Written byAaron Gronstal
A nighttime view of Western Europe is captured by crew members aboard the International Space Station. England is in the top right, Paris is the bright city near the middle. Belgium and the Netherlands occupying the middle-right of frame.NASA
The month of September marked some major announcements in Europe regarding initiatives relevant to the future of astrobiology and planetary science research on the continent. The creation of a new membership society, The Europlanet Society, was revealed at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC), held September 16-21, in Berlin, Germany. The Europlanet Society has been given the task to ‘promote the advancement of planetary science in Europe.’ Membership is open to both individuals and institutions, and the hope is that the society will build on the fifteen-year heritage of European Commission-funded Europlanet projects.
Prof Nigel Mason proposes the launch of the Europlanet Society at the General Assembly at the European Planetary Congress (EPSC) 2018 in Berlin.Image credit: Europlanet Society.
The Society is managed out of the Europlanet Executive Office, hosted by the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg, France. Regional hubs stationed around Europe will aid in the development of planetary science communities and networks throughout the member countries. The Europlanet Society will also act as the parent body for future EPSC meetings.
For more details on The Europlanet Society, visit:
http://www.europlanet-eu.org/europlanet-society-launched-at-the-european-planetary-science-congress-2018/
A nighttime view of Western Europe is captured by crew members aboard the International Space Station. England is in the top right, Paris is the bright city near the middle. Belgium and the Netherlands occupying the middle-right of frame.Image credit: NASA.
Also a topic at EPSC Berlin was the formation of a new European Astrobiology Institute (EAI). Forums at EPSC and the European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) Workshop (Berlin, Germany, Sept 24-28, 2018) were used to discuss the creation of the EAI, a consortium of research and higher education institutions across Europe that are invested in astrobiology science. The goals of EAI will be to carry out research, training, outreach, and dissemination activities to support and strengthen the European astrobiology community.
For more information on EAI, visit:
http://europeanastrobiology.eu/index.html
A press release concerning EAI is available from Europlanet at:
http://www.europlanet-eu.org/plans-for-european-astrobiology-institute-announced/