Subject: [DPS Members] DPS Mailing #07-23: AAS Elections and membership renewal... Issue 07-23, December 20th 2007 +-----------------------------CONTENTS--------------------------------+ 1) AAS Elections- Make your vote count 2) AAS/DPS Membership Renewal 3) Simplifying NASA AOs 4) NASA Astrobiology Institute: Proposals for New Member Institutions 5) SOFIA workshop at upcoming AAS -- date change to January 7 6) Job Announcements 7) Upcoming Meetings +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1 AAS ELECTIONS - MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT DPS members who have joined through our parent society are eligible to vote in the current election of officers for the American Astronomical Society. Eligible members should have received email instructions on how to cast your ballot. We are grateful to AAS all candidates who have volunteered to serve. DPS members may particularly note that Melissa McGrath, former DPS Treasurer (and Secretary Treasurer) is a candidate for AAS Vice President. The DPS is the largest division within the American Astronomical Society. Thus it is particularly important for DPS representation that eligible DPS members exercise their right to vote in AAS elections. To vote electronically for this year's candidates, go to: http://www.aas.org/vote/ 2---------2---------2---------2---------2---------2---------2---------2 AAS/DPS MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DPS members who have joined through the AAS should be sure to renew their AAS and DPS membership as soon as possible, before the end of the year. You should have received a renewal form by snail-mail back in October, but you can also renew online at aas.org. 3---------3---------3---------3---------3---------3---------3---------3 SIMPLIFYING NASA AOs Dear Colleague: Alan Stern, Associate Administrator for Science Mission Directorate (SMD), has initiated an effort to simplify NASA Announcements of Opportunity (AOs). AOs are issued by NASA to solicit proposals for complete PI-led missions (like Explorer, Discovery, Mars Scout, etc.), for smaller PI-led missions of opportunity, and for instruments for NASA's strategic missions (like recent AOs for RBSP, MMS, MSL, JWST, etc.). This AO simplification effort is being led by Paul Hertz, Senior Advisor in SMD at NASA Headquarters responsible for the AO process, and Brad Perry, Head of the Science Support Office at NASA Langley research center and responsible for the technical/ management/ cost (TMC) review process. There are at least three necessary outcomes that are required from an AO, and any simplified AO must still enable those outcomes. (1) Maintain the ability for NASA to evaluate the science merit (through science peer review) to guide selection. (2) Maintain the ability for NASA to evaluate the feasibility of proposed missions (through TMC review) to guide selection. (3) Ensure that mission teams are ready to successfully conduct Phase A mission concept studies if they are selected. The first step of this effort is to gather information. NASA is conducting information gathering sessions at community meetings as well as soliciting input directly from the community. We held a successful community meeting at the Division of Planetary Science (DPS) meeting in Orlando last October. The next community meeting will be a splinter session at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) winter meeting in Austin, Texas. The AO simplification session is Thursday, January 10 during the lunch break. Please check the final AAS schedule for the exact time and room. Whether or not you can join us for the community meeting, please send us any comments or input that you have for this study. We are looking for all kinds of input: suggestions about AOs, suggestions about the 2-step selection process (the AO rules and the downselect are closely coupled), even suggestions about how to carry out this study. We are especially looking for suggestions of AO changes that will reduce the amount of work on the proposer without impacting the quality of the competition (what some proposers call "non value added AO requirements"). Please send responses to [email protected]. Paul Hertz, NASA HQ, [email protected] Brad Perry, NASA LaRC, [email protected] 4---------4---------4---------4---------4---------4---------4---------4 NASA ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE: PROPOSALS FOR NEW MEMBER INSTITUTIONS NASA intends to release a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN, Cycle-5) soliciting new institutional members to the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). The CAN will be released in early 2008, and proposals will be due approximately 90 days later. The CAN is responsive to the recommendations of the recent NRC assessment (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12071). Proposals will be required to clearly articulate an innovative, interdisciplinary, astrobiology research program, together with plans to advance the full scope of NAI objectives as defined in the Institute's Mission Statement (see http://nai.nasa.gov). NASA anticipates making $4-11 M per year available for this selection, leading to 4-8 awards, each of 5 years duration. Participation in this solicitation is open to