The International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC) is an annual summer camp for young people aged 16–24 with an interest in astronomy. Established in 1969, the IAYC has taken place in over 30 different places in Europe, North Africa and the Near East. The main goal of the camp is to bring culture and astronomy together and foster a positive community atmosphere. Participants work on astronomical projects in groups. Since 1969 more than 1700 young people have taken part in the IAYC. Nowadays, around 70 people participate in each camp.
IAYC participants have continued on to gain astronomy-related careers. Examples are Conny Aerts, a Belgian astrophysicist, Ofer Lahav, an Israeli-British cosmologist, Robert H. McNaught, a Scottish-Australian astronomer, Erich Karkoschka, a German astronomer and Govert Schilling, a Dutch science journalist. In recent years, the number of participants has remained stable at around 65–70.
See also
- List of astronomical societies
References
External links
- http://www.iayc.org – The IAYC website