IAU Pro-Am Collaboration Survey

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is the major professional organization for astronomers throughout the world, with nearly 12,000 members in 90 countries. See http://www.iau.org to learn more about the IAU.

The IAU Strategic Plan 2020-2030 indicated a desire to foster stronger relations between the large community of amateur astronomers in many countries and the professional astronomers who are members of the IAU. Accordingly, the IAU Executive Committee recently formed a Working Group for Pro-Am Relations, which will report directly to the IAU Executive Committee.

The Pro-Am initiative will be co-organized with the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach (https://www.iau.org/public/ ).

The Pro-Am Working Group sees many mutual benefits for professional and amateur astronomers alike from having stronger pro-am relations. Some examples are as follows:
  • The opportunity for more research collaborations involving amateur astronomers working with IAU members,
  • Collaboration will lead to more professional astronomers (IAU members) making presentations to amateur societies in their regions or country,
  • Amateur astronomers have made significant contributions to the body of scientific knowledge, and this effort will provide more opportunities for amateurs to make meaningful contributions, and
  • The Pro-AM Working Group is exploring potential joint meetings and conferences focusing on these collaborations.
Your feedback via this survey will be very helpful as we consider how best to move forward. Thank you for taking the time to share your input and ideas.
 
Any questions should be directed to the IAU Pro-Am Working Group Secretary Yuko Kakazu at IAU.proam@gmail.com.
 
IAU Pro-Am Working Group
 
  • Aniket Sule, HBCSE-TIFR, Mumbai, India – Chairperson
  • John Hearnshaw, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand – Co-Chairperson
  • Tim Spuck, Associated Universities Inc. – Deputy Chairperson
  • Yuko Kakazu, Subaru Telescope & NAOJ TMT Project - Secretary
  • Lina Canas, IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach
  • Beatriz Garcia, Institute of Technologies for Detection and Astroparticles-ITeDA (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM)
  • Moein Mosleh, Shiraz University, Iran
  • Antonia Varela Perez, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias & Starlight Foundation
  • Mirjana Povic, Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI)
  • Kaz Sekiguchi, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Boonrucksar Soonthornthum, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand
  • Ilya Usoskin, IAU EC liaison

Question Title

* 1. You may respond to this survey yourself as an individual amateur astronomer, as a representative of your amateur astronomy organization (your response is a summary of members in your astronomy organization), or as a professional astronomer. Please select which is most appropriate:

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