[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXIV, Issue 11

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXIV, Issue 11
Feb.12,2017

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. SPA Education and Public Outreach Committee Meetings, 4th Monday of each month

2. OMNI Database Upgrade - Extending a set of Original Parameters

3. CISM Space Weather Summer School - Deadline March 1

4. Space Weather School: Advanced Concepts in Solar-Terrestrial Coupling in the Context of Space Weather

5. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Space Plasma Physics at University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

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SPA Education and Public Outreach Committee Meetings, 4th Monday of each month

From: Michelle Nichols (mnichols at adlerplanetarium.org)

The AGU SPA Education and Public Outreach (EPO) committee meets on the 4th Monday of each month (excluding December) via Zoom teleconference. All AGU members, especially those with an interest in heliophysics, space physics, and/or aeronomy public education for K-12, higher education, and public audiences, are welcome to attend. For teleconference connection information, recent meeting notes, information about how to join the committee and/or the e-mail list, and/or general questions about the committee, contact Michelle Nichols, Chairperson, SPA EPO Committee, mnichols at adlerplanetarium.org. The committee’s next two meetings are Monday, February 27, 2017 and Monday, March 27, 2017 at 2 pm ET.


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OMNI Database Upgrade - Extending a set of Original Parameters

From: Natalia Papitashvili, John Cooper  (Natalia.E.Papitashvili at nasa.gov)

The hourly OMNI dataset provides the 53-years long record of near-Earth solar wind magnetic field and plasma parameters, as well as various geomagnetic activity indices and solar energetic particle fluxes http://omniweb.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and http://cdaweb.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov). We have recently upgraded this hourly data set with a new parameter - the Lyman Alpha Solar Index (LASI) was added to both user interfaces cited above and to the FTP site ftp://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/data/omni/low_res_omni/extended/. This index is produced by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of the University of Colorado (http://lasp.colorado.edu/lisird/lya/). Thus, the "extended" directory now contains data files with the original 55 OMNI parameters, listed in the directory "/data/omni/low_res_omni/", plus one more, 56th parameter LASI. Our main purpose of creating this "extended" directory is to allow the number of OMNI parameters to be extended beyond of the current set of parameters, adding them to the end of each OMNI record along with a user request. We expect that the OMNI data users can propose some other parameters to be added to our original OMNI data set as well. As a key element of the NASA Space Physics Data Facility, OMNI contributes to the NASA Strategic Objective to “explore the Sun-Earth system to understand the Sun and its effects on Earth, on the Solar System, and on the space environment conditions that will be experienced by explorers, and demonstrate technologies that can improve future operational systems".


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CISM Space Weather Summer School - Deadline March 1

From: Michael Wiltberger (wiltbemj at ucar.edu)

Application deadline is rapidly approaching, get your application in by March 1st!

CISM Space Weather Summer School 
July 17-28 2017 
NCAR Boulder, CO 
Application Deadline: March 1 2017

The CISM Space Weather Summer School is intended to give students a comprehensive immersion in the subject of space weather: what it is, what it does, and what can be done about it. Space weather is many things: beautiful when seen through the eyes of a sun-viewing telescope, fascinating when studied for its alien worlds of magnetic structures and phenomena, awesome when witnessed as a solar eruption or auroral storm, and devastating to the users of services it disrupts. Space weather links the Sun, the Earth, and the space in between in a branching chain of consequences. Weather systems on the Sun can spawn interplanetary storms of colossal size and energy that envelop the whole planet in electrical hurricanes. Such storms attack high-tech, complex, and expensive technological systems that provide much of the infrastructure that allows modern society to function. 

Applications are welcome from upper level undergraduates and beginning graduate students interested in pursuing a career in solar and space physics, as well as professionals interested in broadening their understanding of the space environment. The school will provide support for travel and housing expenses for all US student participants. 

Course Overview 
SW 101: Solar activity, solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere 
SW 102: Effects on astronauts and spacecraft, radiation hazards, communication disruptions 
SW 103: Assumptions and drivers of models, results and limitations 
SW 104: Hands on activities exploring model results and data to understand the space environment. 

