2008-07-13 08:04:35

The 37th COSPAR Congress in Canada

Founded in 1958, Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is considered as the international community’s foremost space science research organization. The objectives of COSPAR are to promote on an international level scientific research in space, with an emphasis on the exchange of results, information and opinions, and to provide a forum, open to all scientists, for the discussion of problems that may affect scientific space research. The Committee’s activities include organizing the biennial COSPAR Scientific Assembly as well as smaller meetings on well- defined topics called COSPAR Colloquia and COSPAR Capacity Building Workshops. The COSPAR Scientific Assembly provides the world’s largest interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of recent results in realm of space research and, therefore, is a particularly important meeting for members of participating in the scientific business activities organized in the context of this congress.

The 37th International Scientific Assembly hosted in Montréal July 13-23 is considered as one of the greatest events since COSPAR foundation.

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and National Research Council of Canada co-sponsored the weeklong gathering of more than 2,500 scientists and students from 50 countries who presented 1,500 reports in more than 87 sessions covering all topics of Space Research: such as “planetary protection” and “ jet dynamics in Supernovae explosions”.

The head of the Cosmic Ray Division (CRD), Professor Ashot Chilingarian, participated in COSPAR Congress as Armenia’s official representative to this organization and a member of the Committee’s Council. During the COSPAR assembly meetings Ashot Chilingarian presented the following reports.

  • “Surface Particle Detectors in Space Weather forecast” as an oral presentation in scientific event PSW1;
  • “SEVAN particle-detector network located at Middle-Low latitudes for Solar Physics and Space Weather research” as an oral presentation in scientific event D12;
  • “Research of the Galactic Cosmic Rays from “knee” till “cutoff” (1017-1019) eV at Aragats Cosmic Ray Observatory” as an oral presentation in scientific event E19.The wide range of COSPAR activities cover also co-sponsoring and supporting financially a select number of other meetings of high scientific worth. Thus it was decided that COSPAR will support “Forecasting of the Radiation and Geomagnetic Storms by networks of particle detectors (FORGES-2008)” to be held 29 September - 3 October, 2008, at CRD’s Nor- Amberd International Conference Center.

Figure 1 Professor Ashot Chilingarian Addressing COSPAR Conference

During numerous collaboration meetings with colleagues from on-going CRD international projects (FP7 NMDB and INTAS) the current status of joint research was also discussed and new meetings and publications were planned.