[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXII, Issue 71

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXII, Issue 71
December 29, 2015

Editor: Peter Chi
Co-Editor: Guan Le
Distribution Support: Sharon Uy, Todd King, Kevin Addison
Email: editor at igpp.ucla.edu       

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Table of Contents

1. SPA Section Membership in AGU
2. SPA Section Fellows
3. Recent Advances in Solar Physics Topical Issue Published
4. Issue 57(1) of Advances in Space Research Freely Available Online
5. MEETING: ASTRONUM-2016, Monterey, California, June 6-10, 2016
6. MEETING: European Cosmic Ray Symposium (ECRS) 2016 – First Circular, Torino, Italy, September 5-9, 2016
7. Heliophysics Summer School 2016 - “Explosive Energy Conversions and Particle Acceleration,” Boulder, Colorado, July 26 – August 2, 2016
8. George Ellery Hale Postdoctoral Fellowship Position in Solar Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder
9. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Research Position in the Center for Space Environment Modeling, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan
10. JOB OPENING: Research Associate in Space Physics (2 posts in MMS Reconnection and Shocks), Space and Atmospheric Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London

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SPA Section Membership in AGU

From: David Sibeck (david.g.sibeck at nasa.gov)

Prompted by a request from the National Academy of Sciences, we requested that the AGU supply use with information concerning the number of scientists affiliated with the SPA
section.  Here are the results:

Section: Primary / Secondary

Total: 2848 / 8698

Aeronomy Regular: 262 / 874
Aeronomy Student: 27 / 90

Magnetospheric Regular: 713 / 2477
Magnetospheric Student: 143 / 404

Solar/Helio Regular: 745 / 1811
Solar/Helio student: 138 / 319

SPA Regular: 682 / 2578
SPA Student: 138 / 549

3928 members opted for primary affiliation with SPA in 2009, 3129 in 2012, 2949 at the end of 2014, and 2848 at present.

David Sibeck
Section President


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SPA Section Fellows

From: David Sibeck (david.g.sibeck at nasa.gov)

Our SPA Section’s web pages list SPA section members who are fellows of the AGU.  It is possible that some names are missing.  Please send additions or corrections to me.

The list can be found here:
http://spa.agu.org/awards/fellows/

David Sibeck
SPA Section President


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Recent Advances in Solar Physics Topical Issue Published

From: Peggy Ann Shea (sssrc at msn.com)

In the series of Special Issues occasionally published in Advances in Space Research, Elsevier announces its most recent Special Issue entitled “Recent Advances in Solar Physics”.  The issue can be viewed on the Elsevier electronic platform ScienceDirect (Volume 56/12) and is freely available online for all readers during the next 30 days.

This issue consists of fourteen original articles presenting latest results and developments, each refereed by at least two expert reviewers. These works showcase the wealth of theoretical and observational advances, data analysis and sophisticated modeling at work in contemporary solar physics.  The guest editors for this issue are Manolis K. Georgoulis and Valery M Nakariakov.


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Issue 57(1) of Advances in Space Research Freely Available Online

From: Jan Lastovicka (jla at ufa.cas.cz)

Issue 57(1) of Advances in Space Research (COSPAR official journal) published on paper in January 1, 2016, remains available free-of-charge without any paid subscription to this journal for a complete year, courtesy of Elsevier, at 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02731177/57/1

This issue contains a couple of articles of interest to SPA community.

ASR publishes 24 issues per year (2 issues of 20 or more papers each per month), that accepted papers appear online with a DOI in “accepted proofs” only a couple of days after acceptance and that this journal accepts electronic supplements and supports OpenAccess. Review process takes on average about 9 weeks before the first decision is sent back to the authors (4 weeks to find proper reviewers and 5 weeks to get their report and make a first decision). Published articles are referenced in ISI Web of Science, Scopus and many other scientific databases. This journal also accepts Special Issues. Its Impact Factor has been steadily increasing in the past years and it is now 1.385.

Submissions can be done electronically at any time using the EES System (http://ees.elsevier.com/asr). 

Published articles can be found online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02731177

Jan Lastovicka
Co-Editor
Advances in Space Research


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MEETING: ASTRONUM-2016, Monterey, California, June 6-10, 2016

From: Nikolai Pogorelov (np0002 at uah.edu)

Center for Space Science and Aeronomic Research in the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Maison de la Simulation (CEA/CNRS/Inria/UPS/UVSQ), Paris, France will organize ASTRONUM-2016 – the 11th International Conference on Numerical Modeling of Space Plasma Flows in Monterey, California, USA, on 6–10 June, 2016.

