Newsletter 12-3

Issue 12-3, February 15, 2012

+—————————–CONTENTS——————————————————–+
1) IN MEMORIAM : SUSAN NIEBUR (1978-2012)
2) DPS 2012 PRIZE NOMINATIONS
3) REMINDER : 2012 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
4) OBSERVING CALLS
5) AAS PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMS
6) JOB OPPORTUNITIES
7) UPCOMING MEETINGS
+——————————————————————————————————+

1———1———1———1———1———1———1———1
IN MEMORIAM : SUSAN NIEBUR (1978-2012)
“All that survives after our death are publications and people. So look carefully after the words you write, the thoughts and publications you create, and how you love others. For these are the only things that will remain.” –Susan Niebur

Susan Niebur, former NASA Program Scientist and founder of the Women in Planetary Science project, passed away on February 6, 2012, surrounded by family and friends. She will be remembered for her untiring work to bring people together and to find ways to help everyone to be able to live up to their potential; for the passion and incredible energy she brought to everything she did; for the constant encouragement and inspiration she provided to others; and for her wonderful and unfailing smile.

Susan got her Ph.D. in Physics at Washington University McDonnell Center for Space Sciences in 2001. While a student, she founded the American Physical Society’s Forum on Graduate Student Affairs and served as its first Chair; founded and led the first peer mentoring group at Washington University; co-created and administered the first National Doctoral Program Survey; and served as President, Vice President, Regional Coordinator, and first Alumni Affairs Coordinator for the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. She started her career at NASA Headquarters straight out of grad school as a Presidential Management Intern in the Office of Space Science and became the Discovery Program Scientist in 2003. During her five-year service at NASA Headquarters she co-founded the first-ever Early Career Fellowships and Workshops for Planetary Scientists, held at annual meetings of the American Astronomical Society’s Division for Planetary Science and the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

In 2006 Susan left NASA and founded Niebur Consulting, to pursue research in space science policy, the history of space science missions, mission leadership and the place of women in the current landscape of planetary exploration. (Her publications on these topics can be found at http://susanniebur.wordpress.com/publication-list/.) She also consulted for major aerospace companies and research institutions on proposal strategy and planning. In addition, she worked tirelessly to promote community outreach projects, providing several forums for those whose voices aren’t always heard. In 2008, she founded the Women in Planetary Science project (“Women make up half the bodies in the solar system. Why not half the scientists?” http://womeninplanetaryscience.wordpress.com/), a community-building portal to promote networking and facilitate sharing of resources to remove barriers to success. As part of that project she ran a series of interviews 51 Women in Planetary Science, which represents a goldmine of information for anyone interested in learning about options available when pursuing a career in a planetary-science-related field. She also introduced the first Women’s Networking Breakfast, a hugely successful annual event at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, which, over just a few years, has grown from an overflowing hotel breakfast room to a large conference room, also overflowing.
Among her numerous honors is the Public Service Award from the NASA Planetary Science Division in November 2011, for her “exemplary leadership abilities [that] have helped many women in the field, both planetary and astrophysics” (PSD Director Jim Green).

Susan was also extremely active in advocating for cancer research and raising awareness about Inflammatory Breast Cancer, a rare and very aggressive form of cancer. She fought that disease with all she had, documenting her journey on the site ToddlerPlanet.wordpress.com with compelling forthrightness, and was one of the creators of the online support network Mothers with Cancer about “Raising Children, Fighting Cancer, Living Life!” (http://motherswithcancer.wordpress.com/). Her tremendous contribution to social media and cancer advocacy has been widely recognized, including the Bloganthropy Annual Award for “using social media to make a difference” in 2011.

“Susan Niebur is survived by her family, friends, achievements, and the indelible marks she made on people around the world.” (Curt Niebur, February 6, 2012).

More information on Susan and links to her websites can be found at:
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/profile.cfm?Code=NieburS

Prepared by E. Turte and J. Castillo

2———2———2———2———2———2———2———2
DPS 2012 PRIZE NOMINATIONS

Every year the DPS recognizes exceptional achievement in our field. It is
time to consider nominating a respected colleague for one of the annual DPS
prizes.

