Author Archives: Ram Venugopal

IAU-OAD West African Regional Office Inauguration

The West African Regional Office officially became a part of the IAU-Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) this week. The inauguration, which was held in Enugu, Nigeria, on November 27, marked the commencement of activities for the Regional Office. It was attended by the director of the OAD, country coordinators from Gabon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana […]

World Science Forum 2015

The OAD was represented at the 2015 World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary. International Project Co-Ordinator Eli Grant was part of a group of 50 young scientists selected for the IAP/GYA/ICORSA/WAYS side event on ‘Scoping the future: views and ideas of young scientists to tackle global challenges.’ The young scientists were split into five groups and challenged with […]

Launching of South West Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development

Your excellencies, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen I stand here humbly, having travelled from the Southern tip of the great continent of Africa. Such long flights are always emotional for me as I pass over country after country without being able to see from the sky where one nation ends and another begins. Each country with […]

IAU OAD South West Asian Regional Office Inauguration

On 13 October 2015, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) inaugurated the South West Asian OAD Regional Office at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) in Armenia. The inauguration ceremony included talks from Radik Martirosyan, President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia; Piero Benvenuti, IAU General Secretary; and Areg Mickaelian, director of […]

IAU General Assembly 2015 – Focus Meeting 20

FM 20: Astronomy for Development The OAD coordinated a Focus Meeting (FM20) at the 2015 IAU General Assembly titled “Astronomy for Development.” The meeting took place on 13-14 August 2015. Please visit www.astronomy2015.org for more information. Overview This Focus Meeting was about the global developmental impact that all aspects related to astronomy can deliver. It focused on impact […]