14th European Symposium for Protection of Night Sky to be held in Ireland this November

The Friends of Mayo Dark Skies Community Group will host the 14th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky November 3rd through 5th, 2019, in collaboration with Dark Sky Ireland and an international organizing committee. The symposium will immediately follow the Mayo Dark Sky Festival.

The European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky was first held in France in 1998 and most recently in Pamplona, Spain, in 2013. The European Symposium series occupies a special place in the history of the international dark sky movement, being the first organized effort to routinely bring together light pollution researchers and activists alike to exchange ideas and move the subject forward. This important event presents the work of experts from different fields and countries on the various facets of light pollution; its impact on the environment, health, economy and cultural heritage.

“The revival of the European Symposium is a clear and encouraging indication of renewed interest among these countries in putting European interests front and center in the context of our wider global movement,” says Ruskin Hartley, IDA Executive Director.

The 2019 European Symposium will be a platform for research, activism and policy discussions on protecting the night sky, featuring workshops, research presentations, a field trip to Mayo International Dark Sky Park, and more.

To help promote broad European participation, the International Dark-Sky Association is pleased to offer a bursary of up to €400 to an IDA member or representative of a national light pollution organization who lives in one of the countries designated in the COST inclusiveness list. The awardee is expected to make a presentation during the meeting. To apply, please complete a short statement (maximum 300 words) with a case for support and how you will benefit from attending the symposium. Applications should be sent to mayodarksky@gmail.com.

The 14th European Symposium for the Protection of the Night Sky will be held November 3rd -5th, 2019 at GN Mulranny Park Hotel, in Mayo, Ireland. Interested in presenting? The call for abstracts is currently open and closes on August 16, 2019.

Learn more at www.mayodarkskyfestival.ie/symposium. Please contact mayodarksky@gmail.com with additional questions.