[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXIII, Issue 62

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXIII, Issue 62
Nov.28,2016

Editor: Peter Chi
Co-Editor: Guan Le
Distribution Support: Sharon Uy, Marjorie Sowmendran, Todd King, Kevin Addison
E-mail: editor at igpp.ucla.edu
Announcement Submission Website: http://goo.gl/forms/qjcm4dDr4g

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Table of Contents

1. MEETING: AGU-JpGU Joint Meeting 2017: Session Schedule Released

2. MEETING: International Workshop Without Walls "Impacts of Exoplanetary Space Weather on Climate and Habitability," New Orleans, LA, November 29 - December 2, 2016

3. MEETING:  Applied Space Environments Conference (ASEC), Huntsville, Alabama, May 15-19, 2017

4. MEETING: First International Workshop on Small Satellites for Space Weather Research & Forecasting,  Washington, DC, August 1 - 4, 2017

5. AGU Town Hall: SPA Early Career - NASA Leadership Mixer (TH33F)

6. LWS Town Hall Meeting, 12 December 2016, 6:15-8:00 pm, Location: Market Street Room, Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnum St., San Francisco, CA 

7. Heliophysics/Geospace System Observatory (HGSO) Coordination Planning Meeting at Mini-GEM, 5-6pm, December 11, 2016 (Sunday before AGU)

8. VarSITI Newsletter Vol.11

9. JOB OPENING: Tenured Scientist Position at Swedish Institute of Space Physics

10. JOB OPENING: Post Doctoral Research Scientist Position in High-Energy Atmospheric Physics,  University of New Hampshire,  Department of Physics &  Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space (EOS)

11. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Position at Swedish Institute of Space Physics

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MEETING: AGU-JpGU Joint Meeting 2017: Session Schedule Released

From: Huixin Liu (huixin at serc.kyushu-u.ac.jp)

The 1st JpGU-AGU joint meeting will be held in Japan during May 20-25, 2017. Session schedules are now open. 
http://www.jpgu.org/meeting_e2017/session_list/
http://www.jpgu.org/meeting_e2017/downloads/program_schedule_E_1117.pdf

We hope you take full advantage of this early release of session schedules to plan your trip in advance. Abstract submission will be open on Jan. 6, 2017 and closed on Feb. 16, 2017. We look forward to seeing you at the first joint meeting.

Huixin Liu & Tetsuo Irifune 
JpGU-AGU joint meeting co-chairs


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MEETING: International Workshop Without Walls "Impacts of Exoplanetary Space Weather on Climate and Habitability," New Orleans, LA, November 29 - December 2, 2016

From: Vladimir Airapetian (vladimir.airapetian at nasa.gov)

A NASA Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) Workshop Without Walls: November 29th – December 2nd, 2016. New Orleans, LA, and other virtual locations.
Organizers: Vladimir Airapetian (NASA GSFC), William Danchi (NASA GSFC)

The major goal of the workshop is to promote collaboration between NExSS team members and the broader U.S. and international communities, to discuss recent progress in interdisciplinary studies, and to develop a community roadmap that crosess the boundaries of space weather from the Sun to cool stars and investigates its impact on (exo)planetary climates. This will be achieved by bringing together scientists involved in related activities in the broader astrophysics, heliophysics and planetary science communities. Their perspectives of interrelations among space weather, climate and habitability conditions will be crucial in defining the boundaries of habitability of exoplanets around F to M dwarfs.

The workshop will be open to community virtual participation via Adobe Connect. The following key themes will be reviewed and discussed:

How do solar and stellar explosive events and associated space weather (SW) form?
How can we search for SW signatures around cool dwarf stars at various phases of evolution?
What is the impact of space weather on the rate of atmospheric escape from magnetically shielded and unshielded (exo)planets?
What lessons on atmospheric escape rates can we learn from Earth, Mars and Venus?
How does space weather (XUV, particle radiation and interplanetary magnetic fields) affect water loss from (exo)planets?
How does space weather impact planetary chemistry and climates?
What are the SW effects imposed by cool stars on planetary surface habitability?
What are the SW imposed spectral signatures from (exo) planetary atmospheres?

