• foster interdisciplinary research projects
• train the next generation of scientists in multidisciplinary research
• convince decision makers about the necessary of interdisciplinary research and training
• alert the general public to highlights of interdisciplinary research
Research in interdisciplinary fields opens a multitude of perspectives for researchers. Also, many of them meet lively interest of the general public. However, there are also challenges to be met: Firstly, researchers have to learn the language of fields seemingly unrelated to their own. Secondly, traditional curricular at universities might not always be open to or include interdisciplinary fields. Thirdly, there is always the chance of pseudoscience gaining ground.
In the proposed session following items could be discussed:
• Training in interdisciplinary fields like astrobiology: Experiences, chances, challenges and pitfalls
• Which channels and methods are apt to engage the general public (e.g. How can science fiction be used to interest people in research)
• How can we use interdisciplinary research areas to motivate young people to embark on a career in science?
• How to create efficient and sustainable European structures to coordinate and promote research in interdisciplinary fields
The experience of new structures like the European Astrobiology Institute in those areas could be of great value for other emerging interdisciplinary subjects. To our minds, such a session would be timely in a changing European science landscape.
The Geo-INQUIRE project unites more than 50 Earth Science partners to provide access to selected data, products, and services, spanning Virtual Access (VA) to Earth Science databases and Transnational Access (TA) to software, high-performance computing (HPC) systems, laboratories and instruments. VA and TA are complemented by an extensive training program, including workshops, summer schools, and training events.
This presentation highlights the project’s training achievements and resources available to the scientific community. To date, we have organised more than 50 events, including seminars, online training sessions, workshops, and two fully funded summer schools, one held in 2024 in Greece (focusing on GNSS, In-SAR, faults modelling, and FAIR principles) and another in October 2025 in Athens (focusing on Volcanology, Marine Biology, and Seismology). Geo-INQUIRE attracted more than 2,500 participants from nearly 90 countries. Specifically, the training program targeted Early Career Scientists (ECS), and whilst many senior scientists also participated, on average, 40% of attendees were ECS. We achieved our goal of at least 40% female engagement and drew approximately 25% of participants from European “widening” and “associated” countries.
All online training and seminars were recorded and are accessible at www.geo-inquire.eu. For selected workshops and most online events, recordings of key lectures and training materials are also available online, and MOOC-style access is provided for summer school materials. Geo-INQUIRE offers a broad spectrum of training modalities: from FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) training series to in-depth HPC software training (e.g., earthquake simulations with SeisSol, tsunami simulations with HySEA); from demonstrations of the European Fault-Source Model 2020 (EFSM20) to the Sea Level Station Monitoring Facility (SLSMF) API; from the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) data portal trainings to Observatories & Research Facilities for European Seismology (ORFEUS) and ShakeMap workshops; from recordings of fibre-optic sensing (DAS) lectures to hands-on sessions on the Geo-INQUIRE Simulation Data Lake.
We highlight this training database as a cornerstone project achievement, with the broad participation underscoring the need for a multidisciplinary geoscience training platform for young scientists in Europe and beyond. Looking ahead, Geo-INQUIRE will host several upcoming events (some with hybrid remote participation): a GFZ Summer School in June; a Geohazard and Tsunami Risk Workshop in Capri in early June; and the first SeisSol User Meeting and Training in mid-June in Munich. The Geo-INQUIRE website also hosts reports from TA projects, illustrating how VA-provided software can be utilized. Links to all VAs are available at www.geo-inquire.eu.
The Geo-INQUIRE project is funded by the European Commission under project number 101058518 within the HORIZON-INFRA-2021-SERV-01 call.
How to cite: Christadler, I., Gabriel, A.-A., Majdański, M., Dytłow, S., Bożek, D., Marciniak, A., Weege, S., Cotton, F., Tuerker, E., Strollo, A., Litwin Prestes, M., Puglisi, G., Currenti, G., Ganas, A., Socquet, A., Michalek, J., and Cauzzi, C.: Geo-INQUIRE Highlights of Training Events, Workshops and Summer Schools, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-3423, 2026.
Fundamental questions in science like “How and when did life emerge on Earth?”, “How did our solar system and life evolve” and “Is there life on other celestial bodies” will not be answered by one discipline alone but require a concerted and coordinated approach involving many researchers with seemingly unrelated scientific backgrounds. Also, the global research landscape is rapidly changing. Boundaries between disciplines disappear and new cross-disciplinary fields emerge. Astrobiology is one of them. Research in such field requires interaction and exchange of ideas and new results between scientists from many countries and fields, something that only larger research communities like the European Research Area can accomplish.
