The NOVA Information Center (NIC)Ā is led by outreach officerĀ Marieke Baan, and is located at the Sterrenkundig Instituut ā€˜Anton Pannekoekā€™, University of Amsterdam. NIC collaborates with outreach officers at universities and at astronomical institutes and organizations in the Netherlands as well as abroad. NIC operates theĀ Astronomische Persdienst, an electronic ā€˜press agencyā€™ that distributes the latest Dutch astronomical news (in Dutch).Ā  The popular scientificĀ NIC website offers news, information about NOVA and about upcoming events, and ā€˜ask a questionā€™ service. Promotional and educational material (posters, CD-roms, brochures, exercises) is also available. We organize, or help organize, media events and outreach activities that put Dutch astronomy and science in general in the public mind. Ā Public interest in astronomy is immense. Popularization of astronomy is an excellent vehicle for stimulating interest in the natural sciences in general, which is of great importance at a time when the interest in university studies in some of these disciplines is declining. NOVA endorses theĀ IAU CharterĀ for Communicating Astronomy with the Public.

Contact:Ā NOVA Informatie Centrum

nova@astronomie.nl

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