STARSMAP (2023-2025)

The latest funding of the Program is STARSMAP.

STARSMAP engages primary and secondary school students located in rural, regional, remote, and high population of Indigenous student locations through a series of visits by research scientists, academics and PhD students in astronomy, physics, engineering and music. Students are exposed to, and inspired by, the excitement of real-world science through targeted presentations, interactive workshops, Q&As, star-gazing evenings, operating telescopes, hands-on physics activities, sonification of data, and first-hand astronomical data collection projects.  A telescope and accessories will be gifted to each school, along with equipment and software to create physics demonstrations as well as data sonification – turning science into music.

 

The STARS program engages primary and secondary school students located in rural, regional and remote locations through a series of visits by research scientists and PhD students in astronomy and astrophysics.

Through targeted presentations, interactive workshops, Q&As, star-gazing evenings, learning how to operate telescopes and first-hand data astronomical data collection projects, students are exposed to, and are inspired by, the excitement of real-world science and its practitioners.

The impact and sustainability of the program is increased with the provision of a quality 8” Dobsonian telescope (plus solar filter and Smartphone adapter for astrophotography) to each school visited as part of the program. The telescope and accessories are tools for on-going, hands-on learning and development of practical knowledge and skills. Interactive sessions on telescope set up and use will be conducted with teachers and students to ensure they have the necessary basic skills. We will work with the groups to run-follow up events into other aspects of astronomy and STEM.

An extensive suite of education resources for both teachers and students to support the use of the telescopes will be developed. The types of resources include:

Teaching and learning materials to address the Australian Curriculum for science, mathematics and digital technologies

Simple and more advanced projects students can conduct using the telescope

Guidelines for solar observing, astrophotography and spectroscopy

STARS is a collaboration between the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and ASTRO 3D. STARS is supported by grant funding from the Australian Government.

How-to videos

Professional learning videos 2023

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