The efficacy of merely setting numerical goals is questionable for promoting diversity. Transparent evaluation criteria and processes need to be established to complement such numerical goals. Various scattered role models for researchers and engineers (gender identity and biological sex: female) can be seen as representative contributors to innovations. This committee aims to index (make visible) universal factors among these role model cases to bridge their existences into innovations by a qualitative research method. We conducted qualitative interviews for four people who are representative contributors to “inclusive innovations”, namely, innovations which benefit our society and help to create a better future. We investigated the following seven main factors (individual and socioenvironmental): General attitudes towards research; networking and multidisciplinarity; appreciation of openness to experience; possessing high motivation; psychological safety; leadership equipped with the ability to discern potentials or being mekiki (connoisseur); and coherency between aim and methods.

In our next steps, we will suggest a new assessment tool with the above seven factors in order to make the best use of a diverse field of researchers and engineers to richly yield inclusive innovation.

In this work I will present some results of my post-graduation masters thesis in 2017. The vocational masters title was “Intercultural Studies, theory and practice for the reception of asylum seekers”. The whole work is based upon a specific activity of public outreach for astronomy with a group of Imams from different Islamic countries, which is an undoubtedly underrepresented group in Europe.

Even though there are more than six million Muslim refugees (most of them from Syria or sub-Saharan Africa) in Italy, they are very often discriminated for their ethnicity, culture and religion; we hence have had difficulties in communicating because of a language barrier and gap in basic scientific knowledge. But the differences are more complex and subtler than these. This is the reason why I tried to do a psycho-sociological analysis of this meeting, going deep into the field of intercultural studies and stressing those aspects as-related to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

The activity began on Ramadan on 27 May 2017, and was repeated one year later on 16 May 2018.

While doing the report and the analysis of these meetings I stressed not only the astronomical concepts but also the aspects of social psychology that are particularly relevant to intercultural communication, as a greater understanding of certain socio-psychological concepts may increase the effectiveness of such POE activities.

There have been marked advances in astronomy in the last 100 years towards gender equality and the empowerment of women researchers. However, progress has been slow, and disparities still persist around the world. Women represent only about 18% of astronomers worldwide (2019) and are not immune to inequalities such as gender-based discrimination and a lack of equal opportunities. Bullying and harassment are the obstacles that not only women but also men face in their professional careers. We need to pay due attention, too, to LGBTQ requirements. Here, we will share our experiences of problems that exist in Japan and elsewhere and the ways of overcoming them. This report was in part made in collaboration with the former IAU President, Norio Kaifu, R.I.P., and his advice to overcome these problems is involved.

Our main goal of this project is to improve education equality and mental health condition for “left-behind children” through atronomy in South-western China. The target audiences are students especially the left-behind adolescents and their parents, science teachers in local high schools in Pingtang, Guihzou Province in China. We will firstly train teachers with astronomy teaching skills, since school teachers can have direct interaction with students. Then we will train the teachers on how to provide psychology aid to ‘left-behind’ adolescents. Furthermore, we will introduce the career path in astronomy education and research to the students and their parents.

The necessity to make astronomy learning media in Indonesia especially for visually impaired people has resulted in the tool named 3D Planetary of Solar System. The tool was helpful for visually impaired people to know and observe the position of the planets in real-time. The tool would be made by modifying Solar System media learning and compared by several features like touch and audio. The electronic tool used a TTP223 Capacitive touch sensor as an input module, an Arduino Mega 2560 and a YX5300 as the processing module, and, therefore, speaker for the output module. The tool works by touching the input module of the planet and returning the name and information about the planet in audio form. The tool isn’t only for educational purposes, but it can also be used as a substitute for planet observation media for a visually impaired person.

Cultural Astronomy is loosely defined as the study of humans and their relationship to the sky. With the movement to decolonize the curriculum and decolonize the academy happening in various parts of the world, academics along with students are co-creating new ways of being and learning. Inclusive astronomy can be seen as part of or adjacent to this movement, with its goals to transform astronomy to better attract and retain people embodying all types of diversity. This transformation has been framed largely as cultural with some efforts to augment rather than to transform the curriculum entirely. As a cultural astronomer, my research engages the transformation of astronomy both culturally and pedagogically. I will share how my research weaves and threads its way into creating a more inclusive astronomy (yes, I’m using intentionally gendered imagery!).

