Location: Hybrid format: Virtual (via TEAMS) and UCLouvain (location to be announced)
Organisers:
The overall objective of the Happy Hour Event is to strengthen the partnership between Circle U. units within the “Climate Knowledge Hub”
16:00 -16:05 Welcome
16:05 -16:30 Keynote 1: “Deciphering Natural Fluorescence of Arthropods” by Pr. Bernd Schöllhorn, Université de Paris.
16:30 -16:40 Questions and answers
16:40 - 17:05 Keynote 2: “The dark side of bright nights: understanding the role of skyglow on nocturnal organisms”, by Pr. Ruben Evens, UCLouvain.
17:05 - 17:15 Questions and answers
17:15 - 18:15 Pitch presentations by researchers from different Circle U. universities
18:15-18:30 Final discussion
The overall objective of the HHE is to strengthen the partnership between Circle U units within the “Climate Change Knowledge Hub”. We believe that this needs a better understanding of the partners’ different thematic research fields and available specific expertise. The Circle U, Climate Knowledge Hub, Happy Hour Events (HHE) are organized to reach this objective. An HHE is a short scientific event (typically lasting no more than 3 hours), consisting in two keynote lectures, followed by a debate, a set of small pitch presentations and a final debate. The HHE is targeted to young researchers and doctoral students of the different partners. The participation in an HHE can be certified by the organisers and can be included in the participants’ portfolio of research training. Certification of participation should be requested to the organisers.
Understanding the impacts of climate change on nighttime processes presents several scientific challenges, primarily due to the complex interplay between temperature, light, and biological rhythms. Nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures in many regions, disrupting circadian rhythms in plants, animals, and humans. For ecosystems, this can alter plant respiration rates, pollination patterns, and nocturnal animal behavior, with cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In human health, warmer nights impede restful sleep, exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, and increase vulnerability to heat stress, especially in urban areas where the urban heat island effect intensifies nighttime warming. Accurately modeling these impacts is complicated by limited nighttime-specific observational data and a lack of integration between ecological, physiological, and atmospheric models. Additionally, understanding how nocturnal processes interact with daytime conditions to affect long-term climate resilience remains an open and complex question requiring interdisciplinary research.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s ERASMUS+ Programme under grant agreement No 101124639