Special Session on Belgian Research in Antarctica Organised by the “Collège Belgique”

From September 20^th to October 18^th, the Palais Provincial de Namur (Belgium) will be welcoming a special session on Belgian research in Antarctica in the framework of the "Collège Belgique", an initiative of the Royal Academy for Science and the Arts of Belgium to give citizens access to scientific knowledge. Over the course of the event, 12 researchers from various fields (glaciology, biology, climatology, oceanology, astrophysics and geology) will share their knowledge of Antarctica with the public.

The session - "L'Antarctique dans tous ses états: session spéciale du Collège Belgique" - will feature 6 conferences during which the public will gain better knowledge of the various studies conducted in Antarctica. All conferences will be held in French from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm on six different dates:

Tuesday - September 20^th, 2011

• "L’océanologie en Antarctique - le rôle de l’océan Austral dans le cycle du carbone" (Oceanology in Antarctica - the Role of the Southern Ocean in the Carbon Cycle) by Christiane Lancelot (Université libre de Bruxelles) and Frank Dehairs (Vrije Universiteit Brussel).

Tuesday - October 4^th, 2011

• "La glaciologie en Antarctique - la banquise et la calotte glaciaire, des acteurs climatiques multiples" (Glaciology in Antarctica – the Sea Ice and the Ice Sheet, Multifaceted Actors of Climate) by Jean-Louis Tison and Frank Pattyn (Université libre de Bruxelles).

Wednesday - October 5^th, 2011

• "Les réseaux d’information pour comprendre et sauvegarder la biodiversité antarctique" (Information Networks to Understand and Protect the Antarctic Biodiversity) by Bruno Danis (Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles).
• "Les îles sub-antarctiques" (The Subantarctic Islands) by Bart Van De Vijver (Jardin botanique national de Belgique, Meise).

Tuesday - October 11^th, 2011

• "L’Antarctique est un continent microbien" (Antarctica is a Microbial Continent) by Annick Wilmotte (Fonds de la Recherche scientifique – FNRS ; Université de Liège) and Anne Willems (Universiteit Gent).

Wednesday - October 12^th, 2011

• "L’astrophysique en Antarctique - les particules inattendues" (Astrophysics in Antarctica - the Unexpected Particles), by Georges Kohnen (Université de Mons).
• "Météorites en Antarctique  - archives de notre système solaire" (Meteorites in Antarctica - the Archives of our Solar System), by Vinciane Debaille (Université libre de Bruxelles).

Tuesday - October 18^th, 2011

• "La reconstruction et les prédictions climatiques en Antarctique à différentes échelles" (Climate Reconstructions and Projections In Antarctica on Different Scales) by Hugues Goosse (Fonds de la Recherche scientifique – FNRS ; Université Catholique de Louvain) and Wim Vyverman (Universiteit Gent).

The session will be coordinated by Dr. Annick Wilmotte, and the full programme of the event, as well as the practical details are available online on the Royal Academy's website.

Participation is free of charge. No prior registration is necessary.