Scientific organisations with incorporated diversity and inclusion programmes provide direct benefits to the individuals and working groups within the organisation. The goals of this paper are as follows: 1) To report the findings of studies that research the benefits of diversity in an organisation; 2) To illustrate a model of inclusion in the workplace; 3) To explain how these programs can positively impact working groups in observatory operations. Examples of ongoing diversity and inclusion activities at observatories managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) are outlined. These practices and agents of diversity and inclusion are effectively leveraged to develop the diversity, equity, and inclusion plan of AURA’s NSF-funded nighttime facilities. The current status of this strategic plan is discussed.

There are two obvious barriers in the implementation process of astronomical education and public outreach in China. One is the lack of astronomy teachers and public outreach educators. The other is that the material of astronomical education are not rich enough and mostly outdated. Using internet and big data technology, astronomers and science educators are trying to break these barriers. The concept of a World-Wide Telescope was first mentioned in an article published on Science (2001) and the authors proposed the goal of making the internet act as the world’s best telescope. In 2008 Microsoft Research launched the astronomical data visualization platform named WorldWide Telecope (WWT) and made it open-sourced in 2015. In China, the Chinese Virtual Observatory (China-VO) takes the leading role of the development and the promotion of WWT platform. By the end of 2019, 11 WWT teacher training workshops had been held and three national WWT tour contests had been organised. Over 500 science educators and public outreach practitioners participated in these programmes. In 2018, the fully localised and function-enhanced China-VO WWT was launched and tons of new astronomical data were added in 2019. It is now widely acclaimed in the Chinese science education community whether in big cities or rural areas. With massive astronomical data and the unique tour production function design, WWT becomes an ideal platform for astronomy education. To some extent, it breaks the barriers of traditional science (especially astronomy, physics and geography) education.

This paper presents an overview of outreach programs and methods designed to increase the accessibility of astronomy and the STEM fields. These strategies are designed to foster disability inclusion and equitable education for diverse learners.

The Portuguese Language Office of Astronomy for Development (PLOAD) was established in 2015 by the International Astronomical Union with the goal of promoting astronomy as a tool for sustainable development in Portuguese-speaking countries. In this work I present a global perspective of the PLOAD actions, highlighting the Brazilian experience and discussing some of our main results and prospects.

The Mutlimessenger Diversity Network (MDN) is a nascent project funded by the National Science Foundation in the United States to establish a community of representatives from multimessenger astronomy research collaborations focused on increasing equity, diversity and inclusion in the field. The goals of the MDN are to share knowledge, experience, training and develop resources and practices around broadening participation in astronomy and astrophysics. This proceeding provides a brief introduction to the project and the participating collaborations. The structure of the MDN, based on community of practice theory, is described. Examples of the first outputs from the MDN and information on how to access resources and/or join are provided.

Using sound to represent data (data sonification) and exploiting the unique characteristics of sound and human hearing can provide a powerful means to enhance scientific discovery in large datasets, rapid real-time data analyses, high dimensional analyses, and to filter signals from noise. Data sonification can be used to expand, accelerate, and validate discovery for sighted, blind and visually-impaired researchers and provides capabilities to improve the quality of everyday life. We describe improvements to StarSound for 1D and multi-dimensional analyses, introduce VoxMagellan for 2D image, plot and graph analyses, discuss applications in astronomy and for low signal-to-noise ratio data, often present at the leading-edge of science. We find that data sonification can successfully push scientific research forward and expand research accessibility to the blind and visually-impaired community, while promoting STEM careers.

A national network connecting various kinds of activities of astronomy for inclusion in Japan is now growing and becoming more international after the establishment of the Universal Design Working Group (UDWG). The UDWG members developed multi-modal astronomy textbook and 3D-printer models for the visually impaired, and also held a series of symposia.

The Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter† of the Astronomical Society of Australia runs the Pleiades Awards‡, which recognise organisations that are taking active steps to create an inclusive, welcoming and supportive environment for staff and students. The IDEA Chapter was originally launched as the Chapter for Women in Astronomy in 2009, and the Pleiades - inspired by the UK Athena Swan program§ - were initially focused on actions to advance the careers of women. With the expansion of the Chapter’s remit in 2016, the Pleiades Award criteria similarly expanded to cover broader issues of gender and sexual identity, cultural background, disability, age, family/carer responsibilities, political affiliation and religious belief. Almost all astronomy departments and research centres in Australia apply for these biennial awards, which are given at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels to reflect the overall achievements of the applying organisation. Based on the applications submitted, it is clear that the Pleiades Award scheme is advancing the goals of inclusion, diversity and equity not only in astronomy, but in a wider academic environment in Australia.

