Student opportunities for IAC 2012
ESA's Education Office offers European students the opportunity to attend the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). This year’s IAC will be held from 1 to 5 October in Naples, Italy.
The theme of the 63rd edition of IAC is "Space science and technology for the needs of all".
The annual congress is the main annual meeting point for space professionals and provides participating students with a once in a lifetime opportunity to create many valuable contacts with both professionals and like-minded students from all over the world.
Throughout the congress students can interact with experts, listen to their views on the future of space and learn about the latest developments in the space industry. At the same time students are encouraged to actively contribute to the congress by presenting their own research to the space community. Some will have the opportunity to give presentations in the official technical sessions of the congress, alongside leading space experts who can often provide valuable feedback and guidance.
Students selected by ESA will be sponsored in order to cover their registration fees and a contribution towards travel and accommodation expenses will be given.
Eligibility criteria
The student participation programme mainly attracts science and engineering students, often specialising in space studies. However, space is a truly interdisciplinary field. The programme therefore admits a significant number of students who are studying related subjects, such as business, law or medicine. As such there are no requirements regarding the subject of the degree studied.
To check your eligibility, as well as the conditions of sponsorship, please refer to the terms and conditions of sponsorship link.
How to apply
In order to be considered for selection, students must submit an abstract to the IAC by 29 February 2012.
The deadline for ESA's sponsorship application is 25 April 2012.
For full application steps please refer to the ‘IAC - how to apply’ link.
Background
The IAC student participation programme is an initiative of the International Space Education Board (ISEB). Launched in 1999 by ESA, NASA, JAXA, CNES and CSA, the programme is now well established and it offers students interested in space a unique combination of special talks, discussions and networking opportunities in addition to the many technical sessions of the IAC itself.
To date, more than 2000 students have taken part in this programme, facilitating a generation handover of space expertise from experienced professionals to enthusiastic young people.
