Message SF2A No 1206

Message SF2A No 1206 – 19/10/26

Message du CSI INSU sur la refonte des instituts
Reminder: Call for feedback on the EAS Strategic Vision
Reminder: Call for LoI for future EAS annual meetings
Reminder: Call for EAS Prizes and Fellows
Reminder: Call for expression of interest to join EAS Advisory Committees
Rappel: Atelier du sous groupe de travail Multimessagers : Populations de sources GdR Ondes Gravitationnelles, 16-17 Novembre, 2026, Paris (France)
Workshop Tools Working Group of the GDR CoPhy, December 1-3, 2026, IAP, Paris (France)
RAMSES SNO days, December 9-10, 2026, Lyon (France)
Registrations open for the RED Astrobiology Introductory School, March 14-20, 2027, Le Teich (France)
2027 Summer School on Gravitational Waves, July 2027, Les Houches (France)
IAU Women in Astronomy STEM Ambassador Awards 2025–2026
Le projet EST devient un « Landmark » du « Forum stratégique européen sur les infrastructures de recherche » (ESFRI)

1. Message du CSI INSU sur la refonte des instituts

Le projet du nouveau PDG du CNRS prévoit une réduction de 10 à 7 instituts au CNRS, l’INSU étant partagé entre deux futur instituts.
L’analyse du CSI de l’INSU peut être lue à l’adresse
https://sdrive.cnrs.fr/s/RXjsMJSy8P4r93n

Transmis par Benoît Mosser

2. Reminder: Call for feedback on the EAS Strategic Vision

As the European Astronomical Society continues to expand its reach, activities, and role within the European scientific landscape, establishing a clear long-term direction has become a priority.

To navigate this growth effectively, the EAS requires a wide-ranging vision that will guide our overall strategy and future actions. As a first step, the EAS Council—with valuable input from the EAS Policy Advisory Group and our Affiliated Societies—has drafted a document outlining our Strategic Vision for the coming decades. We are now seeking input from our membership on this draft. Link to the document is below. Note that the document is not meant to contain an implementation plan, which will be a separate document the EAS council will be working on in the coming months.

Your feedback is essential and will be carefully considered by Council as we prepare the final version, which we plan to adopt by the end of 2026. To streamline the feedback process, keep responses organized, and ensure that no member’s input is inadvertently lost in the email shuffle, all comments must be submitted via Google Form.

– https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IXLSlBEGWqo9-oGrhNGpYOj-dt80froK/view?usp=sharing
– Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQZK-_tFsqbHsi_K69hRi-qAqHPVp_TaqxP5heDxIl58DqoQ/viewform

Deadline for Comments: October 30, 2026.

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective and for helping shape the future of our Society.
Sara Lucatello, EAS President on behalf of Council

Transmis par Arnaud Siebert

3. Reminder: Call for LoI for future EAS annual meetings

We are pleased to announce the opening of bids to host future EAS Annual Meetings. While the 2027 EAS Annual Meeting is confirmed for Vienna, Austria (21–25 June), hosting opportunities for 2028 and 2029 remain open. Although the Society has already received initial proposals for 2028 onward, that are being evaluated, no hosts have been officially confirmed. The EAS Annual Meeting Board warmly invites proposers from across Europe to submit bids to host our flagship meeting in the following years.

The EAS Annual Meeting takes place in a different European country each year, reflecting the continent’s rich national diversity. The conference aims to advance European astronomy, facilitate scientific exchange, foster international collaborations, and help students and early-career researchers build their professional networks. By rotating venues, the Society actively involves national communities, strengthening the bonds between local societies, the EAS, and attending pan-European organisations. To guarantee a consistently high-standard event, the EAS takes a leading organisational role alongside a professional conference organiser (PCO). While the EAS manages the meeting’s financial budget, the hosts are expected to explore a baseline of support from local and national research institutions. A brief remark on this front is welcome in the LoI.

The EAS Annual Meeting has become the largest astronomical conference in Europe, regularly attracting over 1,500 participants from across the continent and beyond. In recent years, the meeting has also adopted a hybrid format, making a fraction of its sessions accessible online, subject to the available budget.

Interested parties are invited to submit a 1-page Letter of Intent by Friday, October 30, 2026. This letter should explicitly demonstrate support from the host institution. While a comprehensive, full bid will be required by the end of 2026, this preliminary LoI must outline the availability and estimated costs of the proposed venue. Please note that the venue must accommodate up to 1,500 delegates and roughly 10 parallel sessions over five days. The week-long meeting should ideally be scheduled during the last half of June or the first half of July of the target year.

Please submit your LoI to eas@unige.ch by the deadline. For any questions regarding the bidding process, please contact the chair of the Annual Meeting Board (ignacio.ferreras@iac.es).

Transmis par Arnaud Siebert

4. Reminder: Call for EAS Prizes and Fellows

The call for nominations for EAS Prizes and the EAS Fellows is now open.

