, Provinces Group – Saeed Firouzeh: Not so long ago, the scientific activities of astronomy in Bushehr province showed signs of international had found the presence of more than 10 thousand knowledge the learner And the teacher, focusing on the Mehr observatory belonging to Bushehr province education, led to the formation of a global student astronomy network named Bushehr province, so that all students interested in astronomy around the world, the reputation of this ancient port as a leading city in the field Know amateur astronomy.
But for some time now, with the closure of the valuable Mehr observatory, these activities have lost color and its facilities are deteriorating.
Seyyed Mehdi a pillar He is the founder and director of Sina’s global student astronomy network, among the students who grew up in this scientific center, and today he is a teacher of courses between international He is working and for this purpose we had a conversation with him.
The birth of a star
Founder and Director of the Global Student Astronomy Network in this load He says: Mehr observatory in the village Gurk Sadat (Tangistan County) was established in 2004, and since 2009, the activities of this institution have been upgraded to the level of research and development.
He added: In this period of time, the students were no longer mere visitors and had become part of the participants in the observatory’s activities. take shape
The Director of the Global Network of Student Astronomy added: Despite this research center, the attendance of students in astronomical educational and research activities grew many times, but what made this observatory special is the cultural-scientific activities, in these activities, Students used the science and knowledge they learned in the observatory in cultural events and daily life.
He continued: The biggest example of these events was the Kashgaran Astronomy and Nature Festival, where students camped for a whole day and night in the garden around the observatory, trained in groups, made tools, and learned the skills of staying at night and staying in nature.
He continued: The bright point of this festival was that the educational leaders of this event were the students themselves who had previously participated in the activities of the observatory and were trained for this work.
a pillar He said: Astronomy and nature festival of explorers continued and extended to a series of cultural events such as Nowruz, Yalda, Tirgan and Mehrgan. The repetition of these events made Bushehr to be known at the national level and in 2014 it was recognized as the observatory and research center of Shahid Khoshbakht, the astronomy pole of the country and the student astronomy pole in the Ministry of Education. In 2015, this collection was recognized as the best science promoting institution in Iran.
He continued: In such conditions, more than 10 thousand knowledge annually the learner And the teacher directly participated in the scientific and educational activities of the observatory, and in the call to participate in events such as Yalda Night, etc., our space and facilities were not enough to respond to hundreds of volunteers.
Start activities between international
a pillar He said: Since 1397 and over the years, the activities of this observatory have changed international took over, the first program between international We invited Anusha Ansari and gave an online lecture for teachers and students of Bushehri. It should be mentioned that Mrs. Ansari, as the first female Iranian astronaut, was a scientific role model for these students and her photo was mounted on the wall of the observatory like a legend.
He added: After this communication, Mrs. Ansari referred us to several institutions international including “Association of Astronomers without Borders” and “Union of Inter international “Astrology” introduced and connected and these connections with the introduction of me as the director of Bin I’m sorry The observatory continued.
The Director of the Global Student Astronomy Network continued: The next step was our connection with NASE or the “World Astronomy Network of Schools”, which for the first time in the Middle East and at the invitation of Mehr Observatory, a training course with teachingRosa Maria Rose” from Spain was held at Persian Gulf University with the presence of teachers from all over the country.
He continued: Due to the impressive success of the team organizing this event and acquiring the necessary knowledge, NASE asked us as lecturers between international It was used in several training courses abroad and projects were defined for us so that, in addition to teachers, students are also involved in activities between international let’s use
A network that covered the whole world from Bushehr
He noted: With the entry of students into activities between international and with the cooperation of the union between international Astronomy gave rise to an event called Astronomy Day in Schools, or ADIS.
a pillar He said: This event took a new form with the holding of Iran’s ancient celebrations online and continues until now, but Iranians are no longer the only hosts. For example, in one year, Japan hosts Nowruz and Romania hosts Yalda.
Director of Sina Global Student Astronomy Network continued: So far, more than 20 different countries of the world participated in this project and organized this event in the name of Iran. This event and between international The activity of Iranian students led to the greatest achievement of the observatory.
He added: We managed to launch the network E We were named Sinai. Sina, or the global student astronomy network, which was launched by Iranian students and was introduced in an article by Cambridge University, England, covered all students interested in astronomy in the world, the center and founder of this network named Mehr Bushehr observatory was registered.
Corona, the first enemy of Bushehr astronomy
He emphasized: After this big event and with the spread of Corona, the activities of the observatory and the research center underwent many changes and challenges. On the one hand, online events increase activities between international It happened to us, because the financial problems and issuance of visas, etc. had no meaning in online activities, and it was a good solution for the presence of international The observatory happened, but face-to-face and physical training in the observatory was closed and the lack of use of the equipment caused this expensive tool to wear out.
He added: With the multi-year stagnation of Corona, most of the observation tools in the observatory have been depreciated and the high costs of repairing these equipments caused them to fail, and some indiscretions also caused the inactivity of the educational center in the student research center.
a pillar He continued: This stagnation, along with the observatory’s dome problems, which caused its efficiency to disappear, as well as other educational tools of this complex, caused the observatory to be closed. It is worth mentioning that the telescope of the Mehr Observatory is one of the best student telescopes in the country, and today it is very expensive to finance the purchase of a new example, and it can be renovated again at a lower cost. But now the roof of the dome is closed and the members of that active and dynamic group are scattered.
He stated: This situation occurred when our team participated in the European Science Festival in 1400 without any financial support, and the following year in the General Assembly of the Union of international Astronomy had a brilliant presence in South Korea with 15 articles and 2 speakers (Bende and Mr. Baghbani). But the team was only supported by the IAU, which covered the travel expenses, and inside the country, the situation not only did not improve, but unfortunately got worse.
The founder and director of the Global Student Astronomy Network said: With the change in the management of the observatory, the presence of students in this complex also disappeared and all the activities between Al-Malli This center is also being transferred to other countries. For example, ADIS and the holding of quadruple events are now in the hands of the Japanese, and the programs of the Sina network are also mainly carried out by the country of Romania.
hope for the future
He stated: With all these interpretations, we are trying to preserve this great investment for Bushehr province, but we have not received a positive response from the education officials of Tangestan or Bushehr province. Although the condition of Shahid Khoshbakht student research center is improving and the management of the collection looks positively and compassionately E It is related to this issue, but unfortunately this center is deprived in terms of facilities and does not meet the educational needs of astronomy.
a pillar He clarified: In fact, it should be said that Bushehr province once had more than 10 thousand knowledge the learner Active at the intermediate level international He has talked a lot in the field of astronomy, but currently he is deprived of basic educational facilities. Now we are faced with two spaces, one point called the observatory with excellent facilities, which needs attention, reconstruction and restart, and another point called the research center, which has the opportunity to operate but does not have facilities.
He said: There must be a way solution Let’s find that these two existing capacities can be used to revive astronomical activities in Bushehr province. Considering that the Mehr telescope and observatory is owned by the Ministry of Education, it is better before other provinces take action to transfer it, in Bushehr province by attracting the necessary credit as soon as possible to restore and repair it so that the students of Bushehr can Take advantage of this great advantage.
The founder and director of the global student astronomy network noted: My life, like most people like me, who worked and grew up in the observatory, is intertwined with astronomy and cannot be separated. I have always been my teacher mayi know And I was looking for a space to have a cultural and scientific environment outside the school and outside the classroom for young people to gather together and teach astronomy. Today in a cafe in Bushehr with theme Let’s create an astronomical space, a place for those interested in astronomy, which is a hangout for scientific discussion and sometimes observing the stars with a telescope.
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