EA-SA School

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Welcome to the EA-SA website.

East Africa School of Astronomy is a regional platform which is primarily designed to train young and early carrier professionals of the region to enhance their skills and competitiveness beyond their formal education to modern technology and global market demand.

The school also aims to strength the East Africa regional astronomical community partnership via science diplomacy and hence develops long-term collaborations at regional and international level. The school is organized and coordinated by East Africa regional office of Astronomy for Development (EA-ROAD) in partnership with East Africa Astronomical Society (EAAS) and other supporters of the school. It is conducted biennially and linked with the general Assembly (GA) of East Africa Astronomical Society (EAAS). 

The EA-SA project is started with initial seed fund supported by office of Astronomy for Development (IAU-OAD). The organizers would like to express its sincere gratitude and appreciations to OAD and IAU- Office of Astronomy outreach (OAO) for their financial support.

Background

In the past one decade, Astronomy showed gradual development in East African region in terms of human capacity building, infrastructural development, education, research and trainings. In terms of human capacity building, the opening of departments in Astronomy and Space science by the existing Universities and newly built institution of the region  have  created an opportunity for East African students to easily get  chance to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate study in their own and/or neighboring countries. This has also played a role in gradual incremental of student intakes that are joining the field in the region. As a result in near future it is expected that there will be large number of professionals working in astronomy and astronomy related data science fields.

Recently due to gradual development in the astronomical and space science infrastructures, a lot of new job positions in most East Africa country is emerging which needs skilled man power and well trained scientists. However, in the current technological and big-data driven world, the critical mass of highly skilled and well trained young scientist in East Africa are low in the field of Astronomy, astronomical instrumentation and data-intensive applications areas. There is a need for improved skills and trainings with the current technologies.

Rationale

In East Africa, there are low numbers of highly skilled and well trained young scientist in the field of Astronomy and astronomical data-intensive research areas who are capable of coping with modern technology and competitive global market beside academia. This requires a continuous short-term training that focus on improving skills and competitiveness in addition to formal education

In the region, though, there are some individual and institutional initiatives that tried to bridge this gap, there was no school or training center formed so far that continuously provide this training in a well coordinated and sustainable manner.

 It, is therefore, from this motivation that the regional school of Astronomy is evolved. The regional school is therefore used as regional platform and regional node of coordination that used to deliver short term training and develop long-term collaborations with partners both at regional and international level.

Thus, the main idea of East Africa School of Astronomy (EA-SA) is to strengthen the East Africa region astronomical community partnership via science diplomacy and to deliver short-term training that focus on improving skills and competitiveness of early career BSc and MSc graduates in astronomy and science related fields to be fit enough in the modern technology and global market demand.

The East Africa Astronomy School is open for all participants from the region and promotes equal participation. It considers gender balance, inclusiveness and diversity in to considerations and give due attention for high involvement of women in the school.

Objectives and intended outcomes

General objectives

• To deliver short-term training that focus on improving skills and competitiveness of early career BSc and MSc graduates in astronomy and science fields
• To prepare well trained and skilled professionals tailored to modern technology and big data driven competing market of the world beside academia.
• To create platform for East Africa young professionals to collaborate and work towards making an impact for socio-economic development of the region and beyond.

Intended outcomes

• Expose trainer about the new areas of research and current technologies in the field of Astronomy , instrumentation and big data analysis and computing
• Improves skill how to utilize multi-wavelength Astronomical instrumentation, software, and big data science
• Increase the critical mass of well trained  workforce of the region in modern technology sector that compete  to global market
• Enhance regional partnership, cooperation and effective utilization of resources
• Improve interpersonal and science communication skills
• Create networking and collaboration platform

Important dates

Scientific organizing Committee (SOC)