I am pleased to announce that we have hired a new staff member at the RASC Society office: Jenna Hinds has been appointed Youth Outreach Coordinator.

Jenna has a BSc from Mount Allison in Marine Biology and a Masters of Science in Science Communication and Public Engagement from the University of Edinburgh.

She has worked at the Ontario Science Centre for the past 2.5 years as a planetarium host, giving live shows on various aspects of astronomy.

Jenna’s prime responsibility will be to engage young people across the country in astronomy programming. She will be working with Centres to assess existing youth programming and will review astronomy educational programs offered by external organizations across the country. The top five to ten youth activities and best practices will be determined and shared nationally. Activities and resources will be posted on our website.  

Creating a communications network with youth advocates in RASC Centres and other astronomy groups is an important planning component. In this way, Jenna will effectively share youth programming and resources with many groups serving children and youth. 

The anticipated outcome is that hundreds of young people across the country will be newly introduced to the excitement and wonder of astronomy and become fascinated with learning how to navigate the sky. It’s expected that many will join the RASC and that some youth will take their interest further and find future careers in science.  

We thank the Trottier Family Foundation for providing funding for this position for three years.

Please join me in welcoming Jenna to the RASC!  Starting October 15th, she can be reached at jenna.hinds@rasc.ca  and phone: (416) 924-7973 Ext 4 

J. Randy Attwood

Executive Director

Royal Astronomical Society of Canada