The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) is an

annual astronomy competition

for high
schoolstudents.
It
is
one
of
the international science olympiads.
The Olympiad was founded from a dissidence inside the International Astronomy
Olympiad, in order to increase the scope of the organization. The first IOAA
website states that:
"IOAA is designed to be a truly international organization on Astronomy and
Astrophysics competitions. The organization is run by an international
committee, whose members are elected from international members of the
organization."
The first IOAA was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in November/December 2007.
The subsequent annual meetings were held during August/September or October
in Indonesia (2008), Iran (2009), China (2010), Poland (2011), Brazil and then
Greece in 2013. The most recent installment took place in Suceava, Romania,
from 1 to 11 August 2014, while the next one will be organised by Indonesia in
2015.

Format

Theoretical Exam during the 3rd IOAA, 2009,Tehran, Iran

The IOAA is organized annually in a different host country, which shall cover all
costs with every team during the event (including lodging, food, excursions,
awards, etc.). Having no registration fee, the participating countries shall only
cover the expenses for its own team to arrive at the host place.[3]
Each participating country sends one regular team with up to five (5) high
school students (or students who finished their high school within the year of the
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competition), accompanied by two team leaders, normally scientists or teachers.

[4] In addition, the host country has the right to send one additional guest team.

Observational Exam during the 6th IOAA, 2012, Vassouras, Brazil

Exams
One differential in astronomy tests is the great importance of knowing the skies
and of carrying systematic observations, something as important as the
formulation of hypotheses and theories. Therefore, an astronomy competitor
should be tested both in his theoretical and practical skills. Furthermore, it is also
very important to know how to work collaborativelly, in a team.
Typically then, an IOAA participant faces four exams:
1. Theoretical Exam: consisting of 15 short questions and 2 or 3 long
questions, with 5 hours to solve. It counts as 50% of the mark.
2. Data Analysis Exam: a paper- or computer-based task for analysing
actual data obtained from professional astronomers, with usually 4
hours to solve. It counts as 25% of the mark.
3. Observational Exam: questions concerning direct observation of
the sky (in
the
real
sky
or
in
a planetarium),
recognizing stars, constellations, nebulae, great circles, etc. It counts as
25% of the mark.
4. Team Competition: A separated competition, in which national teams
are set to do a huge task, involving both individual and group efforts,
with theoretical and /or practical reasoning.
Although the official working language of IOAA is English, each exam is translated
beforehand, by the team leaders of each country, for the students' native
languages.
The host country should have an academical jury which should prepare, apply
and give marks to the exams. But the team leaders have an important role on it,
in the following steps:

The jury presents its version of each exam and the leaders discuss the
adequacy of each question, propose changes and, in some cases,
replace questions;

Then the leaders translate the exams into their national language, so
that each student can read the exams in its own language;

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The leaders receive copies of their students' tests and the marking
made by the jury. If a leader disagrees with some marking, he /she can
complain in the moderation session.

Prize nomination

Moderation Session during the 3rd IOAA, 2009, at the Parsian Azadi
Hotel, Tehran, Iran
The criteria for prize nominations at IOAA is as follows:[6] the average of the
three biggest marks makes 100%.

gold medals are between 100 and 90%

silver medals are between 90 and 78%

bronze medals are between 78 and 65%

honor mentions are between 65 and 50%

In addition to that, the first mark overall receives a special prize as absolute
winner. The best marks in each of the exams (theoretical, data analysis and
observational) also receive special prizes. Furthermore, each host country can
offer other special prizes as well (in 2009, Iran offered the prizes of most creative
solution, most
concise
answer, most
organized
answer, most
skillful
observer and most calm observer[7]).

International Board
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Chatief Kunjaya, President

Gregorz Stachowski, General Secretary
Marietta Vazgen Gyulzadyan, Armenia
Emilya Karapetyan, Armenia
Taif Hossain Rocky, Bangladesh
Moshurl Amin, Bangladesh
Alexander Poplavsky, Belarus
Stanislaw Sekerzhitsky, Belarus
Mirko Sime Raljevic Ergueta, Bolivia
Gustavo de Araujo Rojas, Brazil
Eugenio Reis Neto, Brazil
Nikola Ognyanov Karavasilev, Bulgaria
Zahari Donchev, Bulgaria
Vera Zagainova, Canada
Konstantin Toubis, Canada
Ziping Nelson Zhang, P. R. China
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17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.

