News Archive

The University of Western Australia will visit the Kimberley town of Derby next week to work with teachers, schools and communities to promote awareness of study opportunities at university.

The Aspire UWA team, together with the UWA School of Indigenous Studies, will partner with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and Rick Tonello from Astronomy Educational Services to deliver educational programs, including intensive sessions on AstroPhotoArt for selected students.

Working in pairs sharing state-of-art equipment, six students will have the opportunity to delve into the world of astronomy through photography.  Through daily two-hour lessons and two night-time photo sessions, students will learn to use cameras and software, enabling them to produce high-quality images of the night sky.

Working with expert staff from ICRAR and Astronomy Educational Services, the program aims to inspire students to explore and develop a passion for education, science and astronomy that could lead them to a university education pathway.  By the end of the week, the students' achievement will be captured through the production and framing of their best images, which will be presented to the school.

Aspire UWA has run the AstroPhotoArt sessions successfully at Lockridge Senior High School in Perth.

ICRAR hopes to improve students' awareness and understanding of astronomy through AstroPhotoArt and inspire participation in large-scale science projects such as the Square Kilometre Array in the Mid-West.

Aspire UWA is an ongoing program to encourage students from communities under-represented in higher education to aspire to university study.  During the week, Aspire UWA staff will run activities in the school.

The School of Indigenous Studies, in consultation with Indigenous students at UWA, has organised local elders to share Aboriginal stories of the night sky during the week.  They will also provide specific information to Aboriginal students about pathways to university and the high school programs that students can access.  The team will be visiting Derby 25 - 29 August 2014.

Media references

Elisa McGowan (Aspire UWA)  (+61 4) 31 925 198
Pete Wheeler (ICRAR)  (+61 4) 23 98 2018
David Stacey (UWA Media Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716