Heliosphere News - April 27, 2020
http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/
A newsletter devoted to Heliospheric Science.
Editor: Nathan Schwadron (nschwadron at unh.edu) Co-Editor: Mihir Desai (mdesai at swri.edu)
Co-Editor: Eric Zirnstein (ejz at princeton.edu) Co-Editor: Matina Gkioulidou
(matina.gkioulidou at jhuapl.edu) Co-Editor: Nick Pogorelov (np0002 at uah.edu)
Coordinator: Liz Wilber (Elizabeth.Wilber at unh.edu)
Web site editor: Ken Fairchild (Ken.Fairchild at unh.edu)
If you are interested in being added to the list, being removed from the list, or posting
an announcement, please send information to Nathan, Mihir, Eric, Matina, or Nick. Posts are
limited to ascii text. Newsletters are archived on the following website:
http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/.
******************* Announcements *******************
1. LAST DAY! Heliophysics Mission Design School Applications Now Due April 27, 2020
2. MEETING: Heliophysics 2050 Workshop Community Announcement
3. POSTPONEMENT of Workshop on space plasma physics and complexity (distributions,
turbulence, plasma processes, etc.), within the tri-annual general conference
in statistical physics Sigma-Phi-2020
4. POSTPONEMENT of Workshop: Observatory for the Outer Heliosphere, Heliosheath, and
Interstellar Space will be held in Boulder, Colorado.
5. MEETING: COSPAR Scientific Assembly, NEW DATES: 28 January - 4 February,
2021
6. MEETING: MUAN 2020: Upper Atmospheres and Ionospheres in the Inner Solar
System, September 9-11, 2020, New York, New York
7. MEETING: 16th European Solar Physics Meeting (ESPM-16), Turin (Italy),
postponed till September 2021
8. JOB OPPORTUNITY: NSF Supported Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Solar
Physics and Astro-informatics at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
9. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral, Early-Career Staff, and Mid-Career Staff
Positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory
10. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Position in the Department of Astronomy at
the University of Maryland, College Park
11. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Research Position in Space Physics at
Florida Institute of Technology
12. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Civil Servant Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center
*******************
1. LAST DAY! Heliophysics Mission Design School Applications Now Due April 27, 2020
Now through April 27, 2020, NASA is encouraging applications for the Heliophysics Mission Design School (HMDS), an early-career development pilot opportunity to help prepare the next generation of heliophysics
science and engineering mission leaders. This experience is an adaptation of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s long-running Planetary Science Summer School, focused on high-priority heliophysics content and mission design. Participants learn the process of
developing a hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each.
Science and engineering doctoral candidates, recent Ph.D.s (<10 years since), postdocs, junior faculty, and certain master’s degree students, who are U.S. Citizens or legal permanent residents (and a very
limited number of Foreign Nationals from non-designated counties), are eligible. Applicants from diverse backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. Partial financial support is available for a limited number of individuals.
Session 1: Preparatory Sessions Jun 22-Aug 28. Culminating Week at JPL Aug 31-Sep 4
Session 2: Preparatory Sessions Sep 7-Nov 6. Culminating Week at JPL Nov 9-13
Roughly equivalent in workload to a rigorous 3-hour graduate-level course, participants spend the first 10 weeks in preparatory webinars acting as a science mission team, prior to spending the final culminating
week at JPL being mentored by JPL’s Advance Project Design Team, or “Team X” to refine their heliophysics mission concept design, then present it to a mock expert review board.
To apply and learn more about the NASA Science Mission Design Schools:
http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools
--
Leslie Lowes
Manager, NASA Heliophysics Mission Design School Pilot
MS 180-109
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, Ca. 91109
818-393-7734 voice
http://go.nasa.gov/missiondesignschools
*******************
2. Heliophysics 2050 Workshop Community Announcement
NASA, NSF, and NOAA are pleased to announce the Heliophysics 2050 Workshop.
This workshop will be an agency-enabled, community-driven event to examine
long-term goals as well as helping the community prepare for the next Solar
and Space Physics Decadal Survey.
The workshop is being planned for an in-person venue, with on-line
participation options, the week of August 3, 2020. Due to the current
situation and travel restrictions, secondary options of an all-virtual
workshop and a meeting delay are also being considered.
This workshop will focus on discussing a strategic, multi-decadal science
framework for solar and space physics. It is anticipated that conference
proceedings will be published for community members to leverage in framing
their own white papers to the Decadal Survey process. The community will
create a cohesive science strategy that will enable the ability to:
1. Identify essential science investigations necessary for major
advancements in solar and space physics.
2. Use the desired investigations to identify the research and capability
development needed to meet the requirements of these missions.
