NEWS RELEASE
International Amateur Radio Union
P.O. Box 310905
Newington, CT 06131-0905 USA
FAX: +1 860 594 0259
E-Mail: iaru@iaru.org
18 April 2003

For immediate release

IARU Celebrates World Amateur Radio Day

Each year on the anniversary of its founding, 18 April, the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) marks World Amateur Radio Day. On this, the 78^th anniversary of its inaugural meeting in Paris, the IARU dedicates World Amateur Radio Day to the radio amateurs, educators, and administrators who use Amateur Radio to support technology education in the classroom.

Such programs are not confined to the developed countries. They are even more valuable in countries where telecommunications technology is not yet commonplace, and where natural disasters and other disruptions can cause the overloading or even the loss of regular communications circuits.

Radio technology offers a wide array of tools for teachers to use as they integrate technology into the curriculum. In schools without an Internet connection, Amateur Radio can fill that void through interactive communications and shortwave reception. Elementary school teachers, using AM radios, can interject fun while helping students learn basic electricity and regional geography. Social Studies teachers can use Amateur Radio and shortwave receivers to teach about different cultures the world over, as well as advancing deeper into geopolitics and geography. Earth science and physics teachers can use radio to teach electricity and electronics, radio wave propagation, weather and atmospheric science. Language arts teachers may use radio to supplement writing, speaking and listening skills while providing access to numerous foreign languages from the lips of native speakers.

The IARU is the worldwide federation of national Amateur Radio organizations representing radio amateurs in 158 countries. It is a Sector Member of the International Telecommunication Union and is the recognized representative of the Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services at the ITU.