Issue 11-13, September 1st, 2011
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1) EPSC-DPS 2011 DEADLINES AND EVENTS
2) 2012 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER
3) 2012A NASA KECK CALL FOR PROPOSALS
4) ICARUS SPECIAL ISSUE ANNOUNCEMENT
5) JOB OPPORTUNITIES
6) IAU MEMBERSHIP DEADLINE : 18 NOVEMBER 2011
7) UPCOMING MEETINGS
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EPSC-DPS 2011 DEADLINES AND EVENTS
We call to your attention the two plenary sessions, Monday 3 October and Wednesday 5 October, 10:30-12:00, during which we will award the Prizes and hear the Prize lectures.
The annual DPS Members (Business) Meeting will be Thursday at lunch time (12:00 – 13:30), and the Agency night will be the same day in the evening. The EUROPLANET General Assembly will take place on Tuesday 4 October from 17:30-19:00 in the Mars room.
The full science program of the meeting can be found at:
http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011/meetingprogramme
– The Don Hunten Memorial Session
will take place in the Saturne Auditorium on Monday, 3 October, 08:30–10:00
– Please also note the Career Panel at ESPC/DPS 2011
On Foreign Soil: Working as a Planetary Scientist in Another Country
Room Mercure Room / Mon, 03 Oct, 12:00–13:30
The Professional Development Subcommittee is sponsoring a lunchtime workshop focusing on working in a foreign country. The program will include a panel of experts who will talk about their research experiences followed by a question and answer session. Information and advice will be gathered and disseminated to attendees and the broader membership.
Please provide your own lunch. Registration is encouraged but not required.
The panelists are:
Cristina Dalle Ore NASA Ames/SETI Institute
Francesca DeMeo MIT
Wesley Fraser CalTech
Amanda Gulbis SALT/MIT
Sarah Hörst Southwest Research Institute
Catherine Neish APL
Please visit the DPS professional development web page for more information: development or contact Rachel Mastrapa ([email protected])
– You may also want to attend the International Astronomical Union gathering (“IAU Party”) on Wednesday 5 October, 12:00 – 13:30
to learn about and discuss the role of the IAU in the area of (exo)planetary sciences:
– what it is (Divisions, Commissions, Working Groups, etc.)
– what it does
– what you would like it to be/do
Application forms (due December 1, 2011) will be available for those interested in becoming IAU members which is required for attendance at next year’s General Assembly in Beijing (See also item 6 hereafter).
http://bit.ly/IAU_Party
The conveners:
Melissa McGrath (President of Commission 16)
Regis Courtin (Past-President of Commission 16)
– For other events, deadlines and milestones at the EPSC-DPS 2011 see:
http://meetings.copernicus.org/epsc-dps2011/information/deadlines_and_mi…
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2012 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER
You can renew your 2012 dues online beginning the first week of September, 2011. Please help the AAS save substantial costs by renewing online at aas.org.
Paper renewals will be mailed in late October so please take a moment and log in to your member record and opt out of receiving your renewal notice by US mail. You will need your member login ID and password. If you have not used this before, give the membership department a call and they will provide you with that information or, you can reset your password online. Any address changes can be made directly on that page. If you need assistance, please contact [email protected], or call 202-328-2010 x101.
Also, please take a moment to update your personal DPS member file, sometimes the emails there are your old ones…
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2012A NASA KECK CALL FOR PROPOSALS
NASA is soliciting proposals to use the Keck Telescopes for the 2012A observing semester (February – July 2012).
NASA intends the use of the Keck telescopes to be highly strategic in support of on-going space missions and/or high
priority, long term science goals. NASA Keck time is open to a wide range of disciplines including exoplanets and
solar system topics, galactic, and extragalactic topics, cosmology and high energy astrophysics.
This is the last semester that the Keck Interferometer will be available. This semester and continuing into future semesters,
there is limited time available for observations of targets based on public Kepler data or data obtained through the Kepler
Guest Observer programs. In addition, the call for CoRoT Key Science has been extended to semester 2012B. Proposals
are also sought in the following discipline areas: (1) investigations in support of EXOPLANET EXPLORATION science goals
and missions; (2) investigations of our own SOLAR SYSTEM; (3) investigations in support of COSMIC ORIGINS science
goals and missions; (4) investigations in support of PHYSICS OF THE COSMOS science goals and missions; and (5) direct
MISSION SUPPORT.
The proposal process is being handled by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at Caltech and all proposals are
due on 15 September 2011 at 4 pm PDT.