The Gerard P. Kuiper Prize honors outstanding contributions to the
field of planetary science. The Harold C. Urey Prize recognizes outstanding
achievement in planetary research by a young scientist. The Harold Masursky
Award acknowledges outstanding service to planetary science and
exploration. The Carl Sagan Medal recognizes and honors outstanding
communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public. The
Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award recognizes and
stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences.

Detailed descriptions of each of the prizes and the criteria for nominees
for each can be found at prizes. The nomination form and
instructions can also be retrieved from this website. The completed nomination
form and supporting material should be emailed to [email protected].

Anyone may submit a nomination. A completed nomination will be retained and
considered by the Prize Subcommittee for three years, or as long as the nominee
is eligible, whichever is less. Past nominees may be re-nominated after the
expiration of a prior nomination. A posthumous nomination is allowed for a
limited time after the nominee’s death, except for the Sagan Medal. For specific
details, see the url noted above.

The deadline for nominations this year is May 1.

Consider for example the Carl Sagan Medal, that recognizes excellence in
public communication in planetary science. Do you have a colleague that
excels in reaching out to the public, that has a particularly effective way
of communicating new findings in our field? We want to recognize those
efforts, that are so important to the health of our field!

The Masursky Award recognizes meritorious service to planetary science. Do
you have a colleague whose efforts made a significant difference in the
success of an endeavor you’ve been involved in through engineering,
managerial, programmatic or public service activities? Consider nominating
that individual!

3———3———3———3———3———3———3———3
REMINDER : 2012 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Important! Important!

Renew by 29 February 2012 to ensure you are included in the 2012 membership
Directory. To ensure your listing is correct, please take a moment and
log in to the Member Pages (http://members.aas.org) and click the
Member Profile link to review your information. Any changes can be
made directly on that page. The Directory is created from the
membership database using an automated process. Your information must
be up to date online in order to be correct in the printed Directory,
and you must have renewed for 2012 to be included in the Directory as
well.

4———4———4———4———4———4———4———4
OBSERVING CALLS

1) NSO OBSERVING PROPOSALS

Deadline: 15 February 2012 (TODAY !)

The current deadline for submitting observing proposals to the
National Solar Observatory is 15 February 2012 for the second quarter
of 2012. Information is available from the NSO Telescope Allocation
Committee at P.O. Box 62, Sunspot, NM 88349 for Sacramento Peak
facilities ([email protected]) or P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, AZ 85726 for Kitt
Peak facilities ([email protected]). Instructions may be found at
http://www.nso.edu/general/observe/. A web-based observing-request
form is at http://www2.nso.edu/cgi-bin/nsoforms/obsreq/obsreq.cgi.
Users’ Manuals are available at http://nsosp.nso.edu/dst/ for the SP
facilities and http://nsokp.nso.edu/ for the KP facilities. An
observing-run evaluation form can be obtained at
ftp://ftp.nso.edu/observing_templates/evaluation.form.txt.

Proposers are reminded that each quarter is typically oversubscribed,
and it is to the proposer’s advantage to provide all information
requested to the greatest possible extent no later than the official
deadline. Observing time at National Observatories is provided as
support to the astronomical community by the National Science
Foundation.

2) NOAO SURVEY PROGRAM
The NOAO Survey Program will be accepting proposals for new surveys to
start in the 2012B and 2013A semesters. This program supports large
observational projects using the Gemini, KPNO, and CTIO telescopes
that allow the identification of complete, well-defined samples that
can yield both conclusions based on statistical analysis of the survey
data itself and also provide important subsets for more detailed
observations with larger telescopes. In addition, surveys are expected
to provide coherent datasets that will be useful for other
researchers.

Investigators must submit letters of intent to propose for the NOAO
Survey Program to [email protected] by February 15, 2012 (TODAY !), to be
eligible to propose for an NOAO Survey Program commencing in the
2012B/2013A semester. The deadline for receiving completed Survey
proposals is 29 March 2012 at 11:59pm.

