Newsletter 19-34

Issue 19-34, August 4, 2019

 

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  1. EPSC-DPS 2019 MEETING MENTOR-MENTEE PROGRAM
  2. EPSC-DPS 2019 DPS DEPENDENT CARE GRANTS
  3. NEW ICARUS ASSOCIATE EDITORS NAMED
  4. OPAG MEETING UPDATE
  5. SURVEY ON MAJOR MERCURY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE QUESTIONS FOR THE UPCOMING DECADAL SURVEY
  6. DPS MEMBER LYNN CARTER WINS PRESIDENTIAL EARLY CAREER AWARD FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS (PECASE)
  7. DPS MEMBER NICK SCHNEIDER WINS ASP EMMONS PRIZE FOR 2019
  8. DPS MEMBER JAY PASACHOFF WINS THE 2019 KLUMPKE-ROBERTS AWARD FOR OUTREACH FROM THE ASP
  9. 3RD INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY CAVES CONFERENCE
  10. TOWARDS OTHER EARTH III: FROM SOLAR SYSTEM TO EXOPLANETS
  11. JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

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EPSC-DPS 2019 MEETING MENTOR-MENTEE PROGRAM

 

Sign Up Deadline: 31 August 2019

 

The EuroPlanet Early Career (EPEC) network is introducing a mentor-mentee

program for this EPSC-DPS 2019 meeting in Geneva. The program is designed

to support the novice conference attendees, students, and early career scientists

by enabling one-to-one meetings with an experienced researcher to help them

navigate the conference. The registered mentees will be able to meet their respective

mentors during the ice breaker event on Sept 15, 2019. 

 

Details to sign-up to the program: Mentees, if this is your first international conference,

your first oral presentation, first EPSC, or you are looking for guidance during the

EPSC-DPS 2019, sign up here:  http://eepurl.com/gxD-wf . We will put you in contact

with a suitable mentor, who would be beneficiary to your experience during the conference. 

 

Mentors, if you are a postdoc, researcher, or a senior scientist who has been in numerous
international conferences and are willing to show early careers how to navigate through

various sessions and network within an international community, please sign up here:
http://eepurl.com/gxD-wf .

 

You will be requested to set up at least one meeting with your mentee during the

conference week. 

 

The deadline to sign-up to the mentor-mentee program is 31st August, 2019. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact us at [email protected] 

 

Looking forward to meeting you in Geneva, EPEC-EPSC working group

 

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EPSC-DPS 2019 DPS DEPENDENT CARE GRANTS

 

The DPS Susan Niebur Professional Development Fund provides financial assistance

to qualifying members of the DPS in order to facilitate their meeting attendance by

offsetting dependent care costs (such as child care, elder care, spousal care, etc) at

the meeting location, or at home, during the DPS conference week. For 2019, the

DPS Professional Development Subcommittee will accept applications for dependent

care subsidies to assist an eligible DPS member to attend the Joint EPSC-DPS Meeting

in Geneva, Switzerland (September 2019). The deadline for applications is 12 August 

2019. Please access the grant application form at development#grants .

 

Mark Gurwell, DPS Professional Development Subcommittee member

 

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NEW ICARUS ASSOCIATE EDITORS NAMED

 

Starting September 1, 2019, we will have some changes in the Icarus Editorial

Board. Jeff Johnson is leaving the Board after 5 years as an Associate Editor.

We are deeply grateful to Jeff for his dedicated service to Icarus and the planetary

science community. Two new Associate Editors have been selected, Debra

Buczkowski and Elizabeth (Liz) Rampe.

 

Debra Buczkowski is a senior research scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied

Physics Laboratory, where she serves as the section supervisor of the Surface

Geology section of the Planetary Exploration Group. She earned her PhD from

the University of Massachusetts in Geosciences. Her primary research interests

are in the tectonics, structural geology, and geologic mapping of the rocky bodies

of the solar system. She has analyzed double-ringed circular graben on Mars,

radial extensional structures on Venus, and linear structures on Eros, Vesta and

Ceres. She is also involved in the global geologic mapping of Mercury and

completed the geologic map of the Caloris basin. She was a Participating Scientist

on Dawn at Vesta, a Co-Investigator on Dawn at Ceres, and a science team member

on MRO CRISM. Debra frequently participates in outreach activities. She has made

multiple public science presentations, including at schools, museums, astronomy

clubs, and special student events. She was a regular lecturer for the Mars Exploration

Student Data Teams program.  Debra has been actively engaged in leadership and

service for the larger planetary community. She served as a board member of GSA’s

Planetary Geology Division, the program committee for both GSA and LPSC,

and on the selection committee of the Pellas-Ryder, Dwornik, and GK Gilbert

awards. She frequently reviews journal articles and served as guest editor for a

JGR special issue on CRISM.

