Welcome to the web page of the Rwandan National node for International Year of Astronomy 2009.

 IYA2009-RWANDA

0. What will  you find on this page?                                                   

1. Contacts

2. International Year of Astronomy in Rwanda

3  Situation of Astronomy/Astrophysics in Rwanda

4. Developping Astronomy in Rwanda: Vision, Mission, Objectives and Actions

5. Activities during 2009

6. News & events

7. Useful links:

-Bursaries in Astronomy/Astrophysics

-Bursaries at African Institute of Mathematical Sciences

-Notes for Students: Oscillations and Waves

-Quiz

-Eclipses

-Miscellaneous

1. About us: Contacts                                                                               

Single Point of Contact:

Mr. Pheneas Nkundabakura

Postal Address:
Kigali Institute of Education (KIE)
P.O. Box 5039
Kigali
RWANDA

Phone: +27834360578
Fax: +27 51 401 35 07
E-mail:nkundapheneas@yahoo.frThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it>
URL: whttp://Rwanda.Iya2009.googlepages.com/home

Members of the National Organising committee for IYA2009 in Rwanda:

1. Pheneas Nkundabakura (Chair person), PhD Student (Astrophysics) <nkundapheneas@yahoo.fr>

2. Jean Uwamahoro (Secretary),MSc (Space Science Physics) <umwamahorojean@yahoo.fr>

3. Jean Claude Kubwimana (member), MSc (Cosmology)<johnclaukub@yahoo.fr>

4. Francois Nsengiyumva  (member),Honours (Astrophysics) <nsengaf2000@yahoo.fr> 

5. Stephen  (New Times)  <mugitoni@yahoo.com>

6.  Mr MUTESA Albert  (member), UNESCO-RWANDA(RCNU)<albert_mutesa@yahoo.fr>

Click here recommendation_letter_from_IAU to view  the Act of recognition of the commission by the International Astronomical Union and by the IYA secretariat.


 I. About International Year of Astronomy in Rwanda:                     

     

Year 2009: International Year of Astronomy

By P. Nkundabakura, J. Uwamahoro, C. Kubwimana and F. Nsengiyumva

The present article and others which will follow intend to inform the Rwandan public in particular the Rwandan scientific community on activities which will take place during next year 2009 which has been declared International Year of Astronomy.

 Since the ancient times people have observed stars and wondered about their place in the universe. Some early civilisations considered the Sun as the giver of life and worshipped it, while for other cultures, crops were planted according to the celestial calender (e.g. phases of the moon). In addition, the writings tell us that around 3000 B.C., the Babylonians beleaved that the positions and motions of celestial bodies infuenced the fate of human life. Although without scientific basis, this astrology stimulated the study and recording of celestial bodies and phenomena. The invention of the telescope in early 17th century revolutionalised astronomy, which is considered as the oldest among all sciences.

  

1609-2009: 400th anniversary of the first use of the telescope by Galileo Galilei

 

 

 

 

The year 2009 have been declared International Year of Astronomy(here after for short IYA2009) by the United Nations in its 62 nd General Assembly (Resolution: 62/200). It will be a global celebration of the 400th anniversary of the first use of the telescope for astronomical observations by Galileo Galilei (Italian), who in 1609 conducted optical observations which leaded to his discovery of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, named the Galilean moons in his honour.

The aim of the IYA2009 is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”. IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource, that is the sky, for all nations.

 Some progress of Astronomy since Gallileo  and  challenges 

Astronomy is a branch of physics that study celestial objects (comets, satellites, planets, stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies) and phenomena beyond the earth's atmosphere. It is one of the oldest basic Science and has made huge progress since Gallileo findings particularly in the last few decades.
At the time of Gallileo, they knew only the existence of our own galaxy, the Milky Way but nowadays  it is known that our universe is made up of billions of galaxies, and that its age is about 13.7 billions years.

