AR_final file_2018-19

The focus of the TLC has been on a number of aspects related to the spreading and strengthening of Astronomy education in the country. These include developing course curricula at different levels along with the associated resource material, working towards capacity building in the subject in both experimental and theoretical areas, and training and supporting present and future teachers of the subject via workshops, schools, specialised seminars and refresher and orientation programmes. During the year 2018-19, three workshops were held at IUCAA, which were on developing astronomy-themed experiments, done in collaboration with the Astronomical Society of India Public Outreach and Education Committee (ASI-POEC), radio observations using a horn antenna, and night sky photometer fabrication; and two outside IUCAA. These were on X-ray astronomy data analysis at Providence Women’s College, Kozhikode, and on solar astrophysics at St. Xavier’s College for Women, Aluva, both held in collaboration with the Academy of Physics Teachers, Kerala. TLC Activities Workshop on Developing Astronomy-Themed Experiments The workshop on Developing Astronomy-Themed Experiments, which would help get the subject into physics laboratories at under-graduate and post-graduate levels was held at IUCAA from June 18 to 20, 2018. There were about 50 astronomers and college/university teachers from various parts of the country, actively participating in the workshop which discussed experiments on a number of themes at radio, optical and X-ray wavebands. The themes included properties of electromagnetic radiation, optics in astronomy/telescopes, high energy and gravitational waves astronomy, positional astronomy and orbital mechanics, spectroscopy and spectral analysis, radio antennas, interferometry and astronomical data analysis. This workshop was coordinated by Samir Dhurde (IUCAA), Priya Hasan (MANU, Hyderabad) and Joe Jacob (Newman College, Thodupuzha) with several groups of astronomers including ASI-POEC members as resource persons. ( 32 )