[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXIX, Issue 35

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXIX, Issue 35
Jun.17,2022

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Table of Contents

1. Nominations Form for SPA Named Lectures

2. CALL FOR PAPERS: “Driving Towards a More Diverse Space Physics Research Community” in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science

3. MEETING: Solar Physics High Energy Research (SPHERE) Workshop, 11–15 July 2022, Boulder/Windisch/online -- Last Call: Registration & Abstracts

4. MEETING: NASA Sounding Rocket Symposium, August 17-19 at Wallops Flight Facility, VA -- Second Announcement

5. PI Launchpad 2023

6. SESSION: ESWW2022 SWR05 Session "Geomagnetic Activity on Earth's Surface and Effects on Ground-Based Technological Systems"

7. SCOSTEP/PRESTO Online Seminar on July 5 (Tue), 2022, 22:00-23:00 UT (re-scheduled) 

8. JOB OPENING: LANL Space Science & Application Group Leader

9. JOB OPENING: Upcoming Space Weather Civil Servant Positions at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

10. JOB OPENING: Space Weather / Ionosphere Data Scientist at CIRES CU Boulder / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

11. JOB OPENING: Research Fellow in Modelling of the Upper Atmosphere

12. JOB OPENING: Postdoc Position in Space Plasma Physics at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna (IRF)

13. PhD Fellowships in Geospace Data Analytics at Virginia Tech

14. PhD Position Available at the University of Oslo, Norway

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


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Nominations Form for SPA Named Lectures

From: Geoff Reeves (geoff at reevesresearch.org)

Each year at the Fall Meeting the Space Physics and Aeronomy section presents three invited lectures that highlight important discoveries and advances in our field. This year we are trying to make the nomination process easier, more transparent and more fair. We have developed a form to submit nominations and set up a committee (and are still looking for volunteers!)

The primary characteristics we look for in a Named Lecturer are (1) that they can present a lecture on a topic that is timely, accessible, and of interest to the broad SPA community and (b) that they are an excellent speaker with the ability to engage a community beyond any specific discipline. The set of Named Lecturers in any given year are also chosen to represent the broad diversity of knowledge, interest, and experience of SPA members. Previously-proposed speakers can be re-nominated.

Nominations are due on or before July 1. The Named Lecture nomination form is at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13bAQd7_nBY8EnHzRzjlcOTu28Xt60kYHBJqFFsKFqoA/prefill

Descriptions of each Named Lecture are at https://connect.agu.org/spa/awards/lectureships

For questions or suggestions for improvement please contact Geoffrey Reeves or email spa.leadership.team at gmail.com


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CALL FOR PAPERS: “Driving Towards a More Diverse Space Physics Research Community” in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science

From: Mike Liemohn, Alexa Halford, Mack Jones Jr., John Coxon, Xochitl Blanco-Cano, and Chigo Ngwira (liemohn at umich.edu)

We encourage all members of the space physics community to write a paper for the open Research Topic, “Driving Towards a More Diverse Space Physics Research Community: Perspectives, Initiative, Strategies, and Actions” in the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science. 

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/32521/driving-towards-a-more-diverse-space-physics-research-community---perspectives-initiatives-strategie#overview

Submissions are welcome from members of the space physics community that address opportunities offered by increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from a variety of angles. The scope encompasses papers that conduct statistical or narrative descriptions of the state of the international space physics community and its present culture, including demographics, interpersonal interactions, and organizational standards. It also includes papers that describe policies, processes, interventions, and actions that have yielded – or could yield – improvement in one or more aspects of DEI for the space physics community. Personal stories that focus on actionable advice derived from those anecdotes are welcome.

We are expecting most submissions to be short Opinion and Perspective articles (<2K or <3K words, respectively).

Manuscript submission deadline: 31 August 2022
Optional draft abstracts: 30 June 2022
Indicate your intention to submit an article at the link above (“Participate” button)


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MEETING: Solar Physics High Energy Research (SPHERE) Workshop, 11–15 July 2022, Boulder/Windisch/online -- Last Call: Registration & Abstracts

From: Amir Caspi (amir at boulder.swri.edu)

Dear colleagues,

Registration and abstract submission are CLOSING SOON for the Solar Physics High Energy Research (SPHERE) Workshop, to be held 11–15 July 2022. The workshop will be a hybrid format with online access and two in-person locations: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado, USA and Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) in Windisch, Switzerland.