all categories of organizations, domestic and non-US, incuding industry, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, NASA centers, and other Government agencies. For further information, please contact: Dr. Carl Pilcher, Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Mail Stop 247-6, Ames Research Center, NASA, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000; Phone 650-604-0022, [email protected] 5---------5---------5---------5---------5---------5---------5---------5 SOFIA WORKSHOP AT UPCOMING AAS -- DATE CHANGE TO JANUARY 7 The SOFIA Early Science Opportunities workshop at the January 2008 American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin Texas will be held 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday, January 7, before the AAS opening reception on Monday evening. That is a change in date from previous announcements, partly due to the unusual Monday to Friday schedule of this AAS meeting. 6---------6---------6---------6---------6---------6---------6---------6 JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Planetary Science), Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum. Contact: Mark Hammergren, [email protected], (312)209-0219. See http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/employment/index.shtml#postdocplan 2) Tenure-track Assistant Professorship, Illinois Wesleyan University Department of Physics, any specialty of astronomy, beginning Fall 2008. For further information contact Linda French ([email protected]) or Narendra Jaggi ([email protected]). AAS Job Register #24237, to appear 1 December. See http://www2.iwu.edu/iwujobs/physics.shtml 3) Research Scientist in Planetary Science, The Bear Fight Center The Bear Fight Center (www.bearfightcenter.com) announces a position opening for one or two qualified candidates having experience and interest in studying the surfaces of Solar System objects and in interpreting their origin and evolution. The position is located at our research facility near Winthrop, Washington. Candidates would preferable be in the early stages of career development, but those in mid- or senior-level career and interested in taking a leadership role in the Center will also be considered. Contact: please email or mail your Curriculum Vitae with list of references to the attention of Thomas B. McCord: [email protected] or Bear fight Center, P.O. Box 667, Winthrop, WA 988632. 4) Postdoctoral position: Surfaces of icy satellites and comets, Cornell We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in planetary science at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research at Cornell University to conduct research on spacecraft data (primarily imaging) of icy satellites and comets. We are seeking a candidate with a recent PhD in geology or planetary science with a strong background in remote sensing. Experience with interpretation of surface morphology and handling multiple data sets would be valuable. Applicants should send contact information for three references and a curriculum vita to Prof. J. Veverka, 312 Space Sciences Bldg., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. 7---------7---------7---------7---------7---------7---------7---------7 UPCOMING MEETINGS 1) Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Astronomer Workshop. Feb. 29 2008, Ames Research Center. See http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lcross2008 The objectives of the LCROSS mission are to advance the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) by confirming the presence or absence of water ice in the permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's South Pole and to address science questions such as the nature of the polar regolith, impact cratering dynamics, etc. This workshop is designed for astronomers, to encourage the astronomy community to observe the LCROSS impacts with both ground- and space-based telescopes. The data collected from these observational assets will complement data collected from the LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft and help ensure that maximum scientific and exploration value is derived from the LCROSS mission. 2) The Science of Solar System Ices (ScSSI): A Cross-Disciplinary Workshop. May 5 - 8, 2008, Oxnard, California. See www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/scssi2008 3) 2008 ASP Meeting: Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy: A Hands-on Symposium. May 31-June 3, 2008, St. Louis, MO See www.astrosociety.org/2008meeting At this meeting, education and outreach professionals will gather to discuss international, regional, and local programs for the International Year of Astronomy in 2009, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of the astronomical telescope. If you are interested in planning activities in 2009, this meeting is an excellent chance to learn more about what various institutions and organizations are proposing to do, and to coordinate your ideas with colleagues around the country and the world. During the weekend, there will also be model workshops to demonstrate and develop techniques for reaching a wide range of audiences. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Send submissions to: John Spencer, DPS Secretary ([email protected])