{"id":8704,"date":"2014-08-31T20:11:51","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T00:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8704"},"modified":"2014-08-31T20:16:51","modified_gmt":"2014-09-01T00:16:51","slug":"mike-simmons-of-astronomers-without-borders-on-the-space-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8704","title":{"rendered":"Mike Simmons of Astronomers Without Borders on The Space Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike Simmons, founder and president of\u00a0Astronomers Without Borders<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0was interviewed on the Space Show last\u00a0Friday:\u00a0Mike Simmons, Friday, 8-29-14 – Thespaceshow’s Blog<\/a><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/archived.thespaceshow.com\/shows\/2306-BWB-2014-08-29.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

\u00a0During our 61 minute discussion, Mr. Simmons started out by introducing us to Astronomers Without Borders and visits to Iran and Iraq.\u00a0 He talked about astronomy as a cultural connection among nations and peoples, especially with young and well educated people around the world. \u00a0We discussed the organization and total eclipse tours, trips, and other astro tourism projects.\u00a0 He mentioned the organization\u2019s Monthly Hangout which is a Google Plus monthly meeting with guests which you can find on YouTube.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Our guest talked about the Mt. Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles and several listeners asked him about visiting the famous observatory.\u00a0 The same for Mt. Palomar which is still in use and also in S. California.\u00a0 Joe asked about the best age to introduce children to astronomy.\u00a0 Mike then told us about telescopes and pointed us to basic telescopes his organization sells for those interested.\u00a0 Seehttp:\/\/store.astronomerswithoutborders.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Listeners asked Mike about their participation in Uwingu programs, specifically the Beam Me to Mars program.\u00a0 We learned that the organization has been a beneficiary of Uwingu grants.\u00a0 Listeners asked about night viewing, light pollution and dark skies programs.\u00a0 Paul sent in a question inquiring about astronomy and the connection to space exploration & development which are major themes for The Space Show. This provoked an interesting discussion with our guest.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Near the end of our discussion, Mike talked about astronomy in the arts including astro crafts, astro poetry, space artists, and more.<\/em><\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

Here is a recent announcement about one\u00a0of their projects, for which they are\u00a0raising funding on Indiegogo<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Telescopes to Tanzania<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The future of children’s science education in Tanzania is
\nlooking brighter than ever.<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/vimeo.com\/89799690<\/p>\n

Telescopes to Tanzania<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0campaign to bring quality science education to the children of the East African nation is off to a fantastic start by raising $11,000 and successfully completing its first phase of building\u00a0The Center for Science Education and Observatory<\/em>.<\/p>\n

To build on this momentum and share our project with the world we are launching our next phase on\u00a0Indiegogo<\/a>\u00a0– the web’s largest crowd-funding platform.<\/p>\n

Your generous support has already been put to work by funding a pioneering\u00a0Curriculum Development Workshop<\/strong>,\u00a0\u00a0just completed in June 2014 in Tanzania. Attended by all the regional stakeholders – science teachers, school administrators, scientists and government officials – the conference laid the foundation for the development of a national science curriculum\u00a0integrated with astronomy concepts and applications.\u00a0 Those gathered at the four-day meeting in Usa River, near Arusha, were able to create the core structure of a space science model for advancing the development of inquiry-based science education in Tanzania.<\/p>\n

Once completed,\u00a0The Center for Science Education and Observatory<\/em>\u00a0will become a Tanzanian hub that will have a long-lasting impact nationwide by training teachers, offering hands-on laboratories (including \u00a0an astronomical observatory), and providing quality educational resources.<\/p>\n

The gateway to the development of Tanzania’s own STEM curriculum has been opened, and the groundwork has been laid to begin the next critical phase of our campaign.<\/p>\n

We invite you to visit our\u00a0official fundraising campaign website<\/a>\u00a0on Indiegogo. And in exchange for your support we are offering a wonderful line-up of rewards that will surely remain a lasting keepsake.<\/p>\n

To thank all of our donors who are helping make this project possible we have created a\u00a0Thank You Wall<\/a>.<\/p>\n