About

The British Planetary Science Conference (BPSC) was a scientific and community meeting that aimed to build and strengthen networks across the diverse disciplines of UK planetary science. BPSC 2022 took place at The Open University’s Walton Hall campus from 22–24 June 2022 as a Hybrid in-person and virtual event, with workshops held on 21 June. Alongside the scientific programme, social events were organised at the nearby Kents Hill Park.

Workshops

In-Situ Analytical Tools and Techniques Applied to Cosmochemical Research in the UK

The workshop featured short seminars delivered by world-leading experts from across the UK on a variety of in-situ microanalytical techniques, including SEM-EDS (Natasha Stephen, University of Plymouth), EBSD (James Darling, University of Portsmouth), LA-ICP-MS (Romain Tartese, University of Manchester), TEM (Martin Lee, University of Glasgow), NanoSIMS (Ian Franchi, Open University), and APT (Luke Daly, University of Glasgow), with additional speakers also contributing. Each talk highlighted the capabilities and limitations of the techniques and provided the technical foundation for students and early career researchers to apply a wide array of correlative methods in their research. Time was also dedicated to allowing early career attendees to discuss their research interests and career goals with the experts and to explore opportunities for collaboration with the wide range of instrumentation and expertise available across the UK.

Simulating Extra-Terrestrial Environments

The workshop highlighted and discussed experimental facilities used to simulate environments across the solar system, including icy moons, the Martian surface, and hypervelocity impacts, and their relevance for studying geochemical processes and microbial dynamics under extra-terrestrial conditions. The half-day event included talks on the application of planetary simulation facilities for planetary science research, expert-led tours of the Open University’s planetary simulation laboratories, and discussions on funding streams for accessing simulation facilities in the UK and internationally. Speakers included Petr Brož (Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Science), Jonathan Merrison (Aarhus University), and Axel Hagerman (Luleå University of Technology).

GIS and Planetary Science

The workshop was aimed at participants who wanted to become familiar with planetary surface image data or gain a kick start using ArcGIS Pro. It covered where to find images of planetary surfaces, their interpretation, and how to begin working with them in GIS. The sessions explored 3D visualisation, manipulating planetary data for manuscript figures, and the process by which planetary surface features are named. After registration closed, organisers gathered input from attendees to tailor the workshop to the planetary bodies of greatest interest.

Keynote Speakers

Natasha Stephen, University of Plymouth
Dr Kevin Olsen, University of Oxford
Dr Eva Stüeken, University of St Andrews
Dr Ashley King, Natural History Museum
Dr Carly Howett, University of Oxford
Dr Romain Tartese, University of Manchester
Prof. Emma Bunce, University of Leicester
Dr Andrew Rushby, Birkbeck, University of London

Organisers

Dr Peter Fawdon
Dr Mark Fox-Powell
Dr Elena Favaro
Dr Lee White
Dr James Holmes