The first Global e-Competition on Astronomy and Astrophysics

American Journal of Physics, vol. 91, pp. 867–872

Abstract

The first global e-competition on astronomy and astrophysics was held online in September–October 2020 as a replacement for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the short time available for organization, 8 weeks, the competition was run successfully, with 325 students from over 42 countries participating with no major issues. The feedback from the participants was positive and reflects the ways in which such events can boost interest in astronomy and astronomy education. With online activities set to become more prevalent in the future, we present an overview of the competition process, the challenges faced, and some of the lessons learned, aiming to contribute to the development of best practices for organizing online competitions.

Authors 9

1. Ioana A. Zelko

   Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory · University of California, Los Angeles · University of Toronto · Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics · Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

   Affiliation as printed

   Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto , Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1; , Los Angeles, California 90095; and , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

   Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California-Los Angeles , Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1; , Los Angeles, California 90095; and , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

   Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics , Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1; , Los Angeles, California 90095; and , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

2. Charles Barclay
   Affiliation as printed

   Marlborough College , Marlborough SN8 1PA, United Kingdom

3. T. Eenmäe

   Tartu Observatory · University of Tartu

   Affiliation as printed

   Tartu Observatory, University of Tartu , 50090, Estonia

4. Taavet Kalda

   University of Oxford

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Oxford , Oxford OX1 4BH, United Kingdom

5. H. Papathanassiou Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University , Leiden 9504 2300, The Netherlands

6. Nikita Poljakov

   University of Bristol

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Bristol , Bristol BS8 1TH, United Kingdom

7. G. Rojas

   Universidade Federal de São Carlos · Núcleo Interactivo de Astronomia

   Affiliation as printed

   NUCLIO, Núcleo Interactivo de Astronomia, São Domingos de Rana , 2785-817, Portugal and , Brazil

   Núcleo de Formação de Professores, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos 89885-000 , 2785-817, Portugal and , Brazil

8. Tiit Sepp

   Software Technology and Applications Competence Center · University of Tartu

   Affiliation as printed

   STACC , Tartu 50090, Estonia and , Tartu 51008, Estonia

   University of Tartu , Tartu 50090, Estonia and , Tartu 51008, Estonia

   University of Tartu, Tartu 50090, Estonia and STACC, Tartu 51008, Estonia

9. Aniket Sule

   Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education

   Affiliation as printed

   Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education , Mumbai 400088, India