Kuwait Science Club: Lessons Learned in raising astronomy and space awareness among youth and the general public
- Paper number
IAC-09.E1.2.6
- Author
Mrs. Maryam Aljoaan, Kuwait Science Club, Germany
- Year
2009
- Abstract
The Department of Astronomy & Space Sciences (DASS) at Kuwait Science Club, a non-profit educational organization, is dedicated to its main mission of raising astronomy & space awareness among young people and the general public in Kuwait. Amateur astronomy was by default one of the department’s main areas: its main equipment is an observatory, the largest in the Gulf, followed by the addition of a multimedia-driven planetarium to include space related contents. Recently the department added a new project and now hosts the Kuwait National Radio Observatory. With an increasing numbers of volunteers, new activities came to life: star parties; celebration of space events, such as World Space Week and Yuri's Night; public talks; production of planetarium shows; an exhibition; and others. In the last few years, the department has gained regional wide recognition among Arab countries, as a major online educational portal. This paper contains a short overview of the department's history, followed by an introduction to its strategic plan, and then describes and analyzes the events and activities of the past three years. The purpose of this paper is to present the lessons learned in finding solutions to overcome various obstacles and demonstrates how the department continues to successfully continue to raise astronomy & space awareness among the public.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)