EUROPEAN ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE
BIENNIAL EUROPEAN ASTROBIOLOGY CONFERENCE
& EAI GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2020
Scientific Programme
The Biennial European Astrobiology Conference (BEACON) will take place at the La Palma &Teneguia Princess Hotel on La Palma Island (Canary Islands, Spain) from 20-24 April 2020. he programme starts on 20th April in the morning and ends on 24th in the evening. There will be around 16 invited talks (30 min) and 30 contributed talks (15 minutes). Also a poster session will take place on Monday 20th. On Friday 24th there will be an excursion to the Caldeira de Taburiente and the Gran Telescópio Canarias and the Telescopio Nazionale Galilei. An after conference-walk on the Ruta de Volcanes on Saturday 25th April as well as a walk on the close-by Teneguia lava field on Wednesday 22nd will be organised.
During this meeting also the 2nd General Assembly of the EAI will take place. Scientific sessions are planned covering the following themes:
Tracing Life and Identifying Habitable Environments
Protoplanetary disks and their physical and chemical processes
The following invited speakers wil talk at the conference:
Daniela Billi, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
Janice Bishop, SETI, USA
Bertram Bitsch, MPIA Heidelberg, Germany
Joanna Drazkowska, LMU Munich, Germany
Michael Gillon, University of Liège, Belgium
Keyron Hickman-Lewis, CNRS, France
Lisa Kaltenegger, Cornell University, USA
Nancy Kiang, NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, USA
Silvano Onofri, University of Tuscia, Italy
Ana-Catalina Plesa, German Aerospace Center, Germany
Eörs Szathmary, Eötvös Lorand University, Hungary
Excursions
Excursion to Caldeira de Taburiente and telescopes (FULLY BOOKED)
On Friday 24th we will set out early to the Cumbrecita viewpoint at the
rim of the Caldera de Taburiente. Participants can embark on a 40
minutes walk to one of the viewpoints and see very interesting
geological locations inside the crater. We will then go up to the Roque
de los Muchachos and have lunch on the way (included in excursion
price). Thereafter we will visit the Gran Telescópio Canarias and/or the
Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Thereafter we will have a short stop on the
Roque de los Muchachos, the highest point of the island. Thereafter
we will go down along the west side crossing several characteristic
valleys (barrancos) of La Palma stopping at the Mirador del Time. Time
allowing, we will have a stop at Los Llanos de Aridane with its
picturesque town centre and the Archeological Museum which gives a
very nice introduction into the history, vegetation and geography of the
island. Thereafter we return back to the conference hotel. Please note
that this programme can be changed due to unforseen circumstances.
Walk "Ruta de los Volcanes"
On Saturday 25th you have the possibility to walk on the famous
Ruta de los Volcanes. The trail starts at Refugio de Pilár and runs
over the ridge "Cumbre Nueva" at altitudes up to over 2000m. The
walk is strenuous but offers interesting volcano craters, geological
locations including historic lava fields and, clear weather provided,
stunning views. Walking boots covering the ankles, sunhat, backpack,
sunscreen and enough water are a must and walking sticks and
gloves a good idea (see Practical webpage for equipment ).
The features of the walks are:
Please note that there are no restrooms, cafes or water supplies along the walk. The walk might be cancellled due to adverse weather conditions. In that case an alternative programme will be organised.
Walk over Teneguia lava field
On Wednesday 22nd we organise a facultative walk over the Teneguia
lava field from the 1971 eruption. We wil go by bus to the Teneguia
Visitors'centre and see the exhibition there. after that we walk down
over the lava field to the lighthouse "Faro de Fuencaliente and have a
walk around the salt gardens "Salinas". Good walking shoes and gloves
(e-tip gloves, walking gloves or gardening gloves, no washing-up gloves
please) are a must. See Practical information webpage for details. There
are no restrooms on the way, but at the start and the end of the walk.
The"Taste the Universe" dinner will be just after the walk ánd
at the end point of the walk. Walk features:
Social programme
There will be a facultative "Taste the Universe" dinner at the "Jardin de Salinas"
restaurant at the southern tip of the island on Wednesday 22nd April at
20:30. There will als be an outreach event "Music and Astrobiology" Tuesday 21st.
Satellite event for Early Career Researchers
There will be a satelite meeting of the Early Career Scientist organisations Astrobiology Graduates i Europe (AbGradE) and Europlanet Early Career Network (EPEC).The meeting will consist of:
For further information including registation and abstract submission please check the website of the event. Deadline for abstract submission is 15 January and 1 February for registration.
Caldeira de Taburiente
Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)
Ruta de los Volcanes
Teneguia volcano (1971)
"Cascada de Nubes"
La Palma & Teneguia Princess