Exo4Edu Preliminary Results at the Academic Days Cluj-Napoca 2026

The 9th International Conference on Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space, and Planetary Sciences was held from July 1 to July 3, 2026, at the Astronomical Observatory in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as part of the Academic Days Cluj-Napoca 2026 series. The subjects covered included Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Planetary and Earth Sciences, History of Science and Outreach, as well as Artificial Satellite Science, Engineering, and Space Science.

Csillik, I., Naghi, A., Busu, C., Marin, S., Birlan, M., Doressoundiram, A., Hafizi, M., Rojas, G., Hirtzig, M., and Roques, F. introduced the Exo4Edu Romania initiative, titled Exo4Edu Romania: Preliminary results and lessons learned (https://indico.global/event/17913/contributions/156930/), as part of the Exo4Edu Erasmus+ project, in collaboration with three other countries: France, Portugal, and Albania. The project is led by the Paris Observatory in France (https://exo4edu.eu). It aims to provide accessible information about exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life in the Universe, with materials also available in Romanian. Concurrently, there is an emphasis on improving skills in STEAM disciplines. The initiative has developed a toolkit that includes a revised database of exoplanets, along with resources and activities also in Romanian, which empowers educators to teach their students more effectively in their native language. Additionally, to achieve the main goal, researchers from the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy (https://www.astro.ro:8080/news/Exo4EduFeb.2026) organized a nationwide training program designed to equip teachers with high-quality, innovative courses and activities for implementation in their schools. As a result, akin to a massive avalanche, by training 21 teachers, we were able to reach and educate a larger number of children in their respective educational institutions.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/407369426_Exo4Edu_Romania_Preliminary_results_and_lesson_learned

The presentation achieved success, with many questions emerging concerning the implementation, potential avenues for participation in the project, and strategies for teachers to integrate the exoplanet (astronomy) course into educational settings to encourage STEAM projects.

Published on: Jul 19, 2026