The TENPLA Project: How We Can Enjoy Astronomy with People?

Proc. of the GHOU 2007 in Tokyo

The TENPLA Project: how we can enjoy Astronomy with people?

Naohiro TAKANASHI*1, Masaaki HIRAMATSU*2 and Kazuhisa KAMEGAI*3

TENPLA project is a cooperative network among people who engage in popularization of astronomy in Japan. TENPLA project was organized by graduate students of astronomy in 2003, and now consists of students, researchers, educators, interpreters, designers, and the public who are interested in enjoying astronomy with other people. We are suggesting a variety of ideas to enjoy and touch astronomy, and carry out the ideas. We will share our experiences through our various activities.

1. Introduction premises that we and people have enjoyed the activities. Therefore, it is very difficult to classify our The TENPLA project is a cooperative network activities in the context of astronomy education and among people who engage in popularization of public outreach. Moderately, our activity is classified astronomy in Japan. The TENPLA project was as a new approach of enjoying our life through the organized in 2003 by Masaaki Hiramatsu and astronomy. Our activities is always open to any Naohiro Takanashi who were graduate students of people who interest in the TENPLA project. astronomy. Various people such as students, Conversely, TENPLA is a very free group, but researchers, educators, interpreters, designers, and TENPLA can provide a great chance to anyone who the public join the TENPLA project. We have been have an intent of enjoying and popularizing suggesting a variety of ideas to enjoy and touch astronomy. astronomy, and carry out the ideas. In this paper, we present a purpose and activities of the TENPLA 3. Activities project. You can see more detail at [1], [2], [3], [4]. We have carried out our activities under the 2. Purpose following policy. (1) Under the collaboration with members, (2) we suggest unique ideas, then (3) A purpose of the TENPLA project is to enjoy execute the ideas, and (4) enjoy the activities. We astronomy with people. It means that we feel happy think we should be cool and funny to enjoy our for enjoying astronomy itself at first, then people activities. The activities are roughly classified into concerned with us feel happy for enjoying three types. That is, (1) communication among astronomy, and finally we feel happy for making the TENPLA members, (2) communication with people, people happy with astronomy. TENPLA is and (3) communication with other groups who can independent from any organizations. We just concern us each other. organize TENPLA for our joy. We never think our activities intend to be a "education" or/and 3. 1. Communication among members "outreach" program since we think that we enjoying the activities at first is more important than such Communication among TENPLA members plays purposes. However, we welcome that our activities very important role in the activities. All of unique result in an "education" or/and "outreach" under the ideas we carried out were suggested through the communication among members. Discussion among *1 Institute of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Japan [email protected] members who are belonging to many sorts of *2 Department of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Japan communities is a very good ground for a growth of [email protected] various great ideas. We provided a chance of both *3 Institute of Astronomy, University of Tokyo, Japan [email protected] online communications and offline communications for members. We managed mailing list for the online communication. For the offline communications, we

hold visiting tours for Museums with members, and provided a chance of communication among members and the museum staffs.

3. 2. Communication with people

Communication with people is the main activity of TENPLA. We carried out many types of activities, which can be classified according to the people whom we targeted. At the start of TENPLA, we targeted people who visit to Planetariums, Science Museums, and Observatories. We held star-gazing parties and lectures at the places. But, we noticed that the people we targeted love science, universe, and astronomy enough to visit such institutes, and there are many Fig.1. Astronomical Toilet Paper. Story of life of a star other people who have no interest in visiting those is written in the roll. The text is not easy but enough attractive to spend time at rest room. We have sold astronomical institutes. 20,000 rolls at \250 per roll. Then, we targeted the people who don't intend to visit to astronomical institutes. Astronomical Toilet Paper (ATP) *4 is one of the methods to communicate 3. 3. Communication with other groups with those people. ATP is a very funny goodie which can attend the people who don't have an active Communication with other groups is also interest in astronomy. They were sold not only at important for popularizing astronomy. As you know, Museum shops but also at goodie shops on the street. there are many groups who intend to popularize Additionally, we have made Saturn Candy ("Dosei astronomy and science in the world. They work on Ame" in Japanese), Large Scale Structure Sensu their own stance, and their philosophies teach us (LSSS, "sensu" means a Japanese fan) and "Astro many things. We participated in not only astronomy Karta" (a traditional style card game). We also meetings such as IAU conference, Annual Meeting developed an online typing game named "Sora uchi" of Astronomical Society of Japan, but also meetings (meaning is "shoot the universe!"), held Science of teachers, interpreters, students and even local Cafes and other attractive events which are open to mothers. Point of views of popularization, people who don't intend to visit to astronomical communication with local communities of mothers, institutes. But, again we noticed that there are many fathers, elder peoples give us many clues of our next other people who have no chances to touch activities. Astronomy if they want because of barriers they have We also held a unique workshop about science in a lot of ways. goodies as a tool of science outreaching. People, Recently, we tried to target people who have mostly students, engaged in astronomy, biology, barriers in a lot of ways to touch Astronomy. We held chemistry, art joined the workshops, and suggested lectures in hospitals for children who can not go out. unique goodies. We invited developer of major toy We held lectures with free babysitting service at local company, artist, and editor of a Museum journal as community center for parents who have infants. We reviewers of the workshop. held daytime science cafes for mothers who are busy for daily household affairs to join night time lectures. 6. Conclusion We held astronomy club activities for elementary school student (see [1]). We presented a brief overview of TENPLA *4 The ATP and Astro-Karuta were funded by the Nissan project. We introduce our policies and methods of Science Foundation for making the prototypes. popularizing and enjoying astronomy we carried out.

The best way to popularize astronomy is uncertain in rapidly changing world. Our methods will become old fashioned one in the near future, but the ideology of TENPLA will still be available for the future. We hope this paper will give you some clues for your work.

References [1] Kamegai K. Takanashi N. & Hiramatsu M., 2007, “Outreach activities by TENPLA project”, Proc. of the GHOU 2007 in Tokyo, p. ???. [2] Kamegai K., Hiramatsu M., Takanashi N. & Tsukada K., “Popularization of Astronomy under Cooperation between Students and Educators in Japan: TENPLA project (2)”, 2006, Innovation in Teaching/Learning Astronomy Methods, 26th meeting of the IAU, Special Session 2, SPS2-98, Prague, Czech Republic [3] Hiramatsu M., Takanashi N., Kamegai K., Tsukada K., “Popularization of Astronomy under Cooperation between Students and Educators in Japan: TENPLA project (1)”, 2006, Innovation in Teaching/Learning Astronomy Methods, 26th meeting of the IAU, Special Session 2, SPS2-95, Prague, Czech Republic [4] www.tenpla.net