[GEM] THE GEM MESSENGER, Volume 30, Number 7

[Newsletter Editor]

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     THE GEM MESSENGER
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Volume 30, Number 7
Mar.11,2020

Announcement submission website:
https://forms.gle/FXxfwokFxhUy1KcB9

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Table of Contents

1. Important Announcements about the 2020 GEM Summer Workshop

2. New! NASA Heliophysics Mission Design School Applications Due March 30, 2020

3. Postdoctoral Research Position at University of Alaska Fairbanks

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1. Important Announcements about the 2020 GEM Summer Workshop
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From: Paul Cassak (Paul.Cassak at mail.wvu.edu)

This announcement is to address a number of matters about the GEM Summer Workshop in July, 2020. First, you are undoubtedly seeing the news about conferences getting cancelled over an abundance of caution over the coronavirus and flu. Please know that the GEM Meeting Organizers, the Steering Committee, and representatives of NSF are all monitoring the situation. We will keep you informed through the GEM Messenger and the workshop website. As of now, there are no plans to cancel it. The situation will continue to be monitored, and a final decision will be made by the end of April (if not sooner). Please continue to monitor the GEM Messenger for updates.

Second, as you may recall, the GEM summer workshop is scheduled to take place in Honolulu, Hawaii, back-to-back with the SHINE workshop. The Steering Committee has gotten both positive and negative feedback about this choice, so some words of explanation are in order. The setting was chosen in consultation with NSF, motivated by the proximity to the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on Maui that recently became operational. Those that have given us negative feedback lament the distance to travel and concerns about travel expenses. We would like to point out that the hotel rate the Meeting Organizers were able to obtain in Honolulu is within $8/night of the hotel rate in Santa Fe last year. The main difference for most people, then, is air travel. This may especially be an issue for early career members of the community. Students and postdocs domestically are encouraged to apply for travel support through the standard means (https://gemworkshop.org/pages/StudFinSupAppSub.php). If you are an early career scientist that does not qualify for this funding and you would like to attend the meeting but are concerned about travel expenses, we would like to encourage you to reach out to the Meeting Organizers (Chia-Lin.Huang at unh.edu or cmouikis at atlas.sr.unh.edu); they may be able to work with you on ways to help you attend.

Thank you for your time, and please contact me or Vania (Paul.Cassak at mail.wvu.edu or vania at lanl.gov) if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.


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2. New! NASA Heliophysics Mission Design School Applications Due March 30, 2020
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From: Leslie Lowes (Leslie.L.Lowes at jpl.nasa.gov)

NASA Heliophysics Mission Design School Pilot
NASA Science Mission Design Schools

Now through March 30, 2020, NASA is accepting 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, 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 10-11 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 planetary science 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 


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3. Postdoctoral Research Position at University of Alaska Fairbanks
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From: Hyunju Connor (hkconnor at alaska.edu)

Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in the area of magnetopause reconnection, coupling between the magnetosphere and high-latitude ionosphere, and exosphere. The successful candidate would have experience in MHD modeling and data analysis on the space/ground observatories like THEMIS, MMS, SuperDARN, SuperMAG, etc. This position supports the upcoming spacecraft mission, Solar Wind – Magnetosphere – Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), that visualizes the dayside magnetosphere in soft X-rays after its launch in 2023.

The duration is two years with a potential for renewal. PhD in physics, space physics, or related discipline is required. Interested applicants should submit the following materials by email to Prof. Hyunju Connor (hkconnor at alaska.edu):

1. A cover letter describing background, qualifications, and experience relevant to the position
2. A full curriculum vitae (CV) detailing education, awards, publications, research experience, etc.
3. Contact information for three professional references

Review of applications will begin on Apr 1, 2020 and continue until the position is filled. Start date in summer 2020 is desirable. 

For questions or additional information, contact Prof. Hyunju Connor at hkconnor at alaska.edu.  Details of the Space Physics and Aeronomy research group at Geophysical Institute can be found at https://www.gi.alaska.edu/research/space-physics-and-aeronomy. 

University of Alaska is an equal opportunity employer.


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The Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) program is sponsored by the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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GemWiki website:  https://gem.epss.ucla.edu/
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