Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Astronomy is a course in Madras Christian College for the students of BSc mathematics. The course includes understanding the celestial sphere, the celestial coordinate system, the movement of the sun and the diurnal motion of stars. Students are taught using ICT tools supported by a practical exposure to the actual night sky through observation sessions. Students are allowed to intern at an observatory to gain a first hand experience of setting up telescopes and recording observations. In this paper, we study the effectiveness of night sky observation and training at an observatory as experiential learning tools for the students, the challenges faced, the outcome and impact of the initiative. This study is in line with SDG 4.

Biography:

Dr. Priya is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics teaching a course in Astronomy. She has training in Astronomy through a summer school at Inter University for Astronomy and Astrophysics(IUCAA), Pune during her post-graduation. Her research interests are Formal Languages, DNA Computing and Astronomy Education. She has trained students to participate in the International Asteroid Search Collaboration(IASC), International Observe the Moon Night and Analysing images through NASA Sky Survey. She has completed a project on Astronomy teaching and organised a workshop for students funded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia(UBCHEA).