Dr Vanessa Moss, Postdoctoral researcher, ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics, University of Sydney
On December 2-4, I attended the 2014 Australian Academy of Science’s Frontiers of Science meeting: ‘The edges of astronomy’. It was an extremely interesting and slightly overwhelming few days, with the focus being on the links between astronomy and the ‘outside world’ (society/government/industry/other disciplines). I will summarise just a few highlights here.
It was particularly illuminating to see the perception of astronomy from outside the field. Dr Rob Porteous, the Head of the Science Policy and Governance Division of the Department of Industry, emphasised that we cannot convince “astronomy stakeholders” of the value of astronomy using historical, entitlement or cultural reasons alone. This was supported by the observations of the new CSIRO CEO, Dr Larry Marshall, on why we do astronomy and why we should do it. More than ever, it is critical to share the worth of astronomy with the world, and it was useful to see how this might be done (or not done).
Another highlight for me was hearing the stories of previous astronomers who had since left the field to pursue other disciplines: Drs Haida Liang, Ilana Feain and Paul Brooks, and Professor Bob Frater. In hearing their background, I saw a common thread in their tales — all four had a very hands-on experience with telescopes, instruments and data during their time as an astronomer. One of the common concerns about moving into an era of remotely-controlled telescopes, which I share, is how we give those hands-on experiences to the next generation of astronomers. These experiences equip young scientists with both the knowledge and the experience to potentially build new instruments or forge paths in new fields, and it is critical that we ensure they continue.
During the session on outreach, Margaret Wertheim presented an insightful talk on how and why science is communicated to society: “A society that doesn't care about science is a society that will not fund science.” She emphasised how important it is for science to be shared with people who are not already supportive of science, and talked about her experience writing for Vogue or Elle and with the Crochet Coral Reef. It was also extremely contagious to see the enthusiasm of Renee Sayers in her work communicating science to kids of all ages.
I gained from this meeting a new perspective on how astronomy and science are viewed from the outside, in society, industry, government and education, as opposed to how we think it is viewed. It is clear that we as scientists have to take an active role in shaping that perception, communicating with as many of these different audiences as possible. I, like many of the early-career researchers at this year’s Frontiers of Science, have no idea what path I will take or where I will end up in future. But we are explorers of the Universe, and we all share a love of science. With the new perspectives gained here, each of us can hopefully take this passion to new frontiers in astronomy and beyond.
You can read about the event, watch all the presentations, check the conference Twitter hashtag #ausFoS2014 or read the conference blog.
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