Tag: EUSJA study trip

  • Do We Need ITER, the $45-Billion Fusion Experiment?

    We got a book that certainly will help to answer this question. “The Giant Fusion Reactor” (Springer 2020) is the first book published on the ongoing fusion energy megaproject – one of the most fascinating endeavours of our time

    We have many reasons to announce this book. The author of “The Giant Fusion Reactor” is a former communications director at ITER Michel Claessens. Thanks to his activity, EUSJA could send its members to Cadarache twice. Science journalists attended the venue of ITER project and got the information first hand. There were a lot of articles after these study trips. And now the public has got a book that provides for the first time an insider’s view into the world’s largest fusion reactor, which is currently under construction in southern France. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at this controversial project, and examines the history, technology, economics and politics of this global major endeavour.

    “A unique look behind the scenes with insider information, scientifically and historically one can’t read anywhere else. The numerous citations of people and the personal stories bring the project closer to the reader. Certainly an outstanding example of good science communication”, – says Bettina Roselt, journalist, Fusion in Europe magazine. “In such uncertain times, it is important for people to have a reminder of what we can achieve if we work together and that, with enough determination, we can solve the challenges we face. That is why this book is so important”, comments Daniel Clery, journalist from Science Magazine. but it is better to turn to Michel himself Here are some interesting passages from the book.

                In Short. In Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, a small village in southern France, 35 countries 1 are building the world’s largest fusion reactor. The first experiments are now scheduled for 2025, and full nuclear operations in 2035. The reactor will then heat up minute amounts of hydrogen isotopes (only 2 grams) at 150 million degrees, which will trigger their nuclei to fuse, like in thesun and the stars. This should generate a tremendous thermal power of 500 MW. Fusion might become a new source of energy on Earth -safe, clean and using abundant fuel.

                Diplomacy. ITER is a “diplomatic technology”: the idea was put forward by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 as a way out to the Cold War. The research community seized the opportunity and raised the profile of fusion, presenting it as a major scientific and technology challenge. Then the fusion community succeeded to “market” tokamak technology as the necessary way to a new energy source on Earth. ITER and fusion energy may well change the course of civilization. However, the way is still long and uncertain as the project will fail to answer some key questions.

                Results. ITER will confirm that we can master fusion energy on Earth. In addition, ITER will test several technologies to breed tritium inside a tokamak – in my view the most valuable contribution of ITER. It will look like thin results for the public but fusion is the only disruptivetechnology that we have in stock. Also, ITER will show that 35 countries can work together and take up a global challenge -hence it is a benchmark for international cooperation.

                Cost. This is the billion-dollar question: is the experiment worth the budget? According to the best estimates detailed in my book, the “value” of ITER in Europe will be EUR41 billion ($45billion). ITER will be the most expensive scientific facility on Earth.

                What is next? ITER may lead to the commercial development of fusion energy – but not before 2050. However, there are about 20 private companies developing similar or competitive technologies. Experts in the field hope that any fusion technology would emerge quickly to meet the pressing needs of mankind and reduce the threats of irreversible climate change.

    More information about the book:

    https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030275808#aboutBook

     Contact: michel_claessens@yahoo.fr, @M_Claessens, +32-475-912526

    Photo: www.iter.org

  • The importance to combat climate change and environmental pollution to protect human health in Europe

    By Bartolomeo Buscema

    Healthcare in Europe is provided through a wide range of different systems run at individual national levels. There is a need to harmonize all national systems in order to achieve best practices together with economical results. In this scenery, about six hundred  of  European health policy experts , member of civil society, academia and business  from across Europe met at the annual 2019 European Health Forum Gastein (2-4 October 2019, Austria) explored disruptive proposals  to enhance  health  level  based mainly on artificial intelligence,  economy  strategies  concerning well-being  and to combat  climate change  to limit its effect on  citizens.

    Many topics  have been deal with, among them: data for safer care ( digital solutions and surveillance systems for patient safety),toward economy of well-being, vaccine ecosystem health check, obesity  and cancer  guidelines in Europe. Besides, ministers and high-level representatives from EU Member States, experts of  the European Commission joined the discussions  outlining  their  near term  visions  for the future of health. Other topics were the power of digital technologies, developing effective vaccines campaigns to decrease vaccine hesitancy and harmful effects of climate change on health. In this article , we  focus on the latter  topic  underlining  the undeniable effect on people’s health, which is rapidly becoming a public health emergency.

