Program Overview

Introduction to Astronomy Olympiad Exposure Camps 2024

The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), a national centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, is promoting equity and excellence in science and mathematics education. As India's nodal centre for Olympiad programmes in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Astronomy, HBCSE is organizing two Astronomy Olympiad Exposure Camps in Mumbai and Mysuru.

Camp Objective

The primary objective of each camp is to spread awareness about the national and international Olympiad programme in Astronomy. An orientation towards the academic and organisational aspects of the Astronomy Olympiad will be provided. The camp also serves as a platform for productive interaction within the teacher community.

Camp Structure

Each camp will consist of multiple lecture and tutorial sessions, educational visits, night sky observation, and telescope handling sessions. Typical topics covered will be:

• Celestial mechanics
• Optics
• Positional astronomy
• Stellar physics
  • Other related topics

Dates and Venue

There will be two Astronomy Olympiad Exposure Camps:

• 15 to 18 January 2024 at HBCSE, Mumbai
• 19 to 22 February 2024 at SVYM, Mysuru Participants can attend only one of the two camps. Preference will be given to teachers from Karnataka for the Mysuru camp.

Travel and Accommodation

Participants will be reimbursed for to and fro travel fare subject to entitlement (maximum II-AC train fare). If participants choose to travel by air, only the corresponding train fare will be reimbursed. Regular attendance in the camp for the entire duration is mandatory for travel support. Food and shared accommodation at HBCSE/Mysuru will be provided for all participants. Accommodation is provided only for the duration of the camp and only for participants, not for accompanying family members.

Eligibility Criteria

Educators from different sectors can apply, including:

• University/college teachers of physics
• High school/secondary science teachers (with background in physics/mathematics)
• Astronomy outreach personnel from scientific institutions
• Staff of planetaria and science museums
• Active amateur astronomers Students and applicants below the age of 23 years will not be considered. Educational qualification (B.Sc/M.Sc./PhD) in Physics, and/or allied subjects (Astronomy, Applied Physics, Mathematics, etc.) or B.Tech./B.E. is required. Previous participants of Astronomy Olympiad Exposure Camp will not be considered again. Previous participants of Olympiad Exposure Camps in other subjects may be considered subject to availability of seats.