Survey proposals are generally restricted to instruments that have
been commissioned and are well-characterized for scientific use, due
to the significant time investment required for Survey programs. The
newest instruments at Gemini South, the multi-object near-infrared
spectrograph Flamingos-2 and the GEMS Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics
system and GSAOI camera, will not be available for this round of
Surveys. The CTIO 4-m Dark Energy Camera (DECam) will also not be
available for Surveys. Please also note that commissioning of DECam,
as well as early operation of the Dark Energy Survey and DECam
community programs, is likely to highly restrict the availability of
ISPI and Hydra-CTIO for Surveys.

For more information, go to http://www.noao.edu/gateway/surveys/

3) CFHT LARGE PROGRAM CALL (2013A-2016B)

The Large Program Implementation Procedures are now available on the
Call web page : http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/science/LP_13_16/

Reminder: The deadline for proposal submission is 28 Feb. 2012 – 23:59
UTC.

Forwarded by Christian Veillet

4) ARECIBO CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Submission deadline: 1 March 2012

The new management of Arecibo Observatory have recently sanctioned a
move to a semester schedule for telescope proposal deadlines. In
future these deadlines will be on or about 1 March and 1 September
each year. Proposals will still be evaluated during a four-month
period following each deadline. Approved proposals will remain active
and eligible for scheduling under the same rules as currently, (i.e.
A-graded proposals indefinitely, B-graded for the next eight months).

Due to the transition to a semester cycle, the proposal call for
submissions due 1 March 2012, presents a special case. To avoid any
shortage of active observing programs of high merit during the month
of July 2012, the evaluation period for the 1 March 2012, deadline
will be accelerated and completed in three months rather than four;
B-graded proposals from this will be active for nine months instead of
eight (i.e. until 1 March 2013). We hence remind 1 March 2012,
proposers of the need, should it be relevant, to plan for an extra
month of potential observing.

The new semester-based schedule offers several advantages including
reduced burden on the Observatory staff and alignment (with a
one-month delay) with the new semester-based cycle at NRAO.

We invite Arecibo telescope proposals for the Thursday, 1 March 2012,
(23:59 EST), deadline. These requests should be for telescope usage
within the nine months beginning 1 June 2012.

Latest news with relevance to the above deadline can be found at
http://www.naic.edu/~astro/call_mar12.shtml

Technical information that could be useful to prospective Arecibo
proposers can be found at
http://www.naic.edu/~astro/call_mar12_tech.shtml

The Web Coversheet Form can be found at
http://www.naic.edu/~astro/proposals/cover.html

Remember to also separately email a PDF of the main body of your
proposal to [email protected].

5) 2012B NASA KECK CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Deadline: 15 March 2012

NASA is soliciting proposals to use the Keck Telescopes for the 2012B
observing semester (August 2012 – January 2013). NASA intends the use
of the Keck telescopes to be highly strategic in support of on-going
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 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, this is the *final* semester to
request time to support CoRoT Key Science. 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 by 4 pm PDT on
15 March 2012. 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].

6) NOAO CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2012B DUE

Deadline: 29 March 2012

The National Optical Astronomy Observatory announces the availability
of observing time for the 2012B semester, August 2012 – January 2013.
Time is available with the Gemini North and South telescopes, the
6.5-m telescope of the MMT Observatory, the 5-m Hale Telescope at
Palomar Observatory, and the telescopes of Cerro Tololo Inter-American
Observatory and Kitt Peak National Observatory. Details of
instrumentation, observing modes, schedules, and proposal submission
instructions are available at:
http://ast.noao.edu/observing/proposal-info

Proposals are due no later than 11:59pm MST (Mountain Standard Time)
on Thursday, 29 March 2012.

7) OPTICON: TRANS-NATIONAL ACCESS PROGRAM IN SEMESTER 2012B

See :
http://www.astro-opticon.org/fp7/tna/opticon_call_new.html

Deadline is 29 February, 12:00 UT.

5———5———5———5———5———5———5———5
AAS PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAMS

Two AAS Public Policy Programs that DPS Members Can Participate in:

Communicating With Washington: Staff in the White House and Congress often lament that they do not hear enough from scientists who do federally funded research about the importance of science and their research to the nation. The challenge is to make communicating with Washington a part of every scientist’s academic and professional career. The American Astronomical Society rises to the challenge by starting a new initiative called Communicating With Washington.