For full details, please visit the workshop website: https://sphere.boulder.swri.edu

Abstract submission deadline: 17 June 2022

NOTE: please contact the organizers if you will have trouble meeting this deadline and need additional time.

The complete schedule/agenda will be posted ASAP, before the end of June.

Registration deadlines: U.S. – 30 June 2022 | Europe – 11 July 2022 | virtual – 11 July 2022

Registration fee: none

U.S. hotel reservation deadline: 30 June 2022 (through the registration form)

Oral presentation requests will be accepted from early-career researchers (up to 5 years post PhD) and students only – the ongoing pandemic has severely restricted opportunities for young researchers, so we are prioritizing oral presentations for them.

Poster presentations will be accepted from any attendee.  Because of the hybrid format, posters must be submitted as PDF for online access, and may also be presented in person (format TBD).

We hope to see you soon in Boulder, Windisch, or online!

– Amir Caspi & Säm Krucker, on behalf of the organizing committee


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MEETING: NASA Sounding Rocket Symposium, August 17-19 at Wallops Flight Facility, VA -- Second Announcement

From: Robert Pfaff, Sabrina Savage (Robert.F.Pfaff at nasa.gov)

Inaugural NASA Sounding Rocket Symposium – Registration Open!

The website is now live for registration and abstract submission for the inaugural NASA Sounding Rocket Symposium to be held August 17-19, 2022 at the Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia.  This 2.5-day event will be held in person, with virtual participation accommodated during the oral sessions.  This is an opportunity for both new and experienced scientists and engineers interested and involved in sounding rockets across all disciplines  —  Astrophysics, Solar, and Geospace  —  to come together and share ideas and experiences focused on this unique research platform.   The symposium will be preceded (August 16) by a meeting of the NASA Sounding Rocket Working Group at Wallops, to which community members are welcome to attend.   

Please visit https://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code810/Symposium/Sounding-Rocket-Symposium.html for important dates and information, to register for this event, and to submit your abstract.   Note that registration is required for attendance even for virtual participation. 

Foreign National Registration Deadline**:            July 1, 2022 
Abstract Submission Deadline:                              July 15, 2022 
US Citizen Registration Deadline (in-person):      August 1, 2022 
Virtual-only Registration Deadline:                        August 15, 2022

** Foreign nationals are required to provide additional information. See Registration page for more information.

Contacts: 

Sabrina Savage, MSFC, Symposium Organizer (sabrina.savage at nasa.gov);  
Rob Pfaff, GSFC, SR Project Scientist (robert.f.pfaff at nasa.gov).  


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PI Launchpad 2023

From: Amy Keesee, Erika Hamden (amy.keesee at unh.edu)

Are you interested in developing your first flight mission proposal but have no idea where to start? NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD), the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the University of Arizona have teamed up to make this process more transparent and accessible. In the Fall of 2019, the University of Arizona hosted the first PI Launchpad. This workshop occurred over 3 days, covering a range of topics relevant to mission development. A virtual workshop was held in 2021.  There are plans to host another in-person workshop over 4 days in Ann Arbor, MI towards the end of July 2023. Details about past workshops are available at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/pi-launchpad. This announcement is to provide an opportunity for interested people to save the date and start thinking about the application process. Amy Keesee (amy.keesee at unh.edu) participated in the 2021 workshop and is willing to answer questions about her experience. Questions about the program in general should be directed to Erika Hamden (hamden at arizona.edu).


