CSH Past events

2025/06/18

Astronomy on Tap Bern - Beyond Earth: The Human Frontier

For our June event, Astronomy on Tap Bern is thrilled to host Claude Nicollier, Swiss astronaut and Honorary Professor at EPFL, with four space missions under his belt, including two trips to the Hubble space telescope & Jessica Studer, Medical Doctor & Researcher (MEDES for CNES), specializing in human physiology in space and having spent an over-winter stay in Antarctica. Together, they’ll take us from the challenges of keeping astronauts healthy to the experience of seeing Earth from orbit. 🚀

2025/04/13 - 2015/06/10

ESA (acknowledgement ATG Medialab)

Bernese liftoff for the Expo 2025 Osaka!

The University of Bern is part of the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka with instruments built for the ESA/JAXA space missions Juice and Comet Interceptor and events at the Swiss Pavilion!

2024/12/11

Unveiling the birth of planets

Talk on japanese bernese collaborations in space research by Dr. Yuhito Shibaike, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and Audrey Vorburger, University of Bern. The public event was part of the 160th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and Switzerland. The 150 guests have been welcomed by Yoshinori Fujiyama, Ambassador of Japan to Switzerland. After the talk they enjoyed a Japanese aperitif prepared by the chef cook of the Embassy of Japan.

Flyer - Unveiling the birth of planets (PDF, 2.1 MB)

2024/11/05

À la recherche de mondes habitables dans notre système solaire

Conférence publique en français d’Athéna Coustenis, directrice de recherche au Laboratoire de Recherches Spatiales et d’Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA), à l’Observatoire de Paris | PSL. La soirée placée sous le signe de la coopération scientifique franco-suisse a été organisée avec l'Ambassade de France en Suisse et la chargée des affaires francophones de l'Université de Berne.

Flyer | à la recherche de mondes habitables dans notre système solaire (PDF, 116KB)

2023/11/06

Image: Adrian Moser

International Business Cocktail 2023

The Bern Economic Development Agency of the canton of Bern has chosen the Center for Space and Habitability as partner to host their yearly International Business Cocktail. 150 guests from politics, international enterprises and embassies attended the event. The guest has been welcomed by Christoph Ammann, Member of the Government Bern and Minister of Economic Affairs, Energy and the Environment, Virginia Richter, Vice Rector for Development at the University of Bern and Sebastian Friess, Head of Bern Economic Development Agency. Audrey Vorburger, Senior Scientist at the Physics Institute of the University of Bern, and Susanne Wampfler, Co-director of the Center for Space and Habitability gave a very appreciated talk about "Bernese space research as key driver of innovation" and the attendees became an overview of Space research made in Bern on booth and guided tours.

2023/05/09 - 2023/05/11

Cosplayer at the PlanetS booth
Photo: © University of Bern / Sylviane Blum

Fantasy Basel 2023

The discovery in 1995 of the first giant planet outside our solar system by Swiss astronomers spawned a revolution in modern astronomy. At FANTASY BASEL – The Swiss Comic Con met young researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS. They are working to find out more about the origin and evolution of planets, their composition and atmospheres – and perhaps they will discover signs of life.

2023/02/11

500 Women Scientists

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science the Bern-Fribourg Pod of 500 Women Scientist organised an event at the ONO Bar in Bern. Susanne Wampfler, CSH Co-Director & Eccellenza Professorial Fellow (Astrochemistry), participated with following talk: Building blocks of life in space. The CSH is sponsoring the event called: 500 Women Scientist – in the PUB.

2021/11/03

Photo: © University of Bern / Sylviane Blum

Looking for distant planets

The French-Swiss scientific cooperation was under the spotlight at the University of Bern, during an event organised in collaboration with the French Embassy in Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Professor Magali Deleuil from the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) was the special guest of this evening.

2021/10/08 - 2021/10/10

Cosplayer at the PlanetS booth
Photo: © University of Bern / Sylviane Blum

Fantasy Basel 2021

Fantasy Basel is Switzerland’s largest convention for comic culture, science fiction, cosplay and more. Around 45,000 visitors from near and far flocked to the big event to read the latest comics, meet their favourite artists – or to learn about exoplanets and space history at the NCCR PlanetS exhibition, which was part of the Swiss Space Museum booth.

2019/12/18

Many interested people are watching the launch of CHEOPS with fascination.
Photo: © University of Bern / Sylviane Blum

CHEOPS successfully launched

The relief was huge when the Soyuz Fregat rocket with CHEOPS on board took off shortly before 10 a.m. MEZ on Wednesday, 18 December 2019. The spectators at the University of Bern followed the ESA live coverage from Kourou, French Guiana, with great applause.

2019/11/19

Photo: © ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CCBY-SA 3.0 IGO

The Red Planet: 50 years of Mars exploration / La planète rouge : 50 ans d'exploration de Mars

Conférence publique en français avec Nicolas Mangold, Directeur-Adjoint du Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique de Nantes. Introduction par Nicolas Thomas et Antoine Pommerol, Institut de physique, département recherche spatiale et planétologie de l’Université de Berne. Événement en collaboration avec l'ambassade de France en Suisse.

2019/12/17

Thomas Beck, System Engineer CHEOPS talking about the many tests the space telescope had to pass.
Photo: © University of Bern / Vera Knöpfel

CHEOPS launch postponed

This morning the CHEOPS satellite should have started its journey into space. Less than an hour and a half before lift-off, the launch system was stopped. Despite everything, this event was celebrated in a well-attended event and short presentations provided insights into current exoplanet research. The launch is currently scheduled for Wednesday, 18 December 2019 at 9:54:20 CET.

2017/03/09

Event Trappist
Photo: © University of Bern / Sylviane Blum

Dreams of another world

Public reading with science fiction author Laurence Suhner at the CSH. Science fiction author Laurence Suhner and Brice-Olivier Demory, professor at the CSH of the University of Bern and part of the discovery team of the TRAPPIST-1 system.