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EAS News
EAS 2020 in Leiden, 29 June - 3 July 2020
List of Symposia and Sessions available online
Preparations for EAS Annual Meeting 2020 in Leiden, the Netherlands, are ongoing. As the coronavirus impacts around Europe, the health and safety of participants at the meeting is our main priority and we are closely monitoring the situation especially for Leiden and the Netherlands in general. At this stage, we aim to hold the EAS 2020 as planned. We will provide further information on the EAS website and the EAS 2020 website should the situation evolve. The organisers have set up an exciting programme with no less than 16 Symposia, 35 Special Sessions, 14 Lunch Sessions, and 8 Plenary Talks. The scientific programme, as well as all the details concerning travel information, social events, etc., can be checked online at the EAS 2020 website. We look forward to seeing you all in Leiden in June.
EAS News
EAS 2021 in Valencia, 28 June - 2 July 2021
Call for proposals for Symposia and Special Sessions in summer
The 2021 EAS Annual Meeting, formerly known as EWASS, will be held in Valencia, Spain, from 28 June to 2 July 2021. Valencia is the third-largest city in Spain, and well connected to all major European cities. The venue is the Valencia Conference Centre, chosen in 2018 as the World's Best Convention Centre by the International Association of Conference Centres. About 1200 participants are expected to attend the Annual Meeting of the European Astronomical Society. The call for proposals to organise a Symposium or a Special Session is expected in summer.
EAS News
EAS 2022 and 2023: hosts invited
Bidding procedure will be started later this year
The EAS Annual Meeting is organised annually by the European Astronomical Society in collaboration with a local Hosting Committee and with the support of a professional conference organiser. The bidding procedure for hosting the EAS Annual Meetings for 2022 and 2023 meeting will be started later this year. Interested parties are invited to contact the EAS Office for further information.
EAS News
News from the EAS Office
Renewal of EAS-UNIGE partnership, retirement of Martine Logossou
The European Astronomical Society (EAS) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have renewed their partnership to host the EAS Office. A new agreement was reached last year for the period 2020-2024. The University of Geneva is recognized as Organisational Member, Patron level for this financial and logistic support. The EAS provides a yearly contribution to the University of Geneva to cover the effective costs of an Executive Secretary, an Office secretary, and a Financial Officer.
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Martine Logossou who was active over many years as Office lead and then Financial Officer for the EAS retired end of November 2019. The EAS is endebted to her for her deep involvement and support of EAS. She was central to the EAS before the Executive Secretary position was formally created and to the financial health of EAS. The EAS Council wishes her a long, happy and enjoyable retirement.
Starting in March 2020, a new person was identified to replace Martine and to take over the financial aspects for the EAS, Ms Marie Bagnoud. She will gradually start her EAS activities with the support of EAS Executive Secretary Marc Audard, albeit in a more difficult situation due to the coronavirus crisis. Ms Bagnoud will prepare the 2019 accounts to be presented by EAS Treasurer Nick Kylafis at the next General Assembly.
EAS News
Awardees of the 2020 EAS Prizes announced
Tycho Brahe Medal, Lodewijk Woltjer Lecture, Fritz Zwicky Prize, MERAC Prizes
Each year the European Astronomical Society awards a number of prizes to astronomers who have made a remarkable contribution. The six awardees of the 2020 EAS Prizes have been announced in March 2020 via an EAS press release. They will all receive their prize and give a plenary lecture at the EAS 2020 meeting in Leiden.
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The Tycho Brahe Medal is awarded in recognition of the development or exploitation of European instruments or major discoveries based largely on such instruments. The 2020 Tycho Brahe Medal is awarded to Prof. Stefano Vitale (University of Trento, Italy) for leading the LISA Pathfinder mission which has demonstrated with extraordinary precision the technology required for the future Laser Interferometer Space Antenna whose fundamental aim is to observe low frequency gravitational waves from space.
The Lodewijk Woltjer Lecture honours astronomers of outstanding scientific distinction. The 2020 Lodewijk Woltjer Lecture is awarded to Prof. Alvio Renzini (National Institute of Astrophysics, at the Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Italy) for his key contributions to the understanding of stars, stellar populations and the evolution of galaxies and his essential contributions to the success of ESO in his role as VLT Programme Scientist.
