IYA2009 News Round-up

13 December 2009

When enough news gathers in the same place, a critical mass is obtained and an IYA2009 news round-up is born.

What has been blazing forth this week? Congratulations are in order, say Physorg.com. Astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana of the University of Toronto has been awarded the 2009 Steacie Prize, one of Canada's most prestigious honours for rising stars in science and engineering. We should all be very happy for Ray, because he mentions IYA2009: "It's been tremendous fun to be part of that endeavor together with the postdoctoral fellows and students in my group, and to share our discoveries with the public, especially during this International Year of Astronomy."

MyOzarksOutdoors.com is a strange name for a website, but we'll gloss over that fact because they've been plugging IYA2009-aplenty. As they say, Discovery Center of Springfield, the Springfield Astronomical Society and stargazers around the globe are wrapping up a yearlong celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. It sounds like the astronomers in that area have run a lot of events, so pats on the back for them.

A quick mention next of Canada's Telegraph Journal who talk about the upcoming Geminid meteor shower, but not before mentioning IYA2009. And finishing with it, too.

To express buzz now (lack of capitalisation is their decision). Students from the Indian town of Thiruvananthapuram have visited nearby areas, spreading the word of astronomy and IYA2009. They even performed a science play about the Earth and Moon. Ace! LINE OF THE WEEK: "At Perakom, even the fish-vendors rose from their seats to have a look at the students’ programme and to interact with them."

Here's a different one. AZCentral have interviewed a local science teacher. His students participated in the Cassini Scientist for a Day programme, and did very well. The teacher talks about science education and the importance of IYA2009. The interviewer seems more interested in sussing out where the teacher goes for lunch. Take it easy, question three establishes that he's got a wife.

Ok, one more story. Bradenton Herald have the honour of finishing this week's round-up with their article about a drama piece called "The Life of Galileo". No prizes for guessing the theme. “It’s kind of an adventure story in a way,” said Paul Whitworth, who stars as Galileo. “These things took place in 1610 but the issues are absolutely contemporary.” If you're in Florida, check it out.

Critical mass has now been relieved, but next week another news round-up will be born. See you then.

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