The conference will cover the following topics:

(1) Advanced numerical methods for space, astrophysical and geophysical flows, especially magnetic reconnection;
(2) Large-scale fluid-based, kinetic, and hybrid simulations;
(3) Turbulence and cosmic ray transport;
(4) Magnetohydrodynamics;
(5) Software packages for modeling and analyzing plasma flows

with the application to

(1) Physics of the Sun-Heliosphere-Magnetosphere;
(2) Interstellar medium and star formation;
(3) Cosmology and galaxy formation;
(4) Dynamo effect;
(5) Stellar Physics.

The purpose of the conference is to bring together leading experts in applied mathematics, space physics, astrophysics, and geophysics to discuss the application of novel numerical algorithms and petascale parallelization strategies to computationally challenging problems.

The conference will be structured around invited, 40-minute keynote and 25-minute regular talks, and a limited number of contributed talks, with the attempt to have no parallel sessions. The conference web site icnsmeetings.com will provide the information about the conference venue, registration, and means of transportation. E-mail inquiries about the meeting should be directed to Nikolai.Pogorelov at uah.edu and Edouard.Audit at cea.fr.

Program Committee: Tahar Amari (CNRS Ecole Polytechnique), Edouard Audit (CEA, Maison de la Simulation, co-chair), Amitava Bhattacharjee (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory), Phillip Colella (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Anthony Mezzacappa (University of Tennessee, Knoxville),  Ewald Mu¨ller (Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics, Garching), Nikolai Pogorelov (University of Alabama in Huntsville, chair), Kazunari Shibata (Kyoto University), James Stone (Princeton University), Jon Linker (Predictive Science Inc.), and Gary P. Zank (University of Alabama in Huntsville).


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MEETING: European Cosmic Ray Symposium (ECRS) 2016 – First Circular, Torino, Italy, September 5-9, 2016

From: Chiavassa Andrea (achiavas at to.infn.it)

The 25th European Cosmic Ray Symposium (ECRS-2016) will be held at the Università degli Studi di Torino from September 5 to September 9, 2016.
ECRS-2016 is the 25th in a series of European Cosmic Ray Symposia. The main goal of the Symposia is that of spreading throughout the European Physics community the information concerning the status of the research in cosmic rays and related fields, recent results, newly emerging ideas and forthcoming experiments.
The conference location will be the Chemistry and Physics Departments of the Torino University.

Program
The conference program will be organized in morning plenary sessions and afternoon parallel sessions. Plenary sessions will be held in the Aula Magna of the Chemistry Department (Via Pietro Giuria 5), while the parallel ones will occur in the Physics Department (Via Pietro Giuria 1). A poster session is not foreseen, all communications will be scheduled in the parallel sessions.

The symposium program will cover the following topics:
1. Solar and heliospheric cosmic rays (SH)
2. CRs at Earth and Planets (GEO)
3. Dark Matter (DM)
4. Cosmic Rays below the knee (CR I)
5. Cosmic Rays above the knee (CR II)
6. High Energy gamma rays (GR)
7. High Energy muons and neutrinos (MN)
8. Future instrumentation in cosmic ray research (INS)

International Advisory Committee
1) G. Bazilevskaya (RUS)
2) E. Berezhko (RUS)
3) A. Chillingaryan (ARM)
4) E. Fluckiger (SUI)
5) P. Gorodetzky (FRA)
6) B. Heber (GER)
7) K. Kecskemety (HUN)
8) K. Kudela (SVK)
9) M. Panasyuk, IAC Chair (RUS)
10) P. Picozza (ITA)
11) M. Pimenta (POR)
12) V. Ptuskin (RUS)
13) O. Ryazhskaya (RUS)
14) O. Saavedra (ITA)
15) C. Spiering (GER)
16) P. Spillantini (ITA)
17) J. Szabelski (POL)
18) I. Usoskin (FIN)

Local Organizing Committee
1) Bertaina Mario Edoardo
2) Boezio Mirko
3) Bonino Raffaella
4) Castellina Antonella
5) Chiavassa Andrea (Chair)
6) Di Pierro Federico
7) Latronico Luca
8) Maldera Simone
9) Mussa Roberto
10) Trinchero Gian Carlo
11) Vernetto Silvia
12) Vigorito Carlo

Registration Fee
The registration fee, including coffee breaks, lunch buffets (from Monday to Thursday) and the social dinner, amount to:
* 350 euro before 30/6/2015
* 400 euro between 1/7/2016 and 31/8/2016
* 450 euro after 1/9/2016

The fee can be paid either with credit card or by bank transfer. Cash will be accepted at the conference desk. Instructions will be soon available in the conference web page.

