IAU South West and Central Asian Regional Office of�Astronomy for Development

IAU GA XXXII, OAD Session

8 August 2024, Cape Town, South Africa

Areg Mickaelian

NAS RA V. Ambartsumian Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO)

IAU South West and Central Asian (SWCA) ROAD

Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS)

Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO)

Status and Activities

IAU South West and Central Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (SWCA ROAD, established in 2015, agreement till 2027)

6 countries: Armenia, Georgia and Iran (06.2015), Kazakhstan and Tajikistan (06.2017), Turkey (11.2017); other countries: Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India

Neighboring Regions: Arab World, Europe (E-ROAD), East Asia

OAD grants 2015 (Establishment), 2016 (Armenian Sci. Tourism), 2018 (Regional Workshop), IAU100 2019 (SWCA Astro Tourism)

Scientific (Astro Tourism) initiatives and activities

Regional Astronomical Workshops and Schools

Meetings and Schools

UNESCO Regional Astronomical Conference 2017

Regional Workshops 2015, 2018, 2019, 2024

Joint Meetings: Arm-Georgian, Arm-French, Arm-Iranian, Arm-Rus

Interdisciplinary Meetings: 2014, 2024 RASCS, 2015, 2020 ASBD

Archaeoastronomy & Cultural Astronomy Meetings

Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) / ISYA-2010

2006, 2008, 2010 3BISS/ISYA, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024

Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (RASS) / IRASS

2019 1RASS, 2021 2RASS, 2023 3RASS/1IRASS

Byurakan Science Camps (BSC), Space Camps

ArAS/BAO School Lectures

BSSE (for Engineers), BSS for YSU students

GTTP, NASE, “Under Armenian Sky”, “Young Explorers Club”

Regional Workshops and Schools

2013 Armenian-Georgian Astronomical Colloquium

2015 1^st Regional Astronomical Workshop (1RAW)

2015 Armenian-Iranian Astronomical Workshop

2017 UNESCO Regional Astronomical Conference

2018 2^nd Regional Astronomical Workshop (2RAW)

2019 1^st Regional Astronomical Summer School (1RASS)

2019 3^rd Regional Astronomical Workshop (3RAW)

2021 2^nd Regional Astronomical Summer School (2RASS)

2023 Armenian-Georgian Astronomical Colloquium

2023 3^rd Regional Astronomical Summer School (3RASS) / 1^st Inter-Regional Astronomical Summer School (1IRASS)

2024 4^th Regional Astronomical Workshop (4RAW)

2024 Georgian-Armenian Astronomical Colloquium

Participation in Meetings 2022-2024

• 2022 Jan, online – EAS Business Meeting with Affiliated Societies
• 2022 June, Valencia, Spain – EAS Annual Meeting 2022
• 2022 Aug, Busan, South Korea – IAU General Assembly XXXI
• 2022 Nov, online – AstronomyForum2022, keynote speaker
• 2022 Nov, online – AerospaceForum2022, keynote speaker
• 2023 Jan, Versoix, Switzerland – EAS Business Meeting Affiliated Societies
• 2023 Feb, Cairo, Egypt – MEARIM VI
• 2023 June, Heraklion, Greece – A&A BoD meeting (3RASS sponsorship)
• 2023 July, Krakow, Poland – EAS Annual Meeting 2023
• 2023 Oct, Indonesia – Symposium “From the Universe back to Earth”, keynote speaker
• 2023 Nov, Sharjah, UAE – 14^th All-Arab Astron. Conf. of AUASS, keynote speaker
• 2023 Nov, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – IAU S386 “Astro Tourism”
• 2023 Dec, online – PhysicsForum2023, keynote speaker
• 2024 Jan, Oxford, UK – EAS Business Meeting with Affiliated Societies
• 2024 June, Vilnius, Lithuania – A&A BoD meeting
• 2024 June, Toulouse, France – CAP Conference 2024
• 2024 July, Padova, Italy – EAS Annual Meeting 2024
• 2024 Aug, Cape Town, South Africa – IAU General Assembly XXXII

​

​

​

​

Funded Projects

ROAD establishment: OAD 2015

Regional Workshop 2018: OAD 2018

UNESCO Regional Astronomical Conference 2017

RA SCS meetings 2016-2024

RA SCS schools for young scientists 2016-2024

Erasmus+ with E-ROAD: project writing and management

Sci (Astro) Tourism in Armenia: SDC, Stepan Gishyan fund

Sci (Astro) Tourism in SWCA: OAD 2016, IAU-100 project

Scientific Journalism: RAS Educational Grants 2021-2022

Byurakan Science Camps 2014-2024

School Astronomical Lectures 2012-2024

“Under the Armenian Sky” and “Young Explorers Club”

“My Universe” essays contests; “World of Knowledge” contests

Astro Tourism in South West and Central Asia

Europe and Asia

Armenia is in various geographical and political regions:

Both Asia and Europe, historical crossroads, Silk Road

Middle East

South Caucasus, Transcaucasia

Armenian Highlands

Former Soviet Union area (FSU; 1991-)

European Eastern Partnership (EaP; 2009-)

South West and Central Asia (SWCA; 2015-)

European Astronomical Society (EAS); 31 affiliated societies, including ArAS and TAD, SWCA ROAD countries (E-ROAD was created based on EAS membership!)

Collaboration between E-ROAD and SWCA ROAD, Erasmus+

Virtual Observatories (VOs): ArVO and IVOA

SWCA and Arab World ROADs

Collaboration between SWCA and Arab World ROADs

• Participation in Inaugural Ceremonies: Armenia (2015) and Jordan (2015)
• Participation in Regional Astronomical Workshops (RAW)
• Participation in Byurakan International and Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (BISS and RASS)
• Participation in All-Arab Astronomical Conferences (201?, 2023)
• Awni Khasawneh – BAO PhD Defense in 2006
• IRASS – Inter-Regional Astronomical Summer School (the 1^st for all regional offices!), 2023
• Discussion on creation of Arab World VO!
• Joint research papers
• Lectures by Armenian scientists at Al Al-Bayt University (Jordan)

​

Future Plans and Activities

• Inviting new countries to join (Uzbekistan, etc.)
• Regional telescopes collaborative network
• Develop Regional Astro Tourism project
• 2^nd UNESCO Regional Astronomical Conference “Astronomical Heritage of the Middle East”
• Future Regional Astronomical Workshops 2024 (4RAW), 2025, 2026, …
• Future Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) 2024 (9BISS), 2026 (10BISS), …
• Future Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (RASS) / IRASS 2025 4RASS/2IRASS, 2027 5RASS/3IRASS
• Future Joint Meetings: Georgian-Arm 2024, Arm-Iranian!
• Byurakan Science Camps (BSC), Space Camps, ArAS/BAO School Lectures

Thank you!