Short News
Official opening of the ESWW2024!
Iulia Chifu

© T. Lages; Miguel Vieira da Fonseca giving his speech at the opening ceremony
This year, the European Space Weather Week celebrates its 20-year anniversary in Coimbra, one of the prettiest university cities in Portugal. The historical Convento de São Francisco opened its gates this morning, 04.11.2024, to the space weather and space climate community, where research, operations, and industry representatives show their new discoveries and developments in the field.
The councillor of the Coimbra city hall, Miguel Vieira da Fonseca, officially opened the European Space Weather Week 2024 scientific program. In his speech, the councillor of Coimbra city hall underlined that “this event represents an unparallel gathering of experts” from all over the world, and he feels a great honour to welcome in Coimbra more than 600 representatives of the SWSC scientific community.

Piers Jiggens giving a warm welcome to the participants; ©Tatiana Lages
Ricardo Gafeira, solar physicist and director of the Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra expressed his excitement that Coimbria, which has strong traditions in solar observations for almost 100 years, is now open to cutting-edge research in Space Weather.
The chair of the ESWW program committee, Piers Jiggens welcomed the audience with a few sentences in Portuguese, for the surprise and admiration of the public. Rui Pinto, the chair of the LOC expressed gratitude to the people in the local organisation of the conference. He underlined the constant growth of the ESWW, and he thinks “that this is how it will be in the next years”. He introduced the LOC new initiatives as reducing food waste and reforestation at the Observatory of Coimbra. In this direction the LOC organizes a special social event where participants can plant a tree.
With the occasion of the ESWW 20 years anniversary, Jean Lilensten, one of the scientists initiating the SW movement, gave an overview talk on the evolution of the SW&SC over the last 20 years. More on this subject will follow in a dedicated article we prepare!
Few words on the ESWW 2024 medal ceremony
Iulia Chifu

©Tatiana Lages
This year, the ESWW medal committee awarded all three medals to three excellent scientists. The ceremony took place in the old church of the Covent. The majestic construction of the space gave a special touch to the event, which a moderate number of participants attended. The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal for the Early Career Scientist was awarded to Theodosios Chatzistergos from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Germany.

T. Chatzistergos receiving the Chizhevsky medal.
The Chizhevsky medal is given for an innovative approach to the methods used for his research in SWSC. The Kristian Birkeland medal was awarded to Yoshizumi Miyoshi from Nagoya University, Japan. This medal is awarded to researchers who have found a bridge in combining basic and applied research and have developed SWSC techniques that are novel and interdisciplinary. Unfortunately, and for objective reasons, Yoshizumi Miyoshi could not be present at the ceremony, but we could watch a recording he prepared right before the ceremony.
The Baron Nicolet medal is awarded to advanced scientists with outstanding careers who have a special dedication to educating and serving the SWSC community. This year, the Baron Nicolet medal was awarded to Karel Schrijver, a prominent solar and space weather scientific community figure. Unfortunately, not long ago, Karel Schrijver passed away. On his behalf, Marc deRosa, a very good friend and collaborator of Karel, received the medal. The special words of gratitude transmitted by Iris Schrijver, Karel’s wife, were very moving for the audience. We took a moment of silence and reflection to honor our colleague Karel Schrijver.
Space Weather Fair
I. Chifu & E. Samara

Participants discussing during the Space Weather Fair; ©Tatiana Lages
The Space Weather Fair is already a traditional event at the Space Weather (SW) week. The purpose of the event is to offer the users and service providers an environment for informal communication. On 06.11, Wednesday afternoon, a number of 15 SW booths were present at the SW Fair. It was a very vivid environment, with interesting discussions and interactions. We had the pleasure to exchange some thoughts with some of the scientists, company representatives and non-academics about their products and how are their services used by the end users.
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Visit to the observatory
I. Chifu

With love and care, Nick Arge is planting a tree at the Coimbra Observatory.
On Thursday, Ricardo Gafeira, the director of the Coimbra Observatory, offered to the conference participants a visit at the Observatory. A group of around 15 participants started with a walk from the conference site to the Observatory. Once arrived, the director made a short introduction to the Observatory, its beginnings and its evolution. We continued with a visit to the old Museum of Observing Instruments, which contains historical astronomical instruments from the 17th to the 20th century, such as astrolabes, telescopes, quadrants, etc. The program also included tree planting and an active dine-in partnership with the ESWW24. Most participants were enthusiastic about planting a tree, and it was heartwarming to witness their appreciation for nature and their care for the young saplings throughout the process. I’m confident we contributed a small but meaningful step toward restoring Coimbra Observatory’s Forest. For me, this activity holds a symbolic meaning: growth—whether as a child, student, or professional—requires love, care, and understanding. Truly powerful individuals are those who exhibit kindness and generosity, much like the imagery this experience evokes. The visit ended with a show at the planetarium.