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Event

Christchurch Teachers’ Astrobiology Day

26 September 2025 - 26 September 2025

10:00 am–2:00 pm

Region(s): Canterbury

Type(s): presentations, professional Development

Celebrate ten years of astrobiology in Aotearoa with a free one-day event for teachers at the Air Force Museum, Christchurch. Hear from NASA and Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) scientists, explore a new exhibition, and discover how astrobiology can inspire future-ready science classrooms.

Designed especially for teachers who love big questions:

  • Where did we come from?

  • Are we alone in the universe?

  • What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?

Hear from incredible speakers:

  • Sarah Marcotte (NASA JPL) – Science communication and planetary exploration

  • Dr Sanjoy Som and Dr Graham Lau (BMSIS) – Earth analogues and the search for life

  • Haritina Mogoșanu – Why Bother? Astrobiology and the Future of Life

What’s included:

  • Educator-focused workshops and Q&A with international experts

  • Sneak peek at our new portable astrobiology exhibition for schools

  • Networking with like-minded science educators

Who should attend:

  • Primary and secondary school educators

  • Earth and Space Science, Biology, Physics teachers

  • Teachers interested in cross-curricular science and indigenous perspectives

Location: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Christchurch.

Educators from Ōtautahi and beyond are all welcome – come for the science, stay for the inspiration.

For more information and to register go to: https://astrobiology.nz/event/from-aotearoa-to-the-origins-of-life-christchurch-teachers-astrobiology-day-2

Brought to you by SpacewardBound.NZ, with support from the U.S. Embassy NZ and the Air Force Museum of New Zealand.

Explore more on the Hub

The astronomy topic covers a vast variety of articles and activities, from space junk, and launching satellites to navigating by the stars and the modern-day star compass (kāpehu whetū).

Use our webinar Aotearoa and space to discover a vast collection of resources designed to engage to grow New Zealand students' interest in space. Explore ways to utilise the vast range of articles, activities, videos and interactives we have created in collaboration with New Zealand scientists, engineers and mātauranga experts. See two examples below:

  •  Dr Pauline Harris talks about what happens at the interface of science and mātauranga Māori with the work she does as an astrophysicist, cosmologist and kairangahau Māori at the University of Wellington.

  • Explore the work of Sarah Kessans at the University of Canterburywho is using a CubeSat to better grow protein crystals in microgravity when her CubeSat is in low Earth orbit.

Citizen science

Discover how you can use an astronomy based citizen science project in your classroom with these projects (or use the Night sky topic filter):

  • Planet Hunters 

  • Agent Exoplanet

  • Globe at Night 

  • AI4Mars

  • Planet Four

  • Loss of the night

See all events

Glossary

Published: 14 August 2025
Referencing Hub media

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