[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXVII, Issue 20

Newsletter Editor editor at igpp.ucla.edu
Thu Apr 2 08:38:35 PDT 2020 

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXVII, Issue 20
Apr.02,2020

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Table of Contents

1. COVID-19 Information for the Geosciences Research Community

2. Deadline Extension JASTP Special Issue “The Plasma Physics of the Magnetosphere”

3. MEETING: Heliophysics 2050 Workshop Community Announcement

4. MEETING: 11th Workshop on Long-Term Changes and Trends in the Atmosphere Postponed

5. MEETING: Summer School and Conference in Nonstationary Signal Analysis in Geophysics and Other Fields (NoSAG) Postponed

6. MEETING: Postponement of 2nd Eddy Cross Disciplinary Symposium to June 2021

7. Magnetosphere Online Seminar Series

8. MMS Data in SPEDAS (IDL)

9. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship -- Application Deadline July 1, 2020

10. Phd Position in Astrophysics at the Technical University Berlin

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


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COVID-19 Information for the Geosciences Research Community

From: Michael Wiltberger (mwiltber at nsf.gov)

Dear NSF Geosciences Community:

Staff throughout the GEO Directorate want to express our hope that you, your family, friends, colleagues, and students are well and safe during these unprecedented circumstances. We understand that you face many complex and stressful situations in trying to navigate the many changes to your personal and professional lives and that there are significant impacts. We are here for you and hope that you will reach out to your Program Officers and other GEO points of contact for support and guidance. 

Rest assured that the agency is operational, and we are working with our many partners to support the important scientific research conducted by all of you. GEO staff are on duty and available to communicate with you.  We are particularly interested in cataloging any challenges you have experienced related to your NSF-sponsored research, including solutions if appropriate, as a potential guide for other Principal Investigators.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we, along with you, transition to this new reality, and work together to address your questions and concerns.  We are encouraged by the efforts of our NSF colleagues and especially appreciative of all of you in the community who will assist with our merit review process, as seamlessly as possible, through virtual review panels, committees of visitors, and other events.   Thank you. 

Below you will find resources that NSF and the Geosciences Directorate are providing to help you navigate this very challenging situation.   We hope this information proves useful to you and that you will use it in conjunction with your regular communications with NSF Program Officers. 

Our support to you is unwavering.  We are all in this together.  We encourage you to take all recommended precautions to protect yourselves and your families against COVID-19.  For public health-related information, please visit cdc.gov.

Sincerely,

William E. Easterling
Assistant Director for Geosciences

Scott Borg
Deputy Assistant Director for Geosciences

COVID-19 Information for the Geosciences Research Community

Website:  NSF has established a central website for information about the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19):  nsf.gov/coronavirus  Please check this website and related links below frequently for updates.  The website includes important links and information on:

Administrative Relief:  For current awardees, NSF has issued Important Notice No 146 to the Community Regarding COVID-19 and Guidance on NSF’s implementation of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum (M-20-17, Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations).  These documents contain extensive descriptions of flexibilities available to you to support your health and safety as well as your work.  Questions about policies described in the guidance should be directed to policy at nsf.gov.

Program Deadlines: NSF is assessing program deadlines on an ongoing basis, and at present we are focusing on deadlines through the end of April.  Our intent is to offer extensions where feasible, while remaining mindful of internal timelines for conducting a full merit review process prior to award decisions. Please note, that for the many GEO programs that operate without proposal submission deadlines, we do not expect a change in the ability to submit proposals to NSF, but we encourage you to contact your Program Officer should you have any difficulties or concerns.

Review Panels:  If you have agreed to serve on a merit review panel, please note that these will be conducted remotely, at least through May, with ongoing reassessment for May and beyond.  We greatly appreciate the effort that reviewers and panelists put into this invaluable assistance to NSF.  Please contact the cognizant NSF Program Officer if you have questions about panel plans and logistics.

Other NSF-Funded Meetings:  NSF is encouraging Principal Investigators of upcoming NSF-funded Conferences and other meetings scheduled to take place in the coming weeks to either reschedule these meetings or to conduct them as all-virtual gatherings.

