Category: Meetings

Conference: Social and Ethical Frontiers in Space Exploration (Kiruna, Sweden, 23-24 September 2024)

A joint meeting of the European Astrobiology Institute and the Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology

This meeting will bring scholars, students, politicians, journalists and other stakeholders together to discuss the ethical, political legal, societal and environmental aspects of space exploration.

The conference will take place at Malmfälten Adult Education Centre in Kiruna, Sweden. Kiruna is 300 km north of the Arctic Circle and home to the Swedish ESRANGE Space Center and Rocket Range.

This promises to be a conference to remember, as it takes place during Lapland’s beautiful Indian Summer, which offers good prospectives for viewing the Northern Lights, and features tours of the Space Center and other local attractions along with an interesting and highly interdisciplinary program. Experts from every discipline interested in exploring the many complex social and ethical questions raised by space exploration and the search for life on other planets are invited to attend the first joint meeting of the two major groups devoted to this end.

Submissions addressing any of the many “broader questions” in astrobiology and space exploration are welcome

>> Abstract submission deadline is 1st June 2024 <<
>> Registration deadline is 30th June 2024 <<

All information is found on the on the >>website<<

EAI General Assembly

You are invited to participate in the General Assembly of the European Astrobiology Institute.

The General Assembly will run under the heading “Astrobiology: Recent Highlights and Future Key questions”.
It will take place from 4th June 2024 in the morning to 6th June 2024 in the evening at the Hessenpark Open Air Museum close to Frankfurt (Germany). Its main aim is to present past highlights of European Astrobiology and, especially detailed planning of the activities of the EAI’s Working Groups. The General Assembly will be held as a hybrid event with the possibility for online participation, although in the pursuit to foster fruitful discussion about future projects and initiatives of the EAI, physical presence is encouraged. The venue is inexpensive and easy to reach – there are many flights going to Frankfurt from lots of airports 

The General Assembly is open to interested scientists and students, We will also provide a limited number of bursaries for students and early career scientists covering single accommodation in the course venue or a hotel nearby and meals during the stay at the meeting. If you want to apply for a bursary please send in an abstract for a talk using the abstract form and inform us in the email that you are applying for a bursary.  

No registration fee is charged for attending the General Assembly.    

>> The website of the General Assembly of the EAI is now available at: https://europeanastrobiology.eu/2024-eai-general-assembly/ <<

The different Working Groups have identified several key subjects inside its area which it should have a special focus on for the next 2-3 years. At the General Assembly, those subjects will be discussed in detail. About half a day of the General Assembly will be devoted to each Working Group to discuss these themes in detail. These sessions will not only contain scientific talks but also ample time for discussions.  

The business meeting of the EAI will be held on the last evening. There will also be time to discuss plans for public engagement, media work, training, industry liaisons etc. Also, break-out sessions to discuss proposals (COST Actions, ERC Joint Projects. ISSI teams, ITN Networks) can be arranged.

The deadline of registration and abstract submission is 15th April 2024. If you want to apply for a bursary please mention it in the email. Recipients of bursaries which cover accommodation and meals will be notified in due course.

Summer School “Dust to DNA” in Copenhagen (Denmark)

A one-week course, aimed at PhD students, that covers the journey from interstellar dust to habitable planets and the conditions for life

Interdisciplinary lectures and hands-on sessions using perspectives from astronomy, cosmochemistry, geology, and astrobiology, within the framework of exoplanet systems and the potential for life to emerge

When: 19-23 August 2024
Where: Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Click here for more information. 

>> Registration deadline: 31st May 2024 <<

Early Career Workshop: Microsatellites and their use in planetary and astrobiology research (Tartu, Estonia, 24-31 August 2024)

The aim of the workshop will be to enable students and early career scientists to design micro-and nanosatellite missions tackling scientific themes and target objects they have chosen themselves previously. The workshop will consist of three parts:

  • a lectured part consisting of in-depth talks on the scientific background of the chosen mission themes and on important issues in satellite technology
  • a mission designing part where attendees plan these endeavours in detail with the help of satellite technologists
  • a final presentation of all the projects

To plan missions involving such small satellites successfully, intensive interaction and cooperation between scientists and space technologists are necessary, which is still lacking in some potential key applications. The workshop school aims to:

  • Highlight the possible potential of microsatellites in exploring different targets like the Moon, small bodies and outer satellites
  • Foster the interaction between space researchers and technologists
  • Allow participants to start the design and planning of new space missions
  • Contribute to the training of a new generation of space researchers

The work on the mission designs will continue after the workshop, thus ensuring a long-term impact.