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SESSION: ESWW2022 SWR05 Session "Geomagnetic Activity on Earth's Surface and Effects on Ground-Based Technological Systems"

From: Audrey Schillings, Liisa Juusola, Chigomezyo Ngwira (audrey.schillings at space.umu.se)

Dear Colleagues, 
The ESWW or European Space Weather Week is an annual event for the space weather community. This international meeting attracts scientists around the globe. ESWW2022 will take place in Zagreb, Croatia on 24-28 October 2022. The meeting will be hybrid. We kindly invite you to submit an abstract to our session SWR05 “Geomagnetic Activity on Earth's Surface and Effects on Ground-Based Technological Systems”. Please find the detailed description of the session here: https://www.stce.be/esww2022/program/session_details.php?nr=SWR5. The abstract deadline is 01 July 2022 and the abstracts can be submitted https://www.stce.be/esww2022/program/sessions_withlist.php. For more information about the meeting, please have a look at the meeting website: https://www.stce.be/esww2022/index.php. We looking forward to meet you at ESWW22!


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SCOSTEP/PRESTO Online Seminar on July 5 (Tue), 2022, 22:00-23:00 UT (re-scheduled) 

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

We are pleased to announce that the SCOSTEP/PRESTO Online Seminar by Dr. Christine Gabrielse will be held via online on July 5 as below. This seminar was re-scheduled from a previous plan of May 18.  To join the seminar, please register via the following zoom address.

14th SCOSTEP/PRESTO Online Seminar

Title: Mesoscales and their Contribution to the Global Response: A Focus on the Magnetotail Transition Region and Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling
Author: Dr. Christine Gabrielse 
Affiliation: The Aerospace Corporation, USA 
Date/time: July 5 (Tue), 2022, 22:00-23:00 UT
Zoom Registration URL (pre-registration is necessary):
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LBlCq-1ZSyiXRQ3pSyBVgg


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JOB OPENING: LANL Space Science & Application Group Leader

From: Vania Jordanova (vania at lanl.gov)

Located in northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multi-disciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. The Space Science and Applications Group (ISR-1) at LANL seeks a highly motivated, dynamic scientific leader with expertise in space research and exploration. As the Group Leader, you will facilitate the success of individuals and teams in ISR-1, as well as collaborations across Los Alamos and the broader space science and applications community. You will help develop a vision for the future of this dynamic group and will be responsible for developing and implementing a strategy for achieving that vision; fostering a culture of continuous learning; developing and sustaining an expert workforce that is recognized as a unique national resource; mentoring, coaching, and building effective teams within and beyond the Group. As the Group Leader, you will also facilitate success by identifying, managing, and mitigating technical and organizational risk; collaborating closely with Program Managers and Project Leaders to ensure delivery of space systems and information products on time and within budget, and providing a safe and secure working environment. 

ISR-1 core expertise includes designing and operating sensors that measure x-rays, gamma-rays, neutrons, plasma, and energetic ions, electrons, and neutral atoms in space that are used to study the natural space environment of the Earth and Sun and to detect and characterize potential nuclear detonations on a global scale. Our researchers analyze, interpret, and perform studies using data from these instruments, and develop and refine space environment models (e.g., DREAM and SHIELDS) to now-cast space weather. Our scientists lead or have led experiments on many NASA missions such as IBEX, ACE, TWINS, Mars Odyssey, Van Allen Probes, Cassini, IMAGE, and Lunar Prospector. Upcoming scientific missions with Los Alamos leadership include the MAMBO medium energy gamma-ray cubesat, two experiments on NASA’s IMAP mission to understand the Sun’s interaction with the interstellar medium, and NASA’s BeamPIE rocket experiment, the first accelerator flown to space in over 30 years.

For more information about this position please visit https://lanl.jobs/search/searchjobs and search for “Req. Number IRC107576”, or contact Herb Funsten (505-667-2965, hfunsten at lanl.gov) or Geoff Reeves (505-500-6962, reeves at lanl.gov). 

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer that supports a diverse and inclusive workforce and is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Review of applicants will start immediately and continue until the position is filled.


