June 2007 Report on International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009)

An Update From the IYA Canada Committee

June, 2007

Goal:  To offer an engaging astronomy experience to every person in Canada, and to cultivate partnerships that sustain public interest in astronomy.

How do we envision doing this?  By

• Celebrating 4 centuries of telescopic observation

• Sharing our passion & achievements with taxpayers & their children through creative partnerships

• (Re-)connecting Canadians with the heavens

• Providing national co-ordination, encouragement & support for your local, regional and national initiatives

• Creating or supporting broadly conceived programmes with some legacy  or sustainability elements

• Seeking highly leveraged activities arising from the community: initiatives welcome & encouraged – this is not a top-down process and…

• having fun!

Who are we? 

• Organizations:

– CASCA, RASC, FAAQ in partnership and working closely with

– Planetaria & Science Centres, and the informal education community

– NRC, CSA (and plans to approach NSERC, CIAR, CITA, PI and others)

• First Nations & Inuit Communities

• Media & Communications experts

• And we are you, members of CASCA

Interested in participating?  Contact jim.hesser@nrc.gc.ca

Our Programme Working Group is presently sifting the initial round of ideas and suggestions and grouping them (tentatively) into four broad themes.  They are, along with some of the ideas proposed to date:

1. Observing the sky

• 1 million (or a couple million more?) Canadians look through a telescope

• $1 telescope kits widely distributed (an IAU objective)

• Sidewalk astronomy, Rooftop Astronomy, Astronomy Day, solar viewing…

• Mobile telescope vans

• Jupiter opposition & Jupiter’s moons (Galileo did it!)

• Total solar eclipse in Asia

• …..(insert your ideas here)

2. Sharing discoveries and promoting astronomy as a hobby

• New Canadian planetarium, TV, radio shows

• Sundials in city parks with explanatory material

• Articles, public lectures (parks, communities)

• Hands-on experiences for youth in schools, camps

• Children’s art in early 2008 for 2009 calendars

• Posters complementing NRC’s Canadian Skies

• Public observing opportunities on Canadian telescopes

• …..(insert your ideas here)

3. Astronomy Everywhere: Arts, Culture, History

• Traditional First Nations & Inuit knowledge of heavens

– Book for children

• Musical events (existing or commissioned)

– Opera, symphonic, jazz, popular

– Are there CASCA members with special contacts in the arts or popular entertainment communities?

• Theatre

– Brecht’s Galileo

– Galileo impersonators (script needed)

• Images in parks, galleries

• …(insert your ideas here)

4. Legacies: Near and Long Term

• Dark Sky Preserves in every region (First Nations, National or Provincial parks)

• Lower, more cost-effective public illumination

• New books, musical or theatrical scores

• New or enhanced EPO partnerships

• Deeper appreciation of the Earth in context

• Canadian postal stamp series

• …..(insert your ideas here)

Our IYA Canada Committee and associated Working Groups continue to slowly accrete additional, talented volunteers from CASCA ranks, with several people having offered to help during the recent meetings in Kingston.  We are still short on people at ease with (read “experienced”) Communications and Fund Raising activities.  The Graduate Student Committee indicated their strong interest in working on IYA-related activities, where their enthusiasm and familiarity with interests of younger people will be tremendous assets. 

A rough time line for immediate activities would include:

• Summer 2007:

– CASCA, RASC GA discussions, volunteers solicited

– National goals & budgetary estimates established

• Fall 2007:

– Fund raising for adopted goals begins

– Canadian Aboriginal S&T Conference

– IAU Symposium on IYA2009

• Winter 2007-08: educational system initiatives

• Quarter1,Q2  2008: FAAQ, CASCA, RASC AGMs

Your observations, suggestions and – most of all –  participation are welcome!

Jim Hesser on behalf of the IYACC:

Cheryl Bartlett (First Nations co-chair)

Jeffery Crelinsten (The Impact Group)

Jayanne English (CASCA EPO)

Jim Hesser (NRC, CASCA)

Peter Jedicke (RASC)

Remi Lacasse (FAAQ)

Pierre Lacombe (Programme Committee co-chair)

Phil Langill (Programme Committee co-chair)

Lindsay Marshall (First Nations co-chair)

Bob McDonald (CBC)

Ruth Ann Chicoine (CSA)

John Percy (CASCA EPO)

Andy Woodsworth (NSERC)

Scott Young (RASC & Science Centres)