Yan Dai, P. R. China

Cristian Alberto Goez Theran, Colombia
Juan Sebastian Valbuena Bermudez, Colombia
Damir Hrzina, Croatia
Ivan Romstajn, Croatia
Tom Grf, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Tnis Eenme, Estonia
Jaan Laur, Estonia
Teimuraz Gachechiladze, Georgia
Guram Mikaberidze, Georgia
Loukas Zachilas, Greece
John Hugh Seiradakis, Greece
Tibor Jzsef Hegeds, Hungary
Imre Udvardi Szony, Hungary
Aniket Sule, India
Swapnil Sushil Jawkar, India
Mochamad Ikbal Arifyanto, Indonesia
Rhorom Priyatikanto, Indonesia
Mehdi Khakian Ghomi, Iran
Habib Gharar Khosroshahi, Iran
Nurzada Beisen, Kazakhstan
Aizhan Mansurova, Kazakhstan,
Aleksandra Shumeiko, Kyrgyzstan
Dzharkyn Bapanova, Kyrgyzstan
Audrius Bridius, Lithuania
Gediminas Beresneviius, Lithuania
Wooi Hou Chan, Malaysia
Keng Yin Fong, Malysia
Carlos Miguel Garca Rosas, Mexico
Daniel Tafoya Martinez, Mexico
Suresh Bhattarai, Nepal
Manisha Dwa, Nepal
Muhammad Asif Raza, Pakistan
Waldemar Ogloza, Poland
Wioletta Ogloza, Poland
Jorge Manuel Custadio Grave, Portugal
Cristian Prghie, Romania
Petru Crciun, Romania
Boris Eskin, Russia
Kuznetsov Mikhail, Russia
Sonja Vidojevic, Serbia
Stefan Anelkovi, Serbia
Geraldine Tan, Singapore
Dave Lommen, Singapore
Ladislav Hric, Slovakia
Maria Hricov Bartolomejov, Slovakia
Tadeja Veri, Slovenia
Andrej Gutin, Slovenia
Yong Bok Lee, South Korea
Hyungmin Park, South Korea
Kalu Pathirannahelage Sarath Chandana Jayaratne, Sri Lanka
Saman Aravinda Mallika Appuhamilage, Sri Lanka
Pornthep Nisamaneephong, Thailand
Ngarmjit Jearnkulprasert, Thailand
Andrii Simon, Ukraine
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73.
74.
75.
76.

Volodymyr Reshetnyk, Ukraine

Sandor Jozsef Kruk, United Kingdom
Charles Edward Barclay, United Kingdom
Luke Finnerty, United States of America

History of IOAA
IOAA 2007 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
The first IOAA was held from 30 th November to 9th December 2007, to
commemorate the 80th birth anniversary of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of
Thailand and the 84th birth anniversary of the Princess Galyani Vadhana of
Thailand. Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Greece, India,
Indonesia, Iran, South Korea, Laos, Lithuania, Myanmar, Poland, Romania,
Singapore, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Ukraine participated in the first
IOAA. The International Board, composed by the leaders of every attending
country, formally adopted statutes of IOAA. The international board also elected,
for a five-year term, a President (Dr. Boonrucksar Soonthornthum, Thailand) and a
General Secretary (Dr. Chatief Kunjaya, Indonesia).

IOAA 2007 opening Ceremony

IOAA 2008 - Bandung, Indonesia

The second IOAA was from 19th to 28th August 2008, with teams from 22 countries
including a team from Cambodia and an observer from Malaysia.

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Team Guides at IOAA 2008

IOAA 2009 - Tehran, Iran

Team Leaders at IOAA 2009 closing ceremony

The third IOAA was held from 17th to 27th October 2009. The observational exam
was held in the desert, in the Caravanserai of Deh Namak. 20 countries
participated including first time participants Kazakhstan and Serbia.

IOAA 2010 - Beijing, China

The fourth IOAA was held from 12th to 21st September 2010. One-hundred
fourteen competitors from 23 countries participated in the event. It was a first
time participation for Czech Republic, Philippines and Russia.

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IOAA 2010 all participants at the opening ceremony

IOAA 2011 - Krakow - Katowice - Chorzow, Poland

The fifth IOAA was held from 25th August to 4th September 2011. This was the first
IOAA to be held in Europe. The participants came from 26 countries, including the
first time participation by Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Hungary and Portugal. For
a term from 2012 to 2016, The International Board elected a new President (Dr.
Chatief Kunjaya, Indonesia) and a General Secretary (Dr. Gregorz Stachowski,
Poland). They also indicated two Regional Coordinators (Dr. Thais Mothe Diniz,
Brazil, for Americas and Dr. Aniket Sule, India, for Asia and Pacific).

Participants attempting data analysis round during IOAA 2011

IOAA 2012 - Rio de Janeiro and Vassouras, Brazil

The sixth IOAA was held from 4 th to 13th August 2012. This was the first IOAA to
be held in the western hemisphere. The participants came from 28 countries
including reintroduction of Singapore and a solitary student representing United
Arab Emirates.

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Closing ceremony of IOAA 2012

IOAA 2013 - Volos, Greece

The seventh IOAA was held from 27 th July to 4th August 2013. Total 39 teams from
35 countries participated in the event. These included first time teams from
Armenia, Canada, Cyprus , F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Slovenia
and U.S.A.

Closing ceremony of IOAA 2013

IOAA 2014 - Suceava and Gura Humorului, Romania

The eighth IOAA was held from 1st to 11th August 2014. Total 42 teams from 37
countries participated in the event. These included first time teams from Mexico,
Moldova, Montenegro, Nepal and Pakistan.

