The course “Impacts and their Role in the Evolution of Life” will take place from 5 to 14 September 2023 in the picturesque city of Nördlingen which is situated inside the world-famous Ries crater in southern Germany. It aims to give students a thorough introduction in the role of meteorite and comets impacts in the formation of Earth, its atmosphere and the evolution of life. The course consists of lectures, pratical exercises and student-led discussions. Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in one or two poster sessions. The European Astrobiology Institute and the Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre, the Ries Crater Museum and the University of Neu-Ulm will function as co-organisers of the course and the following subjects will be covered by the lectures:
The lecture programme will be complemented by practical exercises concerning:
We also will have two one-day excursions, one around the Ries Crater and one to the Steinheim crater with its famous central uplift feature.
Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in two poster sessions.
The event is aimed for graduate (masters and Ph. D.) students and early career scientists. Undergraduate students and senior scientists are also welcome! Citizen scientists are also eligible but have lower priority, The event is open to applicants from all nationalities. Detailed information about the summer school and the application procedure (deadline 15 June 2023) can be found here. Successful applicants, will generally, however. have to organise financial means for their travel , meals and lodging themselves. We will offer meals and both youth hostel and hotel accommodation at very good prices to attendees. Course credit awards (ECTS points) for undergraduate and Ph. D. students will be recommended to their home institutions by the course organisers.
A limited number of bursaries will be available covering meals and accommodation in 4 bedded rooms is also available for students and early career scientists (up to 8 years from their first Ph. D. in a related field) from EAI institutions (see a list here). Participants from EAI institutions selected by the EAI for bursaries will be offered free meals and accommodation in a shared 4-bedded room for 4 at JUFA Hotel from 4 September (dinner) until 15 September 2023 (breakfast), but have to fund their travel on their own. There is no special application for the bursaries, just send in your application form and tell us in the e-mail. Participants selected for the bursaries will be notified in end June, early July (in good time before the registration deadline).
Please see the Application page for details about the application.
Stockholm Univeristy Astrobiology Centre, Sweden
University of Applied Sciences, Neu-Ulm, Germany
Caltech, USA
Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria
Max Planck Institute for Solar system Research, Germany
Ries Crater Museum, Nördlingen, Germany
Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
National Museum of Natural History, Sweden
Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria
Museum of Natural History, Berlin Germany
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, USA
Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre, Sweden
Course fees coverall most every thing, namely:
For a list of institutions participating in the European Astrobiology Institute, click here. Sadly, we cannot financially support attendees to the summer school from non EAI-institutions.
Instructions for payment will be given to participants in due course.
Beim Klösterle 1, 86720 Nördlingen, Germany
Lectures and poster sessions will take place in the Klösterle Hotel in the city centre of the medieval town Nördlingen, Germany. The venue is only a 10 min walk ride from the Nördlingen railway station.
Accommodation for participants will be either at this hotel or at the JUFA hotel, which is only a 5 min close to the railway station). Exercises will take place at the Ries crater and Steinheim crater sites. Please see the Venue & Access page for details.
The main organiser of the event will be the European Astrobiology Institute will be Dr. Wolf Geppert from Stockholm University. For scientific questions he will serve as the main contact person. For administrative issues (e.g. payment) please contact Mariette Vandermersch. The organisers are looking forward to welcoming you at the course. See you in Nördlingen in September 2023 !
The European Astrobiology Institute (EAI) is hosted by The European Science Foundation