The AAS Council has allocated funds to enable AAS members (which includes DPS members) to participate in Communicating With Washington. As a volunteer you will learn how to most effectively communicate with policy makers and travel to Washington, DC, to meet with policy makers. The goal is to have one or two astronomers visit Washington every week that Congress is in session and to visit every Congressional office, the Congressional science committee offices, and the White House at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) over the life of the program.

Sign-up starts on 13 February (http://aas.org/policy/cww_sign_up_form) for visits with policy makers between 1 April and 30 June. The sign-up will close by 24 February. We have to select volunteers who balance the program by location, time of visit, career stage, and experience to meet the goals of the program. You will be notified by 2 March.

Congressional Visits Day: The AAS is also recruiting volunteers (again DPS members who are also full AAS members are eligible) to participate in the annual
Congressional Visits Day to be held on 24-25 April 2012. Organized by
the Science-Engineering-Technology Working Group, this event brings
scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and technology
executives to Washington to raise visibility and support for science,
engineering, and technology. More information on the 2012 SETWG CVD is
available at: http://www.setcvd.org/

To participate in Congressional Visits Day, please contact Bethany Johns, AAS John Bahcall Public Policy Fellow, at [email protected] <http://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/about/student/.
About OSTP. The Office of Science and Technology Policy advises the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The office serves as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans and programs of the Federal Government.
About the Student Volunteer Program. Student Volunteers are accepted for one of three annual terms (Spring, Summer, or Fall), which each last no more than 90 days. While these positions are without compensation, the assignments provide educational enrichment, practical work experience, and network opportunities with other individuals in the science and technology policy arena.
For questions, please contact Lauren Andersen, [email protected]<[email protected]<http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm

Questions may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected]

3) POSTDOCTORAL POSITION WITHIN THE LABORATORY ASTROCHEMISTRY TEAM OF THE INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS OF RENNES

See: http://www.ipr.univ-rennes1.fr/wiki/index.php/EN/astro/accueil
The successful applicant will participate in the CRESUSOL project, funded by the French ANR (National Research Agency). The main aim is to measure rate constants and in particular product branching ratios at substantially lower temperatures than has been attempted before (down to 20 K), for a selection of reactions of importance for interstellar environments and planetary atmospheres.
For this purpose, a new, pulsed version of the CRESU technique will be coupled with synchrotron VUV photoionisation mass spectrometry. The CRESU is the only technique capable of measuring the rate coefficients for reactions at temperatures as low as 6 K1-2, and the cw DESIRS VUV undulator-based beamline of the synchrotron SOLEIL, which is a state-of-the-art beamline providing high flux, spectral purity and high spectral resolution over the whole VUV range (5-40 eV), will be used in this study.
The candidate will first participate in kinetics measurements based on VUV laser-induced fluorescence experiments using the current CRESU apparatus available at Rennes. He/she will also participate in the development and implementation of a mass spectrometer in a chamber equipped with a new, pulsed, version of the CRESU in which preliminary experiments will be undertaken at Rennes. The candidate will benefit from the experience of the members of the Rennes and SOLEIL (Laurent Nahon and co-workers) groups in the different fields involved. During the project, strong interaction will also be maintained with the theoretical group of Stephen Klippenstein and Lawrence Harding at Argonne National Laboratory (USA), third partner of the CRESUSOL project.
We are looking for someone with a solid background in experimental physics/chemical physics/physical chemistry. Candidates with experience in lasers, mass spectrometry and photoionisation techniques are encouraged to apply. Experience in rarefied flows and/or data acquisition would be advantageous.
The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of renewal. The salary is competitive and will commensurate with experience (gross salary > 27 550 €).
Applicants should send (preferably by email) a letter of interest, a CV and the names and contact details (emails) of three referees to
Dr. Sébastien Le Picard,
Institut de Physique de Rennes,
Equipe d’Astrochimie Expérimentale,
Université de Rennes 1,
35 042 Rennes cedex, France.
Tel :+33 223 23 61 91
[email protected] .
The review of applications will start now and continue until the position is filled.

