EPEC New Frontiers Working Group

EPEC New Frontiers Working Group

The New Frontiers Working Group, as part of the EPEC Network, is inspired by new research opportunities especially beyond Europe’s borders and especially in those emerging countries with young space programs and strong motivation. New Frontiers aims at building bridges between well consolidated European realities and new realities worthy of exploration by weaving professional networks in order to offer opportunities and productive collaborations to the European young scientists. This Working Group will link European institutions with the pioneers who are building solid space and planetary science projects all around the world.

Within the Europlanet Research Infrastructure’s Transnational Access (TA) programme, grants are offered to support campaigns for visiting facilities and Planetary Field Analogues (PFA), several of which are located in countries that we would define as new frontiers.

The first goal of this WG is, therefore, to create synergies between EPEC (at large) and the TA facilities of Europlanet Research Infrastructure. The TAs gains unparalleled experience from being exposed to a cohort of users from all over the world and this can be beneficial for Early Career Scientists (ECS). How? For instance, by learning from other people’s successful experiences with stories from beyond the boundaries of Europe.

We will engage the TA’s leaders, especially those located in “new frontiers”, to organise seminars, workshops, and other activities that can allow to disseminate this huge knowledge acquired through Europlanet.

Starting from the solid foundation given by the Europlanet Society we are looking for a world-wide network with institutions, academics and professionals in order to get to know, share and support interesting and fruitful collaborations.

A list of contacts and opportunities in new frontiers countries will be monthly updated with:

  • ongoing research projects
  • potential collaborations
  • action taken toward the creation of space programs, etc.

Do you have any ideas or projects to propose? Join our Facebook group! Let’s discuss opportunities and create new bridges!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/epecNewFrontiersWG/

This is a WG driven by stories from lands far faraway where Planetary Science is already a reality… it is our time to explore it. If you want to help us enlarging our international network, or if you are interested in sharing your experience and contacts, or if you are looking for experiences outside Europe, we are waiting for you! You can write to the Chairs individually or to the group address (epec.newfrontiers@gmail.com).

Chairs:

Fulvio Franchi

Botswana International University of Science and technology (BIUST), Palapye, BOTSWANA

Email: franchif@biust.ac.bw

Fulvio is a Senior Lecturer in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy with a strong interest in astrobiology and Planetary Science. Fulvio is engaged in the study of the Makgadikgadi salt pan and in drafting the first Space science and Technology Strategy of Botswana.

Erica Luzzi

Jacobs University Bremen, Germany

Email: e.luzzi@jacobs-university.de

Erica is currently enrolled as a PhD student in Planetary Geology at Jacobs University. Her PhD project is mainly focused on geological mapping on Mars (Planmap project) and terrestrial analogues (ESA – PANGAEA-X project).

Updated members list

  • Erica Luzzi (e.luzzi@jacobs-university.de)
  • Fulvio Franchi (franchiF@biust.ac.bw)
  • Gene Schmidt (gene.schmidt@unich.it)
  • Patricio Becerra (patricio.becerra@space.unibe.ch)
  • Ruben Gonçalves (rgoncalves@oal.ul.pt)
  • Tunde Akinsanmi (tunde.akinsanmi@astro.up.pt)
  • George Profitiliotis (gprofitiliotis@hotmail.com)