Europlanet Society Webinar (29 November 2022): Expert exchanges – Past Case Studies and New Opportunities
14:00 CEST
The Expert Exchange Programme, funded through Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), aims to support the mobilisation of the planetary community to share expertise and best practice and to prepare new facilities and services for integration into the RI. The programme provides funding for short visits (up to one week).
Objectives for an Europlanet Expert Exchange might be:
To improve infrastructure facilities and services offered to the scientific community by Europlanet 2024 RI laboratories or institutes.
To provide training on theoretical or practical aspects of the laboratory/fieldwork required to plan a future TA application.
To foster cooperation between academia and industry (SMEs).
To support early career professionals to develop skills to use or manage RI facilities or services.
To widen participation from Under-Represented States in RI activities and services.
To support the inclusion of amateur communities in European planetary science campaigns.
To support engagement with wider society e.g. through the involvement of outreach providers, educators, journalists, artists etc.
Victor Dorneles visited the Natural History Museum in London through the Europlanet Expert Exchange Programme. Credit: V Dorneles.
In this webinar, Maria Genzer, the Expert Exchange Coordinator, presents some past case studies of Expert exchanges and answers questions related to the future applications.
Speakers:
Maria Genzer, Finnish Meteorological Institute
Register for this event by completing your registration on Zoom here.
Europlanet Society Webinar (25 October 2022): Europlanet Mentorship Platform for Early Career Researchers
14:00 CEST
The planetary sciences and related fields are built on the foundation of sharing knowledge and making it accessible to all. In August 2020, Europlanet launched the Mentorship platform with the aim to support early career researchers. The platform is built to help early career scientists to develop expertise, ask questions and discuss career plans with the support of more established members of the planetary community. The success of the mentorship programme highlights the need for this platform and the potential role it can play in developing the individuals within our community who will advance planetary sciences over the coming years.
In this webinar Edita Stonkute, the mentorship coordinator, will present the Europlanet mentorship platform and the current status of the programme. The mentees and mentors are invited to share their stories and participate in the discussion. We invite everyone who would like to learn more about the mentorship. This webinar will also include:
How Mentoring works
How to plan your Mentorship
How long will it takes for Mentors and Mentees to be matched?
Who is responsible for the Mentoring process?
Speakers:
Edita Stonkute, Vilnius University
Jen DeWitt, Europlanet 2024 RI Evaluation Officer
Anita Heward, Europlanet 2024 RI Networking Coordinator
Europlanet Society Webinar (11 October 2022): Take the Challenge – How Machine Learning Data Challenges Can Help Tackle Planetary Problems
14:00 CEST
Machine learning has revolutionised data analysis in many fields of science and industry, and examples of machine learning being used in planetary and exoplanetary research are currently increasing at an almost exponential rate. Running data challenges has proved an effective way of harnessing expertise and bringing the planetary community and other data analysis fields together. In this webinar, two case studies of machine learning challenges (both currently open to participants) are presented, followed by a discussion on the benefits and difficulties of organising data challenges related to planetary science.
Speakers:
Ingo Waldmann– The Ariel Machine Learning Challenges. Ingo will share insights into running three interdisciplinary machine learning challenges (2020-2022) linked to deciphering exoplanets’ atmospheres, and will he discuss some of the lessons learned so far.
Nick Cox, Giacomo Nodjumi and Dan Le Corre – the EXPLORE Lunar Data Challenges. Giacomo, Nick and Dan will talk about how they went about launching a new data challenge in 2022 to identify features on the Moon and plot a lunar traverse, and will discuss some of the issues they encountered (e.g. in preparing a suitable dataset).
The Ariel Machine Learning Challenges
The use of machine and deep learning is prevalent in many fields of science and industry and is now becoming more widespread in extrasolar planet and solar system sciences. Deep learning holds many potential advantages when it comes to modelling highly non-linear data, as well as speed improvements when compared to traditional analysis and modelling techniques.