4) PLANETARY GEOPHYSICS POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

The Universities Space Research Association’s Lunar and Planetary
Institute (LPI), in Houston Texas, invites applications for a
postdoctoral fellowship in planetary geophysics.

The successful candidate will work with Dr. Walter Kiefer on a
NASA-funded project studying the nature of mantle convection on Mars
and its effects on the thermal evolution and volcanic history of the
planet. The candidate will also have the opportunity to conduct
research in planetary geophysics of his or her own choosing.

The position requires a Ph.D. in Planetary Science or Geophysics with
experience in computer programming and numerical modeling methods,
particularly finite elements. Experience with parallel computing in
a Linux environment will be an asset. The position will be offered
for an initial period of two years with a possible extension to a
maximum of three years.

Applicants should send a letter of interest, a curriculum vita
listing relevant publications, a brief (maximum three pages)
statement of research interests, and a list of three references to
[email protected]. Review of candidates will begin on
March 15, 2012, with a hiring decision as soon as possible thereafter.
Further information about LPI can be found at:

www.lpi.usra.edu

USRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

—————————————————————–
Additional Career opportunities are listed at http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/careers/

7———7———7———7———7———7———7———7
UPCOMING MEETINGS

—————————————————————–
TITAN THROUGH TIME II WORKSHOP – ABSTRACT DEADLINE EXTENDED

The Second Workshop on “Titan Through Time: Formation, Evolution and
Fate” will be held at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center April 3-5th 2012.

The deadline for abstracts has been extended to FEBRUARY 15th (TODAY!), due to Cassini meetings being held this week. The deadline for registration remains February 15th. Registration and abstract submission is through the meeting website:

http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~hurfordt/ttt/index.html

The 2 1/2 day program will consist of a mixture of invited reviews on key Titan formation/evolution topics; contributed talks; and posters.
The oral program is filling rapidly – if you are requesting a talk rather than poster we advise submitting your abstract as soon as possible to receive full consideration.

We look forward to a very exciting and productive meeting in April on Titan’s past, present and future, and welcoming you then.

Conor Nixon, University of Maryland
Raph Lorenz, Johs Hopkins APL

Co-Chairs, Science Program

—————————————————————–
39TH SCIENTIFIC ASSEMBLY OF COSPAR
Mysore, India
14 – 22 July 2012

Scientific program and abstract submission:
http://www.cospar-assembly.org
– Abstract deadline extended: 17 February 2012

Registration and hotel reservations:
http://www.cospar2012india.org

– Early registration deadline: 30 April 2012

Note the COSPAR 2012 Event E1.18 on “EXOPLANETS”

You are invited to participate to the event on EXOPLANETS within 39th COSPAR 2012 Scientific Assembly July 14-22, 2012 Mysore, India.

A significant fraction of exoplanetary research is based on space experiments often conducted in synergy with ground based observations. Dedicated missions are currently in full operation, and others are in the implementation or study phases. The number of space missions devoted to the study of exoplanets (or those for which exoplanets are a relevant part of the scientific program) is growing continuously, both in the detection and in the atmospheric characterization areas. This COSPAR event aims to give an opportunity tor the community interested in the field to review the major results achieved from space missions, and present and discuss the potentiality of new projects

—————————————————————–
DPS MEETING WORKSHOP : PLANNING YOUR JWST SOLAR SYSTEM OBSERVATIONS
Reno, Nevada,
October 14-19, 2012

The James Webb Space Telescope is an infrared-optimized space facility
scheduled for launch in 2018. Moving target (non-sidereal) tracking is a
‘Level 1’ requirement for JWST, and has been implemented. At the DPS
meeting in Reno NV, JWST team members will host a workshop specifically
tailored for solar system observers. The workshop will start with an
overview of the capabilities of the observatory and its science
instruments. Workshop attendees will also learn about the representative
science observing cases for solar system objects developed for the JWST
Science Operations ‘Design Reference Mission.’ JWST team members will be
available to answer your specific questions regarding special use cases
for solar system requirements, in particular observational issues and
approaches. A white paper about JWST planetary observations ­ to be
revised after this workshop – can be downloaded at
http://tinyurl.com/JWST-Solar-System.

