Getting Space Enlightened with AASTRO and Bloombloom
On the tenth of April in 2019, the world witnessed one of the greatest feats in the realm of astrophysics and space sciences in the form of a breathtaking image of a supermassive black hole in the centre of an elliptical galaxy. Faces of the four scientists behind the accomplishment at the Event Horizon Telescope Project globetrotted screens, tabloids, and papers along with the large body of puzzling details of its operation. The question is, how many among us really understood it? As much as we are gripped and curious about the infinite outer space that is beyond our home, how exactly are the concepts of the Universe thrown to us, or better put, how efficient is the current scenario of space science learning?
It is high time that the STEM studies in India broaden its margins to include a student-centric approach to produce a global science culture because the key component of a productive empirical society is a scientifically sound public. This upturn in education as a matter of proven fact is possible through a tie-up between educators/institutions and professional scientists or subject experts. The astronomical society has a substantial amount of information to add to the existing pool of scientific knowledge to encourage and improve the science literacy of the public irrespective of age or region. The book Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium: Panel Reports (2002), puts forth an absolute idea that astronomy can, in fact, furnish a consistent and functional workforce for the 21st century. Space sciences are popularly understood as a study exclusively inclined towards outer space, but it is essentially the study of the origin and nature of life itself, which has the capability to evoke in young minds extraordinary questions that could be tomorrow’s space theories. It is at this point of the discussion, on the need to evoke such vigilant curiosity, where AASTRO and Bloombloom take the stage.
The Amateur Astronomers Organization or AASTRO in Kerala led by a fraternity of science enthusiasts and activists is a non-profit and independent, scientific and educational organization that operates on the belief that scientific progressions as a recreation or as a profession can transform the core of human systems. The association that operates as a networking base for people who share the same interest in astronomy and allied sciences is steadfast in its objectives to popularize and encourage astronomy, space science, and allied subjects among students as well as the public, it aims to coordinate, assist and perform activities that would initiate interest in astronomy and related subjects while uniting people related to science and astronomy like science populators and researchers to establish a fertile platform for combined discussions and other activities such as stargazing, telescope building, astrophotography, career guidance to name a few.
In its collaborative efforts to form a consortium among outstanding educational and empirical societies, AASTRO has now taken Bloombloom as a wingman for the constructive and methodical transmission of its knowledge base. Bloombloom is a singular, unrepeated, and distinctive space that routes for a transformative and innovative turn in the facilitation of knowledge. With a launchpad consisting of more than a thousand and twenty-five courses, combining the best of digital and real-world experiences, Bloombloom is an avant-garde prototype that is considered to be the world’s first University of Collaborative Learning. Its super-gamified component named FEST is an arena for immersive learning curated and delivered by industry leaders, professionals, and passionate experts. AASTRO with its partnership with FEST, needless to say, is the next big SpaceX for curious minds to launch themselves into the vast expanse of space sciences, astronomy, and astrophysics.
