26-27 August 2023

On 26-27 August 2023, the Wolvendael Night took place in the park near the Space Pole in Uccle. Follow a long-standing tradition, BIRA-IASB scientists inserted some drops of science in this mostly cultural event. Arianna Piccialli braved the changeable Belgian weather to demonstrate the “Mars in a box” experiments with the enthusiastic and curious (both adult and little) visitors.

3 April 2023

The Martian atmosphere is a fascinating and enigmatic subject of study. It is a complex system of gases, dust, ice, and other particles that are constantly interacting and affecting the planet's weather patterns. However, this highly technical and scientific data is often unapproachable to a wider audience, which raises the question, how can abstruse, scientific data about the atmosphere of Mars be represented in an artistic and appealing form?

Inspiring collaboration between BIRA-IASB and LUCA School of Arts in the framework of the RoadMap project. Credits: Karolien Lefever (BIRA-IASB)

Inspired and informed by researchers from the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) studying the atmosphere of Mars, students from the Media and Information Design (MIND) programme of Luca School of Arts in Brussels sought to answer this question in the course of a week-long workshop on artistic data visualization, that took place from 27-31 March 2023. Under the guidance of Gijs Ipers and Jakub Stepanovix, highly complex data about dust and ice in the atmosphere were transformed into unique and engaging representations that offer a new way of looking at scientific research. The results were presented during an exhibition at the LUCApremises on 31 March.

Read more: Collaboration with LUCA School of Arts

15-19 May 2023

Partners of RoadMap were heavily involved in the organization of the 20th Electromagnetic and Light Scattering International Conference, which was held in Almuñecar (Spain) not far away from Granada where IAA is located.

The conference built on the remarkable success of the previous ELS conferences held in Amsterdam, Helsinki (twice), New York, Vigo, Halifax, Gainesville, Bremen, Salobreña, St. Petersburg, Bodrum, Hatfield, Taormina, Lille, Leipzig, College Park, College Station, Hangzhou, and the 19th conference held online on July 2021.

The main goal of the ELS conference series is to bring together scientists and engineers studying various aspects of light scattering and to provide a relaxed academic atmosphere for in-depth discussions of theoretical advances, measurements, and applications.

9 Decembre 2022

The science of Mars today for the scientists of Mars tomorrow. With this leitmotif, we have produced an educational project aiming to introduce European secondary school students to fundamental science through cutting-edge research on Mars. "Mars in a box" combines the classic "experiment box" format with the power of online applications and the excitement of accessing, visualising and managing scientific data from cutting-edge space missions, as well as the possibility of contacting professional researchers in the field of planetary science.

Discover all about it on https://marsinabox.eu/.