Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-wxhwt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-11T18:20:40.674Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Building capacity for astronomy research and education in Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

Peter Martinez*
Affiliation:
South African Astronomical Observatory, P.O. Box 9, Observatory 7935, South Africa email: peter@saao.ac.za
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

About 1.5% of the world's professional astronomers are based Africa, yet in terms of research output, African astronomers produce less than 1% of the world's astronomical research. The advent of new large-scale facilities such as SALT and HESS provides African astronomers with tools to pursue their research on the continent. Such facilities also provide unprecedented training opportunities for the next generation of African astronomers. This paper discusses recent efforts to develop astronomy education and research capacity on the continent. Various capacity-building initiatives are discussed, as well as the lessons learnt from those initiatives.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

Arnaud, K., Willmore, A.P., in: Hearnshaw, J. & Martinez, P. (eds.), Astronomy for the Developing World, Cambridge University Press, ..... This volume, pXX.Google Scholar
Eichhorn, G., Accomazzi, A., Grant, C.S., Kurtz, M.J., Murray, S.S. 2003, African Skies 8, 7Google Scholar
Eichhorn, G. 2001, Astron. And Geophys. 45:3, 7Google Scholar
Feast, M.W. 2002, in: Heck, A. (ed.), Organizations and strategies in astronomy III, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Vol. 280. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 1-4020-0812-0, p. 153CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haubold, H.J., Wamsteker, W. 2001, in: Wamsteker, W., Albrecht, R. & Haubold, H., (eds.), Developing Basic Space Science World-Wide: A decade of UN/ESA Workshops, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, p. 3Google Scholar
Heck, A. 2000, Ap&SS 274, 733Google Scholar
Hinton, J.A. 2001, New Astron. Revs 48, 331. See also http://www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/hfm/HESS/CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Isobe, S. 2003, in: Heck, A. (ed.), Organizations and strategies in astronomy IV, Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 1-4020-1526-7, p. 189CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurtz, M.J., Eichhorn, G., Accomazzi, A., Grant, C., Demleitner, M., Murray, S.S. 2005, J. American Soc. for Information Science and Technology 56:1, 36. Also available at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/kurtz/jasist1-abstract.htmlCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez, P., Kilkenny, D.M., Cox, G. et al. , 2002, MNRAS 61, 102Google Scholar
Martinez, P. 2006, in: Heck, A. (ed.), Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy VI, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, p.39CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitelock, P. 2001, in: Heck, A. (ed.), Organizations and Strategies in Astronomy V, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, p.39Google Scholar