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The Physics Erasmus Summer School (E3F)

                                    LOOKING UP, LOOKING DOWN

will be held from 7 to 11 September 2026 at the Faculty of Physics of the Universitat de València.

The School is aimed at undergraduate students of Physics and other STEM degrees. The School will offer lectures, round tables, and various leisure and educational activities in an inclusive and participatory environment. In this edition, the School's programme will include invited lectures in the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Earth Physics and Thermodynamics as well as contributions on other topics in Physics or related to it. There will also be time for participants to present their own contributions in the form of a talk or poster and prizes for the best contribution of each type. Presentations will be given in English.

Besides its scientific content, the School offers a unique oportunity to know the Faculty of Physics of the University of Valencia as a potential Erasmus destination, to discover the city of Valencia, and to establish contacts with Physics students from various European universities.

The School is organized as an Erasmus+ BIP (Blended Intensive Programme). As such, undergraduate students from the participating universities (University of Jyväskylä, Johannes Gutenberg University-Mainz, University of Palermo, University of Valencia, University of Latvia) and other Erasmus+ institutions can get 3 ECTS by fullfilling the corresponding assesment criteria.

INVITED TALKS

Astronomy and Astrophysics

  • What happens inside stars?, Tuomas Grahn, University of Jyväskylä
  • The Hoyle state and the cosmic origin of life, Panu Ruotsalainen, University of Jyväskylä
  • The stormy Sun: The foundations of Space Weather, Fabio Reale, University of Palermo
  • A Journey through the Universe: Expansion and Cosmological Models, Tiziana Di Salvo, University of Palermo
  • Aberrometry and wavefront correction in astronomy, Varis Karitans, University of Latvia
  • Planetary Atmospheres: Insights from Earth, Philip Reutter, Johannes Gutenberg University-Mainz
  • Gravitational Waves: A decade of exploring the Universe, Alicia Sintes, University of the Balearic Islands
  • Sub-Neptunes, the most common type of planet in the Galaxy... and the most habitable?, Rafael Luque, Andalousian Institute of Astrophysics
  • The Alhambra Survey: Galaxy distribution at small scales, Elena González-Martínez, University of Valencia
  • AGN jets: How black holes shape their galaxies, Kiara Hervella, University of Valencia
  • Simulating the Universe’s most extreme collisions: An introduction to Numerical Relativity, Inês Andrade Rainho, University of Valencia

Earth Physics and Thermodynamics

  • Thermoacoustics - key to space and energy harvesting technologies, Arturs Brekis, University of Latvia
  • Geo-neutrinos: A new tool to study the Earth, Livia Ludhova, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH (Darmstadt) & Johannes Gutenberg University-Mainz
  • Transforming agriculture: Remote sensing for sustainable management, Belén Franch, University of Valencia
  • Human-induced climate change amplification on storm dynamics in Valencia’s 2024 catastrophic flash flood, Juan Jesús González Alemán, Spanish Meteorological Agency
  • The role of remote sensing in wildfire prevention and damage assesment, Patricia Oliva-Pavón, University of Alcalá
  • TBA, Fàtima Della, University of Valencia
  • The future of computers: taking inspiration from the brain, Sergio Portillo, University of Valencia
  • TBA, Violeta Matos, University of Valencia
  • Coriolis force: What it does and what it doesn’t do, Jonathan Bustos, University of Valencia

General/multidisciplinary talks &  complementary activities

  • Sustainability and the terminal crisis of capitalism, Antonio Turiel, Institut of Marine Sciences-CSIC
  • The Reinvention of science: Slashing the dragons of dogma and ignorance, Vicent J. Martínez, University of Valencia
  • Beyond invention: How societies shape(d) technology, Pedro Ruiz-Castell, University of Valencia
  • Round table: Physics without frontiers (Erasmus experiences across Europe)
  • Round table: Science and Education in the Question of Palestine and Global Human Rights: Impact and Responsibilities, with the participation of members of the University Network for Palestine
  • Live demonstrations of Experimenta Fair winning projects
  • Virtual visit to the Calar Alto telescopes
  • Visit to the Valencian Headquarters of the Spanish Meteorological Agency, AEMET (the visit will be held in Spanish; elective activity; limited number of places) / Visit to the Museum of Sciences (elective activity)
  • Planetarium show at the Hemisfèric
  • (One-hour) Workshop on astronomical data analysis: “Hunting exoplanets” (elective activity, limited number of places) / (One-hour) Workshop on satellite data analysis: “Eyes in the sky: mapping wildfires with satellites” (elective activity, limited number of places)

         

POSTER SESSION

You are invited to present a poster. It does not need to be based on original research, and can address any area of Physics or related disciplines. The best poster will be recognised with a prize and a diploma. In addition, if you are applying for the 3 ECTS, the presentation of your poster will contribute to the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the 3 ECTS.

ORAL CONTRIBUTIONS

You can also present an oral contribution. Like posters, it does not need to be based on original research and can address any area of Physics or related disciplines. The best oral contribution will receive a prize and a diploma. In addition, if you are applying for the 3 ECTS, this presentation will help you to partially fulfil the requirements for the 3 ECTS.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

  • Collaborative games and touristic gymkhana
  • Closing lunch of the School
  •  Free time to discover the city

OBTAINING 3 ECTS CREDITS

Undergraduate students from participating universities (València, Jyväskylä, Mainz, Palermo and Latvia), as well as from any other university of the Erasmus+ programme, will be eligible to obtain 3 ECTS credits by fulfilling the following evaluation criteria:

Option 1:

For those presenting a poster or an oral contribution:

  • Minimum attendance of 80% of the hours.
  • Oral presentation (15 minutes) or preparation of a poster with discussion in the poster session.

Option 2:

For those not presenting a poster or oral contribution:

  • Minimum attendance of 80% of the hours.
  • Team preparation* of a presentation on one or two of the School's conferences, to be prepared remotely during the two weeks following the face-to-face part.

*Teams will be made up of two or three students from different universities.

REGISTRATION

Please contact the Erasmus office at your home institution for the proper registration in the BIP programme and funding, as well as for the recognition of ECTS.

Registration deadline for School’s organisational purposes: June 19, 2025. Limited number of places available. Please fill in the registration form below:

https://forms.gle/twHJxPLhN3Re1xCRA

REGISTRATION FEE

BIP participants are exempt from paying the registration fee.

Registration to the School includes:

  • coffee breaks
  • lunches
  • tickets for the planetarium show at the Hemisfèric and the Museum of Science tour
  • closing lunch

Contact: e3f@uv.es