EAS members are invited to submit nominations for Prizes awarded in 2027 by the EAS, ie, the MERAC Prizes for Early Career Researcher, Tycho Brahe Medal, Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal, and Fritz Zwicky Prize, by October 31. More details:

https://eas.unige.ch/merac_prizes.jsp
https://eas.unige.ch/tycho_brahe_medal.jsp
https://eas.unige.ch/inspiration_medal.jsp
https://eas.unige.ch/zwicky_prize.jsp

In addition, the nominations are invited for the EAS Fellows programme by the same deadline, October 31: https://eas.unige.ch/fellows.jsp

Transmis par Arnaud Siebert

5. Reminder: Call for expression of interest to join EAS Advisory Committees

Dear EAS member,

We’d like to invite you to express your interest to join the EAS Advisory Committees:

– Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, whose charge is to investigate, communicate, and make recommendations to Council on EDI matters related to astronomy and astrophysics. Relevant issues include, among others, observing inclusion and diversity activities in European astronomy, assessing the EAS demographics, recommending to the Council and membership new policies or practices with regard to increasing inclusiveness, and assisting in the implementation of these new activities where necessary.

– Advisory Committee on Sustainability, whose charge is to investigate, communicate, and make recommendations to Council on sustainability matters related to astronomy and astrophysics. Relevant issues include, among others, the organisation of international meetings, the energy consumption of observatories and supercomputer facilities, and sustainability and climate issues as part of astronomy communication.

Interested parties should fill in the following form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfcJFL1lPUCwmNNN8Z1ptWPC3pIEZgpjVNiGFgUEmq8nNm1mg/viewform?usp=dialog) before 1 November 2026.
Expression of interests will be reviewed by current members of the ACs and Council. The process will end by mid-December and new members are expected to start in January.

Transmis par Arnaud Siebert

6. Rappel: Atelier du sous groupe de travail Multimessagers : Populations de sources GdR Ondes Gravitationnelles, 16-17 Novembre, 2026, Paris (France)

Dans le cadre du GdR Ondes Gravitationnelles, les groupes de travail « Populations de sources » et « Astronomie multi-messager » organisent un atelier du 16 au 17 novembre 2026 à l’Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP, Amphithéâtre). Cet atelier sera l’occasion de discuter des défis et des synergies liés à l’astronomie multi-messagers et des implications astrophysiques pour différentes populations de sources (e.g. populations d’objets compacts stellaires et galactiques, trous noirs massifs extragalactiques) et les fonds stochastiques d’ondes gravitationnelles.

https://indico.in2p3.fr/event/40430/

Merci de soumettre vos résumés avant le 1er novembre.

Nous encourageons les doctorant.e.s et postdoctorant.e.s à venir présenter leur travail.

Transmis par Marion Pillas

7. Workshop Tools Working Group of the GDR CoPhy, December 1-3, 2026, IAP, Paris (France)

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the next Tools Working Group workshop of the GDR CoPhy, hosted at the Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris (IAP).

When: December 1-3, 2026 (starts Tuesday Dec 1 at 2:00 PM, ends Thursday Dec 3 at 12:00 PM)
Where: Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, 98bis Boulevard Arago, 75014 Paris
Website: https://indico.iap.fr/event/175/

This session focuses on three timely topics: Large Language Models (LLMs) in cosmology, GPU computing for simulations, and modern statistical methods for the CMB. It is set within the scope of the Tools Working Group, which aims to share and foster the development of tools across the French cosmology community.

Lectures will be given by: Lennart Balkenhol (CEA). Corentin Cadiou (IAP). Etienne Camphuis (University of Melbourne), Maxime Delorme (CEA IRFU), Arnaud Durocher (CEA), Guilhem Lavaux (IAP). Pierre-François Leget (Princeton University).

Call for abstracts. If you wish to contribute a talk, please submit an abstract on the event page. The call is already open with a deadline by Nov 21st. We encourage all participation on tools even outside the above mentioned themes.

Registration is free, and coffee breaks as well as a workshop dinner are included, thanks to the support of the GDR CoPhy. We have some limited funds to pay for travel to early career researchers.

To register or submit an abstract, please visit: https://indico.iap.fr/event/175/

Transmis par Guilhem Lavaux

8. RAMSES SNO days, December 9-10, 2026, Lyon (France)

The RAMSES SNO (https://ramses.cnrs.fr/) is pleased to announce its fourth RAMSES SNO days.

This annual meeting for the RAMSES SNO will be an opportunity for the RAMSES community to gather and discuss recent code developments as well as the latest scientific results and applications of the code. We also warmly welcome participants from outside the SNO or RAMSES community, who wish to learn about RAMSES and the way the SNO operates.

The workshop will take place on December 9 and 10 in Lyon. Registration is now open on the workshop’s website. Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory before Nov. 22.

