Newsletter 15-50

Issue 15-50, November 18, 2015

 

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  1. INAUGURAL MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
  2. RENEW YOUR AAS/DPS MEMBERSHIP TODAY
  3. NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION SEEKS REVIEWERS 

FOR ROSES PROPOSALS

  1. JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

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INAUGURAL MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

 

Fellow Planetary Scientists: 

I hope that all of you enjoyed pleasant travels back from National Harbor. 
This year’s meeting there was a tremendous success.  Thanks on behalf of 
the DPS to the efforts of the local organizing committee headed by Andrew 
Rivkin, the scientific organizing committee headed by Neil Dello Russo, 
and the numerous other volunteer contributors.  It takes effort on every 
level, from student volunteers up to scientific presenters, to showcase 
our science every year.  And headlined by the jaw-dropping new discoveries 
at Pluto, the 2015 meeting was one that I will remember for the rest of my 
career.  Also memorable was the first DPS Open Mic night talent show, 

which I thought was a runaway hit. 

In National Harbor we also took a step toward irradiating the cancer in 
our discipline that is harassment.  Masursky Prize winner Christina 
Richey held up a mirror for us to look upon ourselves.  Over the next year 
the DPS Committee will investigate what we as a professional society 
can actively do to ensure that success as a Planetary Scientist is based 
solely on scientific merit. 

On Friday, the DPS hosted a Lunch-and-Learn event with the United States 
Senate to educate staffers about Planetary issues.  The ability to 
communicate with our Government was one of the features of our venue near 
Washington, DC.  Our Lunch-and-Learn was well attended, with a few 
attendees having remarked that this was one of the best of this type of 
events that they had been to in a long time.  Special thanks to our 
Federal Relations Subcommittee Chair Dr. Makenzie Lystrup for organizing, 
and to Alan Stern, Bonnie Buratti, Carrie Nugent, and Mary Beth Wilhelm 
for serving on the panel. 

Next year’s meeting will take place in Pasadena, California 2016 October 
16-21.  The 2016 meeting will be particularly special because it will be 
our first held jointly with our European counterpart EPSC on American 
soil.  The meeting will therefore be bigger and more highly attended than 
any previous DPS, and we hope that the science quality lives up to the 
high bar set by the previous joint DPS/EPSC joint meeting in Nantes, 
France in 2011.  To that end, you’ve now got only 11 months to make the 
discoveries that you will present in Pasadena!  Happy science-ing, 

Jason W. Barnes

DPS Chair

 

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RENEW YOUR AAS/DPS MEMBERSHIP TODAY

 

With no dues increase and a “stellar” lineup of benefits, there isn’t a better 

time than now to renew your commitment to the AAS/DPS.

 

AAS emailed members in early September announcing the start of membership 

renewal season, and many took notice. Online renewals are arriving at a steady 

pace. If you have already paid your dues, thanks for your continued support.

 

To help reduce costs and the Society’s carbon footprint, we encourage you to 

renew online today for fast, easy self-service. Simply log in to pay your dues,

to confirm or update your journal subscriptions and Division memberships, 

and to lock in savings for 2017 by renewing for two years at the current rate.

(Note: That last option isn’t available to junior members, who instead get two

years for the price of one — currently $80 —when first joining the Society,

then renew annually thereafter.)

 

Renew before 31 December to maintain your benefits and receive additional 

savings: the AAS will extend a one-time 15% discount off your portion of the 

author charges for one paper published in the Astronomical Journal, the

Astrophysical Journal, ApJ Letters, or ApJ Supplement. Eligible members 

can double their savings: if you renew by 31 December for two years, you will 

receive the 15% author discount on one paper each in 2016 and 2017.

The Society has much planned for 2016 — including the 227th meeting of the 

AAS in Kissimmee in January — so you won’t want to miss out on the latest 

science, member communications, and career and networking opportunities. 

Supporting the AAS is supporting your discipline. Renew today!

 

If you have any questions about your dues or benefits, or need assistance 

when logging in, please contact the membership team by email at 

[email protected]or by phone at 202-328-2010. Thank you!

 

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NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISON SEEKS VOLUNTEER 

REVIEWERS FOR ROSES PROPOSALS

 

The Planetary Science Division at the Science Mission Directorate is 

seeking subject matter experts to serve as mail-in and/or panel meeting 

reviewers of research proposals submitted to ROSES-2015. We currently 

have posted new volunteer reviewer forms for:

 

·       ROSES 2015 C.4 Habitable Worlds

 

·       ROSES 2015 C.8 Lunar Data Analysis

 

·       ROSES 2015 C.12 Planetary Instrument Concepts for the Advancement of Solar System Observations (PICASSO)

 

·       ROSES C.19 Hayabusa2 Participating Scientist Program

 

in addition to the previously posted  forms for Solar System Workings 

and Discovery Data Analysis

 

Links to open review forms may always be found at 
http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/volunteer-review-panels

 

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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

 

A) ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN PHYSICS AND/OR ASTRONOMY

     EDUCATION RESEARCH

 

University of Central Florida

 

content/assistant-professor-physics-andor-astronomy-education-research

 

B) NATIONAL OPTICAL ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY (NOAO)

Tucson, Arizona

 

These positions are part of a broader push by NOAO to support data-intensive 

research, of exactly the sort that will prepare the community for LSST. 

Additional openings in this area are likely in the coming months and years.

All of these openings have the potential to lead to longer-term positions at 

NOAO, either after an initial appointment or (for particularly strong candidates)

immediately.

 

We expect graduating Ph.D. students and postdocs who are now engaged in 

LSST to be some of the strongest candidates for these jobs.

 

First is a postdoctoral position to work on the ANTARES project, a time-domain 

event broker system for LSST and other precursor surveys:

https://rn11.ultipro.com/SPA1004B/JOBBOARD/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*BE6065D48F0F1CA9

 

Second is a Survey Data Scientist position to work on large new imaging

surveys (DECaLS and MzLS) and their integration into high-level distribution 

and analysis systems (NOAO Data Lab):

https://rn11.ultipro.com/SPA1004B/JOBBOARD/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*FEDFC11DB90152FE

 

Third is an astronomical software specialist to help build the NOAO Data 

Lab user interface:

http://www.tiny.cc/srsoftwareeng

 

Fourth is an expert database developer to help build the large catalog back-end 

and interface for the Data Lab:

http://www.tiny.cc/srsoftwaresystems

 

We are happy to answer and/or forward any inquiries about any of these 

opportunities.

 

Thanks,

 

Knut Olsen and Adam Bolton

[email protected]

[email protected]

 

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Send submissions to:

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected]

 

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To change your address email [email protected].


Anne J. Verbiscer
Research Associate Professor
Department of Astronomy
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4325