Name:
Sergio Cabezón
Where are you based:
In Santiago, Chile.
What do you do:
Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI)
When did you first learn about GTTP:
On 2007 at the CAP meeting in Athens, Greece.
What was the first GTTP workshop you took part in:
On 2009 at Porto Alegre, Brazil (First training workshop in South America).
Why did you decide to organise GTTP workshops for local teachers/educators:
Because during my current position as Education and Public Outreach Officer in AUI/NRAO Chile, I have noticed the lack of training opportunities in Astronomy for local teachers and educators. Finally, this situation affects the school students due to a lack of fresh and updated contents to teach them this science.
What tools/methods do you use in your training sessions:
Most of them are the global tools used at GTTP and some other methods suitable for the local experience: Salsa J, webcams, galileoscopes, Stellarium, on field activities to measure light pollution, classroom experiments and calculations to understand celestial phenomena, and visit to observatories.
Advice for teachers out there:
Simply: keep training yourselves on Astronomy field to enhance the chances your students get interested in this science and its phenomena.
Tips for other GTTP ambassadors around the world:
Don’t stop giving these training opportunities to your local teachers/educators.
What do you do in your spare time:
After two years studying an interesting Master in Strategic Communications, that left me with almost no chance of spare time, now I really enjoy spending my spare time coming back to my main favorite activities: watching movies and visiting my native city located next to the beach, Viña del Mar (Chile).
Image credit: Jorge Muñoz/Sergio Cabezón