A public summer school on astronomy in Denmark: experience from the course in 2002, 2003 and 2004

Abstract

During the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004 a one-week public course on Astronomy took place at Silkeborg Folk High School in central Jutland, Denmark. The aim of the course was to offer a possibility for students to meet research scientists and discuss central scientific questions and their answers. Researchers from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Aarhus University in Denmark took an active part in running this summer school and the course could also be seen as a part of the Department's general public outreach activities. The main aim of those activities is to: (1) show why research is important, (2) give students and children the possibility to meet people that do research, and (3) present authentic role models.