Dates: 21-25 July 2025
Venue: European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC), Villafranca del Castillo, Madrid, Spain
Format: Hybrid (in person or online)
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 of the Sun and eclipses, we focus on our nearest star and the upcoming solar eclipses that will be observable from the Iberian Peninsula in 2026, 2027, and 2028.
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 (coordinator of the Galileo Teacher Training Program), with the support of the team from the IAC (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias), The Schools’ Observatory, and in partnership with the European School Innovation Academy (ESIA).
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 Math). 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, that is to say, cross-curricular knowledge and practice.
About the School
General Information
- Dates: 21-25 July 2025
- Venue: European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC), Villafranca del Castillo, Madrid, Spain
- Duration: 30 certifiable hours
- Modality: hybrid (25 seats in-person and no limits for the online format)
- Language: English
Topics and Lecturers
The program consists of lectures and workshops on Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space Exploration, focused on the study of stars and the Sun, with a marked practical and interactive character, emphasizing the use of real scientific data from the ESA space missions and educational 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
- The Sun as a star
- Observing (safely) the Sun
- Eclipses and transits
- The Sun in the classroom
- Astronomy Education
In addition to the lectures at ESAC from 21st to 24th of July, the program will also feature a visit to the Spanish National Astronomical Observatory on 25th of July, and a Sun observing session at ESAC.
Program
The program will be announced in March 2025.
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 July 15 (or until full capacity is reached).
We will admit up to 25 on-site attendees and 200 online attendees.
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. Please contact your national Eramus+ agency for conditions.
CESAR/ESAC will provide partial financial support (200€) for a selection of on-site attending teachers. Please indicate on the application form if you want to apply for this grant.
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.
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 July 15, 2025.
Practical Information
The course venue is the European Astronomy Center – ESAC, located in Villafranca del Castillo, 30 km east of Madrid city center.
A list of recommended hotels will be published in March 2025.
Contacts
Organizers
ESA – CESAR – NUCLIO – IAC – PETeR – The Schools’ Observatory
CESAR (Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research) is a joint educational program developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), and Ingeniería de Sistemas para la Defensa de España (ISDEFE). CESAR is based at the European Space Astronomy Center (ESAC), the ESA’s windows to the Universe.
Organising Committee
- Sandra Benítez Herrera (Co-Director of the School, CESAR)
- Rosa Doran (Co-Director of the School, NUCLIO)
- Juan Ángel Vaquerizo (CESAR)
- Beatriz Gonzalez Garcia (CESAR)
- Gustavo Rojas (NUCLIO)
- Nayra Rodríguez Eugenio (IAC)
- Alejandra Goded Merino (IAC)
- Fraser Lewis (FTP, TSO)
- Teresa Direitinho (NUCLIO)
- Ana Costa (NUCLIO)