related in some way to the sun. As much hands-on activity as possible was scheduled, though the sun did not always conform to the schedule. A complete set of workshop notes (some in two or three languages) was provided to each participant. There was a poster session, and a "swap shop", at which teachers could share their ideas and resources in a formal way. There were interesting outings to the prehistoric rock paintings at the northern tip of Norway, to the local museum for a sampling of Sami (aboriginal) culture and a stunning presentation on The Northern Lights, and to a local reindeer farm. [Based on this one experience, I got the impression that reindeer farmers are a lot like western cowboys]. There was lots more socializing, and sharing of experiences, over mountains of excellent Lapland food.

I commend the EAAE, and especially Rosa Maria Ros, for organizing these schools which spread astronomy, and astronomy teaching, into the countries of Europe so effectively.

Erindale College, University of Toronto phone: (905) 828-5351

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6 fax: (905) 828-5425