The outcome of such an interdisciplinary approach will become crucial in defining the candidates for habitable planets for upcoming exoplanetary missions including TESS and JWST and for a potential future direct imaging mission. The full agenda of the workshop can be found at https://nai.nasa.gov/seminars/featured-seminar-channels/conferences-and-workshops/2016/11/29/nexss-workshop-impact-of-exoplanetary-space-weather-on-climate-habitability/


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MEETING:  Applied Space Environments Conference (ASEC), Huntsville, Alabama, May 15-19, 2017

From: Joseph Minow (joseph.i.minow at nasa.gov)

Applied Space Environments Conference (ASEC) 2017
May 15-19, 2017
Huntsville, Alabama  USA

Dear Colleagues,

The first Applied Space Environments Conference (ASEC), co-sponsored by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) and NASA, will be held in Huntsville, Alabama on May 15-19, 2017.

The Applied Space Environments Conference is a forum for the space environment engineering and applied space science community to discuss the discipline’s ability to support current space programs and to identify gaps in knowledge and technology needs required for future exploration goals.  Space environment hazards need to be considered during all phases of human and robotic space exploration, from the initial design of a space system architecture, through testing and construction of space systems hardware, and finally during mission operations in order to assure safe and reliable operations to meet program goals.  Applicable environments will include those that impact human health, spacecraft design, and mission operations in low Earth orbit, through the Earth’s magnetosphere, and into interplanetary space as well as environments of other planets, moons, and asteroids.

Abstract submission, registration, and venue information will be posted in the next announcement.  Please refer to the meeting website for a full description of the conference and a general list of topics to be addressed.  http://sti.usra.edu/asec2017

NASA Conference Tracking System (NCTS) #28268-17

If you would like to receive information about this conference directly, please email any of the below:
   Linda Neergaard Parker:  lparker at usra.edu
   Joseph Minow:  joseph.i.minow at nasa.gov
   or  asec2017 at gmail.com


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MEETING: First International Workshop on Small Satellites for Space Weather Research & Forecasting,  Washington, DC, August 1 - 4, 2017

From: Vadim Uritsky (vadim.uritsky at nasa.gov)

The Small Satellites for Space Weather Research and Forecasting workshop is the first dedicated scientific meeting focusing on specific needs of space weather studies using smallsat platforms. 

We invite a broad scope of contributions related to the applications of small satellites to space weather observations, research, analyses, forecasting, and operations, including those utilizing the CubeSat reference design.

The overarching goal of the workshop is to identify target scientific questions, geospace domains, and space weather conditions for which small satellites have a decisive advantage over traditional space weather monitoring platforms. 
We will also seek to determine major scientific, engineering, and programmatic challenges in developing dedicated small satellite space weather missions of the future, and to explore the unique training opportunities smallsat-based 
space weather research & forecasting can offer to academic institutions. 

More details soon.

For additional information contact Vadim Uritsky, vadim.uritsky at nasa.gov .


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AGU Town Hall: SPA Early Career - NASA Leadership Mixer (TH33F)

From: Elizabeth MacDonald (e.a.macdonald at nasa.gov)

AGU TOWN HALL: SPA Early Career - NASA Leadership Mixer (TH33F), Moscone West 2004, Wed Dec 14 2016 12:30 – 1:30 pm PT

The NASA Heliophysics Division would like to invite early career community members to a mixer event at AGU. This is an opportunity to meet many of your headquarters representatives, learn about Heliophysics at NASA HQ, and be heard. Those within 10 years of receiving a PhD and students are welcome to attend. NASA is committed to an inclusive environment; early career women, people of color, and under-represented groups are especially encouraged to participate. For any questions, please contact Dr. Liz MacDonald, Early Career Program Scientist, e.a.macdonald at nasa.gov. The agenda will include the following (though not lunch, unfortunately).

* Welcome & Community Share Time (~15 min)
Early career scientists will have 30 seconds to introduce themselves. Please give a short introduction of your interests so that others can seek you out during networking time.

* NASA Leadership Perspective and Introduction (~10 min)
Mr. Steven Clarke, NASA Heliophysics Director, will introduce the HQ representatives and org chart.

* Special Opportunities for Early Career Scientists (~15 min)
Top tips for proposers, Dr. Mona Kessel
How to become a panel reviewer, Dr. Liz MacDonald

* Meet and Greet with Program Officers (~20 min)
Bring a business card, bring up a topic, or just say hello.

