Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

The Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad (Olimp’ada Brasileira de Astronomia e Astron‡utica; OBA) is an annual national educational competition inaugurated in 1998 and currently in its 24th edition. Its main goal is to improve science education using astronomy and astronautics as motivators. As a consequence, it increases the students' interest in these subjects. Despite not being part of the national school curricula,Ę astronomy's appeal as a fascinating and multidisciplinary science act as a catalyst to bring students and teachers alike closer to other sciences, such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and other disciplines like geography, history, philosophy, and arts. One may question how a competitive event such as an Olympiad can foster the rise of new talents. Part of the answer lies in the strategies employed to attract and capacitate teachers from all school levels. We will also show how we have successfully reached teachers and students from all states in Brazil and how the wide-ranging award scheme stimulates the emergence of new talents.

About Josina Nascimento

Josina Nascimento has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a master’s and a PhD in the field of Systems and Computing engineering from COPPE - UFRJ. She coordinates the astronomy communication and popularization projects: "O céu em sua casa:observação remota" (The sky at your home: remote observation), "AstroEducadores" (AstroEducators, an online teaching course for educators) and "Olhai pro Céu RJ" (Look up to the Sky RJ), and is a part of the Organizing Committee of the Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad (OBA). She managed the online selection phase of Brazilian teams for the international astronomy Olympiads (2013 - 2019). She manages the division of Communication and Popularization of Science (DICOP) of the Brazilian research institution Observatório Nacional, where she has served for over 40 years, and is a member of the of the IAU National Outreach Coordinator (NOC Brasil) Committee, tied to the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach.

Watch a recording of this talk (external link)