The UPC, selected by ESA to host the 4th Symposium on Space Educational Activities

2020-07-08 00:00:00

The Polytechnic University of Catalonia — BarcelonaTech (UPC) has been selected to organise the 4th Symposium on Space Educational Activities (SSEA) next spring, in 2021. The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences – University of Barcelona (ICCUB) will also support the event.

This will be the first time that this symposium, promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA), will be held in Spain. Since its first edition, the SSEA has emerged as the reference symposium in which the current state and future of space education activities in Europe and the world are discussed. The proposal has been selected by ESA, standing out among candidates from universities in other Member States of the agency.

The symposium will be held at Barcelona between 21st and 23th April 2021 and it will bring to the city around 300 students, educators and professionals from all over the world. The SSEA 2021 will be organised by the three UPC schools dedicated to training and research in the space field: the School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering of Terrassa (ESEIAAT), Barcelona School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSETB) and the Castelldefels School of Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering (EETAC).

The SSEA 2021 is aimed at students and focuses on educational activities in the space field at the university, giving participants the opportunity to share their results and experiences. Moreover, one of the main pillars of the symposium is that it will also be organised by the students themselves, the engineers and scientists who will lead the future of the space sector in Europe. The proposal also places special emphasis on promoting Europe’s space education in the world and on achieving the goals of equity, gender equality, diversity and sustainability.

This symposium is expected to attract educators and university students, as well as project managers to help bridge the gap between activities carried out during secondary and high school and the university. The event will also feature the participation of local and European companies interested in space education efforts and their outcomes.

The visit of hundreds of participants to Barcelona will also be a great opportunity to collaborate in the reconstruction of the social and productive fabric of the city in the post-COVID-19 scenario.

More information will be soon available on the symposium website.