INGENIUM Senior Summer School 2025

From Earth’s Surface to Space. Focused on the increasing importance of Climate crisis to our environment and how monitoring the environmental parameters play a crucial role in confronting environmental changes. The workshops, lectures and hand-on activities were organized in four main pillars: Climate Crisis and its Impact, Observing the Earth, Connectivity and Innovation and Commercialization. Climate Crisis and its Impact: Participants were introduced to the composition of the atmosphere, its changes due to human activities, and its effects. The impact on the marine environment and its ecological systems were presented, as well as how climate change affects terrestrial ecosystems, species and genetic diversity. Observing the Earth: Participants analyzed satellite observations, discussed their usefulness for understanding environmental change, and engaged in hands-on activities. Connectivity: The school addressed the challenges we face, including the data bottleneck in space and its impact on Earth, the principles and key enabling technologies of free space communications, and the fundamentals of secure communications and quantum cryptography. Innovation and Commercialization: Participants were presented with space innovations that enable us to gather more detailed and accurate data, leading to advanced space policies and improved climate monitoring and environmental policies. They were also presented with the aspect of commercialization and its significant role: Companies are investing in satellite technologies and data analysis tools to provide valuable services to various industries. The INGENIUM Senior Summer School 2025 was organized in May 2025, combining one-week physical mobility at the University of Crete, Greece, as well as 2 online sessions and a team project.