International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) in Puerto Rico: Progress Report

摘要

The IYA2009 inauguration in Puerto Rico was in January 2009. The lo-cal organizing committee includes members from the NASA Puerto Rico Space Grant Consortium, the Arecibo Observatory, the two astronomical societies of the island, pri-vate and public universities, local government agencies, and non-profit organizations interested in science education. The events are throughout the island, taking care to fa-cilitate the participation of families and youth from disadvantaged communities. All the activities emphasize the value of personal effort to achieve your goals, the importance of mathematics in modern life and the development of scientific awareness. Aligned with the IYA2009 major goals and considering the particular needs of our commu-nity, we have selected eight core activities for Puerto Rico. Three of them have been completed (Inauguration, Theatrical performance of "La Vida en Marte y otras Cru-eles Realidades", 40th Anniversary of the first human on the Moon), three of them are underway (star parties, conference series, "From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) exhibition) and the other two are under plan for the fall of 2009. A group of volun-teer students ("Starry Messengers") are assisting in the activities. We present a project plan for the rest of 2009. The details of the Puerto Rico IYA events may be found at http://www.astronomy2009pr.org.