Major Facilities and Contracts Regarding COVID-19: Many of our GEO-supported facilities and labs have been adversely affected by COVID-19.  We are in constant communication with our facilities, and they have assured us that they are putting the health and safety of their employees, researchers, and visitors first.  They are also striving to maintain essential activities and to serve as a community resource.  Information regarding NSF-sponsored Arctic and Antarctic field research locations is rapidly evolving and updates can be found on the OPP webpage.  The National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System have changed their operating status.  Please check the facility websites for updates or contact your cognizant program manager.  We will continue to work with our facility partners to optimize capabilities within the bounds of public health parameters, and to ensure a return to full capacity once this crisis has passed.  

Educational Activities and Grants: Several questions and answers in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for NSF Proposers and Awardees focus on education-related awards, such as Research Experiences for Teachers and Research Experiences for Undergraduates.

Rapid Response Research support related to COVID-19: NSF issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that invites research proposals via NSF’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) mechanism on topics of specific relevance to COVID-19.

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: https://www.nsf.gov
NSF News: https://www.nsf.gov/news/
For the News Media: https://www.nsf.gov/news/newsroom.jsp
Science and Engineering Statistics: https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards Searches: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/


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Deadline Extension JASTP Special Issue “The Plasma Physics of the Magnetosphere”

From: Joe Borovsky (jborovsky at spacescience.org)

The JASTP special issue “The Plasma Physics of the Magnetosphere” has a deadline extension: moved from April 1 to the new deadline June 1, 2002.

When submitting, choose “VSI: magneto plasma physics” on the JASTP pull-down menu to submit to this special issue.

     Joe Borovsky
     Gian Luca Delzanno
     Pablo Moya
     Marina Stepanova
     Juan Alejandro Valdivia


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MEETING: Heliophysics 2050 Workshop Community Announcement

From: Jared Leisner (jared.s.leisner at nasa.gov)

NASA, NSF, and NOAA are pleased to announce the Heliophysics 2050 Workshop. This workshop will be an agency-enabled, community-driven event to examine long-term goals as well as helping the community prepare for the next Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey.

The workshop is being planned for an in-person venue, with on-line participation options, the week of August 3, 2020. Due to the current situation and travel restrictions, secondary options of an all-virtual workshop and a meeting delay are also being considered.

This workshop will focus on discussing a strategic, multi-decadal science framework for solar and space physics. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published for community members to leverage in framing their own white papers to the Decadal Survey process. The community will create a cohesive science strategy that will enable the ability to:

   1. Identify essential science investigations necessary for major advancements in solar and space physics.
   2. Use the desired investigations to identify the research and capability development needed to meet the requirements of these missions.
   3. Recognize research needed in the next decade to prepare for the long-term research goals.
   4. Recognize work needed to ensure a pipeline from basic research to pre-application research and then into operational needs, including the operations-to-research loop that strengthens forecasting and other predictive capabilities.

A Science Organizing Committee (SOC) will be formed from community members to help manage the workshop. The SOC will help organize the workshop schedule, including planning the sessions, sorting the abstracts, and managing the workshop discussions. These individuals will also serve as editors for the proceedings document resulting from the workshop.

As part of workshop preparation, short community white papers will be solicited. Those white papers will be used by the SOC to plan the workshop sessions and focus those discussions.

Further information will be released via community announcements over the next few weeks.

Please contact Jared Leisner (jared.s.leisner at nasa.gov) with any questions.


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MEETING: 11th Workshop on Long-Term Changes and Trends in the Atmosphere Postponed

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

The 11th Workshop on Long-Term Changes and Trends in the Atmosphere (Helsinki, Finland, 23-28 May 2020) has been postponed either September/October 2020 or to May 2021 pending on coronavirus situation and other circumstances. Decision will be taken in mid-June. Follow meeting website http://trends2020.fmi.fi/.

Jan Lastovicka, chair of SOC + Viktoria Sofieva, chair of LOC


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MEETING: Summer School and Conference in Nonstationary Signal Analysis in Geophysics and Other Fields (NoSAG) Postponed

From: Mirko Piersanti (mirko.piersanti at roma2.infn.it)

The Organizing and Program Committee of the first Summer School and Conference in Nonstationary Signal Analysis in Geophysics and other fields (NoSAG) that was planned to be held in L'Aquila, Italy in July, regret to inform that, given the undergoing pandemic and concurrent social and economic disruptions, NoSAG whole program will be postponed to *SUMMER 2021.*

We sincerely hope that the entire scientific community and their families will be able to remain healthy during this dramatic time and that the extraordinary efforts underway to contain the coronavirus and to preserve the economic security will be soon successful.

