NWO (The Dutch Research Council) Diversity Initiative Award for Sera Markoff, NWO Communication Award presented to IAU100 outreach project

Altair, a project launched by Amsterdam-based astronomer Sera Markoff, has been awarded the NWO Diversity Initiative Award. The project introduces primary school children to astronomy and physics. The Diversity Initiative Award is awarded to initiatives that improve diversity in the field. Initiator Prof. Sera Markoff (University of Amsterdam) will receive € 50,000 to help further develop the project. IAU100, an international astronomy outreach project, was the first recipient of the NWO Communication Award. For the centenary celebrations of the International Astronomical Union in 2019, activities and projects were organised all around the world - including in the Netherlands - to promote the importance of astronomy. More than 5,000 activities in 143 countries have reached an estimated 100 million people.