Khagol_114

No. 114 - April 2018 15 Workshop on Astronomy for Development On January 31, 2018, there was a triple bonanza for astronomy enthusiasts. The total lunar eclipse that occurred on the second full moon of the month (i.e., a "blue moon") and close to the super-moon position. This was celebrated on a large scale by IUCAA, in which Samir Dhurde (IUCAA) coordinated the national effort to arrange viewing programmes all over the country as part of the ASI POEC effort. This resulted in more than 500 registered observation events, most of which were at remote or rural places. Total Lunar Eclipse A one day Workshop on Astronomy for Development was held at IUCAA on January 20, 2018, with invited participants, who were interested in astronomy, education and social sciences. There were 23 participants, and 6 attended online. Prior to the discussions, Jayant Narlikar, Somak Raychaudhury and Ajit Kembhavi (all from IUCAA) addressed the participants. The aimof theworkshopwas to bring together a community of multi-disciplinary enthusiasts, and brainstorm on possible projects in the context of Astronomy for Development. Discussions were focused on the following three themes: (i) Astronomy tools and techniques that can be used to aid implementation of development goals, (ii) Evaluation tools and methodologies for astronomy outreach, communication and education projects, and (iii) Education pedagogy on using astronomy for inspiration and critical thinking, and improving inclusive access to astronomy. The workshop was coordinated by Samir Dhurde (IUCAA) and Niruj M. Ramanujam (Astronomical Society of India's Public Outreach and Education Committee), together with Ramaswamy Venugopal (IAUOffice ofAstronomy for Development).