[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXVII, Issue 78

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXVII, Issue 78
Dec.21,2020

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Table of Contents

1. End of Year and End of AGU Thank You

2. TESS-2021: Call for Session Proposals

3. PWING-ERG Online Conference and School on the Inner Magnetosphere

4. Call for Nominations for Membership on Living With a Star Program Architecture Committee

5. SCOSTEP 2021 Distinguished Service Award - Call for Nominations 

6. SCOSTEP Comic Book Series for Solar-Terrestrial Physics in 10 Languages

7. JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Experimental Plasma Physics

8. JOB OPENING: 4 Fully-funded PhD Opportunities (Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) -- New Flexible Start Date

9. JOB OPENING: Early Carrier Postdoc

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


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End of Year and End of AGU Thank You

From: Christina Cohen (cohen at srl.caltech.edu)

Amazingly, 2020 is finally coming to an end and the three weeks that was AGU are over.  Neither were as expected but hopefully all of us found some positives along the way.

I would like to publicly thank a number of SPA folks that went above and beyond to make AGU successful this year, despite the unusual format.

Our secretaries, Liz MacDonald, Christina Lee, and Romina Nikoukar were heroic in scheduling all the SPA session despite the continually shifting AGU plans, format and schedule.

Our OSPA (Outstanding Student Paper Awards) committee, Sam Schonfeld, Sarah Vines, and Lindsay Goodwin found and coordinated judges for all of the eligible SPA student presentations.  In normal years this is a substantial task, but this year got off to a rocky start with problems with the OSPA virtual platform etc.  Thanks also to all of you who volunteered as judges.

We are working to make the award talks (Nicolet, Van Allen, Hanson, SPARC, US Basu, International Basu, and Fred Scarf) available on the SPA website.  These were outstanding talks and if you missed them, hopefully you’ll find time to view them online.  As a reminder we already have the NASA and NSF town hall presentations on the website.

I wish everyone a happy holiday and, hopefully, a period of rest and relaxation!

Best,
Christina


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TESS-2021: Call for Session Proposals

From: Craig DeForest (deforest at boulder.swri.edu)

The Triennial Earth-Sun Summit is scheduled for 2021 August 9-12, in Bellevue/Seattle WA.

Once every three years, AAS, AAS/SPD, and AGU/SPA meet jointly to bring together the major subfields of the Sun-Earth connection: the Sun and its corona, the heliosphere, the magnetosphere, the thermosphere, the ionosphere, and related systems.  The TESS meetings are a chance for specialists to “step back” and consider the system as a whole, stimulating cross-fertilization and new insights.

The TESS program is adaptible to the science community.  In addition to invited plenary sessions, we solicit session proposals from the community for cross-cutting topics within the spirit of the TESS meetings.  TESS sessions are oral sessions assigned in one or more 2-hour blocks, with 1-3 invited speakers and contributed talks; or panel discussions covering progress, current status, or future directions of a major cross-field subtopic of heliophysics.

Session proposals should include proposer names, a topic, a short praecis describing why the topic is of interest, and some ideas for invited speakers or scene-setters.  Proposers may (but are not required to) contact proposed invited speakers before submission.

The deadline for session proposals is 29-Jan-2021.

The TESS submission forms are being finalized by the AAS/SPD, and the URL will be announced by the end of this month in a follow-up to this note.  TESS also supports workshops and/or town halls outside of the primary science program.  These will be solicited when the session website goes online.

For questions please contact Craig DeForest at: deforest at boulder.swri.edu


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PWING-ERG Online Conference and School on the Inner Magnetosphere

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

Dear Colleagues, 

This is a reminder that the deadline of registration and abstract submission for the PWING-ERG Online Conference and School on the inner magnetosphere is December 31, 2020.  Please visit https://is.isee.nagoya-u.ac.jp/pwing-erg/ for registration and abstract submission.  You may join the conference and the school without submitting the abstract.  