To add to your AGU schedule, see here: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm16/meetingapp.cgi/Session/14457 


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LWS Town Hall Meeting, 12 December 2016, 6:15-8:00 pm, Location: Market Street Room, Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnum St., San Francisco, CA 

From: Elsayed Talaat, Jeff Morrill (Heliophysics/LWS), Mark Linton & Eftyhia Zesta LWS TR&T Steering Committee Co-Chairs (elsayed.r.talaat at nasa.gov)

We will hold the Town Hall meeting for the Heliophysics Living With a Star (LWS)  program at the Fall AGU meeting. You are invited to attend and hear brief summaries on the program status and some of the existing group and individual efforts, and to participate in open discussion of the LWS program.


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Heliophysics/Geospace System Observatory (HGSO) Coordination Planning Meeting at Mini-GEM, 5-6pm, December 11, 2016 (Sunday before AGU)

From: Vassilis Angelopoulos and Toshi Nishimura (toshi at atmos.ucla.edu)

We will hold a meeting during mini-GEM, Sunday before AGU, on satellite and ground coordination and campaign planning in 2017. Particularly with the upcoming launch of the ERG satellite and related ground instruments, more coordination opportunities are emerging for the coming seasons. Team members from key satellite and ground missions and coordination groups will comment on their planning, and we will discuss opportunities for coordinated measurements for maximizing the use of community assets.

All are invited to join the meeting and to discuss opportunities with your instruments and/or science interests. This will be a discussion meeting but if you have any announcements that you would like to share with audience, please let us know in advance.

This meeting will be held at mini-GEM on Sunday before AGU; at 5-6pm on Dec 11, 2016 at the Nevada room at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway in San Francisco.
http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem-mini/


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VarSITI Newsletter Vol.11

From: Kazuo Shiokawa (shiokawa at nagoya-u.jp)

SCOSTEP's VarSITI (Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact, 2014-2018)

VarSITI Newsletter volume 11 has now been published.  The PDF file is available at 
http://newserver.stil.bas.bg/varsiti/newsL/VarSITI_Newsletter_Vol11.pdf
Below are the contents of this volume.  

Contents of VarSITI Newsletter Volume 11
Eleventh Newsletter <Vol.11,  November 2016>

Articles (writer/ topic / related project)
1. Libo Liu and Baiqi / Ning Observations and Research Interest on Space Weather at Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences / SEE, ISEST, ROSMIC
2. Duggirala Pallamraju and Stanley Solomon / Role of the Sun and the Middle atmosphere/thermosphere/ionosphere In Climate / ROSMIC
3. Fang Shen / An Introduction on ISEST (International Study of Earth-Affecting Solar Transients) Working Group on Simulation / ISEST 

Highlight of Young scientists (candidate/ country/ related project)
1. Jean Uwamahoro/ Rwanda/ ISEST
2. Jie Jiang/ China/ SEE

Meeting reports (meeting name/ writer/ related project)
1. 6th Workshop on Vertical Coupling in the Atmosphere-Ionosphere System, Taipei, Taiwan, 25-29 July 2016 / Loren C. Chang / ROSMIC
2. International Symposium on Recent Observations and Simulations of the Sun-Earth System III, Golden Sands, Bulgaria, 11-16 September 2016 / Vania K. Jordanova / ISEST, SPeCIMEN
3. International Symposium on the Whole Atmosphere (ISWA), Tokyo, Japan, 14-16 September 2016 / Kaoru Sato / ROSMIC 
4. 9th IAGA - ICMA/IAMAS - ROSMIC/VarSITI/SCOSTEP workshop on 'Long-Term Changes and Trends in the Atmosphere', IAP, Kuhlungsborn, Germany, 19-23 September 2016 / Franz-Josef Luebken / ROSMIC
5. Report on the 7th VLF/ELF Remote Sensing of Ionospheres and Magnetospheres Workshop, Hermanus, South Africa, 19-24 September 2016 / Jacob Bortnik / SPeCIMEN 
6. XIVth Hvar Astrophysical Colloquium "Solar and Solar-Terrestrial Physics: Now and in the Future", Hvar, Croatia, 26-30 September, 2016 / Domagoj Ruzdjak / SEE, ISEST 