Important Dates
Registration opening: March 1st 2016
Abstract submission deadline: April 3rd 2016
Communication of abstract acceptance: May 6th 2016
Contacts and further information
https://agenda.infn.it/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=10609


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Heliophysics Summer School 2016 - “Explosive Energy Conversions and Particle Acceleration,” Boulder, Colorado, July 26 – August 2, 2016

From: Susanne Demaree (sdemaree at ucar.edu)

Deadline is 26 February

Applications are invited for the 2016 Heliophysics Summer School, which will be held in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. We are seeking students and undergraduate level teachers and instructors to join us this coming summer for a unique professional experience.
 
The 2016 Summer School will begin with an overview of the various components composing the Heliophysical system, and review some of the universal physical processes at work throughout the system.  It will then focus in on several kinds of explosive events which serve to illustrate these universal processes that occur through the coupled Heliophysical system.  

The school will be based on lectures, laboratories, and recitations from world experts, and will draw material from the three textbooks Heliophysics I-IV, published by Cambridge University Press. (Volume IV is currently in press.)

Several undergraduate level teachers along with about 30 students will be selected through a competitive process organized by the UCAR Visiting Scientist Programs. The school lasts for eight days, and each participant receives full travel support for airline tickets, lodging and per diem costs.

Student Application Requirements 
• Currently enrolled as a graduate student in any phase of training, or first or second year postdoctoral fellow.
• Major in physics with an emphasis on astrophysics, geophysics, plasma physics, and space physics, or experienced in at least one of these areas.
• Pursuing a career in heliophysics or astrophysics. 

Special Opportunity for Teachers
Teacher Application Requirements
• At least three years of teaching experience.  (Already having a connection with heliophysics is not a requirement.)
• Currently teaching physics (preferably electricity & magnetism), astronomy/planetary science, or Earth sciences at the upper division undergraduate level.
• Willingness to provide feedback to the Summer School faculty and organizers on the comprehensibility and comprehensiveness of the overall set of lectures and supporting materials.

For additional information on this program and instructions on how to apply,
please visit the Heliophysics website at
www.Heliophysics.ucar.edu

For further information, call (303) 497-1605 or e-mail vspapply at ucar.edu

The Living With a Star program of the Heliophysics Division in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate sponsors the Summer Schools. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Visiting Scientist Programs collaborates with NASA in administering the schools. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is an EE/AAE who values and encourages diversity in the workplace. Images courtesy of NASA.


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George Ellery Hale Postdoctoral Fellowship Position in Solar Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder

From: Molly Hand (Molly.Hand at lasp.colorado.edu)

The University of Colorado Boulder is seeking applicants for the George Ellery Hale Postdoctoral Fellowship in Solar and Space Physics.  The University of Colorado and surrounding institutions provide a rich environment within which to conduct solar research, and this two-year research fellowship accompanies the relocation of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) headquarters to Boulder. 

Of particular interest are postdoctoral candidates who are interested in theoretical and computational studies of dynamics within solar and stellar interiors, photospheres, and atmospheres (chromospheres and coronae).  Boulder is an internationally recognized center for studying convection, turbulence, radiative magnetohydrodynamics, and the dynamo amplification of magnetic fields in the Sun.   The successful candidate will have access to extensive computational resources and existing modern, highly parallel astrophysical fluid dynamics codes, and could be involved in the creation of next generation codes for studying solar fluid dynamics. Connections between such modeling activities efforts and the observational capabilities of NSO’s Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST, formerly ATST) and/or Integrated Synoptic Program (NISP) will enhance an application, and the successful candidate is encouraged to forge those connections while in Boulder.

The successful candidate will also have the opportunity play a prominent role in the new George Ellery Hale collaborative graduate education program, which aims to offer solar physics course work and summer professional development to students enrolled in graduate programs at the University of Colorado, University of Hawaii, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology via telepresence technology.  The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with the program to develop capability and facilitate learning in this distributed environment. Thus candidates with a strong interest and experience in teaching and learning methodologies, in addition to those more focused on solar physics research goals, are encouraged to apply.  For questions on this program, please contact Steve Cranmer (Steven.Cranmer at lasp.colorado.edu).

