[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXV, Issue 39

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXV, Issue 39
Jun.28,2018

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Table of Contents

1. NASA: Final Call for Community Input to LWS TR&T Focused Science Topics

2. Deadline Extension for JGR Special Issue

3. Monday Science Telecon, July 2

4. Joint UTSA/SwRI Graduate Physics Program in San Antonio, TX

5. JOB OPENING: Space Weather Scientist for Commercial Radio Occultation Data

6. JOB OPENING: GOLD Postdoctoral Scientists Wanted

7. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Space Plasma Physics at West Virginia University

8. JOB OPENING: Heliophysics Postdoctoral Researcher Opportunity at SwRI, San Antonio.

9. JOB OPENING: Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist in Magnetospheric Physics at GFZ Potsdam

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Announcement Submission Website: http://goo.gl/forms/qjcm4dDr4g


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NASA: Final Call for Community Input to LWS TR&T Focused Science Topics

From: Mark Linton (mark.linton at nrl.navy.mil)

The 2018 NASA Living with a Star Targeted Research and Technology (LWS TR&T) Program Analysis Group (LPAG https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/lpag) executive committee (EC) will soon begin developing the next round of LWS focused science topics for ROSES 2019 and beyond. It is vital for the success of the LWS TR&T program that there be active community engagement in the development of annual TR&T science topics. We are therefore asking the Heliophysics community to provide input by July 2, 2018 for these topics.

Suggested science topics should be organized around achieving the goals set out in the strategic science areas (SSA’s) articulated in the LWS Ten Year Vision:
https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/pdf/LWS_10YrVision_Oct2015_Final.pdf

Physics-based Understanding to Enable Forecasting of:
• SSA-0, Solar Electromagnetic, Energetic Particle, and Plasma Outputs Driving the Solar System Environment and Inputs to Earth’s Atmosphere
(note, Sun-Climate topics fall under SSA-0)
• SSA-1, Geomagnetic Variability
• SSA-2, Satellite Drag
• SSA-3, Solar Energetic Particle
• SSA-4, Total Electron Content
• SSA-5, Ionospheric Scintillation
• SSA-6, Radiation Environment

Input may be entered through the LWS TR&T website at: https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/input/. To view and comment on input which has been submitted in response to this call, please go to:
https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/viewinput/2018/

To view the topics which were developed from community input by the previous TR&T committee in 2016, see the final report of that committee at:
https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/pdf/LWSTRT-Report-2016-Final.pdf and the original community input and comments at: https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/viewinput/2016/. Any topics in this 2016 report which were not selected by NASA for the ROSES 2017 TR&T call, or which are not selected by NASA for the upcoming ROSES 2018 TR&T call will be reviewed by the LPAG EC. Community input regarding updates to those topics is welcome.

We greatly look forward to your input and to continuing on the path of innovation and scientific exploration in the LWS program.

LPAG Executive Committee Members: Anthea Coster (Co-Chair), Mark Linton (Co-Chair), Joe Borovsky, Richard Collins, Seebany Datta-Barua, Matina Gkioulidou, Fan Guo, Jorg-Micha Jahn, Enrico Landi, John Leibacher, Sabrina Savage, Brian Walsh

LPAG Ex Officio Members: Jeff Morrill, Janet Kozyra, Shing Fung


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Deadline Extension for JGR Special Issue

From: Joe Borovsky (jborovsky at spacescience.org)

For the Special Issue of Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics

“The Earth’s Magnetosphere: New Tools, New Thinking, New Results”

the submission deadline has been extended by JGR to August 1, 2018. Below is the relevant information about the special issue:

Generation after generation, advancements are made in our understanding of the operation of the Earth’s magnetosphere-ionosphere system in response to the temporally changing solar wind. This special issue will highlight reports of new tools, new thinking, and new results and will encourage discussions of future needs and future directions for magnetospheric research. New tools include new in situ and ground-based data sets, revitalizations of older data sets, new computer-simulation capabilities, advances in plasma physics, the use of machine learning, and new applications of mathematical analysis. New thinking is the result of a new generation of researchers and our ever-increasing understanding of the magnetosphere, helped by the growth of systems science and driven by new goals for magnetospheric research and new plans for future missions. This special issue will be timely with the maturing of the research efforts from the Van Allen Probes and the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, with the newly increasing interest in systems science and machine learning, and with a new heliophysics decadal survey on the horizon.

