We presented Curascopium's activities at the annual meeting of the Society for the Promotion of Astronomical Education in Fukui!

What is the Society for the Promotion of Astronomical Education?

Astronomy has long been studied in academia by the specialists of each era, and its very depth kept it distant from many people. Today, however, more and more activities connect space with people and communities. One community at the center of such activities is the Society for the Promotion of Astronomical Education. Its annual meeting, where members report on their activities, was held over three days from August 19 to 21, 2024.

Details: https://tenkyo.net/2024/08/09/annual_2024/

How we came to participate

Through an introduction by Professor Emeritus Mineshige of Kyoto University, who supported our classes at the Special Needs Education School for the Visually Impaired, University of Tsukuba, Curascopium was able to take part in the annual meeting. Yusaku Tanaka and Takeshi Nagasawa attended.

On the day

The meeting began on the 19th, and we joined from the 20th. Participants ranged from elementary school students to adults, and the presentations covered a wide range of genres. We also got to see presentations by people we had met through Curascopium's activities.

As for our own presentations, Tanaka gave a talk before the full assembly, and Nagasawa presented a poster. Both reported on the astronomy classes we held in November 2023 at the Special Needs Education School for the Visually Impaired, University of Tsukuba.

The presentations also led to new connections, and we reunited with society members we had first met at the Tohoku Branch meeting covered in a previous article, catching up and building our network.

What's next

Following the meeting, several Curascopium members joined the society, giving us access to information about many people's astronomy education and outreach activities. We will put this valuable knowledge to use while continuing to update our own activities.