[GEM] THE GEM MESSENGER, Volume 28, Number 56

[Newsletter Editor]

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     THE GEM MESSENGER
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Volume 28, Number 56
Nov.24,2018

Announcement submission website: http://aten.igpp.ucla.edu/gem/messenger_form/

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Table of Contents

1. NSF Solicitation 19-530 - Ideas Lab: Cross-cutting Initiative in CubeSat Innovations

2. GEM-Mini Workshop on Dec 9th, 2018

3. Mini-GEM 2018: “Magnetic Reconnection in the Age of the Heliophysics System Observatory”

4. Mini-GEM 2018: Call for Participation in the Dayside Kinetic Processes in Global Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interaction FG sessions

5. Announcement of GDC STDT Third Meeting

6. JOB OPENING: A PhD Student Position in Space Physics Group at the Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland

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1. NSF Solicitation 19-530 - Ideas Lab: Cross-cutting Initiative in CubeSat Innovations
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From: Michael Wiltberger (mwiltber at nsf.gov)

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Atmospheric & Geospace Sciences, Division of Computer and Network Systems, and Division of Electrical, Communications, & Cyber Systems have released a new cross-directorate CubeSat solicitation entitled “Ideas Lab: Cross-cutting Initiative in CubeSat Innovations.”

The solicitation description is at https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505605&org=CNS&from=home.

The solicitation details are at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=505605&ods_key=nsf19530.


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2. GEM-Mini Workshop on Dec 9th, 2018
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From: Zhonghua Xu (zxu77 at vt.edu)

GEM will be holding its annual Mini GEM workshop on December 9th, 2018 at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia. Support for this workshop is made possible by the National Science Foundation. The registration and schedule information is at "http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem-mini/index.html". It would be greatly appreciated if you can register for the workshop online. It is free of charge and will help us to track the numbers of participants for future meeting preparation.


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3. Mini-GEM 2018: “Magnetic Reconnection in the Age of the Heliophysics System Observatory”
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From: Rick Wilder, Shan Wang, Anton Artemyev, Mike Shay (frederick.wilder at lasp.colorado.edu)

We are pleased to announce the fall Mini-GEM sessions our new GEM focus group, “Magnetic Reconnection in the Age of the Heliophysics System Observatory.” We invite you to attend the new sessions and present your latest findings on the topic. The main goal of this focus group is to use the significant volume of data available regarding magnetic reconnection and compare with global and local models of the physics. Our over-arching questions include the following:

1) What is the relation between magnetic reconnection and turbulence?
2) How does reconnection evolve beyond 2-D laminar models: waves, parallel electric fields, dissipation?
3) How is the energy associated with magnetic reconnection dissipated?
4) How does the local physics of magnetic reconnection depend on, and determine the global plasma and magnetic field configurations?

We will be hosting two sessions:

Session 1:
Sunday, December 9, 12:00 – 13:30, Local physics of magnetic reconnection, turbulence, and dissipation, and the relation between them.

Session 2:
Sunday, December 9, 15:30 – 17:00, global dependence on and consequences of magnetic reconnection.

We intend to have this group be workshop style, with ~20 minutes available for open discussion at the end of each session. We therefore encourage you to condense your findings to 3-4 slides and be prepared for discussion and lots of questions.

Please send your presentations to the focus group organizers.

Best,

Rick, Shan, Anton, Mike


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4. Mini-GEM 2018: Call for Participation in the Dayside Kinetic Processes in Global Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interaction FG sessions
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From: Andrew P. Dimmock, Heli Hietala, Xochitl Blanco-Cano, Gabor Toth, Ying Zou (andrew.dimmock at irfu.se)

Dear GEM community,

We welcome participants to join our two mini-GEM sessions to be held by the "Dayside Kinetic Processes in Global Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interaction" focus group. Please see our GEM wiki page for more details of the FG: http://aten.igpp.ucla.edu/gemwiki/index.php/FG:_Dayside_Kinetic_Processes_in_Global_Solar_Wind-Magnetosphere_Interaction#Dayside_Kinetics_Challenge

The two session are scheduled at 12:00-13:30 and 13:50-15:20, and will both be held in room 6 (Washington) on 9th December (Sunday before the AGU meeting).

The first session will be dedicated to our southward IMF challenge event, of which more details can be found here: https://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/support/GEM/Dayside_Kinetic_Processes/Dayside_Kinetic_Challenge/Introduction.php. There will be short presentations from a few challenge participants covering: FTEs, reconnection jet properties from MMS, comparison of MHD-EPIC, Hall-MHD, and idea-MHD, and model-observation comparisons. The session will conclude with a 30-minute open discussion and then details of a special issue to open next year - of which submissions will be open to everyone.

The second session addresses the impact of dayside transients (e.g. high-speed jets, HFAs, cavitons) on the magnetopause. Three presentations providing details of certain transients will be given, before leading into a 30-minute open discussion forum. Confirmed speakers are Martin Archer (high speed jets), David Sibeck (HFAs), and Xochitl Blanco-Cano (SHFAs & cavitons). A primary topic of the discussion will be the potential for local vs global effects from such transients. 

We are looking forward to your participation and seeing you in a few weeks.
Andrew P. Dimmock, Heli Hietala, Xochitl Blanco-Cano, Gabor Toth, Ying Zou


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5. Announcement of GDC STDT Third Meeting
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From: Jared Leisner (jared.s.leisner at nasa.gov)

NASA announces the third meeting of the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT). This STDT is established as a task group of the Heliophysics Advisory Committee in order to define a compelling and executable mission concept for GDC, the next Living With a Star Program mission prioritized by the National Academies’ 2013 Decadal Survey for Heliophysics.

The STDT’s third meeting will be held on November 27th-30th, and the public is invited to attend virtually. This meeting will focus on refining science measurement requirements, discussing constraints on potential mission architectures, and drafting text for the final report. Due to the meeting format, the public will not be able to comment during the meeting itself but public comments may be submitted via email (instructions can be found on the Public Comments link on the STDT webpage). 

For information on the STDT membership, the meeting agenda and connection information, or submitting comments to the STDT, please visit the GDC STDT webpage.

GDC STDT webpage: https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/resources/stdts/geospace-dynamics-constellation


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6. JOB OPENING: A PhD Student Position in Space Physics Group at the Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland
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From: Minna Palmroth, Emilia Kilpua (minna.palmroth at helsinki.fi)

The Space Physics Group at the Department of Physics is a leading European space physics group specialised both in observations and modelling of space plasmas. For example, we develop the novel global hybrid-Vlasov simulation Vlasiator and have a strong focus on solar eruptions both in observations and using modelling.

We are now opening a doctoral student position. The research of the PhD student will focus on modeling of suprathermal populations in the solar corona and solar wind. Prior knowledge in any of the following areas is considered an advantage: Kinetic plasma physics, physics of the solar corona and solar wind, gyrokinetic theory, closure relations in fluid models of plasmas. Other useful skills include: Python, C/C++, supercomputer environments.

We offer a position in a dynamic and international research group, with a possibility to network and to develop as a researcher. The positions are available immediately. The positions are open until they are filled.

For more information, please visit:
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/spacephysics/
https://www.helsinki.fi/sustainable-space

For specifics about the position, contact Professor Minna Palmroth (minna.palmroth ‘at’ helsinki.fi) and Associate Professor Emilia Kilpua (emilia.kilpua ‘at’ helsinki.fi). Interested candidates should send their informal application, CV, list of publications, and a maximum of three names to act as references to the above addresses.


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