For additional information on this program and instructions on how to apply http://www2.hao.ucar.edu/CISM-Summer-School/


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Space Weather School: Advanced Concepts in Solar-Terrestrial Coupling in the Context of Space Weather

From: Dibyendu Nandi (dnandi at iiserkol.ac.in)

Advanced Concepts in Solar-Terrestrial Coupling in the Context of Space Weather 
A Concepts and Tools School for Students during the VarSITI 2017 General Symposium

9-14 July, 2017
Irkutsk, Russia
School Webpage: http://en.iszf.irk.ru/Space_weather_summer_school_2017
Symposium Webpage: http://varsiti2017.iszf.irk.ru

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

Target Audience: Graduate (PhD) students working in heliophysics and space weather sciences (including star-planet interactions in exoplanetary systems) whose research will benefit from the school program and advanced Master students (Physics, Astrophysics or Space Sciences) who are desirous of pursuing a research career in space sciences.

Summary: The VarSITI 2017 General Symposium will host a school on Space Weather encompassing all aspects from solar origins to the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The school is being organized in collaboration with personnel from the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC/NASA), the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (Irkutsk, Russia), the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) and the SCOSTEP-VarSITI program. The school will be based on the Space Weather Research, Education and Development Initiative which has been adapted for portable, remote hands-on demo and training purposes. This training program will be held the full day on Sunday, 9 July, 2017 and will be followed by two half-day interactive programs and demo sessions during the week of the Symposium. During the Symposium, the students will have the opportunity of listening to scientific talks by space weather scientists from around the world and interact with them. 

The school will be a mix of introductory tutorials, demos and hands-on Labs.  The one-day introductory program and tutorial lectures is geared towards the development of a broad overview of space weather domains and science concepts.  In addition, demonstrations of specific tools and utilization of CCMC’s models and global web-based space weather resources will be conducted during the week. 

Travel Plan

School participants should plan to arrive at the Symposium venue by Saturday, 8 July, 2017 evening as the School starts on 9 July morning. Participants should plan to leave on Saturday, 15 July, 2017. For information on the VarSITI Symposium and other logistics refer to the main symposium webpage at: http://varsiti2017.iszf.irk.ru.

Application and Registration Process

Interested students should email their application as a single PDF file by the deadline. The subject-line of the email should contain “VarSITI Space Weather School” and the file should be named firstname_surname.pdf (where firstname and surname denotes that of the applicant).

The application package should contain the following information (embedded within the single pdf file):

a) Contact information, including, email, phone and mailing address 
b) Curriculum Vitae
c) One page Statement of Purpose outlining the applicant’s motivation for attending this school 
d) A reference letter from the applicant’s supervisor, containing his/her contact information and indicating support for the candidate’s attendance
e) Mention the requirement for accommodation support (Yes/No)

Candidates selected to attend the School will be notified by email and given further instructions for enabling their participation.

Financial Assistance

The registration fees will be waived for all selected school participants. Limited number of participants may receive accommodation support. If you wish to apply for the same, indicate so during the registration.  No travel support will normally be provided and it is assumed that participants will arrange for their travel from alternative sources.

Email applications to: SSchoolVarSITI at iszf.irk.ru

Deadline of receipt of applications: 15 March, 2017


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JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Space Plasma Physics at University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

From: Minna Palmroth (minna.palmroth at helsinki.fi)

The Space Physics Group at the Department of Physics is a leading European space modelling group and especially known for its global hybrid-Vlasov simulation Vlasiator. Our current research areas include the global scale magnetospheric physics in ion scales, especially focussing on shocks, reconnection and acceleration. The group is funded through a highly prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grant.

We are now seeking a postdoctoral fellow with expertise in modelling and/or spacecraft observations. Strong expertise in space plasma physics is required. Previous knowledge of Python, C/C++, and carrying out runs in a supercomputer environment is not required but considered as an advantage. We offer a position in a dynamic and international research group, with a possibility to network and to develop as a researcher. We collaborate closely with the solar and heliospheric physics group within the same Department.

The position is available immediately, for one year with a possibility for up to 4 years extension. Applications will be accepted until 31 March, 2017

For specifics about the position, contact Professor Minna Palmroth (minna.palmroth ‘at’ helsinki.fi). Interested candidates should send their informal application, CV, list of publications, and maximum of three references to minna.palmroth ‘at’ helsinki.fi.


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