International Astronomical Union

Composition

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was founded in 1919. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. Its individual members —  structured in Divisions, Commissions, and Working groups  — are professional astronomers from all over the world, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, and active in professional research and education in astronomy. The IAU has 10,871  Individual Members in 95 countries worldwide. Of those 73 are National Members. In addition, the IAU collaborates with various scientific organizations all over the world.

Composition � �

The sovereign body of the IAU is its General Assembly, which comprises all members. The Assembly determines IAU

policy, approves the Statutes and By-Laws of the Union (and amendments proposed thereto) and elects various committees.�The right to vote on matters brought

before the Assembly varies according to the type of business under discussion. The

Statutes consider such business to be divided into two categories:

Executive Committee The Executive Committee consists of the President

of the Union, the President-Elect, six Vice-Presidents , the General Secretary, and the Assistant General Secretary elected by the General Assembly on the proposal of the Special Nominating Committee (SNC) . The Executive Committee is seconded by two Advisors , namely the past President and the past General Secretary. The Officers of the Union are the President, the

President-Elect, the General Secretary, and the Assistant General Secretary. They decide short-term policy issues within the general policies of the Union as decided by the General Assembly and interpreted by the Executive Committee.

General Assembly Meeting Year Venue

1st IAU General Assembly 1922 Rome, Italy 2nd IAU General Assembly 1925 Cambridge, England, United Kingdom 3rd IAU General Assembly 1928 Leiden, Netherlands 4th IAU General Assembly 1932 Cambridge, Massachusetts, United State 5th IAU General Assembly 1935 Paris, France 6th IAU General Assembly 1938 Stockholm, Sweden 7th IAU General Assembly 1948 Zürich, Switzerland 8th IAU General Assembly 1952 Rome, Italy 9th IAU General Assembly 1955 Dublin, Ireland 10th IAU General Assembly 1958 Moscow, Soviet Union 11th IAU General Assembly 1961 Berkeley, California, United States 12th IAU General Assembly 1964 Hamburg, West Germany 13th IAU General Assembly 1967 Prague, Czechoslovakia 14th IAU General Assembly 1970 Brighton, England, United Kingdom

General Assembly Meeting Year Venue

15th IAU General Assembly 1973 Sydney, New South Whales, Australia 16th IAU General Assembly 1976 Grenoble, France 17th IAU General Assembly 1979 Montreal, Quebec, Canada 18th IAU General Assembly 1982 Patras, Greece 19th IAU General Assembly 1985 New Delhi, India 20th IAU General Assembly 1988 Baltimore, Maryland, United States 21st IAU General Assembly 1991 Buenos Aires, Argentina 22nd IAU General Assembly 1994 The Hague, Netherlands 23rd IAU General Assembly 1997 Kyoto, Japan 24th IAU General Assembly 2000 Manchester, England, United Kingdom 25th IAU General Assembly 2003 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 26th IAU General Assembly 2006 Prague, Czech Republic 27th IAU General Assembly 2009 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 28th IAU General Assembly 2012 Beijing, China 29th IAU General Assembly 2015 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States 30th IAU General Assembly 2018 Vienna, Austria

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the largest body of professional astronomers in the world and has set up the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) in partnership with the South African National Research Foundation (NRF). The OAD was officially opened on 16th April 2011 at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town, South Africa.

The key activity of the IAU is the organization of scientific meetings

Every year the IAU sponsors nine international IAU Symposia. The IAU Symposium Proceedings series is the flagship of the IAU publications. Every three years the IAU holds a General Assembly, which offers six IAU Symposia, some 25 Joint Discussions and Special Sessions, and individual business and scientific meetings of Divisions, Commissions, and Working Groups.

      The fi r st maj o r  wo rk sho p o f

stakeholders was held from 12 to 14 December 2011. Since then three Regional Nodes, one Language Expertise Centre and three Task Forces have been established. In 2012 the first open Call for Proposals was launched for each of the task forces:  Universities and Research (TF1); Children and Schools (TF2); and Public Outreach (TF3).

     Astronomy for Universities & Research (TF1)

The task force on Astronomy for Universities

& Research (TF1)  drives activities related to astronomy at universities. It uses astronomy to stimulate research in other areas and develop the field  in places where there is little or no astronomy. The study of astronomy  stimulates research and development activities through the need for  inter-disciplinary research as well as the development of observational technology.

     Astronomy for Universities & Research (TF1) cont…

There is also potential for

developing research in the  historical and cultural aspects of astronomy which may prove important  for stimulating an interest in the subject in communities where there is  no established interest in the science.

Astronomy for Children & Schools (TF2)

The task force on Astronomy for Children and Schools (TF2) drives activities related to using astronomy to inspire the very young and stimulate education, especially in Mathematics and Science. This task force looks at introducing astronomy in schools where there is little or no astronomy, and ensuring that the subject is used to positively influence the level of education development.

Astronomy for Children & Schools (TF2) cont…

Programs for very young children, in the early childhood development stage, also falls within this task force. Examples of activities are educator train ing workshops; developing classroom resources; astronomy clubs in schools; etc.

Astronomy for the Public (TF3) The task force on Astronomy for the

Public (Task Force 3) drives activities related to communicating astronomy with the public. This task force uses astronomy to inspire members of the public with the beauty and scale of the universe, while satisfying a deep cultural attachment that almost all societies have with astronomical objects.

Astronomy for the Public (TF3) cont..

With the incredible success of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, and the very significant contribution by the amateur astronomy community, this task force has a very strong foundation to build on. Examples of activities are stargazing sessions; public lectures; creation and support of amateur astronomy clubs; etc.

Guiding Principles Regional: It is recognized that there are different ways of dealing with different regions and countries of the world. There is no single approach that can be applied globally. Therefore the OAD development activities are guided by a regional approach that takes into account the specific needs and situation of each region and country.

Guiding Principles cont… “Bottom-up”: Activities are demand driven. Every effort is made to obtain input from people “on the ground” and establish close working relationships with them. Interventions are made with the support and involvement of those people.

Guiding Principles cont… Innovation: Where relevant activities explore innovative optimization techniques, from new technology to peer reviewed best practice. These may include novel outreach methods, data mining for research, robotic telescopes, mobile planetaria etc. Development: The OAD contributes as far as possible towards Millennium Development Goals and other international development objectives, thus realizing the mission of astronomy for development.

Guiding Principles cont… Transparency: The OAD subjects itself and its activities to scrutiny from its funders and beneficiaries alike. All activities are transparent and outcomes can be measured and evaluated. The OAD openly invites any queries from its many stakeholders. Dynamic: Structures and projects remain as dynamic as possible due to the rapid growth and constantly changing developmental environment. As new regions gain strength the OAD must adapt to accommodate them.

IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach

The IAU’s Office for Astronomy

Outreach (OAO) is headed by the International Outreach Coordinator, Sze-leung Cheung. The office is hosted by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, based in its headquarters in Mitaka, Tokyo.