The IEEC participates in the International Space University’s SSP 2024 summer programme
Caption: Ana Montaner and Juan de Dalmau with the SSP 2024 group that participated in the Media Training workshop.
Credits: ISU
The ‘Space Studies Program’ (SSP), organised by the International Space University (ISU) with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), reaches its 36th edition this year.
Underway in Houston, Texas (USA), from past 8 June until 3 August, the SSP will once again offer first-class interdisciplinary training in the field of Space, through theoretical courses, workshops and professional visits.
The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) continues to play a prominent role in this year’s edition, thanks to the participation of the head of its Communication Office, Ana Montaner, in several activities of the programme.
During the week of 17 June, Montaner conducted two workshops next to Juan de Dalmau, former Head of Communications at ESA’s Technology Centre in the Netherlands and former ISU President.
During the first one, ‘Media Training: How to make the best out of a media interview’, the focus was put on interviews with journalists. Montaner and Dalmau provided participants with a hands-on learning experience to prepare for this kind of occasions.
The second workshop, focused on ‘Crisis communication’, provided the participants with a hands-on introduction to communication in case of a crisis in the space transportation field. The attendees learned how to deal with a worse case scenario and deliver a public statement after a major accident.
Montaner’s participation in the SSP allowed her to interact with the recipients of the NewSpace Catalonia Scholarships, Laura González, Marc Casanovas and José Manuel Rodríguez. In the framework of the Talent and Society programme of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, the Government of Catalonia and the IEEC awarded these scholarships to partially offset the costs associated with participation in the SSP.
For the third year in a row, the participation on this programme has been a great experience from a human and professional point of view, which offers the opportunity to meet and discuss with all kind of professionals of the space sector: from engineers and scientists from ESA, NASA and other space organisations to lawyers or people with a humanities background.