Zara Randriamanakoto Quotes

I am often asked why I study astronomy and how useful it is in our daily lives. The reality is that astronomy is a long-term investment, and although its benefits might not always be evident it has significant impact in many ways.

Astronomy is a discipline that requires technical skills and cutting-edge technology . And these can be used to tackle environmental challenges such as climate change or to plan the long-term response to the current famine in southern Madagascar.

I did my undergraduate degree in physics, then a BSc Honours in energy physics at the University of Antananarivo. I then did postgraduate studies in astronomy and astrophysics (BSc Honours, Masters and then PhD thesis) at the University of Cape Town. I obtained my PhD in astronomy in 2015. Between 2015 and 2018, I was a SKA postdoc at the same university.

Like humans, a star cluster is born, lives, and dies. The duration of this process could be up to a few billion years or more.

Before coming to South Africa, I had very little knowledge about astronomy. At the time, there were no such subjects at university. My knowledge of astronomy was therefore limited to what I had learned in secondary school during geography lessons and through documentaries I had watched.

The reality is that astronomy is a long-term investment, and although its benefits might not always be evident it has significant impact in many ways.

Doing astronomy is like investing. It is a science that promotes innovation, an essential ingredient for the sustainable development of a country.

I am passionate about science engagement, the promotion of Girls and Women in STEM, and especially the advancement of astronomy in all its aspects in my home country (Madagascar) and Africa.

Nothing predestined me to become an astronomer. I moved to Antananarivo for my university studies at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Antananarivo. I obtained a master's degree in energy physics from the physics department in 2007.

I learned everything from her. She is a strong woman, who fought all her life to give us an education and against illness too. She is my first role model and gave me this energy, this fighting spirit, this strength of character."

It is the IAU that has the power to say what a planet is and that decided to place Pluto in another category, that of dwarf planets. I told myself that for Madagascar to be on the world map of astronomy, we had to join such an institution

Making a career in science in Africa is no longer a utopia. Believe in your dreams! But remember that there is no such thing as chance. Success does not fall from the sky.

The SKA project has helped put Africa on the map of the astronomy world and this is just the beginning.

Although my research work is currently based in South Africa, I have also been supervising M2 students in astrophysics at the University of Antananarivo since 2017.

To study astronomy astronomers need to look deep into the sky. This requires specialized equipment, techniques and skills. Eventually, modified versions of these tools and their way into our daily lives, such as in the manufacture of wireless network protocols (Wi-Fi), closed-circuit television and mobile phone cameras.