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JOB OPENING: Upcoming Space Weather Civil Servant Positions at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

From: David McKenzie (david.e.mckenzie at nasa.gov)

The Heliophysics and Planetary Science Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, plans to offer two civil service positions to conduct research and develop applications in the discipline of Space Weather. Outstanding candidates have the potential to be selected for federal employment, joining more than 30 other federal employees, academic staff, and contractors supporting solar physics and space weather science efforts within the Branch, which is part of the Science and Technology Office at MSFC.  MSFC has significant strengths in suborbital missions for heliophysics, advanced propulsion development (including solar sails), in-house development of scientific camera systems, and numerous calibration and testing facilities, including the Low Energy Electron and Ion Facility, utilized for the development, test, and calibration of charged particle instruments.

Two Research Astrophysicist positions will be offered for researchers and technical authorities in Heliophysics, and specifically in space weather (ionospheric/thermospheric/magnetospheric responses to influences related to solar activity), with emphasis on the analysis of current data sets and the development of new measurement and observational techniques in related research areas. The selected candidates will participate as Principal or Co-Investigators for future investigations in Space Weather, with responsibility for leading and directing the work of multidisciplinary teams of scientists. The candidates will have opportunities to lead the development of research proposals for new activities, execute funded projects, and share their accomplishments through conference participation and appropriate peer-reviewed literature.

Grade level is expected to be GS-14 or GS-15, dependent on the qualifications of the candidate.  The formal announcement of the opportunity and related requirements will be open June 21 to July 05 at this USAJobs link: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/660002100.  Applications are only accepted through the USAJobs portal. Candidates are encouraged to create a USAJobs profile well in advance to populate their resume, and may also subscribe to USAJobs email alerts.  Informal inquiries can be directed to Dr. David McKenzie, david.e.mckenzie at nasa.gov, 256-961-7896.


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JOB OPENING: Space Weather / Ionosphere Data Scientist at CIRES CU Boulder / NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

From: Tim Fuller-Rowell (tim.fuller-rowell at noaa.gov)

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CU CIRES) invites applications for a full-time Associate Scientist position at NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). The successful applicant will work to evaluate the influence of commercial radio occultation data on the quality of SWPC ionospheric models, products, and services. The goal of this effort is: a) to compare the data products obtained from commercial vendor-provided radio occultation satellites with ground-based and space-based environmental measurements, b) to compare with output from SWPC’s numerical models, c) to test the ingest of the vendor-provided products in SWPC’s models, and d) to participate in the development of new ionosphere products. 

For more information on the job and how to apply, please follow this link:
https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/?jobId=39768

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Postings will remain active until the position is filled. 
Contact Tim Fuller-Rowell tim.fuller-rowell at noaa.gov or Hazel Bains hazel.bains at noaa.gov for more information or questions.


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JOB OPENING: Research Fellow in Modelling of the Upper Atmosphere

From: John Plane (j.m.c.plane at leeds.ac.uk)

Applications are invited for the position of Research Fellow in Modelling of the Upper Atmosphere in the Atmospheric and Planetary Chemistry group within the School of Chemistry. You will contribute to two closely related projects, working with Professors John Plane and Daniel Marsh. 

The first project is WAVECHASM (Wave-Induced Transport of Chemically Active Species in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere), funded by the NERC in the UK and the NSF in the US. It aims to bridge the gap between high-resolution regional models and global climate models in representing transport of constituents by gravity waves. It will contribute to a much deeper understanding of the key small-scale wave-induced constituent transport processes (advection, turbulent mixing, dynamical transport and chemical transport), their global characteristics and their impact on atmospheric chemistry. This role will be based at the University of Leeds (UK) but the successful candidate must be willing to spend periods of time at the University of Colorado (Boulder, USA) working with project partners. 

The second project is DRivers and Impacts of Ionospheric Variability with EISCAT-3D (DRIIVE), a NERC highlight topic project. DRIIVE will investigate how ionospheric varibility at small-scales affects thermospheric density and how that leads to changes in atmospheric drag on satellites and space debris. It will focus on improving our ability to represent atmospheric joule heating in state-of-the-art upper atmosphere models to enable better short-term (~24 hour) forecasting of satellite and debris orbit predictions as well as inform the long-term (100-year) predictions of the space environment population.