Please see the website http://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/index.shtml
for further information and the proposal submission site. Questions not answered on these pages can be directed to [email protected]
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ICARUS SPECIAL ISSUE ANNOUNCEMENT :
TERRESTRIAL ANALOG STUDIES IN PREPARATION FOR THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY MISSION AND BEYOND.
Deadline for submission: December 1, 2011.
On March 5-6, 2011, a workshop titled “Analogue Sites for Mars
Missions: MSL and Beyond” was held in Houston, TX. A summary of the
workshop’s purpose and abstracts of the presentations may be found
here:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/analogues2011/analogues20113rd.shtml. A
survey of workshop participants indicated there was enough interest in
consolidating reports on work in this area to justify a special issue of
Icarus. Participation in the special issue will not be limited to those who
attended the March workshop – anyone is welcome to submit a manuscript on a
relevant topic.
It is important to note that all submissions will be evaluated based on
Icarus’ guidelines for authors
(http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/622843/auth…
structions).
In particular, manuscripts must “contain new research – observational,
experimental, or theoretical – concerning the astronomy, geology,
meteorology, physics, chemistry, biology, and other scientific aspects of our
Solar System.” Manuscripts that include information about new instrumental
techniques, logistics, “exploration science,” or other technical matters must
primarily focus on the new science achieved through these methods to be
considered within the scope of the journal. Prospective authors who are
unsure of the suitability of their subject for Icarus’ scope are welcome to
submit a short description of their intended contribution to the Icarus
Editorial Office at:[email protected].
To assist in planning for the editorial review of papers for the special
issue, contributors are asked to send a brief letter of intent by October 15,
2011 to the Icarus Editorial Office: [email protected]. Participants
from the March workshop who have already indicated their intent to submit a
manuscript in response to the aforementioned survey need not submit another
letter of intent unless their plans have changed.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES
1) POSITIONS IN PLANETARY EXPLORATION AT NASA/AMES
The Intelligent Robotics Group at NASA Ames Research Center, California, is now hiring for five positions related to planetary exploration:
Computer Vision Researcher: http://goo.gl/hSE6p
Applied Research Engineer: http://goo.gl/UCS8d
Software Developer/Engineer: http://goo.gl/AW04H
Planetary Data Engineer / Web Developer: http://goo.gl/a75Je
Software Engineer / Roboticist: http://goo.gl/rIlXF
[Forwarded by Ross Beyer]
2) NASA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
The next deadline to apply for a NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP)
fellowship is November 1, 2011. These competitive one- to three-year
appointments advance NASA’s missions in space science, earth science,
aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, lunar science, and
astrobiology.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before
beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree
requirements. U. S. citizens and foreign nationals who hold Lawful
Permanent Resident status or who are eligible for J-1 status as a
Research Scholar may apply. An H-1B Visa status is not acceptable
because the NPP is not an employment program.
Stipend rates for Postdoctoral Fellows start at $50,000 per year, with
moderate supplements for high cost-of-living areas and for certain
academic specialties. Funds are available for relocation expenses, up
to a specified limit, and health insurance is available through the
program. Fellows also receive $8,000 per appointment year to support
travel to conferences, meetings, and other activities that directly
support their research.
For further information about this opportunity and to apply online,
visit:
http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm
Questions regarding this opportunity may be submitted by e-mail to
[email protected]
3) 2012 SAGAN FELLOWSHIPS
The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute announces the 2012 Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and solicits applications for fellowships to begin in the Fall of 2012.
The Sagan Fellowships support outstanding recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research that is broadly related to the science goals of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration area. The primary goal of missions within this program is to discover and characterize planetary systems and Earth-like planets around nearby stars.
The proposed research may be theoretical, observational, or instrumental. This program is open to applicants of any nationality who have earned (or will have earned) their doctoral degrees on or after January 1, 2009, in astronomy, physics, or related disciplines. The fellowships are tenable at U.S. host institutions of the fellows’ choice, subject to a maximum of one new fellow per host institution per year. The duration of the fellowship is up to three years: an initial one-year appointment and two annual renewals contingent on satisfactory performance and availability of NASA funds.
Note: Starting with the call for 2012 Sagan Fellows, we are accepting the submission of up to two host institutions. The purpose of designating first and second-choice institutions in the application is to provide the program with flexibility should there be several highly ranked applications at any single institution.
The Announcement of Opportunity, which includes detailed program policies and application instructions is available at the web site: http://nexsci.caltech.edu/sagan/fellowship.shtml
Applicants must follow the instructions given in this Announcement. Applications must be submitted electronically through the above website. Inquiries about the Sagan Fellowships may be directed to [email protected]
The deadline for both applications and letters of reference is Thursday, November 3, 2011. Offers will be made before February 1, 2012 and new appointments are expected to begin on or about September 1, 2012.
4) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN PLANETARY GEOPHYSICS
at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP)
The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) is inviting applications for a postdoctoral position in the field of planetary geophysics. This two year position aims to support the analysis of lunar gravity data that will be obtained by NASA’s mission GRAIL
(Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory). Possible research topics include the study of lunar impact craters, volcanic landforms, and the structure and evolution of the lunar crust.
With a launch in the fall of 2011, a start date in early 2012 is expected. To apply, please provide a CV, publication list, contact information of two references, and a 2-page letter that motivates the envisioned research project and that describes the applicant’s research interests. Multidisciplinary research projects that combine GRAIL-derived gravity data with other remotely sensed data sets will be favored.
Please respond by email to Mark Wieczorek ([email protected]) before September 15.
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IAU MEMBERSHIP DEADLINE 18 NOVEMBER 2011
All astronomers who are not currently IAU members should consider applying for membership in advance of the General Assembly in Beijing, China in August 2012. Only IAU members or invitees may attend the General Assembly. In particular, applications to become a US member of the IAU are only accepted every third year, so don’t miss this opportunity.
Scientists seeking to become IAU members apply through the relevant National Committee of the country where they are working or living permanently. In the United States, the U.S. National Committee of the IAU (USNC-IAU) is organized through the Board on International Scientific Organizations at the National Academy of Sciences.
A new electronic membership application process has been established to make becoming a member easier. Interested scientists should send a request for membership information to the following email address:
mailto:[email protected]
An access code will be provided to the online membership application system.
The deadline for applications for membership is 18 November 2011.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
See the planetary meeting calendar posted at http://planetarynews.org/meetings.html
See also: http://www.iugg.org/calendar.php
1) First Kepler Science Conference: Call for Abstracts & Registration
The First Kepler Science Conference is scheduled for
December 5-9, 2011 at NASA Ames Research Center, CA.
http://kepler.nasa.gov/Science/ForScientists/keplerconference/
Topics include:
-The Kepler Mission and Exoplanet Statistics
-Earth-analog and sub-Neptune-size Planets
-Multiple Planet Systems
-Exoplanet Theory
-Giant Planets and Planet Atmospheres
-Eclipsing and Interacting Binaries
-Stellar Activity and Rotation
-Asteroseismology Across the HR Diagram
-Red Giant Oscillations
-Ensemble Asteroseismology of Solar-type Stars
Abstract Submission Deadline September 14, 2011
Conference Registration Deadlines:
-US Citizen and Permanent Resident Registration: October 21, 2011
-Foreign National Registration
-Designated Countries September 23, 2011
-Non-Designated Countries October 21, 2011
[Forwarded by : Matt Holmann
Chair, Science Organizing Committee]
2) AAS Austin Meeting Registration Now Open
Registration and abstract submisison is now open for the 219th Meeting in Austin, TX 8-12 January 2012.
Online: http://aas.org/meetings/aas219/registration
The Austin abstract deadline is 9:00 pm ET, Wednesday, 5 October 2011.
Register by 15 September to receive the Early rate.
3) School of Applied Mathematics and Innovation 2011 (SAMI 2011):
Celestial Mechanics and Computing Orbits
November 21 – December 2, 2011 in Bogota, Colombia
http://ima.usergioarboleda.edu.co/SAMI/SAMI2011.htm
4) Sao Paulo Advanced School of Astrobiology
– Making Connections (SPASA 2011)
December 11-20, 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil
http://www.astro.iag.usp.br/~spasa2011
5) Exoclimes
16th-20th January 2012 in Aspen, Colorado
http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/exoclimes/
6) Symposium: “From Atoms to Pebbles: Herschel’s view of Star and Planet Formation”,
20-23 March 2012, Grenoble
Approaching the three year anniversary of the launch of Herschel, the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG), are organizing an exceptional Symposium: “From Atoms to Pebbles: Herschel’s view of Star and Planet Formation” (website: <“>http://www.herschel2012.com/newsletter/newsletter.php>
[M. Rouzé (CNES) and J.-C. Augereau (IPAG)
Symposium Chairs]
7) EGU 2012
April 22-27, in Vienna, Austria
http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2012/
8) 9th International Planetary Probe Short Course (IPPW-9)
June 16-17, 2012 in Toulouse, France
http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/
9) 9th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-9)
June 18-22, 2012 in Toulouse, France
http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/
10) COSPAR 2012
July 14-22 in Mysore, India
http://www.cospar2012india.org/
11) AOGS 2012 (AOGS-AGU Joint assembly)
August 13-17 in Singapore, Santosa Island)
http://www.asiaoceania.org/society/index.asp