EPSC Abstracts
Vol. 18, EPSC-DPS2025-793, 2025, updated on 09 Jul 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-793
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Bridging Gaps in Science Communication: Introducing the SpaceGatesAcademy MOOC
Konstantina Moutsouroufi1,2, Styliani Tsilia3,1,2, Anastasia Tezari4,5,2, Ioannis Kontogiannis6,7,1, Maria Stratigou Psarra8,2, Emmanouil Georgios Drimalas9,10,2, Marios Kouzis2,5, Stavros Sklavenitis2, Grigoris Maravelias1, and Iakovos Strikis1
Konstantina Moutsouroufi et al.
  • 1PeriAstron, Heraklion, Greece (k_moutsour@hotmail.com)
  • 2SpaceGates, Students Outreach Team, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  • 3Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
  • 4Section of Teacher and Student Programmes, CERN, Geneve, Switzerland
  • 5National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
  • 6ETH Zürich, Zürich Switzerland
  • 7IRSOL Locarno, Switzerland
  • 8University of Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
  • 9Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
  • 10Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, USA

The SpaceGates Academy, an innovative educational initiative, has successfully empowered Greek undergraduate, graduate students, and Early Career Researchers in science communication, particularly focusing on Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space sciences. Building on this success, we are currently developing a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) to extend this opportunity to a wider global audience.

This MOOC aims to provide extensive access to science communication knowledge, by filling the gap in structured training unavailable in most university programmes. Drawing on the expertise of experienced outreach professionals and educators, the course covers a diverse range of topics including creative writing, storytelling, science performance, digital tools for teaching Astronomy, and STE(A)M education to an audience across Europe.

One of the distinguishing features of the SpaceGates Academy MOOC is its commitment to inclusivity. By targeting participants with hearing impairments, minority members, and individuals in remote areas, we aim to ensure accessibility for all. Learners will engage in interactive group chats and complete written and oral projects, fostering active participation and skill development.

Partially funded by the Europlanet Society Funding Scheme, implemented and supported by the PeriAstron non-profit organization, and with voluntary contributions from members of the SpaceGates students outreach team, this MOOC guarantees long term online presence with potential for expansion.

Through the SpaceGates Academy MOOC, we aspire to cultivate a diverse and inclusive community of science communicators, empowering individuals to effectively engage with audiences worldwide and promote the understanding and appreciation of astronomy and planetary sciences.

How to cite: Moutsouroufi, K., Tsilia, S., Tezari, A., Kontogiannis, I., Stratigou Psarra, M., Drimalas, E. G., Kouzis, M., Sklavenitis, S., Maravelias, G., and Strikis, I.: Bridging Gaps in Science Communication: Introducing the SpaceGatesAcademy MOOC, EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025, Helsinki, Finland, 7–12 Sep 2025, EPSC-DPS2025-793, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-793, 2025.