The Fritz Zwicky Prize for Astrophysics and Cosmology is a new prize awarded biennially by the EAS on behalf of the Fritz Zwicky Foundation (FZS) to recognise scientists who have obtained fundamental and outstanding results related to astrophysics and cosmology. The Inaugural Fritz Zwicky Prize is awarded to Prof. Martin J. Rees (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) for outstanding contributions to astrophysics and cosmology including seminal papers on active galaxies and black holes, the origin of gamma-ray bursts, the large-scale structure of the Universe, and the cosmic microwave background. This exceptionally broad oeuvre has been both prescient and enormously influential.
The MERAC Prizes are awarded by the European Astronomical Society to recognize and support young European astronomers. The 2020 MERAC Prizes are awarded for the best PhD theses in three different fields. The MERAC Prize in Theoretical Astrophysics is awarded to Dr Aris Tritsis (Australian National University, Australia) for fundamental contributions to the physics of the interstellar medium and the process of star formation. The prize in the category Observational Astrophysics goes to Dr Jorryt Matthee (ETH Zürich, Switzerland)
for spectacular results that have transformed the way we see and understand distant galaxies across time. Finally, the MERAC Prize in New Technologies is awarded to Dr Concepción Cárdenas Vázquez (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Germany) for her leadership and creative work in instrumentation, from the conceptual design and the feasibility study to the final integration and verification, both in the laboratory and at the telescope, related to the instrument PANIC.
EAS News
The 2021 EAS Prizes
Nominations from the entire membership are encouraged, and especially those from underrepresented groups
It is already time to think ahead about the 2021 EAS Prizes. The formal call for nominations for the 2021 Tycho Brahe Medal and MERAC Prizes will be announced later this year, with a deadline on 31 October 2020. In order to maximise both the number and excellence of the candidates, we ask the EAS membership to start considering suitable nominations. Nominations of candidates from groups that were underrepresented in the recent past, in particular female astronomers and astronomers from Eastern European institutes, are particularly encouraged.
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We are particularly grateful to the MERAC Foundation for their generosity through the provision of prizes for young European astronomers. The MERAC prizes are not only substantial, € 25,000, but they also provide the opportunity to apply for further support for research. In a recent change the Foundation have removed the need for matching funds from the host institution which will help prize winners establish an independent research programme. We hope that this change will encourage even more applications for these prestigious prizes.
EAS News
New EAS Working Group on Sustainability
Deadline for membership applications 30 April 2020
Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In accordance with its commitment to a sustainable development of European astronomy, the EAS is establishing a new Working Group on Sustainability. The WG's charge is to investigate and communicate on sustainability issues related to astronomy and astrophysics. Relevant issues include, among others, the organisation of international meetings and the energy consumption of observatories and supercomputer facilities.
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We welcome applications from EAS members, from all levels of seniority, to become member of this new EAS WG. Applicants should send a brief statement of interest, including a motivation for serving on the WG and any specific ideas or desired outcomes, to Sara Lucatello, the EAS Council liaison of this new WG (sara.lucatello @ inaf.it). WG members will be selected maintaining balance in gender, seniority and geographical area of affiliation. The deadline for membership applications is 30 April 2020.
EAS News
EAS Working Group on Inclusion started operations
Join the public mailing list to remain updated
The EAS Working Group on Inclusion was formed in mid 2019 with the charge of monitoring inclusion and diversity activities in astronomy in Europe (including those undertaken by affiliated societies), recommending to the
Council new policies or practices with regard to increasing inclusiveness, and assisting in the implementation of these new activities where necessary. The co-chairs of this WG are Helen Jermak (LJMU, UK) and Jake Noel-Storr (RUG, NL), and the other members are Marco Gullieuszik (INAF, IT), Sheila Kanani (RAS, UK), Johan Knapen (IAC, ES), Gina Maffey (JIVE, NL), Coralie Neider (Meudon, FR), and Amelia Ortiz-Gil (U Valencia, ES). Sara Lucatello is the EAS Council liaison.
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EAS News
Lodewijk Woltjer, 1930-2019
Report on the Lo Woltjer memorial ceremony in Nice
On 25 August 2019, the European astronomical community lost one of his most influential figures: Lodewijk Woltjer passed away in Geneva, after a few years of declining health, tragically aggravated by the sudden loss, on 1 March 2019, of his dear wife Ulla Demierre-Woltjer. On 5 October 2019, some of his friends organised a memorial ceremony in the beautiful city of Nice that was attended by family members, friends, and colleagues. The ashes of both Lo and Ulla were dispersed afterwards in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Lo was always an exceptional gentleman, extraordinarily clever, elegant, and highly cultured. Lo's full life was characterised with outstanding professional accomplishments which were remembered in the addresses by friends and colleagues.