 

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Rampe is a planetary geologist and mineralogist currently

a mission exploration scientist in the Astromaterials Research and Exploration

Science Division at the NASA Johnson Space Center. She received her B.A. in

geology from Colgate University and her Ph.D. in geology from Arizona State

University. Her major research interests are in martian surface mineralogy and

the aqueous history of Mars. To infer the aqueous history of Mars, she studies

the mineralogy of surface materials via orbital spectroscopy and in-situ mineralogical

and geochemical measurements. She also studies the mineralogy of martian

analogue environments on Earth and compares the composition of rocks and

sediments in those environments to the composition of martian rocks and sediments.

She is particularly interested in X-ray amorphous and poorly crystalline phases

on Mars and synthesizes and analyzes these materials in the laboratory to help

identify them on the martian surface.

 

Please join me in thanking Jeff for his service and welcoming Liz and Debra.

 

Rosaly Lopes

Icarus Editor-in-Chief

 

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OPAG MEETING UPDATE

 

The next OPAG Meeting will be held August 20-21, 2019 Boulder, CO. The

day prior, August 19th will be the Ocean World Access Working Group

Workshop. The meeting will be held at the University of Colorado’s

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Space Science

Building, Room W120 (SPSC) on East Campus, 3665 Discovery Drive,

Boulder, Colorado, 80303. Directions to SPSC can be found at

 

http://lasp.colorado.edu/home/about/address-directions/spsc/

 

Full agenda and logistics are posted here:

 

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/

 

Registration link:  

 

http://www.cvent.com/d/tyqscj

 

We will host a poster session for student awardees, technology (with a

focus on ICEE-2 and similar Icy World in situ instruments and sampling

systems), and mission concepts. If you wish to present a poster at

OPAG, please send the title and author(s) to Morgan Cable:

[email protected]

 

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SURVEY ON MAJOR MERCURY AND PLANETARY SCIENCE QUESTIONS FOR THE

UPCOMING DECADAL SURVEY

 

Dear Mercury Community,

 

In preparation for the upcoming Planetary Science Decadal Survey, NASA

has asked the planetary science Analysis Groups to engage their

communities for help in framing the big science questions that might

drive planetary science over the next decadal cycle. In the current

absence of an AG for Mercury, NASA HQ is looking for a coordinated,

Mercury-focused community response.

 

Starting with published sources, the recent Mercury lander white paper,

and the call for establishing a Mercury Analysis Group that arose from

the Mercury 2018 meeting, we have collated a basic set of questions

that could be used as the basis for the Mercury-focused responses to

NASA.

 

At this point, we need your ideas, additional input, and feedback on

these potential questions and/or your own candidates, to encompasses

the full breadth of the work that needs to be done at Mercury and in

planetary science in general.

 

Please participate in this process by completing the following survey

by August 6, 2019.

 

https://forms.gle/dNSkk6fqsWccmHjU6

 

Thank you for your participation and input!

 

Steve Hauck

David Blewett

Paul Byrne

Nancy Chabot

Carolyn Ernst

Catherine Johnson

Erwan Mazarico

Jim Raines

Kathleen Vander Kaaden

Ron Vervack

 

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DPS MEMBER LYNN CARTER WINS PRESIDENTIAL EARLY CAREER AWARD FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS (PECASE)

 

Dr. Lynn Carter, an associate professor in the Department of Planetary Sciences and 

Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona has received the

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, given by the White

House Office of Science and Technology Policy. President Donald Trump announced

the recipients on July 2 :

 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-announces-recipients-presidential-early-career-award-scientists-engineers/

 

The awards acknowledge contributions to the advancement of science, technology,

education and mathematics education and to “community service as demonstrated

through scientific leadership, public education, and community outreach.”

 

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DPS MEMBER NICK SCHNEIDER WINS ASP EMMONS PRIZE FOR 2019

 

Established by Jeanne and Allan Bishop in honor of Ms. Bishop’s father, Richard

Emmons, an astronomer with a lifelong dedication to astronomy education, the

Richard H. Emmons Award is awarded annually to an individual demonstrating

outstanding achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy

for non-science majors. The 2019 recipient is Prof. Nick Schneider, Professor of

Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder,

recognized for his serious commitment to teaching and for his innovative methods.