 

 At the time of Gallileo, people had no means to tell whether there were other solar systems in the universe but nowadays it is known that there are  more than 200 planets around other stars in the Milky Way and astronomers  are moving towards an understanding of how life might have appeared.
At the time of Gallieo, people were starting to study the sky using only optical telescopes but nowadays  the Universe is observed from Earth and from Space (using Rockets, Balloons and Satellites) in all electromagnetic spectral bands from radio waves (using radio telescopes) to very high energy gamma-rays (using Cherenkov telescopes).
The current  universe is expanding and accelerating. The overall density of the universe was measured to be roughly 9.9 × 10−30 grams per cubic centimetre and this appears to consist of 73% of the so called “dark energy”, 23% of cold dark matter and 4% of ordinary matter. Dark energy is believed to cause the universe to accelerate, dark matter and ordinary matter generate an opposite effect. But, since dark energy component is bigger the universe as whole accelerates

However, despite this progress, astronomy remains challenged by some embarrassing but interesting  questions. Only two examples are given here:
-Astronomers and cosmologists studied very well the ordinary matter which is (basically visible), but the nature of dark matter (invisible and don't interact with normal matter) and dark energy (invisible) are extensively unknown.
-There is a belief that there may be a possibility to have life, intelligent life,  elsewhere in the universe. The question of  “Are we (human beings on Earth) really alone in the all Universe?” doesn't have yet an answer.
How the IYA2009 will be celebrated in Rwanda?

 The IYA2009 activities will take place at the international, regional, national and local levels.
At the international level, the details of the scheduled activities can be found on the website: www.astronomy2009.org.

 National Nodes have been formed in each country (including Rwanda) to prepare  some marking the IYA2009.  These Nodes have a mandate to establish collaboration in their countries between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres, educators and science communicators in preparing activities for the IYA2009.

Rwanda has joined  the world science community in the celebration of the  IYA2009 (see the Rwandan national webpage for IYA2009 at (http://rwanda.iya2009.googlepages.com/) or at the official international webpage (http://www.astronomy2009.org/organisation/nodes/national/view/RW/). The International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the IYA2009 general secretariat have agreed to cooperate with the Rwandan National Organising Committee of IYA2009.  In this context,  Rwanda was invited and have been  represented  in the regional meeting for Africa and middle East  organised  in Cairo (Egypt) from 2 to 10 April this year 2008.

 Although Astronomy is not developed in the country, the IYA 2009 will be an occasion to sensitize the Rwandan educational and scientific communities, of  all levels, on Astronomy, Astrophysics and  Space Sciences and  on  what can be  the  contribution of these latter to Science and Technology. It will be an occasion to recall some efforts which have been made  to implement an astronomical observatory by the then Honorable Minister of Science, Technology, Research and Education, Prof. Romain Murenzi. I quote here  from http://www.wku.edu/news/releases04/may/telescope.html : “... Prof. Romain Murenzi, the Rwandan Minister of Science, Technology, Research and Education, has asked Dr. Charles McGruder, the William McCormack Professor in Physics at WKU, to develop a plan to install   the first telescope and robotic observatory  in Rwanda.  Dr. McGruder visited Rwanda two times (2004 and 2005) met government officials and toured possible telescope sites. Now he's working on a budget for the project (It is estimated that the telescope will cost about $5 million), which will require approval and funding by the Rwandan government.
If funded and built, the telescope would have a major impact on the African nation .”
  government will fund the project”.

Another  initiative of this kind is from Prof. Claude Carignan  of the university of Montreal (Canada).  This lecturer of Astronomy is currently implementing a research telescope in Burkina Faso and once he finishes there, he would like to start the same project in Rwanda in 2012. His project was officially submitted  to the Rwandan Embassy at OTTAWA  on 1st June 2008. 

 If these initiatives are realized, there is a hope that research in Astronomy and related Sciences  in Rwanda will start.  It is a pure coincidence that at  this  moment there are 4 Rwandans who are doing postgraduate studies in these area of Astronomy/Astrophysics and related Sciences  under the National Astrophysics and Space Science  Programme (in South Africa). We are hoping that these  people after finishing their programmes may come to  help running these facilities.

A temporarily committee to prepare activities for 2009 is already operational. This committee intends to mobilize all people interested in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Science (existent and/or potential) in the country and particularly ensuring that the IYA2009  happens in Rwanda.  Indeed there will be a need of a little budget to run some scheduled activities such as:
1.Conferences at some Institution of higher learning  and at some Science high schools. Prof. Claude Carignan will be in Rwanda during the month of March and will help in this programme.  
2.The committee has set a Questionnaire on Astronomy for high school students. Through this questionnaire we need to gauge the level of understanding of astronomical phenemena in our education system. Prices will be given to the winners provided financial support is available. We urge students to visit the IYA2009-Rwanda  webpage to look at other instructions on about this questionnaire.
3.In case financial support is obtained we intend to distribute 20 galileoscopes to 20 best Science high schools  and 1 telescope for amateurs  to an institution of higher education.
These gallileoscope have the capability to look at the surface of the moon, at the nearest stars with an acceptable resolution. With them, it will be able to see Jupiter and its moons as Gallileo did 400 years ago.
The telescope for amateur is an instrument more upgraded compare to the gallileoscope as it can be used to look deeper in the sky.

