Western University to host night celebrating women and non-binary astronomers

Western University will be marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with a celebration of women and non-binary astronomers.

The day is marked by the United Nations each year on Feb. 11 and is intended to recognize the role women play in science while working to dismantle the gender barriers they face.

On Tuesday, Western will host a free night of activities, trivia and discussion at its Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory.

Western will also be celebrating the Canadian Space Agency’s Junior Astronauts campaign, an initiative that aims to inspire the next generation of Canadian astronauts.

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The night kicks off at 5 p.m. with Junior Astronaut activities and Women in Space trivia.

Later on, guests will have a chance to hear from a panel made up of women and non-binary space scientists. Panellists include Avery Mainprize, Athithya Aravinthan, Catheryn Ryan, Shauna Burke and Hira Nadeem.

There will also be a chance to hear from an engineer from the Canadian Space Agency.

The event is free, and guests are allowed to come and go as they please.

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