With best wishes, 
Kazuo Shiokawa, Yoshizumi Miyoshi and Iku Shinohara, on behalf of the organizing committee


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Call for Nominations for Membership on Living With a Star Program Architecture Committee

From: Simon Plunkett (simon.p.plunkett at nasa.gov)

The NASA Heliophysics Division (HPD) is convening an expert committee composed of representatives from the broader heliophysics science community to conduct analysis and solicit inputs to assess the current state and to create an updated mission architecture framework to further the goals of the Living With a Star (LWS) program and optimize new technologies. The committee’s analysis will include: 1) Assessment of previous and current state of NASA’s HPD LWS program; and 2) Identification of future HPD LWS program architecture. The committee will meet virtually and will hold one or more open meetings with Heliophysics community stakeholders to gather community input. A final report to HPD in Fall 2021 is expected from the committee that will lead to a final plan for the LWS program that would be published in time for the next (2024) Decadal Survey.

We invite you to submit nominations for members of this committee.  Please send your one-page CV and a short statement of interest directly to Simon Plunkett (simon.p.plunkett at nasa.gov) by December 31, 2020.


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SCOSTEP 2021 Distinguished Service Award - Call for Nominations 

From: Patricia Doherty (patricia.doherty at bc.edu)

Dear Colleagues,

This is a call for nominations for the 2021 Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) Distinguished Service Award.

Recognizing the societal importance of service and dedication to SCOSTEP programs and willing to honor those participants who contribute significantly to SCOSTEP activities, the SCOSTEP Bureau instituted the Distinguished Service Award.

This award is given to recognize unique contributions to SCOSTEP activities and to realization of its programs and events.  One award is nominally made biennially in odd years.  

This award will recognize unique contributions to SCOSTEP science through a variety of different routes, for example through the running of programs in solar-terrestrial physics, administration of SCOSTEP, and life time contributions of service to SCOSTEP.  Such awards may be nominated via the Bureau membership and the wider SCOSTEP community. 

Award nomination packages (nomination letters and nominee’s curriculum vitae) for the Distinguished Service Award should be submitted to the SCOSTEP secretariat (scostep at bc.edu) by January 15, 2021, as a single pdf file. The currently serving SCOSTEP Executive Officers and Bureau Members are not eligible for nomination.  The award decision will be made by the SCOSTEP Awards Committee (SAC) and communicated to the Bureau after considering submissions. 

The award will include a medal and citation.  It will also be announced in the SCOSTEP Newsletter and appear on the SCOSTEP website.  The award ceremony will be held during a relevant scientific meeting.

Please consider nominating a deserving individual for this prestigious award.   

Additional information on the SCOSTEP Awards can be found on our website at 
https://scostep.org/awards/.


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SCOSTEP Comic Book Series for Solar-Terrestrial Physics in 10 Languages

From: Patricia Doherty (patricia.doherty at bc.edu)

Dear Colleagues,

SCOSTEP distributes a comic book series for solar-terrestrial physics in 10 languages.

A postcard has been designed to introduce these comic books.  When you make capacity-building lectures for kids and young students, please consider distributing this postcard to them to introduce these comic books.  High-resolution versions of the postcard and the comic books are available for download at the new SCOSTEP website at https://scostep.org/resources/.

With best regards,
Kazuo Shiokawa, SCOSTEP President
Particia Doherty, SCOSTEP Scientific Secretary

The Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) is a thematic body of the International Science Council (ISC).


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JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Experimental Plasma Physics

From: Seth Dorfman (sethd at SpaceScience.org)

The Space Science Institute (SSI) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scientist to be based in Los Angeles, CA. The selected candidate will take a leading role in experiments aimed at understanding the Alfvén wave interactions thought to be at the heart of solar wind turbulence.  This includes the unexpected generation of residual energy – excess energy in the magnetic fluctuations compared to the velocity fluctuations.

The goal of the project is to create strong, non-linear Alfvén wave interactions in the lab for the first time and characterize the residual energy and non-linear modes generated.  The postdoctoral scientist will be responsible for conducting experiments on the Large Plasma Device at UCLA, analyzing both experimental results and existing hybrid particle-in-cell simulations of the experiment, and preparing results for publication.  The selected candidate will work with SSI Research Scientist Dr. Seth Dorfman, who will be responsible for overseeing the project.  The postdoctoral scientist will also have the opportunity to work with remote collaborators Dr. Christopher Chen (solar wind observations), Dr. Luca Franci (hybrid simulations), and Dr. Stanislav Boldyrev (theory).  Results will have broad potential implications for the physics governing solar wind and other magnetized astrophysical turbulence.