I conclude this article by inviting people who are interested on promoting astronomy in Rwanda to join the National Organising committee. More information will be found on the IYA2009-Rwanda webpage: http://rwanda.iya2009.googlepages.com/.

II. Current situation of Astronomy in Rwanda.

Click here  astronomy_in_Rwanda.pdf to view  to the document relating the current Situation of Astronomy in Rwanda


III. Developing Astronomy in Rwanda: Vision, Mission, Objectives and actions

Taking the current state of astronomy in RWANDA into account, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) could/ should help over the next 10 years in terms of developing astronomy the following:

A.Vision

Developing astronomy in Rwanda will pass through:

1. Building the astronomy community in the country (build and support human resources).

2. Building the astronomical infrastructures

B.Missions

This vision will be realized through the two following missions:

i. Teaching astronomy and show its interest in schools and Universities

ii. Awareness and increase of the knowledge of astronomy in the public

C.Objectives:

The teaching astronomy in schools and universities will be done through:

i. Educational Resource Development (including astronomy Curricula) and Distribution

ii. Promotion and encouragement of post-graduate studies

iii. Equipping Universities and schools with necessary infrastructure and resources

The awareness and increase of the knowledge of astronomy in the public will be done through:

i. Public Resource Development and Distribution

ii. Public programmes and astronomical events

D.ACTIONS:

1. Teaching astronomy

1.1.Educational Resource Development

-Distribution of astronomy resources for educators and learners (books, posters, movies, DVDs, …)[2009]

-Develop astronomy curricula at all level of education.[2011]

-Open a department of Astronomy at least in one of the high institutions of learning [2012]

-Build a big optical telescope for research[2013]

1.2.Promotion and encouragement of post-graduate studies in astronomy and related subjects.

Post-graduates bursaries in astronomy and related sciences. [At least 2 bursaries per year]

1.3 Equipping universities and schools with necessary infrastructure

-Each university or tertiary institution of high Education (20 high institution : 6 public and 14 private) will be equipped with a small (displaceable) telescope

Primary (2172 primary schools) and secondary (504 secondary schools) schools will receive very small telescopes like. gallileoscopes, binoculars,[2009]

2. Awareness and increase of knowledge of astronomy in the public

-Distribution Public Resource Development:

Construct and equip a planetarium (stellarium) with a science center in the capital city of Rwanda.[2009]

-Public programmes and events:

Small Telescopes which can be used for watching night/day skies, eclipses … for the public.[2009]

 

 IV. ACTIVITIES DURING 2009:

 In our effort to Make_the_IYA2009_happen  in Rwanda we have approached the Rwandan National Commission  for UNESCO for seeking financial assistance.

Click here Rwanda_Iya2009_project.pdf or DAG_Application_Form.pdf   to view the all project.

Other potential sponsors who need to be contacted are:

-The Ministry of Education.

-The Ministry in the Office of the President in Charge of Science, Technology, Scientific Research and Information Communication Technologies (already contacted but no feedback yet).

-Physics Departments  at Universities and Institutes in Rwanda.

Among other activities scheduled in 2009, there  :

    Activity #1

  • Title of the activity: Distribution of 20 Gallileoscopes +1 telescope for amateurs

  • Dates : September

  • Short description : Galileoscopes will be distributed to 20 high schools and an amateur telescope to an institute of high education in Rwanda.

   Activity #2

  • Title of the activity: Conferences

  • Dates : February-December

  • Short description : A series of conferences dedicated to Universities, high schools and public

    updated list of conferences  already held:

    1. Title: The Physics in Astrophysical environments: observational evidences. Presenter:  Mr Pheneas Nkundabakura, Place: KIE , Date: Wednesday 12.03.2009 at 14:00 (Room 3G7).

     Link to the content here: kie_colloquium.pdf

    Activity #3

(This page is still under construction. Last update: 12.04.2009 at 3:00 pm)