The European Astrobiology Institute, Univeristy of Tartu and Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre will function as co-organisers of the workshop.

The workshop will consist of lectures by leading scientists, planning for different micro- or nanosatellite projects in small groups as well as open discussions. Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in a poster session. Furthermore, a one-day excursion to South Estonia and a walk around Tartu is included as a social programme.

The event is open to applicants from all nationalities. Nevertheless, recommendation letters for visa applications are only issued for participants selected by the organisers.

PLEASE NOTE: A limited number of bursaries for students and early career scientists (up to 8 years from their first PhD in a related field) from EAI institutions (see a list here) will be available. We are also working to get some funding for students and early career scientists from the US. Participants from EAI Institutions selected by the EAI for bursaries will be offered free lunches, excursions, farewell dinner and accommodation in a shared 2-bedded room at Raatuse Hostel from 23 August (arrival) to 1 September 2024 (departure), but have to fund their travel on their own. There is no special application for the bursaries, just send in your application form and tell us in the e-mail. Participants selected for the bursaries will be notified immediately after the application deadline (in good time after the registration deadline).

>> Application deadline is 1st May 2024 <<

All information is found on the on the >>website<<

2 weeks left to complete your registration!

(Corrected) The deadline for registering for our International Astrobiology School is in 2 weeks – March 15th (12pm CET)!

Head over >> here << to register.

❗Remember❗:

  • Please be aware that the registration does not ensure the enrolment. We would love to welcome you all! Unfortunately, the venue capacity is limited… At the end of the registration timeframe, registered people will be selected as fairly as possible across career stages and disciplines to reach the maximum number of 50 participants.
  • Enrolment is only complete following payment of the registration fee (200€). The bank details for the payment will be sent to you after the selection process.

🇮🇹 We hope to see you soon! 🇮🇹

EAI online seminar: Life on Earth, and Earth Alone: How to Make Sense of the N = 1 Problem in Astrobiology

Philipp Spillmann Department of History & Philosophy of Science University of Cambridge, UK

Tuesday, 5th March 2024, 16:00 CET (15:00 UTC)

Astrobiology is often said to be limited to a single instance of life in the universe: Life as we know it on Earth. Scientists and philosophers alike have been worried that this unfortunate predicament may lead to serious, perhaps even insurmountable obstacles to the justification of astrobiological models and theories. This concern is known as the N = 1 problem. In my talk, I take a closer look at this problem from a philosophical perspective, and analyze how exactly it is best phrased, explained, and solved – both in theory and scientific practice.

The talk will be streamed at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6631204351

Watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKnxVSsXEt8

5th AbGradE Workshop – Save the Date!

After a very successful event before EANA 2023 in Madrid, we are happy to announce that our second event to celebrate our 10th anniversary will take place on

>> September 2nd 2024 in Graz, Austria <<

(as usual, right before the EANA 2024 conference, September 3rd to 6th)!

The event will take place at the Space Research Institute (Institut fuer Weltraumforschung, IWF), and we will likely host an icebreaker event the evening before 🎈🍻.

So please, mark the first week of September 2024 in your calendar! Further information and details will follow within the next months, so keep an eye on our website and social media.

Summer School for Sample Return

This summer school, run by the Institut Origines at Aix-Marseille University and the Origins theme from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, will provide a unique platform to access both basic and cutting-edge knowledge related to the study of the origin of terrestrial planets and life based on the analysis of extraterrestrial samples in Earth laboratories.

There will be a particular focus on recent and future sample return missions. This multidisciplinary summer school will address domains including cosmochemistry, astrobiology, astrophysics, planetology, and more. You will learn through lectures and practicals from our large set of world experts as well as from more informal exchanges through a series of round tables with dedicated topics.

When: 24-28 June 2023
Where: Observatoire Haute-Provence, France

Click here for more information. 

Workshop: Earth and Planets Origin and Evolution

Registration and abstract submission are now open for the workshop on the formation and evolution of Earth and of the terrestrial planets, which will take place at the Natural History Museum in Paris on May 13-17, 2024.

>> Deadline for registering: February 15th <<

You can visit the page of the workshop here for more information.