Speaker
Description
Astronomical research in East Africa is constrained by limited access to advanced observational facilities and structured hands-on training, posing a risk of exclusion from the global, data-rich discovery era led by big projects like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST). The Sharing the Sky Programme is a two-year collaborative initiative designed to address this by empowering a cohort of researchers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
The core innovation of this programme lies in its structured model: gradual short training sessions at regional centers are combined with longer periods of virtual guided practice using the global Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network. This approach is designed to build and sustain research skills from scratch.
To date, two intensive residential workshops (Nairobi (May 2025) and Kigali (December 2025)) have provided foundational training in LCO operations and advanced data science, including Python programming. This training is coupled with continuous, priority access to LCO’s robotic telescope network, enabling participants to conduct rapid response, time-domain observations. Early outcomes indicate strong skill transformation and the development of a cohesive regional research network.
Sharing the Sky Programme provides a scalable, proven blueprint for bridging the global astronomy infrastructure gap, positioning East African researchers as active contributors to the worldwide astronomical
enterprise.
| Stream | Education, Development and Outreach |
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