We need volunteers!
Once more, the NCCR PlanetS will return to Fantasy Basel this year!
From Friday 3rd noon until Sunday 5th of May evening, PlanetS will once again be at the Fantasy Basel event, the Swiss Comic-Con. And this time, we are getting bigger!
Our stand will be 600 square-meters in collaboration with the Swiss Space Museum, as it will feature the premiere of their roadshow exhibition « Lift-off to Space », which is sponsored by PlanetS. The exhibition is made of 8 half circles presenting each one a topic related to space exploration, from the early influence of science-fiction, to the exoplanets, passing by rocket launch and the race to space. Some objects are also exhibited such as meteorites or Soyuz rocket parts.
And for such a big stand, we are looking for many volunteers (at least 18!) to help us handle the public, discuss and interact with it, as we will also be at a prime spot: just next to the big stage. Every language is welcome and not only scientists either!
Volunteers will be refunded for their travel (train), as well as lunch. In case of attendance for multiple consecutive days, dinner will be refunded and a hotel night (up to 120CHF/night/person, breakfast included). Volunteers have to arrange themselves for hotel, after approval from the organisation team. You will also be provided with a free ticket for the event, in exchange for half a day of presence at the stand, and one mini-talk (see below). The second half of the day you will be free to enjoy the event! If you are willing to join, please contact thibaut.roger@space.unibe.ch to register. Please do so as soon as possible, by Friday the 19th of April at the maximum.
The joint stand will mainly feature the exhibition, of which 2 of the 8 half circles are directly related to planetary sciences. Next to that, there should be 2 welcome desks, one for the Swiss Space Museum and one for PlanetS, the half size replica of CHEOPS, a Tesla Roadster with an astronaut suit in the driver seat (TBC), a virtual reality corner, a Mercury capsule life-size replica and potentially additional activities (depending on the number of volunteers). Finally, a mini-stage with a big screen/sound systems and a few chairs for the public will be available to display inspiring videos and give mini-talks (~10-15 minutes talk for the general public) according to a set schedule. This year, we will also have on each of the 3 days a slot for a thematic “panel talk” on the medium stage of the convention center, the Friday one will be about the solar system exploration and international collaboration for research, while the Saturday panel will be about exoplanets.
Volunteers are expected to stay at the stand for half a day (~6h), either at the welcome desk (to direct people and provide goodies (posters, postcards, etc.), nearby the 2 exhibition circles linked to our research or any additional activity. In addition, everyone (except non-scientist) is asked to give one (or more, if you want) science mini-talk (10-15 minutes and Q&A with the public) about planetary sciences, space or astronomy, either in English, German or French (or multiple languages). In order to prepare a schedule to be displayed on the screen in between talks, and to provide a variety of topics, please discuss with Thibaut as soon as possible on what you would like to present.
We hope to see many of you from PlanetS, willing to join the team there !
Website of the event: https://www.fantasybasel.ch
Article about one of our previous appearance there: http://nccr-planets.ch/blog/2017/06/14/planets-fantasy-basel/
Categories: Internal Newsletter
