Leung Named ISYA Director and Member of OYA Steering Committee

Photo Credit: Kam-Ching Leung and 2015 ISYA Participants
Mon, 03/07/2016 - 13:22

Professor Emeritus Kam-Ching Leung has been selected as the Director of the International Schools for Young Astronomers (ISYA). ISYA was created in 1967 to "broaden the participants' perspective on astronomy by lectures from an international faculty on selected topics of astronomy, seminars, practical exercises and observations, and exchange of experiences," according to the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The Director works with local ISYA school leaders to develop the series of talks, ensure the academic level of the course, coordinate teaching faculty and more.

Leung has also been named a member of the Office for Young Astronomers (OYA) Steering Committee. The OYA Steering Committee was created to support the mission of ISYA, responsible for the organizational and financial aspects of ISYA. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (NASL) and the IAU established OYA in 2015.

ISYA offers a three-week postgraduate experience for international students. The schools typically take place in regions with less current development in astrophysics for students who have less opportunity to study and research in up-to-date astrophysics. Lecturers are astronomers with teaching experience and may not necessarily be from the region of the ISYA. Students study both theory and observations during the experience.

Photo is from the International School for Young Astronomers 2015.