CHEOPS Science Team Meeting #34

Where? European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

When? Tuesday, 11 - Thursday, 13 March 2025

Core Programme

Contact: David Ehrenreich

The core programme will be announced here in due course. We foresee the core programme to start on Tuesday, 11 March, around noon and end on Thursday, 13 March, around noon. (TBD)

Social Programme

Contact: Narcisa Ceuca, cc Maximilian Günther

Tuesday, 11 March

• From 9:00 CET: Arrivals and gathering in our meeting room "Newton 2" or the adjacent coffee corner
• 10:00 - 12:30 CET: Opportunity to visit the Space Expo next door (self-paid and self-organised; 20% discount available)
• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 18:00 - 23:00 CET: "Women in Astronomy x CHEOPS" networking reception in ESTEC's Escape^a,b

Wednesday, 12 March

• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 19:00 - 23:00 CET: Social dinner at Scheltema Leiden^b

Thursday, 13 March

• 12:30 - 14:00 CET: Joint lunch in the cafeteria (self-paid and self-organised)^a,b
• 14:45 - 17:00 CET: Guided tour of ESTEC's Erasmus High Bay and the testing facilities^a

^a Starting points: For these social events, we will assemble in our meeting room "Newton 2" at the specific time and walk to the activity together.

^b Dietary Requirements: ESTEC's cafeteria, ESTEC's Escape, and Scheltema Leiden all cater to a variety of diets, including vegetarian and vegan options. However, if you have any dietary requirements beyond this, please inform the staff at ESTEC's cafeteria and ESTEC's Escape before ordering, and notify Scheltema Leiden at least two weeks prior to the event via email (contact details are available on their website).

Local Information

Traveling to the Netherlands: We recommend travelling to the Netherlands by train where possible. Options for long distance or even sleeper trains can be found via your national train companies or international providers, such as European Sleeper. Alternatively, your entry point for air travel will be Schiphol Airport. Once you arrive, the Netherlands have a remarkable local transportation system and you will be able to continue your journey by train and bus. For specific train and bus routes, please consult local travel services such as NS or 9292. 

Hotels and buses: Many colleagues recommend staying in Leiden, particularly near the Leiden Centraal train station. This area offers several large hotels and is conveniently connected to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport by a 15-minute train ride. Additionally, there is a frequent 20-minute bus service from Leiden Centraal to ESTEC. Alternatively, some colleagues suggest staying in Noordwijk or Katwijk, both of which offer a 20-minute bus ride to ESTEC. For specific hotel options, we recommend booking well in advance using the usual booking services. For specific train and bus routes, please consult local travel services such as NS or 9292. If you are brave enough, you can also find rental bicycle services and commute in the most Dutch way possible, with all locations connected within a short 15- to 30-minute cycle.

Arrival to ESTEC: Please arrive at ESTEC's security gate well on time (at least 30 minutes before your planned activity). You must have completed both step-1 and step-2 of the registration (see above), and bring a valid passport with you to gain your visitor badge and access. Otherwise, you will be denied entry. In case of problems, please ask the security officers to call Narcisa Ceuca. The security officers will also show you the way to our meeting room. You can also always consult the ESTEC safety and security leaflet for visitors, which features a detailed site map.

Meeting room and hybrid options: All in-person attendees are invited to join us in meeting room "Newton 2" for the days of the meeting. The meeting room cannot be locked, so please take your computers and personal belongings with you at all times. We will also set up a remote connection via WebEx for anyone joining off-site, the link for which will be distributed via email.

Fun activities: Being environmentally aware, consider saving on multiple trips this year and connecting your travels to the Netherlands with other collaborations and beautiful holidays! Maybe use this opportunity to meet up with colleagues at ESTEC, Leiden Observatory, SRON, Amsterdam University, or other institutes for joint projects. Or simply enjoy the tranquil walks along the canals of Leiden, experience the busy streets of Amsterdam, or slender along the embassies in Den Haag. You might even climb up some of the public windmills, marvel at the great Dutch painters, and - if you dare - embrace a refreshing swim in the North Sea. Nearby ESTEC, you can also find a multitude of engaging and educational museums, like the Space Expo (if an ESTEC meeting room is not exciting enough), the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre (with an incredible and interactive dinosaur exhibition), or the Rijksmuseum (where you can see Egyptian pharaos; very on-brand). You can find plenty more tourist information online and in the links above.

