| Name: | AMOGHAVARSHA N |
| Affiliation: | Indian Institute of Astrophysics |
| Conference ID : | ASI2024_126 |
| Title : | COSMOS Mysuru: A unique venture to build astronomy education in conjunction with an LED Dome planetarium |
| Authors : | Amoghavarsha N (1), Punith R (1), Niruj Mohan Ramanujam (1), S. Seetha (2), B. S. Shylaja (3), Annapurni Subramaniam (1), S. N. Prasad (4) |
| Authors Affiliation: | 1 - Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru - 560034, India.
2 - Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru - 560080, India.
3 - Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru - 560001, India.
4 - Regional Institute of Education, Mysuru - 570006, India. |
| Mode of Presentation: | Oral |
| Abstract Category : | Education, Outreach and Heritage |
| Abstract : | "COSMOS" is the upcoming world's first commercial 8K-resolution LED Dome planetarium in the city of Mysuru, Karnataka, and is being built by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. While awaiting construction, we have started a comprehensive education and outreach program in the city and its neighbourhood. One of the main objectives of the project is to use the LED dome for training students in data analysis using current data from telescopes, as well as to incorporate all major STEM events. Our activities over the past year have focussed on introducing astronomy into existing rural science programs and conducting astronomy events and lectures inside Mysuru, both for outreach and for education.
The outreach efforts of COSMOS Mysuru stand on six pillars: Astronomy in the public domain, Introducing astronomy at the university and college level, Unearthing mediaeval-era astronomy in the Kannada language, Citizen science workshops, Science and education workshops, and Rural & urban school awareness. In this talk, I will describe some of these outreach efforts, and our collaborations with science educators and educational institutions, and discuss their impact so far. I will also focus on our existing rural programs and upcoming projects with the state government. I will then end with our upcoming plans to train students in Mysuru and from across India to use the LED Dome planetarium for data visualisation, analysis, and education in STEM fields.
In summary, these activities will illustrate our efforts to build an outreach and education program from scratch over an entire district and build capacity for using the special LED Dome planetarium for astronomy and science education. |
