[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXIII, Issue 26

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXIII, Issue 26
May.22,2016

Editor: Peter Chi
Co-Editor: Guan Le
Distribution Support: Marjorie Sowmendran, Todd King, Kevin Addison
E-mail: editor at igpp.ucla.edu

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Table of Contents

1. NASA-NSF Partnership on Dusty Plasma Microgravity Research: Plasma Kristall-4 Facility on Board the International Space Station

2. Monday Science Telecon

3. Course on “Planetary Interiors” of the International School of Space Science. 12-16 September 2016 – L’Aquila (Italy)

4. New appointments in the Geospace Section of NSF’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

5. Gary Zank Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

6. JOB OPENING: Faculty Positions in Geosciences Open at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand)

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NASA-NSF Partnership on Dusty Plasma Microgravity Research: Plasma Kristall-4 Facility on Board the International Space Station

From: Vyacheslav (Slava) Lukin, Program Director, Division of Physics, National Science Foundation (vlukin at nsf.gov)

The NSF Directorates for Mathematical & Physical Sciences and Geosciences, the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, jointly with the NASA Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division, have issued a Research Announcement: "Research Opportunities in Fundamental Physics - NASA/NSF Partnership on Science of Dusty Plasmas: Utilizing the PK-4 Facility on board the International Space Station” [see: http://tinyurl.com/NNH16ZTT002N]. This Research Announcement solicits science research proposals from U.S. investigators for research that can be performed on or is directly related to the joint European Space Agency – Russian Federal Space Agency Plasma Krystall-4 (PK-4) experimental facility on board the International Space Station.  The Research Announcement also solicits research proposals for ground investigations related to potential follow-on microgravity experiments to study properties of dusty plasmas and related strongly-coupled many-body systems. Participation is open to all categories of U.S. institutions, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, and Government agencies.


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Monday Science Telecon

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

At 12:00 noon EST on Monday (May 23), we plan to hold the next in our ongoing series of science telecon. The speaker this Monday will be Shan Wang from NASA/GSFC. The topic will be “Ion demagnetization in the magnetopause current layer observed by MMS".

The telecom will be broadcast live via webex. If you would like to join, please
go to http://uclaigpp.webex.com/, search for the ‘Dayside Science' meeting, enter your name and contact information, and then the meeting password, which is Substorm1!

To hear the audio, do not dial the number that pops up on the webex website. Instead, please dial the following toll free (in the United States) number:
1-844-467-6272
with passcode 901533

Please remember to mute your telephone if you are not speaking.

Looking forward to speaking with you.


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Course on “Planetary Interiors” of the International School of Space Science. 12-16 September 2016 – L’Aquila (Italy)

From: U. Villante (ssc at aquila.infn.it)

The International School of Space Science of the Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Fisica Spaziale organizes a Course on “Planetary Interiors”, to be held in L’Aquila, Italy, September 12-16, 2016 directed by L. Iess, T. Van Hoolst, W. Pecorella.

The school is designed for PhD students, young post-doctoral researchers, and engineers working in planetary sciences or instrument development for planetary missions. The school will provide an integrated overview of our current understanding of the interior structure and evolution of planets and satellites, focusing on three complementary modules: 1) theoretical models, 2) observational methods and measurements, 3) space instrumentation. The school intends to contribute to the development of a new generation of planetary scientists and engineers motivated by two major upcoming missions of the European Space Agency, BepiColombo to Mercury in 2018 and JUICE to Jupiter and its satellites in 2022, and several other planetary missions (including NASA’s JUNO and InSight missions to Jupiter and Mars) designed to probe the interior of planets and moons. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, the school will explain how current and future planetary missions will be able to broaden our knowledge of the interior structure, dynamics, and evolution of solar system bodies.  Mission perspectives and challenges on short and longer term will be discussed, and links with exoplanetary research will be explored.

