BiotechMashup

(International Astronomical Union) The Executive Committee of the International Astronomical Union has selected the SAAO, a national facility of the South African National Research Foundation, to host the IAU Office for Astronomy Development. The office is the key component of the decadal global strategy plan, Astronomy for the Developing World, launched at the 2009 IAU General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is aimed at using astronomy to foster education and capacity building throughout the world.

(International Astronomical Union) The South African Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, launched the IAU Global Office of Astronomy for Development at the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory.

(International Astronomical Union) The XXVIIth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) had its Closing Ceremony today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to the discussion of new scientific results one of the major outcomes of the 2009 General Assembly is the launch of a decadal global strategy with the aim of fostering education and capacity building throughout the world.

(International Astronomical Union) Universe Awareness, a program endorsed by the IAU that uses astronomy to inspire and educate very young children around the world, has been recognized for its educational value by Science magazine.

(International Astronomical Union) The European Union has granted 1.9 million euros ($2.6 million) to support the 6-country educational program EUNAWE, based on Universe Awareness (UNAWE). UNAWE is, an IAU-endorsed programme that uses the beauty and grandeur of the Universe to encourage young children, particularly those from an underprivileged background, to have an interest in science and technology and foster their sense of global citizenship from the earliest age.

(International Astronomical Union) Saturn's haze-enshrouded moon Titan turns out to have much in common with Earth in the way that weather and geology shape its terrain, according to two pieces of research to be presented at the XXVII General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Wind, rain, volcanoes, tectonics and other Earth-like processes all sculpt features on Titan's complex and varied surface in an environment more than 100 °C colder on average than Antarctica.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Today in Wiesbaden, Germany, nine countries signed the international agreement on the construction of the accelerator facility FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research), which will be located at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. Signing the agreement for Germany were Helge Braun, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Education and Research, and Peter Ammon, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office.

(International Astronomical Union) The book, "Postcards from the Edge of the Universe," was launched today at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science in Lisbon, Portugal. A legacy of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone project Cosmic Diary, the book features articles from astronomers around the world about the hottest astronomical topics of the moment.

(International Astronomical Union) The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, at its 34th session in Brasília, Brazil, has, for the first time, endorsed a study in science heritage. The thematic study on the Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy, prepared within the framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, presents an overall vision of astronomical heritage and attempts to identify some of the most outstanding examples that are of significance to everyone.