For students with visual impairments (VI), the possibility of a future in astronomy, or any science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field, seems daunting. In order to bolster astronomy and STEM opportunities for high school students with VI (ages 14 – 20) in the United States, we developed the STEM Career Exploration Lab (CEL). Our STEM CEL methodology employs tactile astronomy instruction via 3D printing technologies and unique 3D-printed models, professionals with VI acting as role models, and partnerships with local STEM industries that provide insights into possible career paths. In partnership with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind (SCCB) and the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (MBSBP), to date we have held four week-long CELs (June 2017, June and July 2018, August 2019) and a 3D printer build workshop (September 2018), thus far serving about fifty students with VI. We gathered pre- and post-intervention data via student surveys, assessments of students astronomy knowledge, and video recordings of the CEL activities in order to study to what extent the CEL model can enhance the students attitudes towards, interests in, and capacities to participate in astronomy and STEM careers. Once fully tested and refined, we will make our 3D model files and activities freely available for further use and study. This work serves as a testbed for an expanded CEL program aimed at helping increase the representation of persons with VI in astronomy and STEM fields.

With over 50 years of active research in Nigeria, Astronomy is still faced with various challenges, in particular poor funding from government and the prevailing harsh economic condition. Despite these challenges, there is a recent growing interest of the younger generation in astronomy which comes mainly through astronomy outreach programme, biennial summer schools and annual conference of the astronomical society of Nigeria. Electric power supply has remained a long-lasting problem and contributes immensely, especially in rural communities, to the hindrance faced in areas of education like astronomy which can not progress without the use of computers for data visualisation and analysis. As a matter of fact, cultural astronomy already exist and is well recognised in these poor communities.

The amazing credit card size 5V DC battery-powered Raspberry Pi computers and Virtual Observatory(VO) will play a major role in doing modern astronomy in these communities despite these hindrances. We target the less privileged students in six rural secondary schools (located in 6 different states) by bringing to their doorsteps astronomy using low cost but effective tools. Various hands-on astronomy exercises were carried out with the VO tools. We discuss our experiences with the students and teachers with this pilot project which at the same time promotes not only astronomy but also Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). We intend to expand the number of schools covered through grant from IAU and donations of the Raspberry Pi computers from astronomy enthusiasts and organisations.

The IDATA (Innovators Developing Accessible Tools for Astronomy) project aims to develop accessible software solutions that enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) individ- uals to engage with astronomical data. This work presents an overview of Afterglow Access, a software tool designed following universal design principles to enhance accessibility. We discuss the project’s development, its role in STEM+C education, and the broader implications for computational thinking and inclusive scientific engagement.

Gender imbalance in the sciences is a problem that affects society as a whole. Attracting more women to science is a matter of welcoming 50% of the intellectual capacity of humankind. As institutions, science museums have the mission of expanding society access to scientific knowledge and encouraging the excitement of discovery. Further, they must also engage diverse audiences and address the many facets of inclusion. Therefore, it is fundamental to reflect on gender issues and adapt the content of exhibits and activities to be inclusive. The Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences (MAST) has long been aware of its potential to promote social change and empowerment. Since 2015, MAST promotes a series of actions to stimulate discussion, acknowledge the contribution of female researchers to progress as well as encourage girls to explore scientific career paths through astronomy activities. All initiatives are built on theoretical perspectives of social inclusion, gender in sciences and informal science education. This article will review the “Girls in the Museum” action and present its most important results.

Scientific research in astronomy has traditionally been concentrated around major observatories for centuries. However, the evolving global environment, including gradual climate change, population growth, and technological advancements, has challenged the ability of historical sites to maintain their original purpose of cutting-edge observations. Despite this, the persistent atmosphere of active scientific institutions, coupled with their existing infrastructure and culture, provides an ideal setting for contributing to contemporary societal challenges, particularly in promoting diversity and equity in scientific research and education. We illustrate a successful transition achieved at the Ondřejov observatory (Czech Republic) and highlight the fruitful synergies with modern scientific infrastructures.