As part of the ESA Ariel Space mission, the European Conference on Machine Learning (ECML-PKDD) and NeurIPS, we have organised three very successful machine learning challenges in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The aim was to provide new solutions to traditionally intractable problems and to foster closer collaboration between the exoplanet and machine learning communities. Often interdisciplinary approaches to long-standing problems are thwarted by jargon and a lack of familiarity. Data challenges are an excellent way to break down existing barriers and establish new links and collaborations.
The EXPLORE Lunar Data Challenges use machine learning techniques to identify geologic features of interest on the Moon. Through the Data Challenges, the EXPLORE project aims to support the automation of planetary mapping and the identification of hazards or resources for future missions.
The Machine Learning Lunar Data Challenge is open to students, professionals and enthusiasts interested in planetary science and data processing. The EXPLORE Lunar Classroom Challenge is aimed at school students aged 10-14 year olds. The EXPLORE Public Data Challenge is open to everyone that wants to have a go.
Europlanet Society Webinar (28 June 2022, 14:00 CEST): The Funding Landscape
The next round of funding calls from the European Horizon Europe programme is being issued with opportunities for the planetary science community In this webinar these opportunities and those open In Europlanet programme will be summarised.
We will also present an update on sustainability planning for Europlanet, including the formation of a new international Europlanet Association under Belgian law, which will provide a permanent legal structure for Europlanet.
The webinar is led by Nigel Mason, President of the Europlanet Society (University of Kent), and Didier Moreau, Treasurer of the Europlanet Society (Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy).
Register for this event by completing your registration on Zoom here.
Europlanet Society Webinar (31 May 2022, 14:00 CEST): Amateur Astronomy in Planetary Science – A Golden Age of Collaborations
Astronomy is one of the few sciences where non-professional scientists equipped only with modest means can acquire data that opens new discoveries. In recent years professional astronomers have become more aware of the immense potential offered by professional and amateur collaborations, and a vast number of citizen science projects have flourished. These projects engage not only amateur astronomers, but also the general public who can actively participate in the scientific endeavour.
In this webinar, Ricardo Hueso will review some success stories in professional and amateur collaborations in planetary science including the ever-expanding field of exoplanets. A look forward to new missions and large telescopes in the next decade indicates that the golden age of Pro-Am collaborations in Solar System astronomy is far from its end, and that new projects will largely benefit from collaborations with the public. The Europlanet Society and Europlanet 2024 RI promote many of these collaborations through various of their different programs including the access to the Europlanet Telescope Network.
The webinar is led by Ricardo Hueso (University of the Basque Country, Europlanet Society Executive Board)
Europlanet Society Webinar (26 April 2022, 14:00 CEST): Public Engagement in the Planetary Community
Are you looking for funding to kickstart an outreach or education project related to planetary science? Or have you run a successful public engagement project for which you deserve some recognition?
Europlanet awards grants of between 1 000 and 5 000 Euros to fund projects to engage the public with planetary science. Through the funding scheme, Europlanet aims to encourage new ways of sharing planetary science with different kinds of audiences across Europe (and beyond) to create socially impactful initiatives that combine research, learning, innovation and social development.
The Europlanet Prize for Public Engagement recognises achievements in engaging citizens with planetary science. The Prize of 1 500 Euros is awarded annually to individuals or groups who have developed innovative and socially impactful practices in planetary science communication and education.
In this webinar for Europlanet Society Members, Federica Duras (Chair, Europlanet Society Outreach Working Group/Edu INAF) announced details of the upcoming Calls for Europlanet Outreach Funding Scheme and Prize 2022, and two projects funded in previous rounds shared updates.
Europlanet Society Webinar (29 March 2022, 14:00 CET): ESA’s Science & Exploration Programme – Human and Robotic Exploration: A Strategy for the Next Decade
ESA is preparing its new strategy for the next decade. In this webinar Nigel Mason (member of the Human and Robotic Exploration science review panel), James Carpenter (Discipline Lead for Planetary Science in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration and Sebastien Vincent-Bonnieu (Discipline Lead for Physical Sciences in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration), will discuss some of the topics being proposed and outline the development of the strategy. The panel and ESA are eager to get some community feedback – so be ready to comment!