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Closing ceremony of IOAA 2014

IOAA 2015 - Magelang, Indonesia

Prof. M. N. Vahia (2016 host) accepts IOAA flag from Prof. Chatief Kunjaya
(President of IOAA and 2015 host)
The 9th IOAA was held from 26th July to 4th August 2014. Total 46 teams from 41
countries participated in the event. These included first time teams from Estonia,
Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and United Kingdom. In addition, observers from Sweden and
Qatar attended the IOAA.

IOAA 2016 - Bhubaneswar, India

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We invite young astronomy students from all countries of the world to come and
participate in the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics. It is an
opportunity for pre-university students from various countries to meet and make
friends with students with similar interest from all part of the world. At the last
IOAA, participants from 41 countries came and spent 10 days together competing
and interacting with each other. We hope to have more countries in India this
year, when we host IOAA from 9 to 19 December 2016.
India is one of the oldest countries in the world with its prehistory going back to
almost 2 million years. It housed one of the earliest large scale civilisation, the
Harappan civilisation from 7000 to 2000 BC and has not looked back. It is home
to some of the finest architecture in the world from Taj Mahal to the magnificent
Sun Temple at Konark, which the participants to the Olympiad will visit.
India is also a vibrant democracy with a lot of interest and investments in pure
sciences in general and astronomy in particular. Apart from several meter class
astronomical telescopes, it hosts the worlds largest meter wave telescope and
has recently launched a state of the art multi-wavelength astronomy telescope.
We are hosting the 10th International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics as
a part of our continuing tradition of encouraging young students to appreciate
and enjoy the excitement of this oldest of pure sciences. The programme will also
offer you an opportunity to meet Indian students beyond the participants through
an active outreach programme associated with the event.
10th IOAA will be hosted in one of the most picturesque and ancient city of
Bhubaneswar, which boasts of a rich tradition of religious architecture, art form
and cuisine. The city of Bhubaneswar, is also the capital of the state of Odisha.
The host institute will be National Institute for Science Education and Research
(NISER).
For those of you who are new to the event, IOAA will comprise of three rounds i.e.
theoretical test, observation test and data analysis test, whose total will count
towards medals of participating students. In addition, there will also be a team
competition to determine the best team. Detailed programme of the Olympiad
will be announced later. Participants may note that as per the tentative schedule,
opening ceremony of 10th IOAA will be held on the evening of 10th December
and closing ceremony will be held on the evening of 18th December. If you would
like to bring a team of students from your country, follow the instructions on the
pre-registration page.
So do come to India and enjoy our hospitality, our cuisine and make friends from
all over the world.

Host Institution:
National Institute for Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar

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National Advisory Committee

Chair: Prof. V. Chandrasekhar, Director, NISER
Members: To be announced.

Local Organising Committee

Convener: Prof. Subhasis Basak, NISER
Co-convener: Dr. Aniket Sule, HBCSE (TIFR), Mumbai
Prof. Ashok Mohapatra, NISER
Prof. Pranay Kumar Swain, NISER
Prof. Arindam Ghosh, NISER

Academic Committee
Academic committee for IOAA 2016 will comprise of astronomy researchers and
educators from most of the leading institutions in the country. This effort will be
largely coordinated by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE
TIFR), Mumbai.

Bhubaneswar
Popularly known as the city of temples, Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha,
located at approximately 20oN and 86oE at an average altitude of 45 metres.

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Bhubaneswar has a long history dating back to the 1st and 2nd century CE.
Important places to visit in and around Bhubaneswar include Lingaraj,
Mukteshwar, Rajarani temple, Museum of Natural History, the caves of Udaygiri
and Khandgiri, the Rock edicts at Dhauli, etc. Konarks Sun Temple by the sea and
Puri, two of Indias top tourist attractions are just over an hours drive away.
Fast growing as an educational hub, it caters to more than 1.4 million people
today. The airport at Bhubaneswar is very well connected to the international
hubs such as Mumbai and New Delhi as well as to other major cities of India.
Bhubaneswar is one of the greenest cities in the country. The weather in
December is expected to be pleasant with clear skies. Typical daytime
temperatures would be between 25-30o C and nighttime temperatures would be
between 8-12o C.

National Institute for Science Education and Research

An autonomous institute under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of
India and a unique institution of its kind, NISER continues to strive to be
recognized as a centre of excellence in science education and research in Basic
Sciences and related areas.

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The sprawling 300 acres campus is located at Jatni, which is about 25 kms from
Bhubaneswar Airport. NISER presently has about 600 students for its 5-year M.Sc.
in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. In addition, it also runs a
doctoral programme in all Basic Sciences. In near future, NISER would initiate
undergraduate programmes in the areas of Earth and Planetary Science,
Computer Science and MSc-PhD dual degree.
The vibrant and extremely talented faculty members drawn from the most
reputed institutes and universities across the globe have set highest standards
for themselves. At NISER they are committed to nurture world class scientists and
prepare the students to take up cutting edge research and neo-age teaching
assignments in academia, R&D labs and industries.

The Vietnamese Team

2016 is the first year Viet Nam participate in this significant contest. 5 young
students were selected to the Team.

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Vietnamese contestants, from left: Quang Thanh, Tien Nhan, Hong Long, Le Duy,
Duc Huy

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