Knowledge/Education: A Ph.D. in plasma physics or related fields is required prior to the start date of the position.  Applicants should demonstrate the potential to publish research results in peer-reviewed high-quality journals, good communication skills, and the ability to work independently.  No prior experience with the Large Plasma Device or hybrid simulation analysis is expected, but applicants should demonstrate skills that show they will be able to learn these tools quickly.  Experience with laboratory plasma experiments or space plasma physics is considered an advantage.

This is a full-time position with benefits and is expected to start in early or mid 2021.  As we are primarily interested in finding the right candidate for the position, the exact start date is flexible.   Please submit an application by January 31st, 2021 to ensure full consideration.

Contact Dr. Seth Dorfman (www.spacescience.org/bio.php?emp=SDORFMAN) with questions or to submit your CV for a preliminary evaluation.

For more information and details on how to apply, visit the full posting:
http://spacescience.org/opportunities.php


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JOB OPENING: 4 Fully-funded PhD Opportunities (Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) -- New Flexible Start Date

From: James McLaughlin (james.a.mclaughlin at northumbria.ac.uk)

*** Note there is a new flexible start date (Ideally 1st June 2021, but there is flexibility for an earlier or a later start date) ***

Please find below 4 fully-funded PhD adverts in the areas of Solar Physics and Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial (MIST), for PhD opportunities within the Solar Physics research group at Northumbria University (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK). The Solar Physics group is a large and successful research group, and our long-term programme is to understand all aspects of the solar-terrestrial connection. Evidence of the group’s success includes funding from STFC (including an Ernest Rutherford Fellow), NERC, Leverhulme Trust, Royal Astronomical Society, the US Air Force, and a UKRI Future Leader Fellow. The group also plays multiple roles in the UKRI SWIMMR (Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk) programme in support of the UK Met Office.

The 4 PhD opportunities are:

• Oscillatory Reconnection: the physics of time-dependent, wave-generating reconnection
https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=127028 
supervised by Professor James McLaughlin
(Advert Reference: RDF20/EE/MPEE/MCLAUGHLINJames)

• Can a star’s internal oscillations power their coronae
https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=127529
supervised by Dr Richard Morton
(Advert Reference: RDF20-R/EE/MPEE/MortonRichard)

• Energy transfer in Earth’s Radiation Belts through global electromagnetic waves 
https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=127043 
supervised by Professor Jonathan Rae
(Advert Reference: RDF20/EE/MPEE/RAEJonathan)

• The substorm source of Earth’s outer radiation belt
https://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=127476 
supervised by Professor Clare Watt
(Advert Reference: RDF20/EE/MPEE/WATTClare)

Deadline is 7th January 2021.

PhD Start Date = Ideally 1st June 2021 (but there is flexibility for an earlier or a later start date).

For informal questions, please contact the relevant supervisor, and/or contact Professor James McLaughlin james.a.mclaughlin at northumbria.ac.uk .

Details on the research group can be found here : https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/academic-departments/mathematics-physics-and-electrical-engineering/research/solar-physics/ 


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JOB OPENING: Early Carrier Postdoc

From: Elena Kronberg (kronberg at geophysik.uni-muenchen.de)

Early carrier Postdoc (m/w/d)

``Energy transformation, turbulence and acceleration in space plasmas''

Space plasmas present intriguing puzzles to the scientific community. Impulsive energy release events are observed and challenge our understanding on how energy is transformed from one form to another. To investigate these events, we use spacecraft observations from missions such as MAVEN, Juno, Cassini, MMS and Cluster. The young scientist will be involved in the analysis of the observational data. The project is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with the goal to support a trilateral partnership between scientists from Ukraine, Russia and Germany.

An appropriate master degree or higher is required. A background in space plasmas in the terrestrial or planetary magnetosphere and experience in the data analysis of scientific instruments would be helpful. Candidates must be able to develop software independently. Proficiency in Python is an advantage. Because of the international collaborations involved, proficiency in the English language is essential.

We offer you an interesting and responsible workplace with good opportunities for further training and development. Your workplace is centrally located in Munich and can be easily reached by public transport. Classification is according to TV-L, pay group 13. The position is available as of March 1, 2021 (alternative starting dates can be negotiated) and will be for 18 Months. LMU Munich is interested in increasing the number of female employees and encourages women to apply. Severely handicapped persons are given preference if they are otherwise essentially equally suitable.

Please send applications with a motivation letter, CV and 2 recommendations to Dr. Habil. Elena Kronberg (kronberg at geophysik.uni-muenchen.de). Deadline is January 20, 2020.


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