Europlanet Society Webinar (Tuesday, 22 February 2022): Pathway to Writing Proposals with Impact, 14:00 CET
The section on impact is as important as the sections on scientific excellence and management in EU funding bids, but consortia preparing proposals often struggle to know how to approach it. The template for Horizon Europe proposals is shorter and more structured than for previous funding frameworks, and requires applicants to set out a credible pathway to sustainable outcomes and impact.
This webinar introduces:
How to plan your impact section
How to make sure that it matches the requirements of the call
What is meant by communication, dissemination and exploitation
How to define an evaluation framework for outcomes and wider societal impacts.
The webinar is led by Anita Heward (Communications Manager, Europlanet 2024 RI) and Jen DeWitt (Evaluation Officer, Europlanet 2024 RI).
Europlanet Society Webinar (Tuesday, 25 January 2022): Europe and the New Space Race
In a recent interview,Niklas Nienass, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Germany in the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, spoke to Livia Giacomini (Europlanet Society) about his vision for space science in Europe. In this webinar, Europlanet Society Members will have the opportunity to discuss the points raised and feed back opinions from the Community to Mr Nienass.
The discussion points are: – What is your vision for European space industry in the future? – What can politics do to regulate space, both in the 27 nations and at a European scale? – Can space be one of the sectors to invest in to overcome the pandemic crisis? – What can the scientific and academic community do to help the development of the space sector? – How can Europe invest in education to support the space sector? – How can Europe help foster curiosity-driven science?
The webinar will be moderated by Livia Giacomini (Europlanet Society Executive Board) and Nigel Mason (Europlanet Society President).
Watch the interview with Niklass Nienass
Watch the webinar discussion
A summary of comments from Europlanet Society Members are being collated for Mr Nienass. If you would like to add to this, please submit your comment by 15 February 2022.
Upcoming Calls in the Horizon Europe Space Programme
Last week, there was a briefing on the Horizon Europe Space programme. The Programme has been one of the later ones to be completed and the timelines for calls are now rather tight (mainly 16 February 2022). However, there are topics where the Europlanet community can and should engage and some consortia have already started to form.
While there are some calls for 2022 that have yet to be fully shaped, the overall aims and objectives are clear. The EC is aiming through the Horizon Europe call to increase the inclusion of researchers, institutions and industry in areas that have been and currently are ‘under-represented’ in the Framework and H2020 programmes. This is in response to political comments by governments of those states and the desire to fully exploit the intellectual and creative potential in these member states, which form a quarter of the total EU population.
None of the programmes in this work programme are specific in terms of topical areas, thus they are open to all areas of science and technology, and areas that address the wider thematic themes of the Horizon Europe programme (the Mission Programmes) are particularly encouraged.
Europlanet strongly encourages its partners to utilize the Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area work programme to grow and sustain related research in those States where the planetary/space research community is small and developing.
Europlanet Society Webinar (8 September 2021): Applying for a Research Fellowship
The first step towards developing an independent research career is to secure your own Fellowship, in which you can develop your research ideas and even your own research team.
There are a multitude of national and International research funding opportunities aimed at providing ‘the best early career researchers’ with personal Fellowships, including the famous Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships and the European Research Council grants. All these schemes – national and international – have common criteria: namely that they wish to identify and support the best young talent and those with the potential to be leaders in their field.
So how should early career researchers prepare such a proposal and show that they have the ability to be an independent researcher and future leader in the field?
In this webinar, Prof Nigel Mason (President, Europlanet Society) describes how to write a Fellowship proposal and assemble the evidence that provides the referees and selection panel with the information they need to award you a Fellowship.
Nigel is joined by Prof Ilko Bald, who successfully applied for an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2018. Ilko is currently Professor of Hybrid Nanostructures in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Potsdam in Germany. His research is concerned with nanoparticles, synthesising nanostructures and using them for studying different applications and processes e.g. optical spectroscopy and the interaction of nanostructures with radiation.
Europlanet 2024 RI has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 871149.
Europlanet AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif – 0800.634.634) is hosted by the Department of Planetary Atmospheres of the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Avenue Circulaire 3, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium.