3. Recognize research needed in the next decade to prepare for the
long-term research goals.
4. Recognize work needed to ensure a pipeline from basic research to
pre-application research and then into operational needs, including the
operations-to-research loop that strengthens forecasting and other
predictive capabilities.
A Science Organizing Committee (SOC) will be formed from community members
to help manage the workshop. The SOC will help organize the workshop
schedule, including planning the sessions, sorting the abstracts, and
managing the workshop discussions. These individuals will also serve as
editors for the proceedings document resulting from the workshop.
As part of workshop preparation, short community white papers will be
solicited. Those white papers will be used by the SOC to plan the workshop
sessions and focus those discussions.
Further information will be released via community announcements over the
next few weeks.
Please contact Jared Leisner (jared.s.leisner at nasa.gov) with any questions.
*******************
3. POSTPONEMENT of Workshop on space plasma physics and complexity (distributions,
turbulence, plasma processes, etc.), within the tri-annual general conference
in statistical physics Sigma-Phi-2020
The meeting has been postponed until Jul 12-16, 2021, and will still be held
in Crete, Greece. Please mark your calendars, updated information will be
provided closer to the meeting date.
Workshop Organizers: G. Livadiotis, M. Leubner, H. Elliott, K. Dialynas:
Kappa Distributions and nonextensive Statistical Mechanics
Theory and Applications in Space Plasma Physics & Complexity Science
*******************
4. POSTPONEMENT of Workshop: Observatory for the Outer Heliosphere, Heliosheath, and
Interstellar Space
Outer Heliosphere Workshop - Boulder
We are glad you are interested in our Observatory for the Outer Heliosphere,
Heliosheath, and Interstellar Space Workshop; we are as well.
We believe it is important to hold this workshop in person to make discussion
easier and the meeting more productive. Discussion online is very challenging.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic we will reschedule this workshop for a later date,
when it is clear that it is safe to travel. We will keep registrants on our
mailing list and get back to you with more details about holding this meeting later.
Organizers: Heather Elliott (helliott@swri.edu) and Ralph McNutt (Ralph.McNutt@jhuapl.edu)
Host: Fran Bagenal (bagenal@lasp.colorado.edu)
*******************
5. MEETING: COSPAR Scientific Assembly, NEW DATES: 28 January - 4 February, 2021.
43rd COSPAR Scientific Assembly will take place on 28 January - 4 February
at the International Convention Center in Sydney, Australia.
The 2021 Assembly will combine the latest in space research findings with
activities designed to enrich the global space research community -
including helping equip our future leaders, and workshopping with space
industry - and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. You
will have the opportunity of a lifetime to interact directly with everything
that Australia has to offer - our science and innovation, our people, our
heritage, and our beautiful environment. The Assembly website is
https://www.cospar2020.org.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
Early Bird Registration Deadline 31 October 2020
Speaker Registration Deadline 31 October 2020
Accommodation Booking Deadline 15 December 2020
*******************
6. MEETING: MUAN 2020: Upper Atmospheres and Ionospheres in the Inner Solar
System, September 9-11, 2020, New York, New York
This three-day workshop will bring together scientists interested in the
general dynamics of, and coupling between, ionized and neutral atmospheric
constituents of three key inner Solar System planets: Mars, Earth, and
Venus. Other bodies, such as comets and moons are also welcome. The
objective is to embrace comparative studies between different planetary
bodies in addition to the usual Mars aeronomy and plasma physics
discussions, as this will lead to a better understanding of the role of
upper atmospheres on planetary evolution and habitability at Mars and in the
Solar System.
The main topics for discussion are:
- Planetary aeronomy - past, present and future.
- Thermosphere-ionosphere-magnetosphere-exosphere (TIME) coupling.
- Lower-upper atmosphere connections.
A significant part of the workshop will be devoted to brainstorming and
opportunities to discuss different science aspects, and to help establish
fruitful collaborations.
Our workshop will be hosted by Columbia University in New York City, with
opportunities to present posters or talks. The workshop will be limited to
100 attendees, so to aid us in planning, we encourage all those interested
to please indicate your interest here: https://bit.ly/37Obwp9
SOC:
Beatriz Sanchez-Cano (University of Leicester)
David Andrews (Swedish Institute of Space Physics)
Mark Lester (University of Leicester)
Robert Lillis (UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory)
Hermann Opgenoorth (Umea University)
Dmitri Titov (ESA)
Michael J. Way (NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies)
Olivier Witasse (ESA)
Email inquiries about this meeting can be directed to Linda Sohl (LOC) at linda.sohl at columbia.edu.
