Space Exchange Switzerland: Public Engagement, FHNW School of Computer Science

Switzerland is a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), a hub for many young space companies, and home to excellent space research. We punch above our weight in space, working with international space agencies like ESA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) or Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), but many people in Switzerland don’t know that.

Another issue is that even dedicated space enthusiasts have few opportunities to deepen their knowledge. Unless you study astrophysics or space sciences professionally, your best hope is to watch hundreds of YouTube videos. We want to offer more engaging and hands-on ways to learn about space, which is especially important for children.

In 2022, the Swiss Space Office commissioned a group of five institutions to promote space activities in Switzerland. This group is known as Space Exchange Switzerland (SXS). Our school is one of these five, together with EPFL, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich (UZH), and Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). Each school has its own focus area: ETH and EPFL manage relations within the space ecosystem, UZH is the scientific point of contact for satellite images, and USI promotes careers in the space domain. We at the FHNW Institute of Data Sciences coordinate all public engagement activities in Switzerland.

We have a dual strategy for our public engagement activities. On the one hand, we raise awareness by participating in major public events with a booth, giving people hands-on experiences and the opportunity to meet scientists and engineers working in the field. On the other hand, we have set up space clubs for enthusiasts to come together and learn more. Here, we develop new methods to make space accessible to people of different ages and backgrounds. We have also connected already existing space clubs so we can share ideas and build a stronger community.

To build awareness, we have joined STEM education events around Switzerland. We have also drawn crowds when exhibiting at Fantasy Basel – the Swiss Comic Con – as well as at the Air & Space Days hosted by the Museum of Transport in Lucerne.

Our space clubs aim to make astronomy and space a normal hobby, just like playing an instrument or practicing a sport. The three SXS space clubs are organised by age: the Planet Club is aimed at kids from 2nd to 4th grade interested in experimenting with space themes, while the Galaxy Club brings together adolescents from 5th to 9th grade to deepen their knowledge. The Cosmos Club organises conferences and other educational events for adults and older teenagers. These clubs have been fully booked in the past years, and we’ve already seen children grow up and move into the next club to continue their hobby.

Our public engagement team is small and efficient, and we’ve been glad to count on the support of many of our institute’s students. Some students have created scientific visualisations, others have helped put together events and exhibition booths. These activities are good opportunities for students to learn about public outreach and step outside of their technical bubble.

Our work goes on, thanks to the renewed funding from the Swiss Space Office and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. Our booked space clubs and crowded exhibition booths show that people are hungry for more knowledge and hands-on experiences on space topics. While Switzerland continues to make a difference in space, we keep sharing the learnings with the people!