Issue 15-20, May 7, 2015
+————————————–CONTENTS————————————–+
-
47th MEETING OF THE DIVISION FOR PLANETARY SCIENCES (DPS 2015): CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS, VOLUNTEERS
-
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
-
SOFIA CYCLE 4 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
-
UPDATED OPAG WEBSITE
-
JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
-
UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS
+——————————————————————————————–+
1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
47th MEETING OF THE DIVISION FOR PLANETARY SCIENCES (DPS 2015):
CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS, VOLUNTEERS
The website for the 2015 DPS Meeting in National Harbor, MD is now available,
with the call for workshop proposals and opportunities to volunteer:
2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Congratulations to DPS members Adam Burrows, Renu Malhotra, Sara Seager,
and William Ward on their election to the National Academy of Sciences.
They join DPS members Robin Canup, David Jewitt, Jonathan Lunine, Geoffrey
Marcy, Jay Melosh, Stanton Peale, Gerald Schubert, and Jack Wisdom as members
of this esteemed group. Election to the Academy is widely regarded as one of the
highest honors a scientist can receive.
[This announcement corrects one in the previous DPS newsletter which inadvertently
omitted Adam Burrows and Stanton Peale.]
3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3
SOFIA CYCLE 4 CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Cycle 4
observing Call for Proposals (CfP) was released on May 1, 2015.
The Call solicits observing proposals from the U.S. and international
astronomical community for up to 450 hours of science observing using
SOFIA, and is issued on behalf of NASA by the Universities Space
Research Association (USRA).
The Cycle 4 observing period will be from February 1, 2016 to January
31, 2017.
The deadline for proposal submission will be 04:00 UTC July 11, 2015
= 21:00 Pacific Daylight Time on Friday July 10. Proposal selections will
be announced in early October 2015.
The proposal process consists of two phases. Phase I requires the
preparation and submission of a scientific context, a scientific
justification, a feasibility analysis, and a high-level description of the
proposed targets and observations. Peer review and proposal selection will
be based on the Phase I submission. Proposers who are awarded time will be
required to submit detailed observation specifications during Phase II.
A formal update to the CfP on this website is scheduled for June 8, 2015.
However, no major changes in capabilities are expected relative to those
described in the current version of the Cycle 4 CfP document.
The SOFIA Cycle 4 Call for Proposals document, links to the Observer’s
Handbook for Cycle 4, and other details about preparing and submitting a
proposal can be found at the “Cycle 4: Phase I Information” link:
http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/proposals/cycle4/index.html
SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The aircraft is based at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s
Facility in Palmdale, Calif. NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center manages
the program. NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., manages the
SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space
Research Association (USRA) headquartered in Columbia, Md., and the German
SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart.
4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4
UPDATED OPAG WEBSITE
The OPAG website has a new look and has been re-organized. Check it out at:
Have fun exploring!
In particular we now have an OPAG Discussion Board, that can be
reached by clicking on “OPAG Discussion Board” in the menu list on the
left of the homepage. We now have a place to communicate and share our
thoughts and ideas.
If you haven’t signed up to receive OPAG newsletters just fill out the
“Indication of Interest” form, at:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/opag.cfm
5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5
JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES
A) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN PLANETARY SCIENCE
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Opening exists for a postdoctoral position in planetary science at the University of Michigan.
Highly qualified senior scientists may be considered also. The research focus will be on the
atmospheric processes, including the origin and evolution of the planetary volatiles. The work
involves preparation for, analysis and interpretation of the data from the microwave radiometer
(MWR) investigation on the Juno Jupiter Polar Orbiter and the ongoing sample analysis at Mars
(SAM) investigation on the Curiosity Rover, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Many of the
required software tools and numerical codes are in place, and others can be developed as needed.
Frequent interactions with the MWR, SAM and the larger Juno and MSL science teams are an
integral part of the job.
The position will be initially for one year, with good a possibility of extension for one or
more years, subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds. Salary and
benefits are competitive. Send application with current CV, names of three references
and proposed starting date to Sushil Atreya at [email protected]. All documents
should be combined into a single pdf with your name.
B) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH IN CORE/OCEAN GEOMAGNETISM
(NASA-GSFC/CRESST/University of Maryland)
Applications are now being accepted for a Postdoctoral Associate,
funded through the University of Maryland College Park and the Center
for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST),
to work in the Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory of the NASA Goddard
Space Flight Center in the area of core/ocean geomagnetism. Additional
details are available at:
http://www.astro.umd.edu/employment/index.html#Geomag
Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree (or expect to have the degree by
the start of the appointment) in a related field of physics,
geophysics, dynamical oceanography/meteorology, and/or applied
mathematics. Applicants are expected to have strong quantitative
analysis and modeling skills – in addition to knowledge of geomagnetic
fields, satellite or ground observatory data, geomagnetic field models,
and core dynamics. Familiarity with UNIX OS, FORTRAN, and parallel
computing is a strong plus.
The University of Maryland is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity
Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. All
applications received by May 22, 2015 will receive full consideration.
C) NATIONAL RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY (NRAO)
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory would like to announce
some wonderful Summer Time opportunities:
Temporary Part-Time Library Assistant/ Archives: The National Radio Astronomy
Observatory Archives actively seeking a Temporary Part-time Library Assistant/Archives.
The successful candidate will assist the Observatory Archivist with ongoing archive work
and special projects, providing essential information and resources needed for research and
special projects in support of the ongoing work of the Observatory and the wider astronomical
community. This is a Part-time Temporary position in which the incumbent will be working
over the summer assisting our efforts in Archives. The term of this position will be between
3-4 months.
Visiting Support Scientific Associate: The National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO) operates three of the premiere radio astronomy observatories in the world,
and is playing a leading role in the operation of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter
Array (ALMA). ALMA is the most powerful (sub)millimeter interferometer ever constructed,
and is transforming our understanding of topics ranging from the formation of nearby
protoplanetary disks to the earliest epochs of galaxy formation. The North American ALMA
Science Center (NAASC) is offering one or more short term (3-6 month) temporary
appointments to scientists who are interested in participating in the reduction and imaging
of ALMA data. The primary goal of the position(s) will be to provide assistance to observatory
users by reducing ALMA data and assessing data quality. There will also be opportunities
for independent research.
6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6———6
UPCOMING MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS
A) COMPARATIVE CLIMATES OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS II
CONFERENCE ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENSION TO MAY 15TH
For the Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II conference that
will be held at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California
on 8-11 September 8-11, 2015:
Abstract deadline has been extended to Friday, May 15th.
Student travel applications are now closed.
A reminder that if you are a NASA or JPL employee (or on-site
contractor) and planning to attend this conference, then you are
required to register in NCTS (code #22053-15) before the end of
May 2015 in order to attend.
———————————+
Send submissions to:
Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])
To unsubscribe visit http://aas.org/unsubscribe or email [email protected].
To change your address email [email protected].
—
Anne J. Verbiscer
Research Associate Professor
Department of Astronomy
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4325