The European Astrobiology Institute (EAI) which was founded in 2019 aims to function as such an entity. It aims to gain Europe a leading position in this field and also sustains the momentum acquired by two recent initiatives, the COST Action ”Origins and Evolution of Life in the Universe” and the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership ”European Astrobiology Campus”, which were both highlighted as success stories by the European Union.
The EAI was founded be a consortium of European research entities. So far, 5 large research organisations and more than 20 universities and research centres have joined. EAI collaborates with several related European organizations including ESA, EANA, Europlanet etc. but as a network of institutions fundamentally differs from those bodies. The EAI has the following aims:
- Perform ground-breaking research on key scientific questions in astrobiology
- Disseminate high-quality results of these efforts effectively
- Provide interdisciplinary training for students and early career scientists
- Engage in education on astrobiology on all levels
- Liaise with industry to foster collaborate on technological developments
- Coordinate outreach ad public engagement activities of European astrobiologists
- Act as advisory body and provide high-quality expertise to European research organisations and decision makers
- Ensure the necessary financial means to carry out these activities through a coordinated approach to European funding agencies
The European Astrobiology Institute consists of institutions, but individuals can join its different Working Groups amd Project teams spanning all fields of astrobiology.
There are also working groups on Policy and Funding, Training, Field Work, Education, Infrastructures, Outreach, Media and Corporate Identity, Dissemination and Industry Liaison.
Many activities have been undertaken. Two major Biennial European Astrobiology Conferences (BEACONs) have been organised (La Palma 2023, Iceland 2005), the latest drawing more than 300 participants. Also, many smaller, more specialised meetings had been held by the institute. The European Astrobiology Campus, functioning as the training unit of the European Astrobiology Institute, has organised a multitude of very successful summer schools and online courses like the EAI Academy. There has also been a cornucopia of outreach and public engagement efforts that have been culminating in the planetarium movie “Dark Biospheres” which won several major international awards. Initiatives for industry liaisons have also been started.
Here we present the aims of EAI, its activities, its future plans as well as the benefits of membership in the institute and suggest possible co-operations with the EGU and other European entities.
How to cite: Geppert, W.: The European Astrobiology Institute – taking research training, and public engagement to new levels, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-7038, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7038, 2026.
Effective and sustained communication is essential for engaging user and expert communities in high-resolution computational (HPC) climate and weather research, given the scientific complexity, rapidly evolving tools and diverse user needs involved. These challenges are particularly acute for Centres of Excellence (CoEs), whose focus on long-term service provision, capacity building and community support sets them apart from traditional European research projects. CoEs must therefore ensure they remain visible and relevant within diverse expert communities. Although these issues are frequently discussed in soil science, valuable insights can also be gained from related environmental domains. ESiWACE3 (Simulation of Weather and Climate in Europe) is a European Centre of Excellence that supports the Earth system modelling community by providing advanced high-performance computing services, training and expertise. This paper presents ESiWACE3 as a transferable case study, focusing on its use of social media and digital networking to facilitate communication, knowledge exchange and community development among expert users.
ESiWACE3 has developed a tailored communication, dissemination and engagement strategy for its community of practice, which includes Earth system modellers, high-performance computing experts, early-career scientists and technology providers. Social media, newsletters and dedicated web content are used to make complex technical developments visible and actionable for users. However, a key challenge is that many expert users do not routinely use social media for professional information exchange, even though these platforms are becoming increasingly important for visibility and discoverability across distributed communities. To address this, ESiWACE3 has adapted its communication approach to reflect audience behaviour. Professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn have proven particularly effective in reaching and retaining expert users.
In addition to regular updates, communication activities are closely integrated with project services and events, such as workshops, hackathons and training sessions. Social networking is used to amplify the impact of these activities and sustain engagement over time. Targeted campaigns and visual formats, such as short videos and infographics, have helped to highlight expertise, services, and collaboration opportunities, thereby strengthening the connections between users, service providers, and domain experts. For ESiWACE3, social networking is not a replacement for traditional scientific communication; rather, it is a complementary mechanism that ensures climate and weather experts in HPC are aware of the available services, training opportunities, and ongoing research. These experiences demonstrate how the strategic integration of social networking can increase the visibility and uptake of services within specialised environmental research communities, including soil science networks.
How to cite: Arista-Romero, M. and Rodriguez-Gasen, R.: Engaging User Communities in Climate and Weather HPC Research through Social Media and Digital Networking: Insights from ESiWACE3, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11038, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11038, 2026.
How do we search for life in the Universe? What do scientists actually look for? And... can you find it?
