The Royal Astronomical Society is pleased to announce that our free Public Talks for the 2024-2025 season will take place at Burlington House at 1pm and 6pm. Please check the schedule as some talks may be online-only due to speaker availability.
Each session consists of a 45 minute talk & a 15 minute Q&A session
Session at 1-2pm: To register for the 1pm hybrid talk
Session at 6-7pm: To register for the 6pm hybrid talk
Look up! Working together to bring astronomy to people across the UK
The UK has a diverse and widespread community of astronomy communicators, from amateur astronomers to planetarium presenters, academics, and artists. They are found in every corner of our country, including rural and remote regions, and I am constantly surprised by what they are getting up to. Together, their work has huge impact: a night out under the stars or a peek through a telescope can set someone off on a life-long love of astronomy.
I’m passionate about bringing people together to share skills and resources. Find out about three very different national projects I’ve coordinated in partnership with the RAS and with astronomy communicators across the UK to encourage people to Look Up, including AstroBoost, 100 Hours Under One Sky, and National Astronomy Week.
These projects include providing resources to amateur astronomers, running an online activity for a global event, and mobilising the whole astronomy communication community in the UK.
You’ll also get a sneak peek ahead to what will be happening in National Astronomy Week (1-9 February 2025), when we’ll be chasing the Moon across the sky.
A cultural connection to the sky is valuable in so many ways. Is this being lost through light pollution? I hope we can work together to encourage a culture of connection to the night sky - for personal enjoyment, as a basis to encourage academic interest in astronomy and other STEM subjects, and as an anchor point for mental health. You just need to look up.
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About our speaker:
Dr Jenny Shipway has over twenty years experience of working in science communication, including extensive development and delivery of programmes and ten years as a senior manager in a large Science Centre and Planetarium. For the past seven years she has worked as a contractor in the sector.
Jenny has a particular interest in large networks and how these can be leveraged to increase the quality of science communication both nationally and internationally.
Her roles include that of National Astronomy Week Coordinator; IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach National Outreach Coordinator; AstroBoost Director; International Liaison for the Federation of Astronomical Societies; and Co-Chair of the International Planetarium Society Education Committee. She also manages the AstroMailbox email discussion list for UK non-formal astronomy communicators.
Credit: Dr Jenny Shipman
Licence type: All Rights Reserved
This event will be hybrid and takes place at the RAS Lecture Theatre at Burlington House, Piccadilly, online via zoom, and streamed live on Youtube. Zoom links will be emailed 2 hours before the talk begins.