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SUMMARY:Campus Lecture by Gaëlle Giesen “A Life of Exploration Between 
 Stars\, Skies\, and Abysses”
DTSTART:20260226T180000
DTEND:20260226T200000
DTSTAMP:20260415T122627Z
UID:b41626548dfdfa1ae4c9af5038fab5b738434d8d198d49a6c651cefb
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:\nCampus Lecture by Gaëlle Giesen - Engineer at CNES\, expert
  in space exploration missions\, high-level diver and parachutist and Alum
 ni Award 2025\n\n“A Life of Exploration Between Stars\, Skies\, and Abys
 ses” \n\nCurrent technology makes it possible to explore the various env
 ironments of our planet\, from high altitudes to the depths of the ocean\,
  as well as the celestial bodies of our solar system\, in order to unravel
  the greatest mysteries of the universe. Likewise\, space probes have enab
 led us to discover thousands of exoplanets—distant extraterrestrial worl
 ds that could harbor life and of which there is still so much to learn.\n\
 nBut how can humans explore the extreme environments of our planet\, in wa
 ter and in the air? What techniques are used to probe extraterrestrial wor
 lds and search for the origins of life? And what do space missions\, techn
 ical diving\, and parachuting have in common?\n\nBiography\nAn EPFL physic
 s graduate\, Gaëlle Giesen earned a doctorate in astrophysics at the Fren
 ch Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in Saclay\, bef
 ore joining the French space agency CNES in 2018. She has contributed to m
 ajor missions such as Dragonfly\, aimed at exploring Saturn’s moon Titan
 \, and Ariel\, focused on the atmospheric study of exoplanets. Alongside h
 er scientific career\, she has pursued high-level training in formation sk
 ydiving and technical diving—two passions she discovered during her time
  at EPFL. She has won several national titles in team skydiving\, along wi
 th a World Cup and four runner-up finishes at the World Championships. In 
 2024\, she set the women’s world record for deepest open-sea dive using 
 a rebreather\, reaching 222 metres. In 2025\, she won the gold medal at th
 e Women's 4-way Formation Skydiving World Cup and set the women's world re
 cord for deep cave diving with a rebreather\, reaching a depth of 230 mete
 rs. Her unique path reflects a deep scientific curiosity and a continuous 
 drive to push boundaries.\n\nProgramme\n5:30 pm Doors open\n6:00 pm Welcom
 e address – Leïla Ojjeh\, Director\, EPFL Alumni\n6:05 pm Introduction 
 – Claude Nicollier\, Astronaut\, Honorary Professor\, EPFL\n6:15 pm Camp
 us Lecture by Gaëlle Giesen: “A Life of Exploration Between Stars\, Ski
 es\, and Abysses”\n6:55 pm Q&A session\n7:15 pm Networking aperitif\n8:0
 0 pm End of the event\n
LOCATION:RLC E1 240 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==RLC%20E1%20240
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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