More details about the workshop will be provided at
http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/ as the DPS meeting draws closer.

—————————————————————–
THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EARLY MARS: GEOLOGIC AND HYDROLOGIC EVOLUTION,
May 21–25, 2012, Incline Village, Nevada

Physical and Chemical Environments, and the Implications for Life —

* * * Abstract Deadline: March 8, 2012 * * *

The Third International Conference on Early Mars: Geologic and Hydrologic Evolution, Physical and Chemical Environments, and the Implications for Life will be held May 21–25, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, Nevada. This location was chosen due to its proximity to Mono Lake (and other locations of interest), which will be the focus of the mid-conference field trip.

The second announcement, which includes the call for abstracts, registration form, and other logistical details, is now available on the conference website:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/earlymars2012/

—————————————————————–
EUROPEAN LUNAR SYMPOSIUM
April 19–20, 2012, Berlin

We are pleased to announce that the website for abstract submission and registration for the 2012 European Lunar Symposium is now open. Please visit http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/els2012/ and navigate your way around to submit an abstract and register for this symposium.

We are limited to 170 participants and will adopt a first-come, first-served policy, so submit your abstract at your earliest convenience and register yourself for the meeting. The abstract submission deadline is February 28.

Mahesh Anand (Open University, UK) and Ralf Jaumann (DLR, Germany)
(on behalf of the ELS organizers)

—————————————————————–
1ST INTERPLANETARY CUBESAT WORKSHOP
29-30 May 2012
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Abstract Submission and Dates :
Talks on astrodynamics, attitude control and determination systems,
citizen science, communications, landers, launch opportunities, open
source approaches, outreach, payloads, policy, power systems,
propulsion, reentry systems, ride-shares, science missions, software,
standardization, structures, systems engineering, and other related
topics are all welcome.

1st April 2012 Abstract submission deadline
15th April 2012 Notification of abstract acceptance
28th May 2012 Presentation (and optional paper) upload deadline

Please indicate your interest in presenting or attending as soon as
possible by completing the registration form at
http://www.iCubeSat.org or emailling the organising committee at
committee@icubesat,org for more information as places are strictly
limited. See you in Boston!

—————————————————————–
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: PLANETARY AND EXO-PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES, SURFACE INTERACTIONS AND ASTROBIOLOGY

This year’s joint Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society
(CMOS) / American Meteorological Society (AMS) Congress to be held in
Montreal from May 29 to June 1, 2012 will feature a session entitled
Planetary and Exo-Planetary Atmospheres, Surface Interactions and
Astrobiology. This new session, held for the first time this year,
seeks to bring together research in atmospheres beyond our own and the
processes which affect their composition and dynamics from researchers
across Canada and the World. For more information, please consult the
links below or contact John Moores at [email protected] .
Abstracts may be submitted no later than February 17, 2012 at the
website of the Montreal Congress:
http://www.cmos.ca/congress2012/en/abstractsubmission/index.shtml
A more complete description of the session can be found here:

http://people.sca.uqam.ca/~gauthier/CMOS2012/ProgramCMOSMontreal2012_
web.htm#_Planetary_and_Exo-Planetary

—————————————————————–
WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: MOVING FORWARD IN SPACE
To be held in Philadelphia on June 4-6, 2012.

The primary goals of the workshop are to provide young female scientists with information and skills development necessary for a successful bid for a tenured professorship in the planetary sciences.
Workshop activities will focus on developing mentoring and networking connections, techniques for more successful writing, acquiring grant funding, sharing of classroom ideas and materials, maintaining work-life balance, and challenges for dual career couples.

Invited participants include finishing doctoral students, postdocs, scientists in a career break after a PhD or postdoc, in the early stages of a tenure-track position or employed outside academia. Though this conference is aimed specifically at maintaining female scientists in the tenure-track pipeline, we encourage all underrepresented minorities in the planetary sciences to apply. Dual career couples are encouraged to apply as well.

Applications to attend available: March 7, 2012.

E-mail: [email protected] for an application or additional information. We expect to invite 30-35 attendees to the workshop – and will have some funds available to help cover hotel costs for those who request them (via a separate application).