 

Celebrating 30 years in the teaching profession, Nick Schneider brings a selfless

dedication to undergraduate education also as an author, instructor and mentor.

He co-authored The Cosmic Perspective, one of the most highly-regarded “Astro 101”

textbooks, now in its 9th edition. With over a million copies in print, his innovative

chapters on planetary science have had a national impact on how the subject is taught.

Schneider enthusiastically shares his teaching methods with colleagues, junior faculty

and graduate students. His teacher training workshops at the Astronomical Society of

the Pacific and mentoring at the University of Colorado have impacted other faculty

to teach using his methods. One nominator praised how “His selfless dedication to

undergraduate education has also helped me — and I suspect many other colleagues –

 to become a better teacher.”

 

Schneider goes beyond the lecture, incorporating some of the most effective advances

in college science teaching. As an early adopter of new teaching methods, he helped

his department become a leader in the use of “clickers” (response systems) to engage

students and judge their understanding of ideas, and in using undergraduate “Learning

Assistants” to facilitate discussions and encourage student engagement and responsibility

for learning. In praise of Schneider’s methods, one nominator adds “What you would

not see in class is that Nick also makes use of ‘Just in Time’ teaching. He posts questions

on the weekend, and students respond to these before class. Nick uses the responses

to adjust what he will teach in class.” He continually strives for ways to include as

many students as possible in active discussion and problem solving, even in large classes.

 

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DPS MEMBER JAY PASACHOFF WINS THE 2019 KLUMPKE-ROBERTS AWARD FOR OUTREACH FROM THE ASP

 

Given for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the public understanding and

appreciation of astronomy, the Klumpke-Roberts Award of the Astronomical Society

of the Pacific for 2019 goes to Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy

and Director, Hopkins Observatory, Williams College, MA, for his lifelong endeavor

as a popular and scholarly communicator.

 

Jay Pasachoff’s passion for popularizing astronomy goes beyond his role as professor

and researcher, touching numerous people across many generations. He has written

many books for students and the public, including the popular Field Guide to the Stars 

and Planets, now in the 17th printing of its 4th edition; the textbook The Cosmos: 

Astronomy in the New Millennium, now in its 5th edition; and (with an art historian)

Cosmos: The Art and Science of the Universe, a new book on the intersection of art 

and astronomy. He has also been the author of hundreds of articles, papers, and book

chapters, instilling a love of astronomy in laypersons and students all over the world.

 

He is perhaps best known for his research and writing on solar-eclipses, a phenomenon

for which he is arguably the greatest living proselytizer, having now seen and explained

35 total eclipses. His expeditions have led not only to scientific papers but also to popular

articles in National Geographic, Scientific American, and elsewhere, as well as media 

appearances before and after many eclipses.  As one nominator put it: “It is during these

moments that Jay becomes astronomy’s cheerleader-in-chief, allowing more and more

people to become interested and engaged in the field.”

 

Pasachoff’s leadership roles within the profession have brought him distinction and 

acknowledgment – among these are his selection as one of only fifteen honorary

members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and his winning the Education

Prize of the American Astronomical Society. He has also received the 2017 Richtmyer

Memorial Lecture Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers and the

2012 Prix-Jules-Janssen of the Société Astronomique de France. His exuberance for

sharing his passion of the universe has created many passionate astronomers and

eclipse-chasers among his students.

 

In his outreach efforts, Pasachoff has directly affected millions of listeners and viewers

through his radio and television interviews, including shows on PBS, the National

Geographic Channel, and many other outlets. One nominator summed up how “Jay

Pasachoff has devoted his entire career to fathoming the Universe while bringing all

of us along with him in the endeavor. For more than a half a century, he has investigated, 

communicated, and educated — and done so with success, humility, and humor.”

 

Previous winners of this prize include Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Dava Sobel and Ed Krupp.

 

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3RD INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY CAVES CONFERENCE

 

February 18-21, 2020

Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas

 

To be added to the mailing list to receive pertinent information about

this conference and to indicate your interest in participating, please

submit an Indication of Interest:

 

https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/3rdcaves2020/

 

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TOWARDS OTHER EARTH III: FROM SOLAR SYSTEM TO EXOPLANETS

 

June 1-5, 2020

Lamego, Douro Valley, Portugal

Venue: Theater Ribeiro Conceicao, Lamego, Portugal

 

Atmosphere, Interior, formation and evolution of planets and planetary

systems. The Solar System Planets and Exoplanets communities aim at

answering similar questions, but seldom interact due to the different

datasets they have access to.