Xavier Barcons, the ESO Director General, described the essential role played by Lo, when he was ESO DG from 1975 until 1987, in the creation of the Very Large Telescope project. Both Giancarlo Setti, former Head of Science at ESO, and Daniel Hofstadt, who was for decades the soul of ESO in Chile, described the many facets of Lo's enlighted leadership. Pierre Léna, from the French Academy of Sciences, recalled Lo's visionary approach to astronomical instrumentation.
Roger Bonnet, ESA Director of Science at the time when Lo was ESO DG, recollected their close collaboration in establishing strong links between ESO and ESA science policies. Tim de Zeeuw, former ESO DG and now at Leiden University, Lo's alma mater, recalled Lo's early years, when he was identified as an outstandingly bright student.
Two astronomical societies were dear to the heart of Lo: he was president of the IAU (1994-1997) and founding father of the EAS and its first president (1990-1993). Both Ewine van Dishoeck, President of the IAU and Roger Davies, President of the EAS, described Lo's many essential contributions to advance these two societies.
European astronomers owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lo for leading the development of European astronomy to the current unprecedented level of innovation and scientific accomplishment. We shall remember Lo for his faith in the beauty of life, nature, music, and above all, science.
Lo Woltjer obituary by Thierry Courvoisier (EAS President 2010-2017)
EAS News
EAS concerns on satellite constellations
Dedicated session planned at the EAS 2020 meeting
The ongoing exponential growth of networks of low Earth orbiting satellites, known as satellite constellations, is raising concerns across the astronomical community. As a society that promotes and advances astronomy in Europe, EAS is aware and concerned about the possible negative impact that they could have on astronomy. We are holding a dedicated session (LS14 on 1 July 2020) to discuss the satellite constellations issue at the EAS 2020 Annual Meeting in Leiden. EAS is also putting together a Working Group to coordinate efforts at the European level and liaise with the IAU, AAS and UNOOSA on this issue.
EAS News
IA-FORTH: a new EAS Organisational Member
Institute of Astrophysics of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas
The Institute of Astrophysics of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (IA-FORTH) was founded on 2 March 2018 and it commenced its operations in 2019. IA-FORTH is located at the island of Crete, Greece, and it was the natural evolution of the very active Astrophysics Group that had already been operating for nearly 30 years within the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser at FORTH and the Department of Physics of the University of Crete. IA-FORTH became a new Organisational Member, Affiliate level, of the EAS in 2020.
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The main goals of IA-FORTH, the only institute in Greece dedicated exclusively in astrophysics, are to:
- perform cutting-edge research in select areas of theoretical and observational astrophysics;
- train students and early-stage researchers in acquiring technical and analytical skills so as to address outstanding open questions in astrophysics and beyond;
- engage the local community in public outreach activities.
A major research facility of IA-FORTH is the Skinakas Observatory, which was founded in 1984 by FORTH, the University of Crete, and the Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), in Germany. The Observatory is located 50 km from the city of Heraklion, on summit of Mount Psiloritis, at an altitude of 1750 meters and it is currently jointly operated by the IA-FORTH and the Dept. of Physics of the University of Crete. It is worth mentioning that, despite its proximity to Heraklion, the quality of the atmosphere at Skinakas is superb, making it an ideal location for high-quality astronomical observations. Its 1.3-m telescope has been traditionally equipped with the latest astronomical instruments, including optical, near-IR cameras and a long slit spectrograph, as well as guest instruments such as OPTIMA, an extremely fast microsec-cadence photometer. Over the past few years, it hosts RoboPol, a specialized, very accurate photopolarimeter, designed specifically for this telescope. The telescope is also one of the two observing nodes of PASIPHAE, a major international project led by scientists of IA-FORTH, which is expected to commence science operations in 2020. PASIPHAE aims to produce the first 3D tomographic map of the magnetic field of our Galaxy, as well as to place extremely stringent limits to the contribution of the interstellar medium to the polarization signal from the CMB.
Members of IA-FORTH have established long-term collaborations with research groups in leading institutes across the globe, including Europe, the USA, and India, which facilitates future employment prospects for our graduate students and postdocs. Currently (Spring of 2020) the research core of the Institute consists of seven researchers and affiliated University professors, as well as five postdoctoral researchers and a dozen PhD and MSc students.
Vassilis Charmandaris
Director of IA-FORTH, Greece
Professor of Observational Astrophysics, Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Crete, Greece
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