IAU, International Astronomical Union, Astronomy, international organization

1. International
Astronomical Union

2. Composition
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) was
founded in 1919. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the
science of astronomy in all its aspects through international
cooperation. Its individual members — structured in
Divisions, Commissions, and Working groups — are
professional astronomers from all over the world, at the
Ph.D. level and beyond, and active in professional research
and education in astronomy. The IAU has 10,871 Individual
Members in 95 countries worldwide. Of those 73 are
National Members. In addition, the IAU collaborates with
various scientific organizations all over the world.

3. Composition
The sovereign body of the IAU is its
General Assembly, which comprises all
members. The Assembly determines IAU
policy, approves the Statutes and By-Laws
of the Union (and amendments proposed
thereto) and elects various committees.
The right to vote on matters brought
before the Assembly varies according to
the type of business under discussion. The
Statutes consider such business to be
divided into two categories:

4. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee consists of the President
of the Union, the President-Elect, six Vice-Presidents , the
General Secretary, and the Assistant General Secretary
elected by the General Assembly on the proposal of the
Special Nominating Committee (SNC) . The Executive
Committee is seconded by two Advisors , namely the past
President and the past General Secretary.
The Officers of the Union are the President, the
President-Elect, the General Secretary, and the Assistant
General Secretary. They decide short-term policy issues
within the general policies of the Union as decided by the
General Assembly and interpreted by the Executive
Committee.

5. General Assembly
Meeting
Year
Venue
1st IAU General Assembly
1922
Rome, Italy
2nd IAU General Assembly
1925
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
3rd IAU General Assembly 1928
Leiden, Netherlands
4th IAU General Assembly
1932
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United State
5th IAU General Assembly
1935
Paris, France
6th IAU General Assembly 1938
Stockholm, Sweden
7th IAU General Assembly
1948
Zürich, Switzerland
8th IAU General Assembly
1952
Rome, Italy
9th IAU General Assembly
1955
Dublin, Ireland
10th IAU General Assembly
1958
Moscow, Soviet Union
11th IAU General Assembly
1961
Berkeley, California, United States
12th IAU General Assembly
1964
Hamburg, West Germany
13th IAU General Assembly
1967
Prague, Czechoslovakia
14th IAU General Assembly
1970 Brighton, England, United Kingdom

6. General Assembly
Meeting
Year
Venue
15th IAU General Assembly
1973
Sydney, New South Whales, Australia
16th IAU General Assembly
1976
Grenoble, France
17th IAU General Assembly
1979
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
18th IAU General Assembly
1982
Patras, Greece
19th IAU General Assembly
1985
New Delhi, India
20th IAU General Assembly
1988
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
21st IAU General Assembly
1991
Buenos Aires, Argentina
22nd IAU General Assembly
1994
The Hague, Netherlands
23rd IAU General Assembly
1997
Kyoto, Japan
24th IAU General Assembly
2000 Manchester, England, United Kingdom
25th IAU General Assembly
2003
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
26th IAU General Assembly
2006
Prague, Czech Republic
27th IAU General Assembly
2009
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
28th IAU General Assembly
2012
Beijing, China
29th IAU General Assembly
2015
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
30th IAU General Assembly
2018
Vienna, Austria

7. The International Astronomical Union
(IAU) is the largest body of professional
astronomers in the world and has set up
the Office of Astronomy for Development
(OAD) in partnership with the South
African National Research Foundation
(NRF). The OAD was officially opened on
16th April 2011 at the South African
Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape
Town, South Africa.

8. The key activity of the IAU is the
organization of scientific meetings
Every year the IAU sponsors nine
international IAU Symposia. The IAU
Symposium Proceedings series is the
flagship of the IAU publications. Every
three years the IAU holds a General
Assembly, which offers six IAU Symposia,
some 25 Joint Discussions and Special
Sessions, and individual business and
scientific meetings of Divisions, Commissions,
and Working Groups.

9. T h e fi r st maj o r wo r k s h o p o f
stakeholders was held from 12 to 14
December 2011. Since then three Regional
Nodes, one Language Expertise Centre and
three Task Forces have been established.
In 2012 the first open Call for Proposals
was launched for each of the task
forces: Universities and Research (TF1);
Children and Schools (TF2); and Public
Outreach (TF3).

10. Astronomy for Universities
Research (TF1)
The task force on Astronomy for Universities
Research (TF1) drives activities related to
astronomy at universities. It uses astronomy to
stimulate research in other areas and develop the
field in places where there is little or no
astronomy. The study of astronomy stimulates
research and development activities through the
need for inter-disciplinary research as well as
the development of observational technology.

11. Astronomy for Universities
Research (TF1) cont…
There is also potential for
developing research in the historical
and cultural aspects of astronomy
which may prove important for
stimulating an interest in the subject
in communities where there is no
established interest in the science.

12. Astronomy for Children Schools
(TF2)
The task force on Astronomy for
Children and Schools (TF2) drives activities
related to using astronomy to inspire the
very young and stimulate education,
especially in Mathematics and Science. This
task force looks at introducing astronomy
in schools where there is little or no
astronomy, and ensuring that the subject
is used to positively influence the level of
education development.

13. Astronomy for Children Schools
(TF2) cont…
Programs for very young children,
in the early childhood development
stage, also falls within this task force.
Examples of activities are educator
training workshops; developing
classroom resources; astronomy clubs
in schools; etc.

14. Astronomy for the Public (TF3)
The task force on Astronomy for the
Public (Task Force 3) drives activities
related to communicating astronomy with
the public. This task force uses astronomy
to inspire members of the public with the
beauty and scale of the universe, while
satisfying a deep cultural attachment that
almost all societies have with astronomical
objects.

15. Astronomy for the Public (TF3)
cont..
With the incredible success of the
International Year of Astronomy 2009, and
the very significant contribution by the
amateur astronomy community, this task
force has a very strong foundation to build
on. Examples of activities are stargazing
sessions; public lectures; creation and
support of amateur astronomy clubs; etc.

16. Guiding Principles
Regional: It is recognized that there
are different ways of dealing with
different regions and countries of the
world. There is no single approach
that can be applied globally. Therefore
the OAD development activities are
guided by a regional approach that
takes into account the specific needs
and situation of each region and
country.

17. Guiding Principles cont…
“Bottom-up”: Activities are demand
driven. Every effort is made to obtain
input from people “on the ground” and
establish close working relationships
with them. Interventions are made
with the support and involvement of
those people.

18. Guiding Principles cont…
Innovation: Where relevant activities explore
innovative optimization techniques, from new
technology to peer reviewed best practice. These
may include novel outreach methods, data mining
for research, robotic telescopes, mobile planetaria
etc.
Development: The OAD contributes as far as
possible towards Millennium Development Goals
and other international development objectives,
thus realizing the mission of astronomy for
development.

19. Guiding Principles cont…
Transparency: The OAD subjects itself and its
activities to scrutiny from its funders and
beneficiaries alike. All activities are transparent
and outcomes can be measured and evaluated.
The OAD openly invites any queries from its
many stakeholders.
Dynamic: Structures and projects remain as
dynamic as possible due to the rapid growth and
constantly changing developmental environment.
As new regions gain strength the OAD must
adapt to accommodate them.

20. IAU Office for Astronomy
Outreach
The IAU’s Office for Astronomy
Outreach (OAO) is headed by the
International Outreach Coordinator, Sze-leung
Cheung. The office is hosted by the
National Astronomical Observatory of
Japan, based in its headquarters in
Mitaka, Tokyo.