|
|
EAS News
Word from the President
Sara Lucatello
I hope you have all enjoyed a restful summer, and are ready for the busy months ahead.
Our meeting in Cork, which concluded just before the summer break, was a resounding success. With over 1,500 participants on site, nearly 700 more joining remotely, and representation from more than 60 countries, EAS2025 was a wonderful festival of astronomy. We are very grateful to our Irish hosts for their warm hospitality and flawless organisation.
More than half of our attendees were students or early career researchers (ECRs), a sign of the vibrant future of European astronomy. The presence of young scientists is very important to us, as it is lowering the barriers for participation, and we are proud to report that one in eight participants -- mostly ECRs from disadvantaged or underrepresented communities -- received financial support from the EAS.
▸ Read more
The meeting also celebrated the very best of European astronomy, with the EAS prizes recognising outstanding contributions across a range of disciplines and career stages. Nominations for the next round of prizes are now open?we strongly encourage you to nominate deserving scientists, and in particular individuals from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups.
We were also excited to announce the launch of the new EAS Fellows Program. This initiative will honour members who have made exceptional contributions to European astronomy, not only through research, but also through education, outreach, and service to the community. More details are given below. I encourage you to submit a nomination.
As we look ahead, I am pleased to share that preparations are already underway for our next annual meeting, which will take place in Lausanne from 29th June to 3rd July 2026. The host committee is working hard to build another exciting and inclusive programme.
In closing, I wish you all a wonderful start of the academic year!
EAS News
Call for Letters of Intent to host the future EAS Annual Meetings
We announce the opportunity to bid as hosts of the future EAS Annual Meetings. Currently, two bids for the 2027 meeting are under consideration and have no candidate hosts yet for the meetings in 2028 and 2029.
We kindly ask interested parties to send a 1-page Letter of Intent to the EAS office by September 30, 2025. A full bid application will be expected by the end of 2025. The EAS Annual Meeting is held every year in a different European country. Its main goal is to promote European astronomy, to facilitate scientific exchange and to motivate new collaborations at an international level, and to help students and early career researchers develop their collaboration networks.
▸ Read more
The diversity of venues recognises the national diversity within Europe. It allows the involvement of national societies in the organisation and to strengthen the link between them and the EAS. To ensure each year a conference of equally high standard the EAS takes a leading role in the organisation of the EAS Annual Meeting with the support of a professional conference organiser.
The EAS Annual Meeting has evolved into the largest astronomical meeting in Europe, with a list of participants exceeding 1500 people in recent years, from all over Europe and beyond. For a few years, a significant fraction of the sessions at the EAS Annual Meeting has been accessible online; the hybrid aspect should be an integral part of the meeting.
Call for Expressions of Interest to organise Symposia, Special Sessions, and Lunch Sessions at EAS 2026
The next European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 29 June to 3 July 2026 at the SwissTech Convention Centre.
As outlined in the official call, we invite colleagues to submit proposals for Symposia, Special Sessions, and Lunch Sessions. Proposals should be of broad interest to the European astronomical community and must indicate how they will follow the EAS Ethics Statement and Guidelines for Good Practice.
▸ Read more
Session organisers will receive full logistical support, including the venue, registration handling, abstract submission and review portal, and a dedicated web page on the meeting site.
Proposals must be submitted via the online form by 30 September 2025. Applicants will be informed of the outcome around November 2025. We strongly encourage submissions from across the astronomy, solar physics, and space science communities. Proposals from astronomers outside Europe are welcome, provided a European collaborator is involved.
EAS News
Call for nominations for EAS Prizes is open now
EAS members are invited to submit nominations for Prizes awarded in 2026 by the EAS. These awards are an international distinction for the work of outstanding scientists. The EAS Council encourages all EAS members to nominate outstanding researchers in above categories. The strict deadline for nomination is: 31 October 2025 at 23:59:59 CET. In case of each prize, the nominations can only be made by EAS members and need to be endorsed by 2 additional persons, at least one of them being an EAS member. We encourage nominations of female scientists and individuals from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented countries, in line with our commitment to equity and inclusion.
▸ Read more
The following prizes will be presented in the coming year during EAS annual meeting in Lausanne:
1) MERAC Prizes for Best Doctoral Thesis - The Prizes will be awarded for the best PhD Theses in three categories: Theoretical Astrophysics, Observational Astrophysics, and New Technologies (Instrumental/Computational/Multi-Messenger) for degrees awarded in the previous 2 years before the call (i.e., from January 2023 onward).
2) Tycho Brahe Medal - The Prize is given in recognition of the exploitation or development of European instruments which led to major discoveries. There are no restrictions to nationality of the candidates nor to the country of origin or residence.
3) Fritz Zwicky Prize - The Prize is given to the high-quality scientists being either at junior, senior, or emeritus faculty levels who have obtained fundamental and outstanding results related to astrophysics and/or cosmology.
EAS News
Call for the new EAS Fellows is now open
New EAS action
Starting in 2026, the EAS will introduce the EAS fellows programme to recognise current EAS members for their contributions toward the Society's purpose, i.e., to contribute to and promote the advancement of astronomy, in its broadest sense, in Europe.