In 1960, Frank Drake formulated the most famous equation to estimate the likelihood of intelligent life in the cosmos. The goal was to stimulate scientific dialog around the first SETI meeting and has since largely remain limited to scientific circles. How can we harness its creative power to promote Astrobiology ?
We developed Drake’s Dice: a board game that translates the randomness and uncertainty inherent in astrobiological data into gameplay. Players encounter real-life events (e.g., Gaia, Artemis) or astronomy concepts (e.g., Fermi Paradox, planetary migration) that constrain or expand the probability of life. Over 50 key concepts are explained in an illustrated booklet. Three difficulty levels reflect the evolving complexity of the scientific consensus.
Tested in public outreach settings, this physical game offers an accessible, engaging way for general audiences to explore the science, assumptions, and open questions behind the search for extraterrestrial life.
How to cite: Pott, A. and Larose, D.: Drake’s Dice: Bringing Astrobiology to the board game evening, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11816, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11816, 2026.
The Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research (HErZ) is a research network comprising German universities, research institutes, and the German Meteorological Service (DWD), which aims to advance Earth system forecasting and climate monitoring. The research in HErZ is translated into operational activities at the German Meteorological Service (DWD). HErZ was established in 2011 with four-year funding periods endorsed by the German government. The current funding phase hosts seven research projects, including a junior research group. The overarching research focus of the current phase is "Earth System Prediction and Novel Data Acquisition for Weather and Climate Services". The projects address a wide range of topics, from improving weather forecasts with novel observations to developing a seamless climate prediction framework that spans timescales from a few minutes to decades, and from basic research to practical user applications. All contributions are grouped in three clusters: “seamless predictions”, “integration of novel observations” and “co-design and communication”.
We will discuss challenges, solutions, and share success stories on interdisciplinary collaborations within HErZ clusters and training efforts. For instance, for the cluster “seamless predictions”, the challenge in connecting the different communities is the timescale of relevant processes that often defines a predictability limit and interest for a particular research community. On the climatic scales, ocean processes are essential and are considered to be a memory of the climate system. Whereas on the weather timescale, oceanic forcing is considered mostly unchanged and sometimes even irrelevant. This view is currently challenged by the emerging opportunities of the high-resolution modelling that demonstrates impacts of explicitly modelling ocean mesoscale processes on the atmosphere, sea ice and even land processes. Another example is from the cluster “integration of novel observations”. The observational and training HErZ campaign “VITAL I” (Vertical profiling of the troposphere: Innovation, opTimization and AppLication) took place in August 2024 at the Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution and hosted researchers and students from seven German research facilities. The success of the campaign is not to be taken for granted, as often interdisciplinary collaboration is challenging not only due to obvious obstacles such as terminology specific to various research fields, but also due to long established institutional structures. HErZ encourages interdisciplinary collaboration by providing dedicated funding for such cross-institutional activities.
The modern world requires extraordinary flexibility and multilateral collaborations. Given the complexity of the Earth system in combination with pressing global issues, we recognise the necessity for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research as well as designing new training modules that address such complexity and urgency. We thus would like to discuss best practices in research networking and training, and opportunities of scaling them up.
How to cite: Polkova, I., Ahlgrimm, M., Obermann-Hellhund, A., Scheck, L., Göber, M., Laurian, A., Masbou, M., Müller, W., Schmidli, J., Esters, L., Loehnert, U., Rust, H., Possner, A., and Hoose, C.: The Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research (HErZ) Network, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12185, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-12185, 2026.
Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of project-based learning and expanded access to educational opportunities in improving STEM outcomes for secondary school students into higher education. Building on this foundation, we present preliminary results from a pilot outreach program explicitly targeting underserved high schools along the Alabama Gulf Coast. The program focuses on schools with historically low participation in the regional science and engineering fair and lower academic performance based on statewide assessment metrics. The initiative is implemented through a symposium-style format designed to promote STEM engagement, career exploration, and community involvement. A distinguishing feature of the outreach is the interdisciplinary approach, with a specific emphasis on environmental science and environmental justice issues relevant to students’ and community members’ experiences including concerns such as coal ash disposal and deforestation in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. This incorporates a place-based approach by grounding scientific learning in locally significant environmental challenges. The overarching goal of the initiative is to provide sustained career exploration, academic scaffolding, and community-focused support that can benefit students as they transition into higher education and STEM-related careers. This presentation shares ongoing results from the pilot program based on student participation and feedback surveys, and discusses its potential for broader application in underserved coastal communities.
How to cite: de Oliveira, G. and Koster, E.: Promoting youth engagement in STEM in underserved U.S. Gulf Coast high schools through interdisciplinary, project-based outreach, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13307, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13307, 2026.