 

We aim to discuss how the detailed and in situ datasets from Solar

System planets can inform the often under constrained exoplanetary

models. We will try to uncover how the diversity and large sample

offered by exoplanets can put in context and inform our understanding

of Solar System planets, focusing on each of these categories:

 

1. Super-Earths, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth

2. Ice giants, Uranus and Neptune

3. Gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn

4. Planetary System architecture

 

http://www.iastro.pt/toe3/

 

Scientific Organization Commitee: David Ehrenreich, Jonathan Fortney,

Victoria Meadows, Antonio Garcia Munoz, Caroline Dorn, Tristan Guillot.

Heike Rauer, Li Zeng, Christophe Mordasini, Alessandro Morbidelli,

Rebecca Dawson, Gabriella Gilli, Sergio Sousa, Nuno Santos, Olivier

Demangeon.

 

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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

 

A) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN EXPERIMENTAL PLANETARY SCIENCE 
      Columbia University

      New York, New York

 

Columbia University’s Astrophysics Laboratory invites applications for a

Postdoctoral Research Scientist to perform laboratory simulations of solar

wind ion irradiation of Mercury’s regolith surface.  The successful candidate 

will join the group headed by Senior Research Scientist Dr. Daniel Wolf Savin;

they will participate in designing, building, and performing experiments utilizing

a novel ion-beam apparatus to study the spectral changes and sputtering yields

of regolith-like loose powders.

The appointment is initially for one year, with the possibility of renewal for up

to two additional years; this is contingent upon the availability of funds and

mutual satisfaction. 

The successful candidate will have a Ph.D. or the equivalent degree in Planetary 

Science, Physics, Geology, Astrophysics, or a related field.  Desired laboratory

skills include experience with apparatus design and construction; fast ion beams;

ion optics; ultra-high vacuum techniques; ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared

spectral reflectance measurements; quadrupole mass spectrometers; catcher foils;

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; and associated electronics.  Desired computer

skills include programming, multidimensional data analysis, LabView, Python,

Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks, SIMION, Linux/Mac OS, and Windows OS. 

The successful candidate will have a strong background in at least some of the 

areas listed above, a proven research ability, and evidence of future research

potential.  The candidate is expected to be able to work well independently and

cooperatively with a team and to communicate the results of his/her research

both orally and in writing.  Demonstrated written and oral communication skills

are highly desirable.  Questions regarding this position can be addressed to

Dr. Savin at [email protected]

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae (including a list of 

publications) and statement of past research.  In addition they should arrange

to have three letters of reference sent directly by the writers to Dr. Savin. 

Applications will be considered only after all of the requested material has

been received.  Applications and letters should be submitted by email to 

[email protected].  Screening of applicants will begin immediately 

and will continue until the position has been filled.

 

B) TENURE TRACK ASTROBIOLOGY POSITION AT IPM

 

Applications are invited for a tenure-track assistant professor

position in the Division for Astrobiology, Institute for Planetary

Materials, Okayama University. We seek a candidate who will be able to

develop a novel and independent research program in one of the research

areas in astrobiology, such as analytical or experimental studies of

prebiotic chemistry, mineral-water-organic interactions related to the

origin of life, the search for signatures of primitive life on the

early Earth or in the Solar System, and also work within a

collaborative environment with other staff to pursue joint researches

on Earth and planetary materials. 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Professor Xianyu Xue

Chair of the Selection Committee for the Faculty in the Division for

Astrobiology, Institute for Planetary Materials

Okayama University 827 Yamada, Misasa, Tottori, 682-0193, Japan 

Phone: +81-858-43-1215 

E-mail: [email protected]

 

http://www.misasa.okayama-u.ac.jp/eng/announcement/?eid=01724

 

C) ASSISTANT STAFF SCIENTIST POSITION, MALIN SPACE SCIENCE SYSTEMS

 

http://www.msss.com/

 

Entry-level, full time Assistant Staff Scientist for targeting the MRO

CTX camera. Degree in Geosciences + experience in geology/geography of

Mars required.

 

Details: 

 

https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=ms210

 

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Send submissions to: 

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected]

 

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