Welcome!

Welcome to this cosmic adventure!

“Let’s talk about the Universe!” is a program for kids and teens (ages 6 to 15) interested in astronomy, cosmology, physics and science in general, aimed at triggering (or deepening) their innate capacity to have fun finding things out.

Before telling you more about it, let me tell you something:

They LOVE it!

In 2018, I was living in the United States, and it had been a year since I had decided not to continue with my academic career after my postdoctoral studies in Italy. I had thoroughly enjoyed my years of scientific research, but by then, I had been feeling a strong desire to share with others everything I knew and was passionate about. One day, as I reminisced about my childhood and adolescence, recalling all the things I had done or attempted to do as a child to get closer to the astronomy I loved so much, I realized that I needed to work with children. I felt the need and the desire not only to teach them about science, particularly the field that I enjoyed the most and in which I was most knowledgeable, but also to provide them with a space, a support system for those boys and girls who were interested in space and perhaps felt a bit alone in their passion. And that’s how I started this project that has revealed itself to be one of the most beautiful and fulfilling endeavors I have undertaken in my life.

I believe that there is no real and well grounded learning without critical thinking and reasoning, without interest and enthusiasm, without passion. In my point of view, when knowledge is systematically incorporated under those conditions, it becomes wisdom.

And wisdom sets us free, in every sense.

In the last two years, through online meetings I have been enjoying the beauty of the Universe and investigating its origin and components with more than 500 kids and teens in Argentina and other countries. The idea of these virtual encounters is to provide children and teenagers the opportunity to think critically and discuss about the universe, to express what they think about nature, to share it with others, and of course, to learn astonishing facts about outer space and our planet.

Kids love science in the same way they love dancing. If we give them the chance and the tools, their eagerness and curiosity can find no bounds!

They are all welcome to this cosmic adventure!

Please visit the different sections of this website for more detailed information!

 

What is the program all about?

The program offers courses consisting of five online ZOOM meetings that are held weekly, so that the whole course lasts 5 weeks. I’ve named the course “Episodes”.

  • In each meeting, by means of a shared presentation in which I include pictures, videos, animations, and a little bit of text,  we discuss and analyze two or three questions about the universe. The idea is to get to the answers together so I am constantly challenging their critical reasoning  and guiding their reasoning towards them.
  • There are courses for children ages 6 to 10 and teens ages 11 to 15. The subjects covered in both courses are very similar, but the approach is definitely different.
  • The maximum amount of participants in each course is ten. This number guarantees a nice and fluent interaction and the possibility for everyone to participate.
  • The meetings are NOT meant to be similar to a traditional school class!, not at all. I share lots of information with the kids and teens, but they are the main characters in this adventure.
  • In order to have fruitful and organized sessions, kids/teens remain muted while I talk, but as soon as they let me know they want to say something, I immediately give them the option to unmute themselves.
  • Each meeting lasts around 1 hour (not less, ever).
  • Participating in single meetings (not registering for the whole course) is possible, but subject to availability.
  • All the episodes are mainly focused on astronomy and cosmology, but  it is inevitable to discuss some physics and incorporate some hands-on experiments, (simple and homemade), every now and then!
  • After completing a whole Episode (five meetings), each kid/teen receives a certificate of completion signed by me (see “Gallery” section) 🙂 .

Please visit the section that corresponds to your child(s)/teen(s) age/s in the menu for more information!.

Kids ages 6 to 10

Episodes for kids ages 6 to 10 (aprox)

The meetings for kids ages 6 to 10 are meant to be dynamic and fun. I use a presentation with pictures, animations and videos to make their imagination and curiosity fly!. I am constantly challenging their critical reasoning by asking them questions and guiding them towards the answer.

(I invite you to watch this video where the  extraordinary physicist Richard Feynman talks about the beauty of finding things out: https://vimeo.com/340695809)

Clicking on this section’s tab you will find the content of each Episode. They are seven for now, but more will be added in the future.

To register a child, please visit the “Contact/Registration” section.

Teens ages 11 to 15

Episodes for teens 

The courses for teenagers are meant to be dynamic, entertaining and fun. While with the kids I cannot go deep into some concepts, with the teens I am able to be more accurate with some details and to raise somewhat the level of the discussions. 

I use presentations with pictures, simulations and videos to trigger their imagination and curiosity and I am constantly challenging their critical reasoning by asking them questions and guiding them towards the answer. 

(I invite you to watch this video where the extraordinary physicist Richard Feynman talks about the beauty of finding things out: https://vimeo.com/340695809)

Feel free to check out the content of every Episode by clicking on this section’s tab. For the moment there are seven, but more will be added in the near future.

To register a teen, please visit the “Contact/Registration” section.

About me

My name is Estefania Coluccio Leskow, and I hold a PhD in high energy physics from the University of Buenos Aires.

I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and due to my academic career and personal life, I ended up living in Vancouver, Canada, Naples, Italy and in New York and Washington DC, USA.

Five years ago, after doing a postdoc in Italy, I decided to quit the academia to devote my time to what I found out I enjoyed the most: teaching and communicating science.

In the last years, I have been a math Professor at the Universidad de San Andrés (Udesa) and a Physics Adjunct Professor at  the City University of New York (CUNY). Since 2009 I have taught maths and physics in different educational institutions including the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (FCEN) at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), the Universidad Nacional de Luján (UnLu)  and the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)

The last years also found me giving talks about astronomy, cosmology and physics not only to kids but to adult publics as well. I have written some articles about the environment for an online portal in Argentina called carbono.news and I am a member of massive science, a community dedicated to helping scientists share stories about their work and lives in pursuit of a more informed, rational, and curious society.

In 2018, I was living in the United States, and it had been a year since I had decided not to continue with my academic career after my postdoctoral studies in Italy. I had thoroughly enjoyed my years of scientific research, but by then, I had been feeling a strong desire to share with others everything I knew and was passionate about. One day, as I reminisced about my childhood and adolescence, recalling all the things I had done or attempted to do as a child to get closer to the astronomy I loved so much, I realized that I needed to work with children. I felt the need and the desire not only to teach them about science, particularly the field that I enjoyed the most and in which I was most knowledgeable, but also to provide them with a space, a support system for those boys and girls who were interested in space and perhaps felt a bit alone in their passion. And that’s how I started this project that has revealed itself to be one of the most beautiful and fulfilling endeavors I have undertaken in my life.

I believe that there is no real and well grounded learning without critical thinking and reasoning; without interest and enthusiasm, without passion. In my point of view, when knowledge is systematically incorporated under those conditions, it becomes wisdom. And wisdom sets us free, in every possible sense.

I currently have the honor of being the director of the Galileo Galilei Planetarium in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Due to this responsibility, the program is temporarily paused at the moment. However, a very similar one is being carried out by me at the Planetarium. Please visit the Planetarium website for information about the activities offered and/or follow me on Twitter to get to know what   the Planetarium and I are up to these days.

Here is my CV: cv_E. Coluccio Leskow