NSF Award
2034209
The project will continue building and diversifying the capacity of the Astronomy in Chile Education Ambassadors Program (ACEAP). This program has developed a network of amateur astronomers, educators, and outreach professionals who have visited the NSF facilities in Chile. The members of this network then disseminate information and resources associated with US astronomy in Chile. The project will support travel to Chile for five ambassadors per year. An additional five ambassadors will be self-supporting. The project will then provide training to the ambassadors to ensure effective communication to the public following their return to the US. The project will focus on organizations like the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), HBCUs and MSIs for recruitment of the supported ambassadors to help broaden participation from traditionally underrepresented groups.<br/><br/>The project will recruit ambassador candidates through the existing ACEAP network and add new emphasis on organizations that support underrepresented groups in STEM. The project will select a group of ambassadors who represent formal pre-Kindergarten through college education, science centers/plantariums, astronomy/STEM communicators, and amateur astronomy who are reflective of the social demographics of the US. Prior to traveling to Chile, the ambassadors will receive training in traveling internationally and conversational Spanish. The ambassadors will also receive training in using social media, effectively tailoring presentations to their audience, and engaging with the media. Ambassadors will be expected to broadly disseminate their experiences to the public when they return from Chile.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
