Welcome to AEACI 2022!

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and NUCLIO organize the eighth edition of the International School Astronomy Education Adventure in the Canary Islands under the theme “Astronomy for Sustainable Development” with the aim of joining the celebrations of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development.

The school will be held from July 24 to 29, 2022 in a hybrid format, both face-to-face in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Canary Islands) and online, allowing participants from all over the world to enjoy the unique AEACI experience at their best convenience and in a sustainable way.

Teachers of all grade levels and subject domains, as well as informal educators, are invited to attend the school and dive into a real STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) experience.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

General Information

Dates: July 24-29, 2022 (July 30 optional)

Duration: 30 certifiable hours

Modality: hybrid (in-person and online)

Language: English

Venue: IACTEC and IAC headquarters, both in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain)

Topics and lecturers

The school consists of lectures and workshops on Astronomy and Astrophysics, with a marked practical and interactive character, emphasizing the use of robotic telescopes for developing student research projects, as well as other resources and online laboratories, inquiry-based learning and the multidisciplinary approach. The program also includes training visits (face-to-face and virtual) to the IAC facilities and to the  Observatories of the Canary Islands. All this with a special focus on how Astronomy can and does contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The school’s contents will cover the following topics:

Astronomy for the new generations

Astronomy for planet Earth

Astronomy for future homes

Timetable

Morning programme: It comprises 4 sessions of 3 hours + 30’ coffee breaks (July 25 – 28) and 1 session of 2.5 hours (July 29)

Afternoon programme: It will include 4 sessions of 2 hours + 15’ Warm-ups (July 25 – 28)

The following activities are also part of the on-site programme:

• Welcome event on the evening of July 24, including a Reception cocktail.
• Visit to the Teide Observatory in Izaña (Tenerife) on the afternoon-evening of July 29.

An optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the neighbouring island of La Palma will be offered on July 30.

ATTENDING THE SCHOOL

Registration

Registration will be open until 15 July (or until full capacity is reached) and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to teachers working in public schools.

We will admit up to 50 on-site attendees and 200 online attendees.

Fees & Funding

The school is partially funded by the Communication and Outreach Unit and the Severo Ochoa Programme of the IAC.

Attendance to the school requires a registration fee for accepted face-to-face participants which covers:

• Welcome cocktail on July 24
• Morning coffee during the lecture days
• Lunch at the school venue
• Visit to the Teide Observatory, Tenerife, on July 29 (including transportation, guided visit, activities and dinner)

The registration fee is:

• 80 € for on-site participants from Spain (fee partially funded by the IAC).
• 400 € for on-site participants from outside Spain.
• 10 € for online participants. This symbolic fee will go entirely to the NUCLIO Trust programme to help students from developing countries to pursue university studies.

A limited number of grants may be awarded by the IAC to cover part of the costs of participants who do not have sources of funding. Applicants who require grants may indicate this on the payment form, once they have registered. Participants who are awarded a grant will be informed by July 18.

Deadline for the payment is July 20.

We are also planning an optional visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory  in the beautiful island of La Palma, on Saturday July 30, with an estimated additional cost of 100 € for Canarian residents and 200 € for non-residents. This trip will take place if it gathers the interest of a minimum amount of people (15), a requirement that has been met in all previous editions of the school. The trip includes the round trip flight from Tenerife to La Palma, bus transfers, lunch and a guided tour to the main telescopes. It is a full day trip, and it is not expected to be back in Tenerife before approximately 8:30 p.m.

School Venues & Local Information

The school will be held in the “Sala Grande” of the IACTEC building (July 24-28) and at the IAC headquarters (July 29), both in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain).

GETTING READY

Please review the recommendations for IT requirements, software installation, etc. that you will find in the following link prior to the start of school.

ORGANISERS

The school is organized by the IAC and NUCLIO, in the framework of the IAC PETeR project, and in collaboration with the Faulkes Telescope Project, the National Schools’ Observatory and the CESAR team (ESA’s education efforts at ESAC in Madrid), in partnership with the European School Innovation Academy (ESIA).

Organising Committee

• Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (Co-Director of the School, IAC)
• Rosa Doran (Co-Director of the School, NUCLIO)
• Fraser Lewis (FTP, NSO)
• Gustavo Rojas (NUCLIO)
• Irene Puerto Giménez (IAC)
• Iván Jiménez Montalvo (IAC)
• Teresa Direitinho (NUCLIO)
• Sandra Benítez Herrera (ESAC)
• Juan Ángel Vaquerizo (ISDEFE)

Technical Secretariat

• Ana Costa (NUCLIO)
• Magna Congresos: aeaci2022@magnacongresos.es

CERTIFICATION

School attendance is certified by the IAC and NUCLIO, within the framework of the Galileo Teachers Training Programme (GTTP).

The training is approved by the Department of Education (CEUCD) of the Government of the Canary Islands for non-university Canarian teachers.