Date: 11-15 September 2023
Venue:  ESAC, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain.

The European Space Agency and the Galileo Teacher Training Program join hands again to bring cutting-edge training opportunities to all interested teachers.

ESAC, ESA’s window to the Universe, welcomes teachers from all over the world. Meet the scientists, visit the facilities, and learn about the discoveries taking place there.

In this course, dedicated to the theme “The Unlimited Universe”, we will present the greatest discoveries and advances in space sciences accomplished in 2022 and highlight the upcoming launches of space satellites in 2023.

The program will combine lectures given by experts with practical workshops to learn how to design student projects using scientific data obtained by world-class missions.

The training is organized by CESAR (Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research), the resident educational team at ESAC, and NUCLIO (the coordinator of the Galileo Teacher Training Program), with the support of the team from the IAC (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias), the Faulkes Telescope Project and the National Schools’ Observatory.

Participants will have opportunities to network and to establish a series of research projects in partnership with their colleagues and the scientists supporting the training. Take part in this training course and go back to your school with a research project in your hands.


Who can apply?

The workshop is open to teachers of all grade levels and subject domains willing to dive into a real STEAM experience (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). We believe that learning improves when students are embedded in interdisciplinary experiences and in environments that seamlessly integrate horizontal (across subject domains) and vertical (across different grade levels) articulation.

About the School

General Information
  • Dates: 11-15 September 2023
  • Venue: European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Villafranca del Castillo, Madrid, Spain
  • Duration: 30 certifiable hours
  • Modality: hybrid (in-person and online)
  • Language: English

 

Topics and Lecturers

The school consists of lectures and workshops on Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space Exploration, with a marked practical and interactive character, emphasizing the use of robotic telescopes for developing student research projects, as well as other resources and online laboratories, inquiry-based learning and the multidisciplinary approach. The school’s contents will cover the following topics:

  • Learning about ESA
  • Moons
  • Searching for Life
  • The Unlimited Universe
  • Citizen Science for Education

In addition to the lectures at ESAC, the program will also feature a visit to Centro de Astrobiología, Cebreros’ ESA tracking station, and a night skygazing session.

You can find the detailed program here:

Fees & Funding

Attendance to the school requires a registration fee for accepted face-to-face participants which covers:

  • School materials
  • Tuition fee for lectures, workshops and visits

The registration fee is:

  • 400 € for on-site participants.
  • 10 € for online participants. This symbolic fee will go entirely to the NUCLIO Trust programme to help students from developing countries to pursue university studies.

Participants from EU countries are eligible to use Erasmus+ funding to attend the school.

A limited number of registration fee waivers is available for teachers from unprivileged communities. Please indicate in the registration form if you will apply for a fee waiver.

ESA will grant the accommodation for the onsite participants from ESA member states (share rooms in a 2 star hotel near ESAC).

Payment instructions will be sent to applicants once the registration form has been completed and their participation has been accepted.

Deadline for the payment is September 10, 2023.

Registration

Registration for on-site participants  will be open until June 15 (or until full capacity is reached) and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to teachers working in public schools. Online participation will be open until August 31 (or until full capacity is reached).

We will admit up to 25 on-site attendees and 200 online attendees.

Practical Information 

The course venue (at the European Astronomy Center – ESAC)  is located in Villafranca del Castillo, 30 km east of Madrid city center: ESAC.

We recommend teachers to stay in Villanueva de la Cañada, at the hotel El Ancla. A bus will pick the attendees up in the morning for the lessons and bring them back to the hotel at the end of the sessions.

Contacts

Ana Costa – NUCLIO


Organizers

Organizing Committee
  • Sandra Benítez Herrera (Co-Director of the School,  CESAR)
  • Rosa Doran (Co-Director of the School, NUCLIO)
  • Beatriz Gonzalez Garcia (CESAR)
  • Fraser Lewis (FTP, NSO)
  • Gustavo Rojas (NUCLIO)
  • Joana Silva  (NUCLIO)
  • Juan Ángel Vaquerizo (CESAR)
  • Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (IAC)
  • Teresa Direitinho (NUCLIO)