A critical problem in Russian astronomy education is the disparity in Olympiad training access between major cities and remote regions. The «Astronomical Olympiad School», a grant-funded project, tackles this by providing free, structured online training for grades 5–11. Our methodology rests on three pillars: video lectures and materials created by teachers from the commissions of astronomy Olympiads and leading astronomical institutes; a mentorship system where trained undergraduate and graduate students from top universities provide personalized feedback on complex problem-solving; and a blend of auto-graded tests and manual solution checking. We present the project’s design and early outcomes, offering a replicable blueprint for addressing geographical inequality in science education.

Biography:

Anastasiia Emelianova is a Leading Engineer at the Department of Stellar Astrophysics of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of Lomonosov MSU. Her research focuses on astrophysics, particularly X-ray binary systems, the observational manifestations of gas and circumbinary disks. She has presented her work at national and international conferences and has authored several scientific publications. Anastasiia is committed to making high-quality science education accessible to all: she works as a project manager for the Teach-in open educational platform and is the project lead of the «Astronomical Olympiad School», free online Olympiad training in astronomy for school students across Russia, using a mentorship model.