Submissions accepted: March 1 - August 1, 2018

Joe Borovsky, Space Science Institute
Mick Denton, Space Science Institute
Pablo Moya, Universidad de Chile
Marina Stepanova, Universidad de Santiago
Juan Alejandro Valdivia, Universidad de Chile


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Monday Science Telecon, July 2

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

At 12:00 noon EST on Monday (July 2), we plan to hold the next in our ongoing series of science telecons. The speaker this Monday will be Wieslaw Macek from the Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poland. The topic will be "THEMIS Observation of Anisotropic Intermittent Turbulence in the Magnetosheath".

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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Joint UTSA/SwRI Graduate Physics Program in San Antonio, TX

From: Mihir Desai (mdesai at swri.edu)

Joint UTSA/SwRI Graduate Physics Program in San Antonio, TX

Since 2005, a physics graduate program has been offered in partnership between the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). UTSA is the second largest component university of The University of Texas System, with an enrollment of more than 28,000 students. SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division is a leader in space physics and planetary science research with major involvement in numerous NASA missions. The participation by SwRI offers students a chance to be involved in many of the most exciting ongoing NASA missions (Juno, MMS, LRO, Van Allen Probes, New Horizons, TWINS, IBEX) and future missions (e.g., Europa Clipper, JUICE, BepiColombo, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, and IMAP).

UTSA/SwRI graduate students engage in data analysis and instrument design & calibration, and even lead their own projects. Some past or current projects include (for example): analysis of Cassini observations of Enceladus’ water vapor plume, design of novel ion mass spectrometers, interpretation of the first New Horizons measurements from Pluto, and investigation of reconnection in Earth’s magnetosphere. During one year, the students in our laboratory class got to perform the calibration on one of the IBEX instruments now flying and obtaining phenomenal new observations of the interstellar boundary.

Our areas of space physics include: 
Solar & Heliospheric physics
Planetary Science 
Magnetospheric physics 
Space Science instrumentation
Astrophysics 

Our website is http://www.utsa.edu/physics/, with the joint program details at http://grad.space.swri.edu.

The deadlines for application: 
1 September 2018 for entry in Spring 2019.
1 February 2019 for entry in Fall 2019. 

For application procedures and additional information: - Visit http://graduateschool.utsa.edu/admissions/graduate-application/ and http://grad.space.swri.edu/application/how_to_apply.html - Or contact Professor Mihir Desai at mdesai at swri.edu or +1 210 522 6754. You are welcome to talk directly to current graduate students at utsaphysicsstudents at listsrv-svr.itc.swri.org.

Financial support is available to students through Research Assistantships while conducting research for SwRI's Space Science and Engineering Division (http://www.swri.edu).


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JOB OPENING: Space Weather Scientist for Commercial Radio Occultation Data

From: Terry Onsager (Terry.Onsager at noaa.gov)

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) is seeking a full-time Associate Scientist or Research Scientist to work with the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). SWPC is involved in NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP), which will assess the viability of commercial radio occultation data in SWPC’s space weather specifications and forecasts. Products derived from the radio occultation data include ionospheric total electron content, electron density profiles, scintillation amplitude, and scintillation phase. The goal of this effort is to compare the data products obtained from the commercial vendor-provided radio occultation satellites with ground-based and space-based environmental measurements, with output from SWPC’s numerical models, and to test the ingest of the vendor-provided products in SWPC’s models. The successful candidate will work with a team at SWPC to acquire and manage the radio occultation data products from multiple vendors, acquire and manage data from numerous world-wide ground-based and space-based sources, compare the vendor-provided radio occultation products with environmental data and model output, and draft a report that addresses the viability of the commercial data for space weather products.

For information, see: https://cu.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=13943&lang=en&sns_id=mailto#.WyfilgryqL4.mailto


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JOB OPENING: GOLD Postdoctoral Scientists Wanted

From: Alan Burns, Richard Eastes, Stan Solomon (aburns at ucar.edu)

GOLD postdoctoral scientists: The Global-scale Observations of Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission is seeking applicants for postdoctoral positions at the High Altitude Observatory at NCAR and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. Applicants should have a recent Ph.D. in atmospheric science, physics, or related fields, and preferentially in thermospheric and ionospheric studies. Duties will involve analyzing the GOLD data, comparing these data with thermosphere-ionosphere models, making presentations and publishing papers on the results. The applicants will work closely with the appropriate GOLD team members and other postdoctoral scientists in this work. It is anticipated that the positions will be filled in the Fall, to coincide with the beginning of mission operations.

