Hello! My name is Kodai Fukushima and I am a master student from Hosei University in Japan. This summer, I had the opportunity to work as an intern at the international office of Universe Awareness (UNAWE) in Leiden, the Netherlands.
My interests in astronomy, and especially in astronomy education and public outreach, are how to connect to society and contribute to developing a better world by using astronomy and science communication as tools. So far, I have been involved in astronomy education and public outreach projects in order to examine the impacts on society of astronomy in Japan, Cambodia, and South Africa. During my days in these countries, I have pursued the answer to my goal, astronomy for a better world.
During my internship, I have been working on Microfunding for UNAWE projects. The purpose of this project is to inspire children with our wonderful cosmos and to celebrate Universe Awareness' 10 Year Anniversary. I developed the ideas around the project and created the project submission form in order to gather great ideas and evaluate them. At UNAWE International Office, I have been proceeding with this project with UNAWE global network which has more than 60 member countries all over the world. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with Pedro Russo, Tibisay Sankatsing Nava, and the rest of UNAWE team.
In this internship, I had also a chance to visit astronomy research institutes in Europe. I visited The Haus der Astronomie (HdA), Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Headquarters, Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA), and Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa. Thanks to their warm welcome and support, visiting these institutes broadened my horizons and inspired me to hit upon ideas about astronomy education and public outreach. Based on experiences in Europe, I would like to develop astronomy education and public outreach program in Japan.
The meaning of astronomy for me hasn't changed since I saw the impressive starry sky in the Tohoku region, which was affected by The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11th, 2011. When I held a stargazing party in a community affected by disaster, one participant commented that seeing so many people enjoy staring into the starry sky, gave her courage to move on. I was very touched by this and felt a genuine sense of accomplishment.
I believe that the starry sky has possibilities to make people smile, ignite our intellectual curiosity, and remind us we all that we live as global citizens on a tiny planet in the vastness of the universe. I believe that astronomy can pave the way to world peace. This is the meaning of astronomy for me. It became stronger during the days at UNAWE.
Finally, thank you so much, UNAWE International team members, for your warm welcome and giving me wonderful experiences in this summer! I will keep up my challenge to use astronomy for a better world.
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