Full information and registration: https://ramses-sno-2026.sciencesconf.org/

Transmis par Jérémy Blaizot

9. Registrations open for the RED Astrobiology Introductory School, March 14-20, 2027, Le Teich (France)

The RED school will take place in Le Teich (33) from March 14th to 20th, 2027. Its objective is to offer an interdisciplinary training in astrobiology to students and young scientists preparing a thesis in astronomy, planetology, geology, chemistry, biology, or history and philosophy of sciences, linked with the themes of astrobiology.

Thanks to the support of the school’s partners, most of the registration fees can be covered. Do not hesitate to ask for a grant when you apply to the school. Upon grant acceptance, only transport will be the responsibility of the participants.

Registration for the 2027 edition is now open until December 14, 2026: https://red-astrobiology.fr/

A « complete » RED training is scheduled over 2 years, but each year is autonomous. You can attend once or two years in a row. All courses are in English.

RED27 will be the 20th edition of the RED School – astrobiology introductory course !

The school benefits from the following supports: CNES, PEPR Origins, European Astrobiology Institute, RRI Origins U. Bordeaux, IPSL, OSU EFLUVE, Education & Training in Astrobiology of IAU, and the French Astrobiology Society.

Transmis par Hervé Cottin

10. 2027 Summer School on Gravitational Waves, July 2027, Les Houches (France)

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the 2027 session of the MaNiTou summer school on gravitational waves (https://indico.in2p3.fr/event/39154/) will be at the Les Houches School of Physics (Les Houches, France) in 2027. This will be a month long summer school, from July 5 to July 30. So please mark your schedules.

Application and registration information will be coming soon. The priority for the school will be PhD students, young postdocs, and exceptional masters students. We will also consider participation from researchers/professors/engineers thinking to change their research area to gravitational waves.

The nominal cost for the school will be 2100 €; this will cover accommodation and meals. The organizing committee is actively trying to raise funds to diminish this cost and provide some scholarships. Again, more information will be coming soon.

For any immediate questions, please reach out to a member of the Organizing Committee (Bruce Allen, Marie Anne Bizouard, Nelson Christensen, Sebastien Guillot, Eric Kajfasz, Michele Mancarella, Christian Marinoni, Sylvain Marsat, Raphael Mignon-Risse, Samaya Nissanke, Delphine Porquet, Nicola Tamanini, Gudrun Wanner).

We look forward to seeing you in Les Houches!

Transmis par Delphine Porquet

11. IAU Women in Astronomy STEM Ambassador Awards 2025–2026

Chères et chers collègues,

Les lauréates et lauréats des IAU Women in Astronomy STEM Ambassador Awards 2025–2026 ont été annoncés.

Félicitations aux personnes récompensées :
Médaille STEM Ambassador Recognition Award : Pr Gloria Dubner (Argentine).
Catégorie 1 – Dr Sarah Pearce (SKA Observatory, Australie).
Catégorie 2 – Dr Lara Rodrigues da Costa Gomes de Sousa (IA/CAUP, Portugal).
Catégorie 3 – Dr Sheila Kanani (Her Place for Space, Royaume-Uni).
Catégorie 4 – Dr Alan Alves Brito (Université fédérale du Rio Grande do Sul, Brésil).
Catégorie 5 – Dr Marie Korsaga (Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Espagne, et Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo, Burkina Faso).
Pour en savoir plus sur les lauréates et lauréats et leurs contributions, consultez l’annonce officielle de l’UAI : https://iau.org/IAU/News/Ann2026/WiA-STEM-Ambassador-Awards-2025%E2%80%932026.aspx

Contact : iauwia2124@gmail.com

Transmis par Mamta Pommier

12. Le projet EST devient un « Landmark » du « Forum stratégique européen sur les infrastructures de recherche » (ESFRI)

Le projet de l’European Solar Telescope (EST; https://est-east.eu/), de télescope solaire de nouvelle génération de 4,2m d’ouverture, dont l’implantation est prévue à La Palma (Canaries, Espagne) vient d’être reconnu comme « Landmark » par le Forum stratégique européen sur les infrastructures de recherche (ESFRI), à l’issue de la décision adoptée lors de sa dernière réunion, tenue à Cork les 23 et 24 Septembre 2026. Cette reconnaissance représente un pas important, vers la construction de l’EST, pour cette infrastructure, inscrite depuis 2016 sur la feuille de route de l’ESFRI.

L’EST rejoint ainsi d’autres grands projets d’infrastructures en astronomie ayant le statut de « Landmark« , tel que le Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), l’Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) ou encore le Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).

L’EST est un projet stratégique particulièrement important pour la communauté héliophysique française, comme discuté dans l’article blanc « White paper on the relevance of the European Solar Telescope (EST) for the French heliophysics » (https://hal-obspm.ccsd.cnrs.fr/hal-05553853v3). EST devrait en particulier fournir des ensembles de données inégalés d’un grand intérêt dans le cadre de la météorologie spatiale. Le projet EST offre aussi des opportunité de développement important pour l’optique adaptative multi-conjuguée à grand champ et faible contraste.

Communiqué de presse de la fondation EST: https://est-east.eu/news/14-english/news/1368-est-esfri-landmark-status

Transmis par Etienne Pariat

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