Applications are due before June 12, 2016
For more information visit http://www.cifs-isss.org/ or send an e-mail to ssc at aquila.infn.it.


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New appointments in the Geospace Section of NSF’s Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences

From: Therese Moretto Jorgensen (TJorgens at nsf.gov)

It’s a distinct pleasure for us to announce that Dr. Ruth Lieberman has taken the position of Program Director for the Aeronomy Program.  Dr. Lieberman comes to NSF from GATS, Inc, where she is a Senior Research Scientist specializing in the analysis of satellite and ground-based remote sensing data and in furthering our understanding of middle atmosphere dynamics.  Dr. Lieberman earned her bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1981, and an M.S. in atmospheric sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1983.  She received her PhD. in Atmospheric Science in 1992 from the University of Washington. Amongst her many scientific accomplishments is ground-breaking work on lower atmosphere forcing on the middle atmosphere.  During her career, Dr. Lieberman also has served in many important community functions, including as a member of a NASA Heliophysics Roadmap Committee and as Editor for JGR-Atmospheres.  Furthermore, Dr. Lieberman holds a position as Affiliate Professor at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, through which she has supervised several graduate students.  We are extremely grateful for the extensive experience and broad expertise Ruth will add to the Aeronomy program.   

At NSF Ruth can be reached at: rlieberm at nsf.gov 

Likewise, we are very happy to announce that Dr. Carrie Black has joined us as Associate Program Director. As a Program Director at large in the section, Carrie will work across all our programs.  Most recently, Carrie held an AGS Postdoctoral Fellowship under which she has carried out computational space physics research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.  Before that she was a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow also at Goddard.  She received her PhD in Physics from the University of New Hampshire.  Her research concerns multi-scale processes that drive magnetic reconnection in magnetic configurations relevant to the solar corona and to the Earth's Magnetosphere.  In addition to her research work, Carrie has also been deeply engaged in policy and outreach involving space weather to the public and lawmakers.  She was a founding member of the American Astronomical Society/ Solar Physics Division Public Policy Committee and she has served in a number of other important organizational and outreach roles for the AAS over the last several years as well.  She has a strong interest in all areas of the geophysical and space sciences and in understanding the implications of geospace science and space weather, specifically, for critical infrastructure protection and resilience. 

At NSF Carrie can be reached at: cblack at nsf.gov


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Gary Zank Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

From: Jim Steele (jim.steele at uah.edu)

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected as a member Dr. Gary P. Zank, director of the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville and the chair of UAH’s Department of Space Science.

Also a UAH eminent scholar and distinguished professor, Zank becomes the only current member of the University of Alabama System to be a member of NAS.

http://www.uah.edu/news/research/national-academy-of-sciences-elects-dr-gary-zank-as-member

http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/may-3-2016-NAS-Election.html


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JOB OPENING: Faculty Positions in Geosciences Open at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand)

From: Craig Rodger (craig.rodger at otago.ac.nz)

The Department of Physics at the University of Otago invite applications for one or more positions at the Lecturer/Senior Lecturer level (equivalent to North American Assistant Professor/Associate Professor). Applicants should be active researchers in the broad field of geosciences able to link into the existing research interests of the Department, or the wider University. The research of the Otago Physics Space group (http://tinyurl.com/zoq59c5) should be of specific interest to readers of this newsletter. 

The University of Otago is a research-intensive university in New Zealand, and the Department of Physics enjoys a vibrant research culture with significant success in obtaining external research funding. The Department has a broad teaching programme and is a leader in the implementation of innovative teaching methods.

The Department wishes to recruit emerging academics who can contribute to its diversity and excellence, through their research, teaching, and service. Applicants should demonstrate collegiality and a willingness to participate in all aspects of the activities of the Department. The specific area of geoscience research is open, but the applicant must have a good research track record appropriate to their career stage, and intend to develop an excellent research programme.

More information can be found at:
https://otago.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1600867


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