You will have a PhD (or have submitted your thesis before taking up the role) in meteorology, atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, applied mathematics, geophysics  or a closely allied discipline, together with a strong background in computer programming, code development and using large numerical codes and/or datasets. Experience of working directly on research problems related to the earth’s mesosphere and lower thermosphere would be beneficial. The job advertisement and further particulars can be viewed at https://jobs.leeds.ac.uk/EPSCH1062. The closing date for applications is 5 July 2022.


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JOB OPENING: Postdoc Position in Space Plasma Physics at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna (IRF)

From: Stas Barabash (stas.barabash at irf.se)

Applicants are invited for a post-doctoral position (3 years) for analysis of data collected by IRF’s particle instruments on-board ESA BepiColombo spacecraft during cruise phase and Mercury fly-bys.  The selected candidate will work in a successful research group, Solar System Physics and Space Technology (SSPT) at IRF,  that conducts active research on the solar system developing particle instruments for planetary missions, analyzing data, and performing computer simulations.

Closing date for applications is July 3 2022

https://www.irf.se/sv/news/2022/06/15/postdoc-in-space-plasma-physics-ref-2-2-1-237-22-2/


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PhD Fellowships in Geospace Data Analytics at Virginia Tech

From: J. Michael Ruohoniemi, Joseph Baker (mikeruo at vt.edu)

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech has funding available for students to enroll in its PhD program and pursue research in the emerging area of geospace data analytics.  Successful applicants will work with faculty in the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space at VT) to conduct fundamental research on space weather specification and forecasting using globally distributed ground- and space-based datasets and numerical simulations. Outstanding candidates with advanced computer programming skills and academic backgrounds in physics or engineering are encouraged to respond.  Potential applicants should make the Fellowship sponsors aware of their interest by emailing a resume and statement of purpose to Prof. Joseph Baker (jo.baker at vt.edu).  Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.


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PhD Position Available at the University of Oslo, Norway

From: Wojciech Miloch, University of Oslo (w.j.miloch at fys.uio.no)

Please inform potential candidates!

PhD Research Fellowship in Plasma and Space Physics - numerical simulations

Job description
A position as PhD Research Fellow in Plasma and Space Physics, with the focus on numerical simulations of plasma phenomena in the polar ionosphere, is available at the Department of Physics. The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years.

Within the scope of the project for this position, the successful PhD candidate will work with large scale numerical simulations with numerical particle-in-cell codes to study the evolution of plasma instabilities and onset of turbulence at kinetic levels, accounting also for auroral particle precipitation and weakly collisional plasmas. The candidate will also relate this work to results from in-situ sounding rocket experiments in the ionosphere. Another task will also be to address rocket payload-plasma interactions in order to understand the measurement conditions. Strong collaboration with other participants in the project is required. The successful candidate will be the member of the 4DSpace Strategic Research Initiative, as well as the Section for Plasma and Space Physics at the Department of Physics. The main focus of these groups is to advance our understanding of processes in the high-latitudeionosphere, including plasma irregularities, turbulence and space weather effects in the polar regions. The position is funded through the ERC Consolidator Grant entitled: “4DSpace: integrated study for space weather at high latitudes”.

Deadline: 23 June 2022.
More information and how to apply: 

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/226761/phd-research-fellowship-in-plasma-and-space-physics-numerical-simulations


***** SUBSCRIPTION AND ANNOUNCEMENT REQUESTS *****

The AGU Space Physics and Aeronomy (SPA) Section Newsletter is issued approximately weekly. Back issues are available at:
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To request announcements for distribution by the newsletter, please use the online submission form at:
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To subscribe to the newsletter, please go to the web page at:
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(Do not use this web page to post announcements.)

NOTE: Due to the large number of SPA-related sessions at major conferences, the SPA Newsletter can no longer accept announcement requests for individual sessions at AGU, AOGS, COSPAR, EGU, or IAGA Meetings. Titles and web links (if available) of these sessions will be distributed in a special issue of the Newsletter before the abstract deadline.

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

AGU SPA Web Site: https://connect.agu.org/spa/home

SPA Leadership Team E-mail: spa.leadership.team at gmail.com

*************** END OF NEWSLETTER ****************