Columba-Hypatia Project: Astronomy for Peace

I founded and coordinate an astronomy outreach project called “Columba-Hypatia: Astronomy for Peace”, which is a joint endeavour between GalileoMobile and the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR), mainly funded by the International Astronomical Union's Office of Astronomy for Development while it has also received funding from the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) as well as from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. The project takes place on the divided island of Cyprus and aims to inspire young people, through astronomy, to be curious about the world we live in, about science and the cosmos, while also using astronomy as a tool for promoting meaningful communication and a culture of peace and non-violence on the island. Our goal is to inspire a sense of global citizenship "under the same sky" by carrying out educational astronomy activities and exploring the cosmos with children and the public from the various communities of Cyprus. 

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You can see below a short documentary of the project as well as some snaps from our pilot project in 2016. You can find out more at www.columbahypatia-project.org

GalileoMobile

I am a member of the not-for-profit science outreach group GalileoMobile, an itinerant educational programme that shares astronomy with schools across the world, with an emphasis on regions that have little or no access to other outreach actions. The goal of the project is to share astronomy across the world in a spirit of inclusion, sustainability, and cultural exchange to create a feeling of unity under the same sky.

I was actively involved in the planning and execution of the team's 2015 project, Constellation, which was endorsed by the IAU as a Major Cosmic Light programme of the Internatinal Year of Light 2015. I was a team leader for the Peruvian branch of the expedition, which took place in November 2015.

Click on the links to the right to be taken to the official GalileoMobile and Constellation website, where you can learn more about the project, past expeditions and all things GalileoMobile!

Have a look at the promotional video for Constellation

Some snaps from our activities in Peru in November 2015, part of the project Constellation.

Public outreach talks

I have given a number of public outreach talks for various audiences, over the years -- from primary school children, to high school students and adults. Below I highlight some of these. If you'd like me to give a talk in your classroom, get in touch!

In September 2020 I gave a virtual talk at Pint of Science (Munich, DE) on my research called "The life and times of the Milky Way".

In September 2019 I gave a public outreach talk about my research during the European Researcher's Night at the ESO Supernova Planetarium. 

In November 2018 I gave a talk on the Falling Walls main stage about how we can use astronomy to inspire a feeling of global citizenship and a culture of peace and non-violence.

From April 2018 and until the covid-19 pandemic struck I was a volunteer at the ESO Supernova in Garching, Germany, where I presented Planetarium shows for the general public. 

From January 2016 - December 2017 I was a "marraine astronome" (an "astronomy godmother" of sorts) in primary schools and high schools around Paris. I gave talks about astronomy and guided the students through small astronomy research projects.

In December 2013 I organised an event called "An evening with the stars" in the village of Alambra, Cyprus, during which there were talks (in greek) on various topics in astrophysics, followed by a telescope demonstration and observing session.