Скачать или смотреть REACHING DIVERSE AUDIENCES IN SPACE & ASTRONOMY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Astro Week | Eco Astronomy Inc | International Lecture Series 2025🔱

REACHING DIVERSE AUDIENCES IN SPACE & ASTRONOMY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Guest speaker : Mike Simmons [Founder of Astronomy for Equity and host of Big Impact Astronomy podcast. Retired medical researcher at UCLA School of Medicine]

Mike Simmons is a pioneering figure in science outreach who has spent over 50 years utilizing astronomy as a universal language to bridge cultural, political, and geographic divides. Currently, he leads the nonprofit Astronomy for Equity, a venture dedicated to creating STEM opportunities for marginalized communities worldwide, while also serving as an Affiliate Research Scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science and hosting the Big Impact Astronomy podcast. His roots in outreach run deep, beginning in the 1970s with the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Griffith Observatory, where he operated the famous Zeiss 12-inch refracting telescope. In the 1980s, he expanded his local impact by founding the Mount Wilson Observatory Association to improve public engagement with the historic site.

Simmons’ focus shifted to the global stage in the 1990s following travels to Iran and Iraq, where he connected with amateur astronomers to foster international understanding. Recognizing that the night sky transcends earthly borders, he founded Astronomers Without Borders in 2006, later leading the massive "100 Hours of Astronomy" Cornerstone Project in over 100 nations during the 2009 UN International Year of Astronomy.
His leadership continues today through board memberships with Dark Sky International, the African Astronomical Society’s Outreach Committee, and the IAU’s Working Group for Equity and Inclusion. A retired biomedical researcher with a 36-year career at UCLA.

Simmons is also an accomplished writer and photographer for publications like Scientific American and Astronomy. His lifelong dedication to popularizing science has garnered significant recognition, including the Clifford W. Holmes Award, the G. Bruce Blair Award, and the prestigious Gabrielle and Camille Flammarion Prize for demonstrating that astronomy transcends borders. In 2003, his legacy was physically stamped onto the solar system with the naming of Minor Planet Simmons (22294), a fitting tribute to a man who has spent his life using the stars to unite humanity.

Visit : https://ecoastronomy.edu.lk/

Eco Astronomy Asia | Journal of Eco Astronomy