Upcoming meetings
Short News 1:New Additional Co-leaders of SPeCIMEN / Shri Kanekal and Yoshizumi Miyoshi 
Short News 2: SSCOSTEP Town Hall Meeting “Future Directions in Solar-Terrestrial Physics” December 12, 2016 / Marianna Shepherd 


9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9

JOB OPENING: Tenured Scientist Position at Swedish Institute of Space Physics

From: Hermann Opgenoorth (opg at irfu.se)

Applications are invited for a tenured position at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala for studies of the magnetosphere of the Earth, and its interaction with the upper atmosphere, in response to extreme solar wind driving conditions such as violent coronal mass ejections. Of particular interest are energy and plasma exchange between the two major regimes of plasma in the near-Earth environment, and the related flow of very intense electric currents in the auroral and sub-auroral zone under extreme storm-time conditions. We aim to better understand the mechanisms leading to strong geomagnetically-induced currents  affecting man-made equipment on the ground. 

Our research group carries out research to better understand extreme space weather events  and allow improved prognoses of such events and their potential impacts. We conduct scientific studies utilising all sources of available solar wind and magnetospheric data, such as the missions at L1, multi-satellite missions in magnetospheric orbits, other spacecraft in lower orbits and a variety of ground-based instrumentation.

The project is coordinated by Professor Hermann Opgenoorth (opg at irfu.se, tel. office +46-18-471 5912, mobile +46-76-776 7673).

Closing date: 18 December 2016.
Reference number: 2.2.1-304/16  

More information: http://www.irf.se/jobb


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JOB OPENING: Post Doctoral Research Scientist Position in High-Energy Atmospheric Physics,  University of New Hampshire,  Department of Physics &  Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space (EOS)

From: Joseph R. Dwyer (Joseph.Dwyer at unh.edu)

The lightning research group in the Department of Physics and the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space (EOS) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is seeking an exceptional candidate to fill a postdoctoral research scientist position in the field of high-energy atmospheric physics.  The main responsibility of this position is to develop numerical models and conduct simulations to study terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs), x-ray emissions from lightning and runaway electron production within our atmosphere.  We seek candidates with experience in modeling energetic particle transport, discharges, fluids and/or plasmas.  A PhD in physics or related fields is required.  The initial appointment will be for one year with possible renewal for two additional years.

Review of complete applications will commence on December 1, 2016 and will continue until the position is filled. Inquiries about the position should be addressed to Prof. Joseph R. Dwyer at Joseph.Dwyer at unh.edu. Applicants should submit their application electronically as a single PDF document in the following order – cover letter including a summary of research experience, CV, and the names and contact information of at least three references – to Joseph.Dwyer at unh.edu. 

The University of New Hampshire is a major research institution, providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs (www.unh.edu). UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast, and is convenient to New Hampshire's lakes and mountains. The Department of Physics confers both undergraduate (B.A., B.S.) and graduate (M.S., Ph.D.) degrees and currently includes 26 faculty members. EOS is the largest research institute at UNH, with more than 275 faculty, staff and students.

The University of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action institution. The University seeks excellence through diversity among its administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The university prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or marital status. Application by members of all underrepresented groups is encouraged.


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JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Position at Swedish Institute of Space Physics

From: Hermann Opgenoorth (opg at irfu.se)

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral position at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala for research related to scientific studies of solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Of particular interest are energy and plasma exchange between the two major regimes of plasma in the near-Earth environment, and the related flow of electric currents in the high-latitude auroral zone. 

Our research group is funded to carry out research utilizing the new ESA multi-satellite mission SWARM in low Earth orbit in conjunction with other multi-satellite missions (Cluster, Themis and MMS) in magnetospheric orbits, and a variety of ground-based instrumentation (radars, magnetometers and all-sky cameras). 

Candidates should have completed a PhD no earlier than 15 December 2013. If the candidate has an older degree and wants to refer to special circumstances, such as parental leave, this should be clearly stated. The candidate should not currently be an active researcher at IRF in Uppsala or at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University. 

The project is coordinated by Professor Hermann Opgenoorth (opg at irfu.se, tel. office +46-18-471 5912, mobile +46-76-776 7673).

Closing date is 18 December 2016.
Reference number: 2.2.1-303/16

More information: http://www.irf.se/jobb


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