*******************
7. MEETING: 16th European Solar Physics Meeting (ESPM-16), Turin (Italy),
POSTPONED till September, 2021
The scientific program of ESPM-16 includes the following sessions:
Session 1 - Solar Interior, Dynamo, Large-Scale Flows and the Solar Cycle
Session 2 - The Solar Atmosphere: Heating, Dynamics and Coupling
Session 3 - Fundamental Plasma Processes in the Solar Atmosphere: Magnetic
Reconnection, Waves, Emission, Particle Acceleration
Session 4 - From Radio to Gamma Rays: Near-Sun Manifestations and Triggering
of Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections
Session 5 - Solar-Terrestrial Relations, Solar Wind, Space Weather and Space
Climate
The meeting will start on the morning of September 7, and will finish around
noon on September 11. The registration desk will open on September 6
afternoon. The afternoon of September 9 will be dedicated to social
excursions, and the conference dinner will be held on September 10. A
welcome reception will be held on Monday 7 afternoon.
Early registration and abstract submission are now open, with deadline April
13. Submissions are accepted for oral and poster contributions. Abstracts
focusing on new instruments or observatories should be submitted in the
corresponding scientific session. The meeting will feature poster sessions
with ample time to discuss results and new collaborations. The posters will
be displayed in a large room next to coffee area.
Limited financial support (registration fee waiver and/or
travel/accommodation expenses) is available only for graduate/Ph.D. students
or young researchers. Applicants for such support should request this as
indicated in the registration form (deadline April 13, successful applicants
will be notified within May 25). Reduced registration fees are offered to
students and individual members of the European Physical Society (EPS).
The ESPM-16 website can be found at https://indico.ict.inaf.it/e/ESPM-16.
We look forward to welcoming you to Turin.
The ESPM-16 LOC.
*******************
8. JOB OPPORTUNITY: NSF Supported Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Solar
Physics and Astro-informatics at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State University (GSU) is
seeking to fill a tenure-track faculty position by Fall 2020 at the
assistant professor level. We are looking for a solar physicist with
significant expertise in both the MHD of the solar corona and flares and in
Big Data and Machine Learning, along with a desire to enhance GSU's solar
physics and big data curriculum, with a focus on minority and female
education and mentoring. The new hire will join our Astro-informatics
Cluster, a close collaboration between the solar/stellar physics and remote
sensing for space sciences groups in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy, and the Computer Science department at GSU. Our Cluster is
currently focused on space weather forecasting and is looking to merge two
techniques (numerical simulations (SIM) and Machine Learning (ML)) into a
fully integrated approach for data-driven solar physics research and space
weather prediction. With our new hire the Cluster will achieve the critical
mass needed to succeed in this initiative.
This position is funded for the first five years through NSF's prestigious
Faculty Development in the Space Sciences (FDSS) program. NSF support
includes summer salary, travel, publications, and graduate student support.
Upon the awarding of tenure in the fifth year GSU further supports the
faculty line.
Georgia State University, an enterprising R-1 university is located in the
heart of downtown Atlanta, a vibrant international city in the Southeast.
GSU enrolls and graduates one of the most diverse student bodies in the
nation and advances innovative research by building a diverse faculty. We
encourage applications from women and members of underrepresented groups in
the physical sciences.
Applicants should have the following basic qualifications: 1) Ph.D. in
astronomy, physics, or closely related field, 2) postdoctoral research
experience, 3) evidence of the ability to establish and maintain a
successful research program, 4) evidence of the motivation and ability to
teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels with a diverse student body,
5) evidence of the ability and clear desire to work in a large,
collaborative effort (i.e. the Cluster).
Applications should include 1) a CV, including a publication and grant list,
2) a statement of the candidate's research interests and how the research
fits into the above program, 3) a statement of teaching experience and
philosophy, and 4) contact information for at least three references. All
materials should be sent via email to martens at astro.edu. Questions
regarding the position can be addressed to Dr. Piet Martens at the same
email address. Applications received by December 15, 2019, will receive full
consideration. An offer of employment will be conditional on background
verification. Georgia State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and
does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender,
veteran status, or on the basis of disability or any other federal, state or
local protected class.
*******************
9. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral, Early-Career Staff, and Mid-Career Staff
Positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory
The Space Science and Applications (ISR-1) Group at Los Alamos National
Laboratory is hiring postdocs and staff scientists at the early- and
mid-career level to support our research programs in magnetospheric and
heliospheric science and our national security mission focused on
space-based verification of the Limited Test Ban Treaty.