A. Cicone, Chair, Org. Com.
M. Piersanti, Chair, Prog. Com.


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MEETING: Postponement of 2nd Eddy Cross Disciplinary Symposium to June 2021

From: Kendra Greb (kgreb at ucar.edu)

As the COVID-19 outbreak is expected to continue to have a significant impact on travel and mobility for months to come, we are postponing the 2nd Eddy Cross Disciplinary Symposium to June 2021. As more information becomes available we will update our website at https://cpaess.ucar.edu/meetings/eddy-symposium-2020. 

The 2nd Eddy Cross Disciplinary Symposium Steering Committee


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Magnetosphere Online Seminar Series

From: D. G. Sibeck, K. Murphy (Magnetosphere Online Seminar Series)

You are invited to attend a series of seminars on the magnetosphere each Monday at 1200 EDST (or 1600 UT).  The first seminar is entitled “The magnetosphere as a system” and will be given by Joe Borovsky on April 27, 2020.  We have lined up a series of prominent researchers to give subsequent lectures, tutorials, and research reports on key regions and processes within the magnetosphere.  Please let your colleagues and students know that they are all welcome to participate and help establish a vibrant virtual community of researchers.  For those who cannot join, we plan to capture and post both the presentation files and the presentations themselves.  You can see the schedule and learn more about the series here: https://msolss.github.io/MagSeminars/.  Further details will be forthcoming via this newsletter and posted on the Website.


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MMS Data in SPEDAS (IDL)

From: Eric Grimes, Jim Lewis, Vassilis Angelopoulos and the SPEDAS team  (egrimes at igpp.ucla.edu)

The SPEDAS development team invites you to a webinar we'll be holding on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern. The focus of this webinar will be analyzing MMS data with SPEDAS (IDL).

If there are any particular questions or topics of general interest that you'd like to see covered, please send your suggestions to Eric Grimes, egrimes at igpp.ucla.edu, and we'll try to work them in. 

See below for the agenda and Zoom connection info. 

Eric Grimes, Jim Lewis, Vassilis Angelopoulos and the SPEDAS team 

Tentative Agenda
1. Introduction to load routines and keywords
2. Ephemeris/coordinates examples (MEC)
3. FIELDS examples (FGM, SCM, EDP, EDI)
4. EPD examples (EIS, FEEPS)
5. Plasma examples (FPI, HPCA)

Topic: MMS Data in SPEDAS (IDL)
Time: Apr 8, 2020 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://ucla.zoom.us/j/288384794

Meeting ID: 288 384 794

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NASA Postdoctoral Fellowship -- Application Deadline July 1, 2020

From: Taifa Simpson (tsimpson at usra.edu)

The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers US and international scientists the opportunity to advance their research while contributing to NASA's scientific goals.  The NPP supports fundamental science; explores the undiscovered; promotes intellectual growth; and encourages scientific connections.

Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA's missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration and space operations, and astrobiology.

Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree requirements. U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may apply.

Stipends start at $60,000 per year, with supplements for high cost-of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and $10,000 per year is provided for professional travel.

Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1.

To learn more about specific opportunities and to apply, visit https://npp.usra.edu/opportunities/

For further information and to apply, visit:  https://npp.usra.edu/

Questions: npphelp at usra.edu


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Phd Position in Astrophysics at the Technical University Berlin

From: Jörg Büchner (buechner at tu-berlin.de)

The group "Simulation and Modeling of Astrophysical Reconnection and Turbulence" at the Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Technical University Berlin is advertising a research assistant PhD position. The topic is plasma-astro­phys­ical numer­ical sim­u­la­tions to under­stand solar and pul­sar radio-sig­nals. The position is funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) for three years. For more details please see: https://tub.stellenticket.de/de/offers/78737


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SPA Newsletter Editorial Team: Peter Chi (Editor), Guan Le (Co-Editor), Sharon Uy, Marjorie Sowmendran, and Kevin Addison

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