Travel Will Do It

I spent last week in Athens, Greece, at a meeting called Communicating Astronomy with the Public. About 250 or so folks from around the world attended, and we heard a number of cool presentations about people communicating astronomy through various means, including planetarium shows, lectures, films, etc. I actually presented two poster papers, one about the Griffith Exhibits and my work writing them, and the other about a vodcast project I’m involved with that will be up and available soon (more on that as it comes up).

Of course, at these meetings, some of the most interesting things we learn come from hallway conversations and discussions during coffee breaks. I got to talking with a pair of gentlemen who live and work in South Africa, Zululand, and they were telling me that they cannot afford expensive exhibits, planetarium instruments, etc. But, they do want them, so they go around to facilities around the world, asking for equipment that is no longer used, exhibits that are being replaced, etc., so that they have something to teach their students about astronomy.

That conversation was an eye-opener. Most of us live in societies that have what they need; yet here are people who want to do what all of us space and astronomy educators/outreach types do, yet they have to beg for the leftovers from our feast. It really gave me something to think about!