    As the fifth-highest emitter of pollution, the healthcare sector is responsible for 4.7% of carbon emissions, which underscores the need for significant measures to achieve zero carbon emissions in Europe. Hospitals, healthcare professionals, industry, and patients must all take radical steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Moreover, the effects of climate change on public health are significant and far-reaching, with increased risks of infectious diseases, allergies, and heat-related illnesses, particularly affecting older and poorer people. Such effects also have consequences on the labor market, as annual working hours decrease. In this regard, it is worth noting that Douglaston urgent care and other healthcare facilities in Europe are better equipped to manage the impacts of climate change, especially among vulnerable populations. However, the same cannot be said for other regions such as Africa, where the effects of climate change are more severe and disproportionately affect poorer people. To address this, the European Union must take on a more active role and assume responsibility for helping people in other parts of the world by promoting and implementing best practices and adaptation measures to mitigate the disruptive effects of the rapid increase in global temperatures.

    In recent years our understanding of climate-health relationships has increased rapidly and  consequently our understanding of how the disruption of biophysical and ecological systems due to climate change might affect the longer-term wellbeing and health of populations. It is worthwhile to underline that Climate change can affect human health directly (e.g., impacts of thermal stress, death/injury in floods and storms) and indirectly through changes in the ranges of disease vectors (e.g., mosquitoes), water-borne pathogens, water quality, air quality, and food availability and quality. For this scope, it is crucial to cut  greenhouse emissions sufficiently to keep temperature increase below 1,5°C above pre-industrial level   going toward  to decarbonising the economy as a result of reduced air pollution. Solutions ,of course,  must be implemented taking into account  present knowledge and in this respect the scientific community  should be played an important role in  countering misinformation on the health effects of climate change and in wide spreading  the best solutions adaptation and mitigation strategies. This should be done, in close collaboration with decision makers and politicians. Starting from the Paris Climate Agreement, which also is the most important public health agreement of this century, we need to decrease emissions from fossil fuel combustion and consequently reduce air pollution, which causes 600.000 deaths in European region every year. During the forum it has been stated that if member States would honor the commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement, we would prevent 180.000 yearly deaths in the region.

    Photos: credit Bartolomeo Buscema

     Bartolomeo Buscema is science journalist and science writer, UGIS, Italy

  • Pain, just a symptom or a disease on its right?

    By Merce Piqueras

    When I told a friend of mine, who is a nurse, that I was to attend a meeting on pain, she asked me: “Is it an anaesthesiology meeting?” My friend, like other professionals of health, assumes that pain is the province of anaesthesiologists, the specialists whose main task is to prevent pain during and after surgery. However, pain medicine is much more than anaesthesiology; it is a multi-disciplinary, complex branch of medicine. The meeting I attended through EUSJA was the 11th Congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC, which was held in Valencia, Spain on September 4-7 this year, which gathered around 3,500 healthcare professionals from different fields of pain medicine. Pain has been usually considered only a symptom. However, in many pathological conditions in which pain starts as a symptom, it turns into a disease on its right, with its own biology and own biological consequences.

    Pain is a subjective experience that cannot be quantified like temperature and blood pressure. Research has shown that around half of our pain sensitivity is determined by our genetics. At the Allan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain in Montreal, Canada, Luda Diatchenko is investigating the cellular and molecular events that lead to chronic pain. In a recent talk in Valencia, Diatchenko explained how the results of genetic studies are being used to create new drugs for pain management, including personalized pain diagnoses and treatments. Additionally, with a growing body of research supporting its use, many people with chronic pain are turning to marijuana for chronic pain relief as a means of improving their quality of life. To explore more cannabis products for medical and leisure purposes, you may visit the online shop of indacloud.

    The fact that pain is invisible, an emotion, makes it difficult for the physicians to assess the severity of the patient’s condition and the effectivity of treatments. By now, providing evidence of chronic pain at the best walk-in clinic for insurance and legal purposes has been very difficult, if not impossible. Nevertheless, this could change in the near future. At the EFIC Congress, Rolf-Detlef Trede, from the Centre for Biomedicine and Medical Technology of Manheim, Germany, presented a project he leads that aims to identify biomarkers such as proteins and hormones with the capability of objectively measuring pain. These are just two of the many topics discussed at the EFIC Congress.

    The International Association of the Study of Pain (IASP) declared 2019 “Global Year Against Pain in the Most Vulnerable” with the aim to improve the assessment and treatment of pain in the most vulnerable populations: infants and young children, the elderly (including old people suffering dementia), individuals with cognitive impairments (non-dementia related) or psychiatric disorders, and survivors of torture. If you have an elderly relative in an assisted living facility because of dementia, you need to make sure that they are properly taken care of. There are reports of residents being verbally and physically abused. If you suspect that your loved one is being abused in their nursing home, you may need to contact a Milwaukee nursing home abuse lawyer.