Positions are available for candidates with expertise in modeling &
simulation, data analysis, and/or instrumentation. We particularly seek
strong candidates with expertise in our core research areas including inner
magnetospheres, natural and man-made radiation belts, space weather, and
plasma, energetic particle, and neutral particle sensors. Candidates are
also sought who can contribute to developing topic areas including
ionospheric physics and magnetosphere-ionospheric coupling, GICs, EMP, and
heliospheric and planetary science.
For the staff scientist positions, candidates are sought who have the
flexibility and interest in contributing to both basic science research and
our national security mission. Staff scientist positions require the ability
to obtain a Q clearance, which normally requires U.S. citizenship.
For the postdoc positions, candidates are expected to contribute to our
basic science research. Postdoc positions are open to all citizenships. The
ability to obtain a Q clearance, which normally requires U.S. citizenship,
is desirable but not required.
Los Alamos has been named a "Top 10" small town to live in, with its
abundant outdoor recreation, highly ranked public school system, and
available community facilities and activities.
Two-body problem? Maybe we can help! LANL has recently launched an
aggressive hiring campaign to meet future staffing needs across many
disciplines, including a new system to promote dual-career hires into
strategic areas.
Interested candidates should contact Daniel Reisenfeld or Vania Jordanova.
More about the ISR Division and the ISR-1 group can be found at . The ISR-1
postdoc and staff scientist (Scientist 2, 3, and 4) job ads can be found by
clicking on "Space Science and Applications" on the right menu.
*******************
10. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Position in the Department of Astronomy at
the University of Maryland, College Park
Applicants are invited to apply for a postdoctoral position in the
Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
The successful candidate will work on theoretical/computational studies of
magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere and shocks, by means of
3D particle-in-cell simulations, in collaboration with Dr. Naoki Bessho, Dr.
Shan Wang, and Dr. Li-Jen Chen. Opportunities to analyze data from NASA?s
Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission will be provided. The position will
start in January 2020 with an initial appointment for one year (renewal for
the second year is subject to funding and satisfactory performance).
The successful candidate will be appointed at UMCP, but will conduct
research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center located in Greenbelt, MD
(except for citizens from designated countries under NASA rules).
Applications from US citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United
States, and foreign nationals in an F1-OPT status (with an effective EAD
card) will be accepted.
Required qualifications: Ph.D. or equivalent degree in physics, astronomy,
or related fields. Experience in computational research on space plasma
physics, or related fields
Preferred qualifications: Experience in particle-in-cell simulations,
parallel computing, and code development. Strong interest (or experience) in
space data analysis
Applicants should send their applications electronically, including a cover
letter, CV with a publication list, a summary of past research achievements,
and contact information for two references. Applications should be submitted
by email to Naoki Bessho (nbessho at umd.edu). Applications will be reviewed
on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and
regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all
qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The
University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and
does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national
origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender
identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political
affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the
First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and
activities, and admissions.
*******************
11. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Postdoctoral Research Position in Space Physics at
Florida Institute of Technology
The Space Physics Group in the Department of Aerospace, Physics and Space
Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, is offering one or more
postdoctoral positions in space physics. Department website is
https://www.fit.edu/engineering-and-science/academics-and-learning/aerospace
-physics-and-space-sciences/research/. The Space Physics Group researches in
several areas of heliospheric physics. These positions focus on studying
cosmic rays and solar energetic particle radiation for space weather
forecasts. Preferred qualifications of the candidate include having prior
experience in numerical computer modeling, machine learning, and analyzing
plasma, particle, and magnetic field data from spacecraft. The applicant
should have a Ph.D. degree in space physics or closely related disciplines.
Send application to mzhang at fit.edu in a single PDF file along with names
and contact information for recommendation letters.
*******************
12. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Civil Servant Research Scientist at NASA Goddard Space
Flight Center
The Energetic Particle Laboratory at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is looking
to hire a scientist with experience in designing, building and analyzing data from
instruments that measure ionized and neutral high-energy particles in the heliosphere
and magnetosphere. The laboratory currently has instruments in development for
the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission (launch in 2024),
several cubesats for Low-Earth Orbit and interplanetary space, and the Lunar Gateway.
The Energetic Particle Laboratory is in the Heliospheric Science Laboratory (Code 672)
of Goddard's Heliophysics Science Division. This is a US Government Civil Servant
position, therefore applicants are required to be either US citizens or currently
holding a green card and are expected to have a PhD in a related field and several
years of experience beyond completion of their PhD. Interested individuals should
send a current CV to Adam Szabo (adam.szabo@nasa.gov), Code 672 Lab Chief, and Eric
Christian (eric.r.christian@nasa.gov), Code 672 Associate Lab Chief and head of the
Energetic Particle Laboratory.