[SPA] SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER, Volume XXX, Issue 40

[Newsletter Editor]

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
SPA SECTION NEWSLETTER
Volume XXX, Issue 40
Jul.25,2023

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Table of Contents

1. Act against the Possible Closure of the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics (KIS)

2. JOB OPENING: Federal Physical Scientists at NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA/SWPC)

3. SCOSTEP/PRESTO Newsletter Vol.36 (JUL 2023)

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


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Act against the Possible Closure of the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics (KIS)

From: Laurent Gizon, Markus Roth, Sami K. Solanki, Klaus Strassmeier (kis-support at tls-tautenburg.de)

Dear Colleague, 

The Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics (KIS, formerly known as Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics) in Freiburg, Germany, is and has for many years been a leading solar physics institute in both theoretical and observational aspects. Moreover, the institute has provided valuable incentives and services for the growth of the solar physics research area, and has been a centre for educating generations of scientists.

Despite these strengths, KIS is in serious danger of being closed: The senate of the Leibniz Association has recommended the German Federal Government and the German States, mainly the State of Baden-Württemberg, to end their joint funding for KIS. 

This comes as a great shock for the solar physics scientific community, in particular because a recent independent scientific evaluation rated the scientific performance of KIS overall to be good to excellent. The loss of KIS would have an extremely negative impact on our community, undoing much of the progress in solar physics in the past years and setting back plans for the future of the field.

We as members of the solar and heliospheric community and related fields must speak up to ensure that KIS continues to be funded sufficiently in the future.

Therefore, we would like to ask you to express your support for KIS and for its funding to be continued, if possible at its current level and ideally with KIS remaining with the Leibniz Association, by signing an open petition until July 31, 2023 at:
https://www.openpetition.eu/!kis

The petition will be handed to the relevant ministers stating your support. 

The online form allows you to provide specific reasons for your support, or simply to express your surprise or shock. Such additional information will make your signature even more impactful. Please keep the tone of any additional text mild. In all events please avoid sarcastic, offensive, insulting or abusive statements. We need the support of the ministries and should not antagonize them. If you are not sure what to write, then even just putting your signature will be very valuable.

Filling the form takes just a few minutes. Please do take this time. Please note: the language of the website can be changed to English if needed, but the confirmation email with the link to verify your signature will always be in German. The more signatories, the stronger the case to keep KIS working.

Thank you for giving this request the consideration it deserves.


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JOB OPENING: Federal Physical Scientists at NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA/SWPC)

From: Michele Cash (terry.onsager at noaa.gov)

The Space Weather Prediction Center seeks to hire a full-time GS-13/14 to lead the Space Weather Prediction Testbed. As the Testbed Program Lead you will:

- Be responsible for overseeing the transfer of new and emerging scientific technologies, techniques, and data from the research community into space weather operations with a particular focus on capabilities at Readiness Levels (RL) 5 to 6, the proving ground validation and testbed demonstration phase. Support decisions regarding which capabilities advance in RL; 

- Organize Space Weather Prediction Testbed exercises wherein researchers, model developers, forecasters, and end-users come together to test emerging concepts and new technologies for improving space weather prediction;

- Work with the science community to enhance understanding of space weather and space weather products and services, as well as improve the process of Research-to-Operations (R2O) transitions. Collaborate with NASA on the Space Weather Operations-to-Research (O2R) grants program in support of space weather operations, and participate in decisions as to which capabilities advance to the proving ground validation and demonstration phase; 

- Work with SWPC’s space weather forecast office and external customers to identify their needs and associated technical requirements. Promote improved use of space weather information to ensure safe, efficient, and appropriate actions by space weather customers during enhanced space weather activity; 

- Coordinate with the Space Weather Proving Grounds and other NOAA Testbeds. Participate in NOAA Testbed and Proving Ground coordination activities. Refine and continually improve Space Weather Prediction Testbed experiments and exercises at SWPC.

Applications are through USAJobs, and the vacancy announcement will be posted in early August. Because of the short application periods for these positions, we encourage interested applicants to prepare their USAJobs CV and other application materials well in advance to smooth the application process. 

We encourage all interested to apply.

If you have questions about this position, please contact:

Michele Cash, SWPC Research Section Lead
michele.cash at noaa.gov


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SCOSTEP/PRESTO Newsletter Vol.36 (JUL 2023)

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

SCOSTEP/PRESTO Newsletter volume 36 (JUL 2023) has now been published.  The PDF file is available at 
https://scostep.org/resources/scostep-presto-newsletter-archive/
Below are the contents of this volume.  

Contents of SCOSTEP/PRESTO Newsletter JUL.2023 (Vol.36)

<Articles>
      1. New Findings on Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) Morphology by GOLD Mission
      2. The Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) - contributing data to PRESTO

<Highlight on Young Scientists>
      1. Tinatin Baratashvili / Belgium
      2. Evangelia Samara / USA

<Meeting Report>
      1. ICTP-SCOSTEP-ISWI School and Workshop on the Predictability of the Solar-Terrestrial Coupling - PRESTO

<Upcoming Meetings>

<Announcements>
      1. SCOSTEP 2023 Distinguished Scientist Award
      2. International Science Council (ISC) Members' Forum in Paris, 10-12 May 2023
      3. SCOSTEP Bureau meeting on 11 July 2023
      4. SCOSTEP General Council Meeting on 14 July 2023


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