    The EFIC Congress took into account the 2019 celebration and various sessions focused on topics related to the most vulnerable populations. Miriam Kunz, co-chair of the 2019 Global Year Against Pain in the Most Vulnerable, has used her advanced understanding of patient’s facial expressions and other non-verbal cues to attract attention towards the usually inadequate treatments of pain in vulnerable patients Communication of pain by patients from these groups tends to be difficult and the health professionals must interpret body language and other non-verbal communication of patients.

    The Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) platform, which was created as a joint initiative of the European Pain Federation EFIC and the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH, was also present at the Congress. Currently, SIP comprises eight SIP national platforms (Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal Spain), whose representatives presented their experiences and achievements at different sessions.

    In an informal talk with science journalists, Bart Morlion, EFIC past President, highlighted that, in the 2017 Congress, the foundations for a new EFIC direction were laid. They do not want ‘dinosaurs’ leading the organization, and young people can bring fresh ideas such as the increasing use of digital tools. This is why the motto of the 2019 Congress was “Bringing the Future to the Present”. Another change in EFIC, whose core work focuses on education, research and advocacy, is that the Federation has, for the first time, a female President: Brona Fullen, who is also the first non-physician President—she is Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science of University College Dublin. Morlion described some novelties in the Congress including the active participation of patients and the introduction of new formats of workshops to give room to young talented researchers. Out of modesty, Morlion did not mention what was to be the highlight of the last day of the Congress: the innovative session on antinociceptive cooking led by Morlion himself, assisted by Víctor Mayoral, Secretary of the Spanish Pain Society (and by Miguel, a professional cook, just in case…).

    Brona Fullen evoked David Niv (1950-2007), a former EFIC President (1999-2002) whose patients used to call him the “pain doctor”, and remembered a phrase he had liked: “Few die of pain, but many die of pain, even more live in pain”. In fact, in Europe, more than 150 million people suffer from chronic pain—persistent, episodic o variable—an amount higher than French and German populations together. The clinical and socio-economic impact of chronic pain, which often leads to distress and disability, is of great relevance and it costs the European Union more than 441 billion euros per year. However, in the current EU 8th Framework Programme (FP8/Horizon 2020), pain has been mentioned in one call for proposal on Novel patient-centred approaches for survivorship, palliation and/or end-of-life care, with a funding which does not reach 1% of health research funding in the Horizon 2020. SIP and other organizations involved in the management of pain, have requested to the European Commission, to its member states and to the Civil society that they unite to reduce the impact of pain in the European Union. The Congresses of the  European Pain Federation EFIC provide the right framework for stakeholders to gather and discuss all issues related to pain.

    Photo: Merce Piqueras

    Merce Piqueras is science journalist based in Bacelona. Freelance collaborator of ARA (Catalan newspaper, print and online) and various digital media in Catalan, Spanish and English. Science writer and science journalist mostly on biology and health topics. Author of “Walks around the Scientific World of Barcelona” (Catalan, Spanish and English eds.). Former President of ACCC.

  • Travel grants for Big Science Business Forum 2018

    The organisers of Europe’s first Big Science Business Forum 2018 (BSBF2018) invite journalists from Europe to apply for a media travel grant. The grants cover travel and accommodation up to 750 euro during BSBF2018.  The forum takes place in Copenhagen 26-28 February 2018. Deadline for applications is January 26.

    Nine of Europe’s largest Big Science organisations – CERN, EMBL, ESA, ESO ESRF, ESS, European XFEL, F4E, and ILL – have come together to create BSBF2018. They want to see a stronger, more transparent and consolidated Big Science market in Europe for the benefit of both Big Science and businesses. BSBF2018 will be Europe’s new one-stop-shop on the Big Science market as businesses will be presented with investments worth 10 billion euros from the Big Science organisations. Additionally, utilizing tools like Digital Business Cards For Realtors can help businesses effectively network and showcase their offerings in this evolving market.

    Businesses keen on capitalizing on the emerging Big Science market will find this event to be a prime opportunity for networking, collaboration, and gaining insights into the potential avenues for growth and innovation. Moreover, the event’s location in Copenhagen, a vibrant and cosmopolitan city known for its thriving business ecosystem and strategic position in Europe, adds another layer of appeal. As participants engage in discussions and forge connections, they will have the chance to explore the city’s dynamic real estate landscape, which offers a range of options to support the establishment and expansion of businesses within this burgeoning industry. Whether it’s state-of-the-art research facilities, office spaces tailored to scientific enterprises, or even investment opportunities in commercial properties, Copenhagen provides an ideal backdrop for those looking to navigate the intersection of Big Science and real estate with a view toward long-term success.