More information at:
https://sites.google.com/a/temple.edu/forward-in-space/home

—————————————————————–
STUDENT VIRTUAL FORUM IN ANCHORAGE 220TH AAS MEETING
10-14 June, 2012
Anchorage, Alaska

The AAS Astronomy Education Board (AEB) is pleased to announce an experimental online session at the 220th AAS meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, called the Student Virtual Forum (SVF). Undergraduate students who cannot attend the meeting in person may nevertheless present short oral papers “virtually,” that is, from remote locations via the Internet.

Students are invited to submit abstracts for the SVF on any astronomical research that they have conducted, including research in astronomy education or the history of astronomy. Faculty members are encouraged to mentor students in applying to participate. Abstracts should be submitted through the regular abstract form at http://members.aas.org/abstracts; be sure to specify topical category 46 (Student Virtual Forum). The deadline for submitting abstracts is March 1, 2012, at 9 p.m. EST; late abstracts will not be considered for the SVF.

Note that a limited number of abstracts can be accepted for the SVF, and if your abstract is accepted, you’ll be required to pay a nominal registration fee to present your paper. Applicants will be notified whether their abstract has been accepted for the SVF in mid-March. To give your abstract the best possible shot at acceptance, we recommend you read “Tips for Writing the Abstract of an AAS Meeting Presentation” at http://aas.org/career/writinganabstract. Accepted presenters will be required to submit their presentation slides by May 24, 2012, for upload and testing.

Note that the virtual session will be a live online event during the AAS meeting; it will accommodate on-site meeting attendees, online student presenters, and other virtual participants. While there is a fee for students to present papers, there is no fee for audience members to participate in the session remotely online. More information for presenters and instructions for joining the SVF on-site or online will follow.

n Carol Christian and Rick Fienberg, for the AEB

The deadline to submit abstracts for the Anchorage meeting is Thursday, 1 March 2012, 9:00pm ET.
Abstract forms are available at http://members.aas.org/abstracts/
Abstract correspondence originates from abstractsonline.com. Please
set your spam filters to allow email from abstractsonline.com.

Abstract text may be submitted by uploading word processing files,
cutting and pasting, or typing directly into the abstract form. A
character pallette of common symbols is provided.

See the Anchorage meeting site for further details and access to the
abstract and registration forms, available at
http://aas.org/meetings/aas220.

—————————————————————–
CALL FOR PAPERS: ON COMPARATIVE CLIMATOLOGY OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS
June 25-28, 2012, at the Hotel Boulderado,
Boulder Colorado.

Abstract deadline is April 12, 2012.

The goal of this conference is to look at climate in the broadest sense
possible – by comparing the processes at work on the four terrestrial
bodies, Earth, Venus, Mars, and Titan, and on terrestrial planets
around other stars. These processes include the interactions of
shortwave and thermal radiation with the atmosphere, condensation and
vaporization of volatiles, atmospheric dynamics and chemistry, and the
role of the surface, interior, sun and other external factors in the
long-term evolution of climate. Conference talks will compare the
scientific questions, methods, numerical models, and spacecraft remote
sensing experiments for Earth, and the other planets, with the goal of
identifying objectives for future research and missions.

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/climatology2012/

for more information and to submit an your Indication of Interest form
by February 27, 2012.

The meeting is sponsored by all four divisions of NASA/SMD and
convened by VEXAG, MEPAG and OPAG. Other sponsors include IUGG/IAMAS
and SwRI, LASP and the Planetary Society and meeting support is
provided by LPI/USRA.

—————————————————————–
FINAL CALL 34 iNTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS
5-10 August 2012, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract submissions close 17 February 2012
Click here http://www.34igc.org/submit-abstracts.php for detailed
information about the call for abstracts and to submit your abstract(s). Make sure you follow the template provided in step 2 of this link.

Earlybird registration remains open until 30 April 2012 – for details and
to register please click here
http://www.34igc.org/congress-registration.php

For more information about the Congress, please refer to the official
congress website ? www.34igc.org http://www.34igc.org/

Send to a friend
http://mymail.ezemsgs.com/forms/stf/b0a81cc/8781/1785360305/fedd8de/2920…

—————————————————————–
INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY PROBE WORKSHOP-9
Week of June 17, 2012 in Toulouse, France.