The EAS fellows program is aimed to complement the EAS Prizes. EAS fellows may be recognised for their research achievements, contributions to astronomical techniques or instrumentation, significant contributions to education and public outreach, and noteworthy service to European astronomy and to the Society itself.
Only EAS ordinary members are eligible to be nominated, while Junior members are not. Nominations can only be submitted by EAS members and endorsed by 2 additional individuals, at least one of whom must be an EAS member. The strict deadline for nomination is: 31 October 2025 at 23:59:59 CET.
EAS News
HERA25 meeting
Final announcement
We are pleased to announce the upcoming HERA 2025 Workshop, dedicated to the theme "The Physics of Galaxies at the Epoch of Reionization". This year,
the meeting will be hosted at the Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) in Pisa, Italy, on September 22nd-26th. HERA workshops serve as a platform for early career scientists to receive training, engage in interactive discussions, conceptualize research projects, broaden their perspectives, and initiate international collaborations. Attendees will have ample opportunities to showcase their research, initiate collaborations with local scholars from SNS and other Italian Astronomical Institutes, and engage with distinguished invited senior review speakers. Every day of the workshop features one lecture delivered by accomplished senior scientists.
▸ Read more
The scheduled lectures are given at the workshop's
Scientific Program page.
We would like to inform you that the next workshop HERA26 will take place in Warsaw and will focus on astrophysics of black holes in various contexts.
EAS News
Ukrainian Astronomical Association (UAA)
Founded in 1991 in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Astronomical Association (UAA) is a non-governmental, nationwide organization that unites professional astronomers and research institutions across the Ukraine. The UAA coordinates astronomical activities throughout the country and serves as the Ukraine's National Committee to both the IAU and EAS. It currently includes around 300 members across several local branches. Since the UAA creation it has been publishing the Information Bulletin and is supporting the interdisciplinary popular science Journal "Svitohlyad" (Worldview), in addition to textbooks and educational materials for schools and universities. The Association is also involved in the production of documentaries highlighting the lives and work of notable Ukrainian astronomers and observatories. In 1994, the UAA has established the biennial UAA Prize "For Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Astronomy in Ukraine", with the first award presented to well-known radio astronomer Prof. Semen Braude.
▸ Read more
To support early-career researchers, the association also created the Yuri Drohobych Fellowship for young scientists in astronomy and related fields.
The UAA actively promotes astronomy through national and international outreach initiatives, including media appearances (TV, radio, and print), science communication projects, and participation in public events. It organizes astronomy olympiads for both secondary school students and undergraduate university students, helping to inspire the next generation of scientists.
As a co-founder of the Union of Planetariums of Ukraine, the UAA also plays a key role in the development and educational mission of Ukraine's planetarium network. The Association regularly co-organizes major scientific conferences, including: AstroAutumn (Kyiv), The Gamow Conferences (Odesa), Current Problems of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lviv) and thematic anniversary events such as MAO-80 of Main Astronomical Observatory (2024, Kyiv).
Due to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the Russian-Ukrainian war from February 24, 2022 to the present, Ukrainian astronomy has been facing numerous challenges, particularly concerning astronomical observational infrastructure and brain drain. Even amid these circumstances the UAA continues to serve as a vital national platform for astronomy in Ukraine's upholding scientific research, education, public outreach, and international collaboration despite unprecedented challenges.
EAS News
Sociedade Portuguesa de Astronomia, SPA
The Portuguese Astronomical Society (Sociedade Portuguesa de Astronomia, SPA) is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. As a scientific association, SPA is dedicated to promoting the advancement of astronomy in its broadest sense across Portugal. It serves as a forum for discussion, advocates for the collective interests of Portuguese astronomers at national and international levels, and supports initiatives that are vital for the continued development of the field.
SPA represents a growing community of professional astronomers, comprising full members, as well as associate members who support the Society's mission, including secondary school teachers involved in astronomy education. The Society also includes honorary members, recognised for their scientific distinction or notable contributions to SPA.
▸ Read more
One of SPA?s central activities is the organization of the National Meeting in Astronomy and Astrophysics (Encontro Nacional de Astronomia e Astrofísica, ENAA), the main annual meeting of the Portuguese astronomy community. In 2025, the ENAA will mark its 35th edition, bringing together researchers for scientific presentations and discussion, alongside dedicated sessions on strategic planning for the future, involving key institutions such as the Portuguese Space Agency and the national science funding body (FCT). In parallel, the meeting will foster discussions on science communication and education, incorporating dedicated training for schoolteachers.
SPA is also strongly engaged in science education and outreach. Since 2005, it has organized the Olimpíadas de Astronomia, a national astronomy competition for secondary school students, designed to spark interest in astronomy and foster early connections with the research community. In 2025, the regional phase of the Olympiad involved 162 students from the 10th to the 12th (pre-university) school years, leading to the selection of five finalists who will represent Portugal in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. In recent years, SPA has expanded its educational mission by launching the Olimpíadas de Astronomia Júnior, now open to all students from the 7th to the 9th year of education. Participation has grown rapidly, from 280 students in 2023 to over 600 annually in 2024 and 2025.
As it marks a quarter-century of activity, SPA remains committed to strengthening the international role of the national astronomical community, promoting excellence in research, fostering public engagement, and nurturing future generations of scientists.
|
If you would like to contribute, please contact