A European collaborative project
Led by Alain Doressoundiram, deputy director of LIRA, and supported by the Observatory’s Training and Education Unit (UFE), Exo4Edu brings together a consortium of partners from four countries:
- France: Paris Observatory – PSL / Global Hands-on Universe (GHOU)
- Portugal: GHOU Portugal
- Romania: Institute of Astronomy of the Romanian Academy
- Albania: University of Tirana
This international cooperation brings together astronomers, teachers, and 3D technology specialists to bring scientific research advances into the classroom.
An educational toolkit for exploring exoplanets
The project is developing an educational platform and interactive toolkit comprising:
- an up-to-date database on exoplanets,
- activities and resources adapted to school curricula,
- 3D visualization and analysis tools,
- training modules for teachers.
These resources, now available in French, English, Portuguese, Romanian, and Albanian, enable teachers to introduce their students to the scientific process and the analysis of real data from astronomical research.
The consortium meets in Meudon
On September 23 and 24, the project partners gathered in Meudon, at the Observatory site, for their second annual meeting. This milestone marked the official launch of the implementation phase for the tools in classrooms and the teacher training program.
On October 1, a presentation videoconference brought together numerous teachers, trainers, and educational leaders. The event provided an opportunity to present the project’s objectives and educational benefits, as well as the teaching tools now available via the exo4edu.eu platform.
The meeting also provided a forum for fruitful discussions with the project team about initial classroom use and prospects for deployment on a European scale.