    Big Science organizations  constitute an imperative role for the advancement of knowledge and for cutting edge research and scientific excellence in fields such as energy, biology, physics, and material science. As governments all over the world are investing significantly in Big Science organisations, more businesses are also becoming aware that Big Science organisations present significant new market opportunities. This is where Big Science turns into big business and the so-called Big Science market emerges.

    BSBF2018 represents an exclusive occasion for media and journalists to report from Europe’s new one-stop-shop for suppliers and stakeholders on the Big Science market.

    Accredited journalist can participate in:

    • 16 parallel sessions about Big Science as a business area
    • Plenary sessions with high-level speakers
    • Press moment with high-level delegates from the nine Big Science organisations
    • Photo opportunity of high-level delegates/speakers
    • Welcome reception
    • Conference dinner (show-up fee requested)
    • Press visit to ESS in Lund, Sweden, on 26 February 2018

    Journalists have to send the following information:

    • Name
    • Affiliated media(s)
    • Plan for publishing news stor(y)ies about BSBF2018 or the themes from BSBF2018
    • Documentation or links to previous published work, preferably about Big Science; business opportunities in Big Science or science in general; Science, research and/or innovation; or SMEs and business development.

    The selection will be based on an overall assessment of the following criteria:

    • How relevant isprevious published work for the themes of BSBF2018?
    • How relevant is the affiliated media (if any)for the themes of BSBF2018?
    • How relevant for the coverage of BSBF2018 is the journalist’s plan for publishing news stories about BSBF2018

    The BSBF2018 host organisers reserves the right to consider geographical diversity of journalists/media in the selection.

    Travel and accommodation must be made in accordance with the “Guidelines for Official Travel for guest” from the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, which will be sent to the selected journalists/media. BSBF2018 host organisers will refund travel and accommodation expenses. Host organisers’ travel agency can help book flights and hotels.

    Journalists have to send their applications to Viola Egikova by January 26.

  • Study trip to Lund

    EUSJA has confirmed for its members the study trip to the European Spallation Source (ESS) from April 3 to 5. ESS is a multi-disciplinary research facility based on the world’s most powerful neutron source, now under construction in Lund, Sweden. ESS will enable unprecedented world leading research using neutrons, providing new scientific opportunities in a wide range of research fields, including life sciences, energy, environmental technology, cultural heritage and fundamental physics. EUSJA members will now get the possibility to visit ESS and the construction site. There will be guided tour of the site and labs. Journalists will meet Director General of ESS and a number of high-level representatives from the organisation who will present their respective fields (science, accelerator + target station etc) and reply the questions.

    We have 20 slots that are covering free accommodation for 2 nights in a hotel in Lund, meals and transfers to the venue and back to the hotel. According our rules the participants have to take care of their travel charges. The applications (name, association, media and a short description of it, e-mail, mobile) should be sent via national association by February 28, 2018. 

    Please address your national association. The detailed programme of the study trip will be announced later.

    About ESS

    ESS is a European collaboration project, withcurrently 15 member- and observer countries in the European Spallation Source ERIC.ESS has 427 employees, representing 50 nationalities.

    ESS will open for researchers in 2023, and once in operations some 3,000 researchers annually are expected to do experiments at the facility.

    The facility is being built in Lund, Sweden, with the Data Management and Software Centre (DMSC) located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The construction project is doing good progress and was in December 2017 more than 40% complete. Installations are well underway in the facility and in 2018 major installations of technical equipment will commence inside the accelerator tunnel, including the ion source.

    ESS will provide up to 100 times brighter neutron beams for science than existing neutronsources, thanks to the development of state-of-the-art technologies. The facility will host the world’s most powerful linear accelerator and the Target station usesnew innovative technology which will ensure unprecedented neutron scattering performance. The instruments are being developed in collaboration with research institutes all over Europe to enablefaster and more complex experiments.

    The member countries mainly contribute to the ESS construction through in-kind contributions, that is with equipment and manpower. During this visit we will learn more about ESS’ unique in-kind contribution model, which involves over 40 European partner institutes participating in the construction of ESSand more than 100 collaborating institutions worldwide.

    ESS in Lund will be the world’s first completely sustainable large-scale research centre, and the primary tool for this is the ESS energy concept, which includes using energy from renewable sources and distributing excess heat in the local district heating system.

    The participants of EUSJA study trip will also learn more about how DMSC will handle and storethe big science data generated at ESS, as well as about the possibility for virtual experiments. During the construction phase DMSC is working on developing software and hardware for the control, analysis, and visualization of the experiments at ESS.

    Photo credit: ESS