Please send applications to both the National Center for Atmospheric Research at:

https://ucar.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&jobid=218376&version=1#.WywCuiUF5Oo.email

and the University of Colorado at

http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/?post_type=jobs&p=22993


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JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Space Plasma Physics at West Virginia University

From: Weichao Tu (wetu at mail.wvu.edu)

The West Virginia University Research Corporation (WVURC) seeks to hire a Postdoctoral Fellow –Space Plasma Physics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at West Virginia University. This position supports the research in inner magnetospheric physics by Prof. Tu’s group, with a particular emphasis on studying and modeling the dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts. Incumbent will have the opportunity to work on research projects involving data analysis, theory development, and numerical modeling.

Requirements: (1) A PhD in physics, space physics, plasma physics, or a related discipline; (2) previous research experience in space plasma physics; (3) expertise in scientific programming, preferably in C and/or FORTRAN. Preference will be given to applicants who possess previous research experience in inner magnetospheric physics and particle simulations (for example, radiation belts, wave-particle interactions).

Competitive salary and benefits package offered. For a complete job description and to apply for this position, please visit https://wvu.taleo.net/careersection/wvu_research/jobdetail.ftl?job=08827&tz=GMT-04%3A00 and click on the “Apply Online” link. 

Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references as part of the application process. For questions or additional information, contact Prof. Weichao Tu at wetu at mail.wvu.edu.  Please refer to http://tuweichao.wixsite.com/home and physics.wvu.edu for additional information about the research in our group and other plasma physics research in the department. Review of applications will begin June 11, 2018 and continue until the position is filled. Start date in Fall 2018 is desirable.

WVURC is an AA/EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disability/E-verify compliant employer.


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JOB OPENING: Heliophysics Postdoctoral Researcher Opportunity at SwRI, San Antonio.

From: Mihir I Desai (mdesai at swri.edu)

The Space Research Department at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), San Antonio is seeking applications for a postdoctoral researcher to carry out original research addressing the origin and acceleration of energetic particles in the interplanetary medium. The candidate will analyze suprathermal and energetic particles, as well as magnetic field and solar wind plasma data from Wind, ACE, and STEREO, and the upcoming Parker Solar Probe mission. The candidate is also expected to support the development and calibration of solar wind, pickup ion, suprathermal, and energetic particle instruments to be flown on upcoming heliophysics missions such as the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe or IMAP,  publish results in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and present results at scientific meetings, workshops, and conferences. The research will involve interactions with Institute Staff engaged in a broad range of observational, computational, and theoretical research in the physics of the solar wind and suprathermal and energetic particles. The candidate should have a PhD degree in Space Physics or Plasma Physics, and have graduate-level experience in the analysis and interpretation of solar wind, magnetic field, and suprathermal particle datasets. The candidate must have at least a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate the ability to program and utilize data analysis software tools such as IDL, C, or MATLAB.

To apply for this position go to
https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Search_Results.aspx?DETAIL=15-01272.
For more information about SwRI visit
https://www.swri.org/technical-divisions/space-science-engineering


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JOB OPENING: Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist in Magnetospheric Physics at GFZ Potsdam

From: Yuri Shprits (yshprits at gfz-potsdam.de)

A position of Research Scientist or Senior Research Scientist in Magnetospheric Physics is available in the Department of Geophysics, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany. The start date is flexible, but Winter 2018 is preferred. Candidates should have a Ph.D. in physics, mathematics, geophysics or related fields. Experience is required in one or more of the following: magnetospheric physics, ionospheric physics, heliophysics,  planetary magnetospheres and numerical modelling. The initial appointment is for one year, renewable for an additional two years subject to satisfactory performance. Your application should include a cover letter, a CV including a full publication list, a statement of research interests and the names and contact details of 3-5 independent referees. For questions please contact Prof. Yuri Shprits at yshprits at gfz-potsdam.de.

The application should be submitted through GFZ's online application portal: https://tinyurl.com/ydfndtpt


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