Following a meeting between the Canton of Bern’s Education Commission and the University of Bern’s Executive Board, the Center for Space and Habitability and the Space Research and Planetary Sciences Division (WP) welcomed the commission and board members, including Rector Virginia Richter, at the Exact Sciences building for presentations, a tour and a networking apéro.
Nicolas Thomas, Director of NCCR PlanetS, and Christoph Mordasini, Head of WP, gave an introductory talk and overview of the space related research conducted at the University of Bern, from the solar sail as part of the first moon landing, up until today.
Audrey Vorburger, Assistant Professor at WP, then presented the current ESA JUICE mission and Bern’s involvement and scientific contributions to the mission’s search for life beyond Earth. Senior Researchers Martin Jutzi and Antoine Pommerol introduced the future ESA mission Ramses, which Bern is contributing to, and what opportunities the mission brings for research and industry in Bern.
A tour through our workshop and great laboratory with shaker—lead by Polymechanics apprentice Laurin Antz and test engineer Thierry de Roche, respectively—provided an insight into the different aspects of teaching, education, theoretical and practical application as well as construction and testing, encompassed in the space research conducted at the University of Bern.
We greatly appreciate this opportunity to showcase our work in space science to the commission. Thank you to both the education commission and the university’s board for your time and interest in what we do at CSH and WP, and for your insightful questions and engaging conversations.
