Crowdfunding Astronomy Education

Universe Awareness are raising 15,000 EUR through a Kickstarter campaign to send the education kit "Universe in a Box" to underprivileged communities around the world.

Rewards are available from as little as 5 EUR and there are many astronomy resources on offer if people pledge to the campaign. These include EarthBall (an inflatable globe without national borders) and Universe in a Box itself (a toolkit for teachers and educators to make astronomy and space science accessible) .

Universe in a Box is a physical toolkit with the materials necessary for implementing more than forty astronomy-related activities for 4-10 year olds. Activities range from explanations of the seasons to stories behind constellations to the scale of our solar system. With the money from the campaign we will send more than 160 boxes around the world to communities who couldn't otherwise afford them, as well as providing training so that the materials are implemented effectively.

Please check out and share our campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unawe/universe-in-a-box

Abi Ashton
Universe in a Box project
Universe Awareness International Office, Leiden University

Today's Google Doodle is about mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi...

Maria Gaetana Agnesi, an Italian Mathematician,..is credited with writing the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus

Todays Google Doodle clebrates Dorothy Hodgkin (Protein Crystallographer)

Dorothy Hodgkin was the third woman to win the Nobel prize (for chemistry) for her work including structures for penicillin and Vitamin B12. All done despite suffering from progressive and crippling arthritis. She was also concerned with social inequalities.

Schools compo (ages 7-14) Design a meal for Tim Peake to eat on International Space Station

British Astronaut TIM PEAKE is asking schoolchildren to create a meal for him to eat in space.

The UK Space Agency is today launching a competition for school children between the ages of 7 and 14 to design a British-inspired, balanced and exciting meal for British ESA astronaut Tim Peake to eat during his 6 month mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The winning contestants will be invited to develop their ideas further with celebrity chef HESTON BLUMENTAL, and these ideas will be turned into real space food that will be launched to the ISS. They will also be invited to an event that will include a live link up with Tim during his stay on the ISS.

http://www.esero.org.uk/news/great-british-space-dinner-competition