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a description of research and teaching interests, and the names and contact information for three references.  These materials should be submitted electronically to: https://cu.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=02874&lang=en&sns_id=mailto

For more information please contact Prof. Benjamin Brown, Search Committee Chair, bpbrown at colorado.edu.  Review of the applications will begin 1 February 2016 and continue until the position is filled.  The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The University of Colorado offers a full benefits package. Information on University benefits programs, including eligibility, is located at http://www.cu.edu/pbs/.


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JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Research Position in the Center for Space Environment Modeling, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan

From: Ward Manchester (chipm at umich.edu) and Stephen Bougher (bougher at umich.edu)

The Center for Space Environment Modeling announces the opening of one postdoctoral position in Space Physics and Planetary Science, to work in development of numerical models describing the solar wind interaction with the Mars upper atmosphere/ionosphere. The candidate's primary job will be to simulate the self-consistent interaction of the Mars upper atmosphere/ionosphere with ICME events, compare the Mars system model responses to available Mars data sets (e.g. MAVEN, MGS, Mars Express), and determine the ion loss rates to estimate historic losses affecting atmospheric evolution.

Applicants should have completed a Ph.D. in Space Science or Engineering or a closely related field and have had prior experience in developing and running numerical models of planetary space environments.  Requirements also include extensive computational skills including working knowledge of Fortran95, Perl, Python and/or IDL programming.  Experience handling and analyzing scientific data from space based instruments or space missions such as MAVEN is strongly valued.  The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up to four years, contingent on performance and availability of research funds. Starting salary will be in the range between $50,000 and $55,000 per annum dependent on qualifications and prior experience. Review of applications will begin immediately.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, publication list, short description of research interests, and names and contact information of two individuals who can provide letters of reference.

Applications and inquiries should be directed to:  Associate Research Professor Ward Manchester, Space Research Laboratory, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, 2455 Hayward Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48105. Phone 734 647 3475. Fax 734 615 9723, Email: chipm at umich.edu and cc Stephen Bougher Email: bougher at umich.edu


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JOB OPENING: Research Associate in Space Physics (2 posts in MMS Reconnection and Shocks), Space and Atmospheric Group, Department of Physics, Imperial College London

From: Steven Schwartz (s.schwartz at imperial.ac.uk)

Salary: GBP33,860 - 42,830 per annum

Closing Date       1 February 2016

Fixed term 2 years commencing from 1 April 2016

Applications are invited for two Research Associate positions within the Space and Atmospheric Physics Group commencing from 1 April 2016. The successful applicant will work with Dr. Jonathan Eastwood or Prof. Steve Schwartz. The post holder will be expected to produce independent, original research in the area of space physics within the Space & Atmospheric Physics group, submit publications to refereed journals and help with teaching and administration of research activities. The post holders will be expected to support the Department’s teaching activities. The work specifically involves the analysis and interpretation of data related to kinetic processes in collisionless space plasmas. Some supporting theoretical/modelling work is likely. Primary targets include the study of magnetic reconnection and plasma shock physics with an emphasis on electron-scale phenomena. The work will exploit the Group’s involvement in major international space plasma satellite missions, notably NASA’s Magnetospheric Multi-scale Mission. The project would involve a high degree of teamwork and interdisciplinary research.

The successful candidate must have a PhD or equivalent level of professional qualifications and experience in the field of space plasma physics, or a closely related area. Expertise in at least one of the following is essential: collisionless plasmas, magnetic reconnection, shock physics, electron-scale plasma phenomena. Expertise in two or more of these areas is highly desirable. Experience in at least one of the following is essential: data analysis of in situ spacecraft plasma data; the analysis and interpretation of equivalent data from kinetic simulations. A record of achievement, including publications in a relevant research field, is essential.

You must have an enthusiastic approach to research with strong written communication skills and the ability to write scientifically, clearly and succinctly for publication. The successful candidate should also have strong verbal communication skills to deal with a wide range of people and to interact successfully with others to learn and teach new skills. A flexible attitude towards work and the willingness to cooperate as part of a team and be open-minded and cooperative is a must have, and the ability to develop and apply new concepts, techniques and methods, have a creative approach to problem solving and the ability to work independently and show initiative is also essential.

Committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner and an IoP JUNO Champion, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Two Ticks Employer and are working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

For more information contact Jonathan Eastwood (jonathan.eastwood at imperial.ac.uk) or Steve Schwartz (s.schwartz at imperial.ac.uk). To apply, follow the link in the online advertisement at http://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/AMQ813/research-associate-in-space-physics/


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To request announcements or subscribe to the newsletter, please e-mail the Editor at (editor at igpp.ucla.edu).

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2. Author name(s) and an e-mail address for contact purposes
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