Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

The progress of science has relied on keen observers to notice changes that follow a some pattern that humans are tuned to want to explain. Observations of events in the sky form the basis of Astronomical knowledge. Hence building the correct mental pictures of how things happen out in space has been essential for progressing our understanding of our vast Universe. We describe the challenges faced by students to understand observations from the ground and how technology can assist in filling up observational gaps so as to build a complete picture these observations and explaining these by building a visual mental picture of how this happens in space. We use examples of daytime observations of the Sun and nighttime observations of planets to show the usefulness of this approach

Biography:

Dr Noorali Jiwaji is Senior Lecturer in Physics at the Marian University College and an Astronomy researcher and developer at the Open University of Tanzania. He also leads the Astronomy and Space Science Association of Tanzania (ASSAT). Dr Jiwaji has pioneered the development of Astronomy in Tanzania since 1978 has been the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Education and Outreach liaison for Tanzania. Besides his research interest in Dark Skies Astrotourism and Milimeter Astronomy for the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope, he is passionate about building a good and correct understanding of Astronomy concepts for his Physics students.