Education and outreach
Professor Willy Benz, Director of NCCR PlanetS. (Photo: Alessandro Della Bella)
Dear Reader,
Many of you probably remember some privileged moments in your youth when you had a special encounter with science and perhaps thought, be it only for a short moment, that this could be something fun to do in life. Hard to predict what triggers these moments, perhaps reading a book, visiting a museum, listening to a teacher, or watching a show. The fact is, they simply happen generally sparked by special circumstances.
We at PlanetS believe it is important to provide children and the general public with opportunities for such special moments. In this issue, you will read about several of our projects in education and outreach ranging from our participation in a new permanent space exhibit, in the making of a new planetarium show, in developing a massive online open course, and in the setting-up of an automated astronomical observatory for schools.
We approached these activities with the goal of providing a unique, entertaining, if possible hands-on, astronomical experience to as many people as possible. For us astronomy is ideally suited for awakening (or refreshing) the interest in natural sciences as there is little like it to capture one’s imagination. Have a look and decide for yourself… if you are intrigued, consider visiting one or the other site to check it out!
Willy Benz
Director NCCR PlanetS