Contact

Please contact David Ehrenreich for any questions about the core programme.

Please contact Narcisa Ceuca (firstname dot lastname at ext dot esa dot int) and cc Maximilian Günther (firstname dot lastname at esa dot in) for any questions about local information or the social programme.

List of registrations

Personal Data Protection

Please note the following important privacy information related to Science conferences. The full information can be read in the event privacy notice, which must be agreed to as a requirement for participating in the Science conference.

• The event you are registering for may be livestreamed/recorded and you are likely to feature in the video, which may be published on ESA or external web platforms such as YouTube. If you do not wish your personal data to be captured, then you have the right to switch off your camera and microphone, or if attending in person, sit in an area that is not being filmed.
• You accept that ESA has limited control of data published on external web platforms (such as YouTube) and that the use of your data is subject to the privacy policy of the external platform.
• Photographs may be taken at this even by an ESA photographer for published on ESA websites as a historical record of attendance. If you do not wish to have your photograph taken, please inform the event organiser.
• By registering you acknowledge that your personal data may be sent outside of the EU as part of the abstract assessment process. This may include your personal data being sent to countries not qualified by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data. 
• By submitting the personal data of co-authors, you confirm that you have their consent to the event privacy notice. It is the responsibility of the submitter to gather and manage this consent.

Code of Conduct

The European Space Agency (ESA) strives to create a positive work environment where all people are treated with respect and dignity. In the context of ESA Science workshops and conferences, all participants are expected to help create an environment at the meeting and all associated activities that is professional, inclusive, and in which everyone is treated with respect.

All participants are therefore requested to follow these guidelines:

1. All participants are expected to behave professionally and to be respectful – critique ideas not people.
2. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience taking into account the many different backgrounds and perspectives of the participants.
3. Participants may share the contents of talks/slides via social media unless speakers have asked that specific details/slides not be shared. If participants wish to share photos of a speaker on social media, it is strongly recommended that they first get the speaker’s permission.

ESA does not tolerate unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour or statements. This includes but isn’t limited to: sustained disruption of talks, comments related to individual characteristics, background or identity, and photography or recording of an individual without consent.

Meeting organisers and chairs bear a particular responsibility in ensuring that the code of conduct is followed.

• The Local Organising Committee members are designated as the contact points for all matters related to this code. Participants can report any violation of these guidelines to these designates in confidence.
• Should a participant witness behaviour they suspect may be unprofessional or inappropriate, it is recommended that they approach the affected person as soon as possible to support and help them. The witness can encourage the affected person to report the unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour but should be guided by that person on their preferred course of action.
• Anyone requested to stop inappropriate behaviour is expected to comply immediately. In serious cases, a participant may be asked to leave the event without a refund or, in the case of online participation, the removal of meeting credentials.
• In the case where the unprofessional or inappropriate behaviour involves an ESA staff member, ESA’s Human Resources Department may be contacted for further guidance on the applicable policies and means of action.

Acknowledgments: This code of conduct has been adapted from the London Code of Conduct (by A. Pontzen and H. Peiris), which was derived from original Creative Commons documents by PyCon and Geek Feminism. It is released under a CC-Zero licence for reuse. To help track people's improvements and best practice, please retain this acknowledgement, and log your re-use or modification of this policy at: https://github.com/apontzen/london_cc .

WebEx Etiquette

• Test if you can screenshare well in advance of your scheduled presentation; your computer's privacy settings might ask you to leave and reenter the meeting before you can screenshare
• Your screen name should be your full name followed by your institution in brackets, e.g. "Mae Carol Jemison (NASA)"
• Keep your microphone muted to minimise background noise
• Make use of the chat & participants menu
• Speakers will miss the visual feedback from online participants; you can make up for that, by leaving nice remarks, using thumbs-up emojis, raising your hand, and clapping after the talks
• To ask questions, either use the "raise hand" button in the participants menu and prepare to be called up, or write them down in the chat for the chair to read them out
• Continue conversations with speakers via direct messages