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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dear Colleague,</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We are pleased to announce the upcoming Olympian Symposium 2026, “The evolution of interstellar
medium across cosmic times”. This is the 5th in the Olympian Symposium series, and it will take place during 18-22 May, 2026, in Paralia Katerini, Greece, at the Mediterranean Village Hotel, located by the sea at the foot of the world-famous Mount Olympus.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Olympian Symposia began in 2014 and have since established themselves as a series of focused
meetings on star formation and the interstellar medium, promoting collaboration and fruitful discussion in a unique setting that combines science with the inspiring environment of the sea and Mount Olympus.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The 2026 Symposium will continue this tradition, bringing together researchers from around the world
to exchange new ideas and results. Further information, including registration, abstract submission, and travel details, will be shared in due course. Please visit the official website:
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"><a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/hR9WC0YKPvimA6jRKcwf4t9lYcz?domain=olympiansymposium.org/" data-outlook-id="caece223-f04f-470b-8dbe-b2c222d84ad4" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); text-decoration: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">olympiansymposium.org</a></span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We encourage you to join the website and enter your email to subscribe to the newsletter to receive
all updates regarding the meeting.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We look forward to welcoming you to Mt. Olympus area in 2026 for what promises to be an exciting
and stimulating Symposium. We include below the scientific rationale, the list of topics, and the members of the Scientific Organizing Committee.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">With best regards,</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Katie Grasha</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">on behalf of the Organizing Committee</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: 700;">Scientific Rationale</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The interstellar medium plays a fundamental role in the life cycle of galaxies, acting as the reservoir
from which stars and planetary systems form, and as the matter returned through stellar feedback processes. Tracing the evolution of the ISM from the early universe to the present day is essential to understanding galaxy formation, chemical enrichment, star
formation histories, and the emergence of habitable environments.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Recent advances in both observations and numerical models – from JWST and ALMA to high-resolution
simulations – now allow us to study the ISM across a wide range of epochs and environments. At the same time, the rapid development of artificial intelligence and machine learning is opening new avenues in numerical modeling, data analysis, and predictive
simulations, enabling us to tackle the ISM’s complexity in unprecedented ways.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This Symposium aims to bring together experts in galactic and extragalactic ISM studies, star formation,
astrochemistry, and cosmology to synthesize our current understanding and chart future directions.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: 700;">Discussion topics</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Discussion will cover a range of topics, including:</span></p>
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Low-metallicity ISM</p>
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Extreme ISM environments</p>
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Feedback and the ISM lifecycle</p>
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Gaseous Environments Across Cosmic Epochs</p>
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Dusty Environments</p>
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Cosmic Rays, Magnetic Fields, and Turbulence in the ISM</p>
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The ISM Across Cosmic Time: Observational Frontiers</p>
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Numerical Models, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning<span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br>
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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: 700;">Scientific Organizing Committee</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thomas Bisbas (Zhejiang Lab, China; co-chair)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Brandt Gaches (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; co-chair)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kathryn Grasha (Australian National University, Australia)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Francois Lique (Universite de Rennes, France)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Desika Narayanan (University of Florida, USA)</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Hsi-An Pan (Tamkang University, Taiwan)</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0cm; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">-- </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9pt; color: black;">---------------------------------------------------------------<br>
Dr. Kathryn Grasha<br>
ARC DECRA Fellow<br>
Research School for Astronomy & Astrophysics<br>
Australian National University<br>
Weston Creek ACT 2611<br>
pronouns: she, her, hers<br>
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