The final IYA2009 talk!

This is being given by Robert Williams, the new International Astronomical Union President.

He recalls how Franco Pacini was instrumental in getting IYA2009 onto the UN’s agenda. A well-deserved round of applause is given!

So! We’ve heard about the large projects that will come in the near to intermediate future. Astronomy is a pure science which has relatively few practical applications, to an interface with the public is essential for astronomy to continue. Human curiosity and access to the sky are two valuable resources, and two reasons why IYA2009 has been such a large success. The network is vast.

Astronomy has been a growth industry of recent decades. Astronomy posters have finally replaced those of dinosaurs on classroom walls! Is the growth sustainable? Or has it been a bubble ready to burst? It should be sustainable if we continue to couple new discoveries with communication with the public.

We seem to be genetically hardwired to be fascinated with the Universe.

IYA2009 has shown that astronomy can be used to educate and involve the public. It is a pure science with nearly no negative aspects (then occasional killer asteroid aside), and can be studied anywhere in the world. H.G. Welles, the science-fiction author, made many predictions including power grids and the phrase “atomic bomb”. Welles say problems with increasing populations and limited resources. New tehnologies should be used to help.

The world has changed since his time; now the problems are even more urgent. Education is a solution. An informed public is necessary; people should understand that we are part of the environment. Astronomy explains this better than any other discipline. IYA2009 has given us an excellent start to carrying out this process.

The IAU is committed to expanding its education and outreach programmes. A Strategic Plan with emphasis on astronomy education in developing countries has been approved. Supporting the professional astronomy community will not change. A new office is needed to continue astronomy outreach work. The IAU will undertake additional programmes as funding permits, making use of the infrastructure created by IYA2009. Amateur astronomers are an excellent resource, with energy, commitment, and many are well qualified to undertake certain tasks, such as teacher training.

The IAU is an excellent organisation to take a leadership role.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Closing Ceremony, THE END. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.