Promoting Basic Sciences Campaign Reveals the Actual Contribution Astronomy and Spatial Sciences Currently Have to STEAM Education in Romania

Promoting Basic Sciences Campaign Reveals the Actual Contribution Astronomy and Spatial Sciences Currently Have to STEAM Education in Romania

Presenter: Elisabeta Ana Naghi, ESERO, Romanian National Committee for Astronomy, Dana Ficut-Vicas, Astronomical Observatory Cluj-Napoca of the Romanian Academy and Cautnic Daniel, Samuel von Brukenthal National College, Romania

This was a poster presented at the 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education, organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE, http//astro4edu.org).

With the IYBSSD2022, the Romanian National Committee for Astronomy (CNRA) has launched a campaign to promote basic sciences in over 100 schools in Romania from both rural and urban areas. Within this campaign we investigate the role that basic sciences (astronomy and space science plays in school education and the impact of the activities within the campaign in motivating students towards studying STEAM and choosing STEAM careers. Here we present results of the analysis of the initial survey. This analysis shows the contribution astronomy and space science currently have in STEAM education in schools in Romania and is an essential starting point in building future programs and campaigns that can focus on the urgent needs of the STEAM education in our country.

About the 4th Shaw-IAU Workshop:

The topic for this year’s Shaw-IAU Workshop on Astronomy for Education is ‘Leveraging the potential of astronomy in formal education’ and is scheduled to run 15 to 17 November 2022 as a fully virtual event on Hopin as in previous years. This year’s Shaw-IAU Workshop focuses on the role of astronomy in the core regions of formal, primary and secondary, education: How do we teach astronomy as its own subject? What is the role of astronomy in teaching physics or chemistry – or in communicating such a central future topic as climate change? In sessions marked with a * we aim to hear specifically from teachers. We also address the question of how to approach those who set the framework for teaching: How can you get your administration, or at a much higher level: your education ministry, to listen to you? Last but not least we look at how to bridge the divide between the fundamentals that are commonly taught in school and results from cutting-edge research, which tend to be fascinating to students and the general public alike. he workshop was organised by the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (http://astro4edu.org). More details can be found on: https://astro4edu.org/shaw-iau/4th-shaw-iau-workshop/

Keep up to date with future Shaw-IAU Workshops and other opportunities at the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education by joining our mailing list https://astro4edu.org/mailing-list/ Follow the IAU OAE on Twitter and Facebook under @astro4edu