Astrosandbox: Learning Astronomy Through Courses, Competitions, And Clubs
TalkTeaching Methods and Tools
7th Shaw-IAU Workshop
Tuesday Nov. 18, 2025
UTC: 3:45 p.m. - 3:55 p.m. America/New_York: 10:45 a.m.- 10:55 a.m.
Friday Nov. 21, 2025
UTC: 8:45 a.m. - 8:55 a.m. America/New_York: 3:45 a.m.- 3:55 a.m.
Taisiia Karasova (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
AstroSandbox is an educational initiative offering a diverse range of resources to engage Ukrainian high school students interested in advanced astronomy and/or astronomy school competitions. We have created a 100-hour video course covering topics from spherical geometry to observational confirmations of general relativity, produce concise Blitz videos that answer focused questions, and organize annual team competitions - AstroBattles - where students present solutions to astronomy problems before a jury and an opposing team. In partnership with Kvanta project, we also run an astronomy club for middle-schoolers, where we foster problem-solving skills through interactive lessons.
About Taisiia Karasova
Taisiia Karasova is a Ukrainian physics student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), specializing in astrophysics and data science. She has conducted research at institutions including the Perimeter Institute, MIT Kavli Institute, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, focusing on galaxy evolution, tidal disruption events, and radio polarimetry. Taisiia is the founder of AstroSandbox, Ukraine’s largest student-led astronomy outreach initiative, which has provided advanced online courses, national competitions, and local lectures to hundreds of students since 2020.
