Orateur
Description
Since 2009, the Spanish Astronomy Society (SEA) has maintained a dedicated working group to foster this relationship: the ProAm Commission. This Commission assessed the state of ProAm collaboration in Spain in 2021 and then again in 2023. Data for the reports were gathered from recent amateur astronomy conferences, a thorough review of scientific publications involving amateur astronomers, and two surveys targeting both amateur and professional astronomers. The reports highlighted that Spanish amateur astronomers are actively collaborating with professionals, with approximately 100 amateurs consistently contributing to scientific publications and astronomical circulars. To date, Spanish amateurs have participated in over 200 peer-reviewed articles and nearly 5,000 astronomical circulars. However, the reports also revealed a notable gender disparity: only 4% of professional and 7% of amateur contributors in these collaborations are women. And both amateur and professional communities expressed a need for better communication channels. In this conference, we will review the measures taken by the SEA ProAm Commission during the last years to solve the gender gap and the lack of communication, and to promote new and better ProAm collaborations in Spain.
