The 45th International School for Young Astronomers (ISYA), a program of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was hosted in Hotel Les Sables d’Or Zeralda – Algiers, Algeria, co-organized by the Centre de Recherche en Astronomie, Astrophysique et Géophysique (CRAAG) and the General Directorate of Scientific Research and Technological Development (DGRSDT)of Algeria from September 15th to October 4th, 2024. The school moto, “Building a new vision for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Algeria” was intended to emphasize the training in modern Astrophysics in the host country, which has a small IAU membership.
We received 30 students, mostly at MSc level, from Albania, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Hungary (originally from Lebanon), Iran, Nigeria (originally from Zambia), Rwanda, Turkey, and Uganda. They have been trained by a team of 14 lecturers from Algeria, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Ethiopia, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain.
The following photos have been taken by organizers and students during the school. All photos were mixed in a common Google Drive, so giving credit to each of the photographers is now impossible. Let’s say this is a collective gallery with ISYA family contributors.
The “crazy happy” official photo of the school, when we had almost all of the lecturers present. Right to left, top to bottom: Mohamed Dahmani Della (Algeria), Younes Zakaria Tair (Algeria), Osama Ramla (Egypt), Katia Becheker (Algeria), lecturer Frèdèric Galliano (France), lecturer Roger Hajjar (Canada), lecturer James Chibueze (South Africa), Sam Samuneti (Nigeria), lecturer Tiago Pereira (Norway), Souleymane Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Ahmet Cem Kutluay (Turkey), Ahmed Gueboudji (Algeria), lecturer Marat Gilfanov (Germany), Sena Aleyna Şentürk (Turkey), Amel Benali (Algeria), lecturer Yassine Damerdji (Algeria), visiting student Meriam Mansouri (Algeria), visiting student Omar Farouk Zouak (Algeria),visiting student Farida Boubeker (Algeria), Ivan Turyahabwe (Uganda), Zakaria Hezam (Algeria), Amel Djardini (Algeria), lecturer Mirjana Povic (Ethiopia/Spain), LOC Dalel Aberkane (Algeria), Delphine Nishmwe (Rwanda), Stephen Sottie (Ghana), CRAAG staff Dahmane (Algeria), Mehdi Kaci (Algeria), Alaa Rezzaz (Algeria), Manel Harizi (Algeria), Ayoub Sarri (Algeria), Marsida Laze (Albania), Fateme Soltanzade Fariman (Iran), Noudjoud Balahouane (Algeria), Echeima Amine Khodja (Algeria), Mehbuba Ahmed Mohammed (Ethiopia), lecturer Amina Boulkaboul (Algeria), visitor Naouel Boulkaboul (Algeria), lecturer Helena Domínguez Sánchez (Spain), lecturer Naceur Bouziani (Algeria), Haithem Taha (Algeria), lecturer/co-director Itziar Aretxaga (Mexico), lecturer and local director Nassim Seghouani (Algeria), Rania Benarbia (Algeria), Jasmine Khalil (Egypt), Yasmin Nehme (Hungary), Rania Guendouz (Algeria), Romaissa Maalin (Algeria), lecturer/co-director David Mota (Norway).
Group Photo at CRAAG – Algiers Observatory. This is the second oldest observatory built in the African Continent during colonial times. Cool!
Classroom:
Career Development Workshop, first session: the scientific career and dangers to avoid
Career Development Workshop, Ethics session. I am giving instructions on what to do in the two parallel groups we have created.
Career Development Workshop, ethics activity. The fun begins. David Mota (Univ. Oslo, Norway) is answering questions and keeping some order.
Career Development Workshop, ethics activity. Discussion.
Career Development Workshop, ethics activity. One of the students explains his point of view.
Classroom view.
Classroom view.
Naceur Bouziani (CRAAG, Algeria) begins his course on the Solar System.
Me lecturing on Galaxies to an attentive audience.
Marat Gilfanov (MPA, Germany) at the blackboard during his third lecture on High Energy Astrophysics.
Frédéric Galliano (Saclay, France) during his lecture on the Interstellar Medium.
Helena Domínguez Sánchez (IFCA, Spain) brings a student to the board to do a design calculation for a neural network in her Machine Learning course.
Alessandro Bressan (SISSA, Italy) was unable to attend school and had to teach Stellar Evolution online. In the screen of Yassine Djamerdi one can see the whole classroom standing up in a general aplause at the end of his last lecture.
Tiago Pereira (Univ. Oslo, Norway) on Solar Physics, one of the courses that students were most excited about!
Amina Boulkaboul (CRAAG, Algeria) one of the lecturers of Observational Astronomy on Spherical Astronomy.
James Chibueze (UNISA/NWU, South Africa) in the middle of his Radioastronomy class.
Lecturer Roger Hajjar (Vanier College, Canada) tutoring a group project
Group projects underway.
Roger Hajjar explains concepts during group project time.
A group of 3 finishing work for presentation at the end of the school.
Yassine Damerdji (CRAAG, Algeria) tutoring during Observational Astronomy.
Some happy students who finished synthesizing a VLA map during Radio Astronomy, with their lecturer James Chibueze.
Mirjana Povic (ESSTI, Ethiopia/IAA,Spain) helping students during a Virtual Observatory laboratory.
Students had to present short 1.5min talks. Here Echeima from Constantine (Algeria) shows us her interests.
Amel from Annaba (Algeria) showing her interests during the 1.5 minute flash talk.
Group projects were presented at the end of school. This is Mehbuba from Ethiopia, one of the members of a group of 3.
Jasmine from Egypt on the group results of observing the transit of an exoplanet, or is it a stellar spot?
Yasmin from Lebanon, on the observation techniques used.
Mohamed from Algiers during his presentation turn.
Younes, from Oran, a theoretical physicist, was working on observations for 3 weeks
Weekend tours:
A visit to the Numidian/Roman tomb of Cleopatra Selene, first queen of Numidia-Mauritania
Meal in Tipaza
A visit to the Algiers, at the steps of the Mosque.
At Le Jardin d’Essai du Hamma
A visit to the Palace in Algiers Casbah.
Meal at Casbah
In front of the Communications Palace of Algiers
In El Atteuf, Ghardaïa
Visit to the Sidi Brahim mausoleum, El Atteuf
Visit to the traditional house of our guide in El Atteuf, Ahmed Bakelli, to the right in the first row. He no longer lives in this house, but they preserve it in a traditional way to show visitors..
Waiting for the night to go dark in Sebseb oasis
so that we could observe the Milky Way.
The directors of the school:
David Mota, Itziar Aretxaga and Nassim Seghouani (CRAAG, Algeria), directors of 45 ISYA in Algiers, during the visit to the Roman ruins of Tipaza.
All in all a very succesful school! Thanks to the students, the lecturers and our Algerian colleagues for making this such a great experience.
