Open Universe Capacity Building Pilot Event

RATIONALE

The space sector is an essential element of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Open Universe Initiative aims to provide a platform for continued, authoritative, real-science training and capacity building in space sciences and astrophysics. Currently there are multiple developments underway that satisfy the technical needs for ample accessibility to scientific data on space, with several platforms and systems operational as early as the start of this century. As with any technical efforts aiming to generate an impact in education and citizen science, such infrastructure needs to be made compatible with the user requirements and resources available to the general public globally, thus maximizing its utility.

At the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 28 October 2021, the Resolution adopted on The "Space 2030" Agenda: space as a driver of sustainable development established "the Open universe as an initiative developed in cooperation with the Office for Outer Space Affairs, in order to enhance access to astronomical and space science data."

The organization of this Open Universe Pilot Event, to be held from 31 March to 4 April 2025, is a response to this resolution, carried out in collaboration with international partners, in order to strengthen the capacity building and educational impact of open data for space sciences and astronomy.

The Event seeks to launch an international cooperation forum to carry out a continued set of actions for training and capacity building in the context of the Open Universe Initiative.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of the workshop is to provide an introduction to open space data and astronomy tools, with the objective of harnessing already-available open data infrastructure in space sciences and astronomy for education and capacity building.

EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS

The workshop will be held in hybrid format, and is open to everyone interested in education and citizen science in the astronomy and space sectors.

In-person participation is limited to 40 participants for the "Open Universe Education Workshop" on 31 March 2025, and 20 participants for the entire Pilot Event, from 31 March to 4 April 2025, including the "sciathon sessions" on 3-4 April 2025.

The event welcomes school teachers, university students and researchers from regional, national and local institutions. Especially encouraged to attend are experts involved with open data and capacity building initiatives in astronomy and space sciences, as well people involved in data-science-oriented education and citizen science projects.