The IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) will establish an international network of OAE Centers and OAE Nodes to collaborate in OAE’s mission to support astronomy education worldwide, and the use of astronomy for teaching about science, technology and mathematics in primary and secondary schools. To this end, the OAE invites interested institutions to submit a proposal for hosting an OAE Center or an OAE Node.

The deadline for this first call for OAE Centers and OAE Nodes was 10 June, 2020, and we are now in the process of selecting the first OAE Centers and OAE Nodes.

This opportunity is for institutions who are willing to invest considerable resources and establish long-term structures in support of the OAE mission. It is emphatically not a prerequisite for collaborating with the OAE – there are alternative opportunities for collaboration and cooperation, and we are grateful to institutions that inform us of their willingness to collaborate even while not applying to host an OAE Center or OAE Node.

OAE Centers and OAE Nodes have an international scope. They are part of an international peer network in the service of the OAE mission to leverage astronomy for education. The OAE as a whole will pursue numerous international projects in support of that goal, and suitable OAE Centers/Nodes will take the lead for some of those projects or sub-projects. We value the specific expertise to be found at each OAE Center/Node, and want the international astronomy education community to benefit from what you bring to the table. In addition to participating in the OAE world-wide activities, OAE Centers/Nodes are also expected to help with the outreach to education communities linked to them by proximity (regional events, including suitable neighboring countries) or language (for those OAE Centers/Nodes in countries with at least one language that is widely spoken elsewhere).

For the information we need from applicants who intend to host an OAE Center or OAE Node, please refer to the following guideline PDF: