Public Outreach

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.

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/.

As part of the efforts to communicate the goals and results of the H2020 RoadMap project to the general public, an animation has been developed . The animation has been published on BIRA-IASB's YouTube channel and shared on the Institute's social media.

RoadMap Animated Introduction (December 3, 2021)

24-25/10/2022

During the weekend of 24-25 September 2022, the Space Pole in Uccle (Royal Observatory of Belgium, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy) opened their doors for the public. They welcomed about 8500 visitors over the two days. In the Aeronomy tent, Lori Neary and Arianna Piccialli presented the RoadMap project.

The video interviews of nine members of the RoadMap team have been published on BIRA-IASB's YouTube channel and shared on the Institute's social media, under the hashtags #RoadMapMarsDust and #RoadMapTeam.