The 9th International Planetary Probe Workshop (IPPW-9) will be held in Toulouse, France on June 18-22, 2012. It will be hosted by ISAE (Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace) on its campus. The goal of the workshop is to bring together scientists, technologists, engineers, mission designers, and policy makers interested in the technological challenges and scientific opportunities in the exploration of Solar System using atmospheric entry and descent probes. The 9th workshop will build on the success of the previous workshops to promote international cooperation in probe missions to solar system bodies.
The list of session topics includes: Giants planets, Titan, Venus, Mars, Airless & Primitive Bodies, Science and technologies of probes, Landers and penetrators, Earth entry and Sample return technologies.
2012 promises to be an exciting edition, with the space community engaged in operating, building or planning many exciting missions to the Moon, planets, their satellites, asteroids and comets. 2012 will see: the arrival of the long-waited Mars Science Laboratory in the Gale crater, together with the continued operation of the Mars Exploration Rover mission, and the Philae comet lander still on its way to its destination.
Short course
In addition to the five-day workshop, a two day short course is normally held on a related topic during the preceding weekend. The topic selected for IPPW-9 is “ Probe Science Instrumentation Technologies ” (June 16-17, 2012).

Location
The workshop will take place in Toulouse (see http://bit.ly/IPPW9_TLS) at Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace on the ENSICA campus (campus map http://bit.ly/IPPW9_map) . ISAE / ENSICA is conveniently located next to the downtown of Toulouse.

Call for papers
Please submit your abstract directly here. Once your abstract submitted, check for abstract confirmation in your Inbox.

Author instructions
Author instructions and templates can be found here.

IPPW-9 Important Dates Reminder
Second Announcement & Abstract Submission start 20 Jan 2012
Workshop Reminder & Registration Start 15 Feb 2012
Abstract deadline 1 Mar 2012
Al Seiff Award nomination deadline 15 March 2012
Student scholarship application deadline 15 Mar 2012
Selection of papers/posters 15 Apr 2012
Selection of student scholarships 1 May 2012
Third Announcement 15 Apr 2012
Final Announcement 11 May 2012
Short Course: Probe Science Instrumentation Technologies 16-17 Jun 2012
IPPW-9 18-22 Jun 2012
Abstracts are due on March 1.
For more information, the website for the workshop is:
http://www.planetaryprobe.eu/

—————————————————————–
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS : PLANETARY DATA: A WORKSHOP FOR USERS AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
Flagstaff, AZ (USA)
June 25-29, 2012

We are pleased to announce Planetary Data: A Workshop for Users and Software Developers to be held June 25-29, 2012, at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona. The meeting facility is at the du Bois Conference Center on the NAU campus. The two content tracks will share a common day on Wednesday to hold talks of overlapping interest. One or both tracks can be attended and there is no registration fee for either. Abstract submissions for presentations and/or posters are due by April 30, 2012.

Planetary Data Users Track
* Share information on digital planetary data, including availability, access and analysis methods.
* Present how-to guides for locating, acquiring, processing and working with digital planetary data.

Planetary Software Developers Track
* Bring researchers and technology experts together to discuss and exchange ideas to identify difficult planetary research issues that can be addressed by software development.
* Present planetary data processing and software development methods and techniques.

Please visit http://on.doi.gov/PlanetD to view full announcement.

Schedule
April 30, 2012 Deadline for Abstract Submission (for presentation or poster)
June 15, 2012 Registration Deadline (if not submitting an abstract).
June 25-29, 2012 Workshop: Data Users (June 25-27), Software Developers (June 27-29)

The primary points of contact for the workshop are Trent Hare ([email protected]) or Lisa Gaddis ([email protected])

—————————————————————–
AOGS-AGU(WPGM) JOINT ASSEMBLY
Resort Worlds Sentosa, Singapore
13-17 August 2012

Abstract Submission Opens 15 Jan 2012
Abstract Submission Closes 12 Mar 2012

Website:

www.asiaoceania.org/aogs2012

———————————————————————-