RGZ-EMU Education and Outreach

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Welcome to our education and outreach page! Here we will release high school/undergrad level astronomy/Astro-machine learning course materials and highlight recent outreach events. We are currently working hard to prepare them and shall post them soon:) If you're interested in joining our Education/Outreach program collaboration, please email Hongming hongmingt@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn or Eleni elenivard@gmail.com.

Recent Event

We proudly announce that the hybrid workshop Machine Learning in Astronomy 2023 held on Nov. 22-23, 2023 was very successful This workshop included post-graduate and senior undergraduate students studying astronomy or computer science. It aimed to introduce and learn how to apply popular machine learning techniques applied in recent astronomical projects. We will release workshop tutorial code/notebooks, so check back here for those valuable resources.

Educator and Outreach Team

Although this team has many members from China due to their early start, it is intended to have a worldwide focus; we especially encourage educators/outreach practitioners from around the world to join in.

Eleni Vardoulaki (RGZ EMU co-lead): I am an Astrophysicist and Science Communicator at the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens (IAASARS/NOA), and TEDx speaker (elenivardoulaki.com). My research focuses on the active centre of galaxies. Imagine active galaxies as a very active kid that will not stand still and always affects the lives of its parents and the neighborhood it lives in. I use data from radio, optical, infrared, and X-ray observations, and compare observations to magnetohydrodynamic simulations, in order to understand the role active galaxies play in the growth and evolution of their host galaxies and the environment they live in. I am a member of the COSMOS, EMU, MeerKAT MIGHTEE, LOFAR KPSs, LOFAR2.0 core team, ngVLA-DE/USA collaborations and I have worked in 7 institutes around the world (University of Oxford, Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, University of Crete, Caltech, University of Bonn, Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie Bonn, Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg). I am a passionate science communicator and content creator related to astrophysics research (videos, articles, books, art), and I have founded the channels and public outreach hubs "Rogue Astrophysics", and the Astronomy on Tap satellites "Astronomy on Tap Bonn" and "Astronomy on Tap Jena".

Zhicheng Liang [Edu project china lead]: I am a High school physics teacher at Zhixin High School in Guangzhou, China. My research is focused on makers’ technology, physics experiment design, and data science. I spend a lot of time introducing new topics, and new technology to my students, and developing courses to guide them. Recently, learning to apply artificial technologies in radio astronomy would both lead you to AI tech and astronomy, and every small step or discovery may lead to a brand new world. So I am working hard on courses and hope to meet you.

Hira Fatima: I work as Research Associate at Computational Astrophysics Research Lab, NCBC. During the preceding years, I served at Institute of Space Science and Technology, UoK, undertaking various roles. As a founding member of the NED Astronomical Society I am actively involved in promoting astronomy education, research, and outreach in Pakistan. I proudly serve as the National Astronomy Education Coordinator for Pakistan at IAU Office of Astronomy Education, act as National Coordinator for Pakistan at Astronomers Without Borders, and hold the position of an approved teacher and exam supervisor for International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition. I spearhead various projects supported by different IAU offices, including OYA, OAE, OAO, and OAD. My contributions have been recognized with the distinction of being a Royal Astronomical Society Fellow and LCO Global Sky Partner. I am thrilled to bring my diverse experience and unwavering dedication to the RGZ-EMU Education and Outreach team.

Syed Faisal ur Rahman: "I am Syed Faisal ur Rahman. I have completed my PhD from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. I mainly do research work in Cosmology and Statistical Studies. I also regularly work with the industry on software development and data science-related projects. "

Yushan Li: I am Yushan, who graduated from the School of Astronomy & Space Science, Nanjing University with a bachelor's degree. Then I went to Europe to join in Erasmus AstroMundus program for my master's degree and studied in four countries including Austria, Italy, Serbia, and Germany. Now I am in the Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong to pursue my Ph.D. degree. I explored many different fields in astronomical observation and instruments, as well as many cities and towns on the earth.

Bin Yu: I am a Ph.D. in astrophysics working in basic education. Now I am working as a physics teacher at Dongguan Songshan Lake Future School. Thanks to my astronomy background, in addition to basic physics teaching, I also design many astronomy courses, especially in my field of study, radio astronomy and the interstellar medium. Also often invited to Dongguan primary and secondary schools for students to provide astronomy lectures. Combining my secondary school teaching experience, overseas study experience, astronomy background, and information technology skills, I can help children who are interested in astronomy to reach their full potential.

Xinyue Sheng: My name is Xinyue Sheng. I'm a PhD student at University of Birmingham, the UK. My interests are to apply machine learning applications on transients classification and modelling, such as Active Galactic Nuclei and Supernovae (especially Superluminous Supernovae).

Muhammad Ali Ismail: PhD, SMIET & SMIEEE is a Professor and Chair at Department of Computer and Information Systems Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology. He is also serving as Director at National Center in Big Data and Cloud Computing at same University. He has more than 18 years’ experience of research, teaching and administration in both national and international universities. He did his PhD in High Performance Computing in 2011. Afterwards he pursued his post doctorate in Automatic Design space exploration from ULBS Romania and become a HiPEAC member. He has published over 85 scientific papers in international journals and conferences along with U.S. patent. He has won many of the national and international grants of worth above Rs. 250 million. He is also the recipient of Research Productivity Award by Pakistan Council for Science and Technology- Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Pakistan. He has been a part of many federal and Sindh government projects as IT expert and consultant. His current research interests include computational HPC, Big data mining, Cluster and Cloud Computing, Multicore processor architecture and programming, Machine learning, Heuristics and automatic design space exploration. He is also serving IET Karachi Network as its Vice Chairman.

Yuan Sui: I am a high school mathematics teacher at Shanghai North America International School, as well as the supervisor of astronomy club and mathematical modeling contests coach. In my past work, I have mentored my students in doing some small research projects about radio astronomy, as well as some attempts at astronomical public science.

I am very concerned about equity, especially in the area of education. Therefore, in this school year, I travelled to a rural school in Henan Province to support the local education there, especially to provide technical support in STEAM education. I always believe that under the same starry sky, no matter where they are, children deserve a better future, and popular astronomy science is a great way to do that.

Wei Shi: The member of the Popularization Committee of the Chinese Astronomical Society (CAS), the member of the Informatization Working Committee of CAS, Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Astronomical Society (SAS), Director of Online-Popularization Department of Shanghai Astronomy Museum (SAM). As a dedicated and experienced science educator,He works on various kinds of astronamical education programs. He participated in the exhibition design and construction of the SAM. He is also an amateur astronomer and a science writer and interested in citizen sciences, scientific communication and data-driven astronomical education. He found an extragalactic nova M31N 2017-09a via Popular Supernova Project (PSP).

Ruoying Chen: I am an enthusiastic educator in the field of astronomy, employed at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum in China. My primary role involves the creation and implementation of diverse educational programs focused on astronomy, like STEM courses and science lectures, catering to individuals of varying ages and backgrounds. As both an amateur astronomer and a dedicated science educator, my ultimate aspiration is to ignite a profound passion for the wonders of the cosmos in a broader audience.