Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Radio astronomy reveals unique information about the universe. Modern facilities produce vast amounts of data, much of it freely available. New facilities under construction such as SKAO will produce even larger datasets. Students may find interacting with and understanding radio astronomy data conceptually more challenging than optical data. There are programs using radio astronomy data with students. Programs specifically targeting high school students include PULSE@Parkes and the Pulsar Search Collaboratory. Citizen science projects such as the Zooniverse’s Radio Galaxy Zoo can also be used in formal education settings. We examine some of these, identify potential problems but also what has worked and what we have learnt in developing radio astronomy education programs.

About Robert Hollow

Robert is the Education Manager at CSIRO’s Space & Astronomy unit. He leads the PULSE@Parkes program for high school students and coordinates Space & Astronomy’s undergraduate and postgraduate student programs. He has extensive experience in high school teaching, curriculum development and astronomy education and is a Life Member of STANSW. He was one of the team that developed the “Space Careers Wayfinder” program. Robert is chair of the National Astronomy Education Coordinators for the IAU’s Office of Astronomy Education and also heads the Education Panel for the Astronomical Society of Australia’s Eclipse Working Group planning for the 2028 total solar eclipse.