Newsletter 15-4

Issue 15-04, January 21, 2015

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1) IN MEMORIAM: ALBERTO BEHAR (1967-2015)
2) NASA/APPLIED PHYSICS LAB (APL) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
3) UPCOMING MEETINGS
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IN MEMORIAM: ALBERTO BEHAR (1967-2015)

Dr. Alberto Behar, a long-time researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died January, 9, 2015 in a small-plane accident near Van Nuys, CA.

An expert on robotics for exploring extreme environments on Earth and other planets, Behar worked in the Avionics, Instruments, and Science divisions at JPL. He played a key role in developing in situ robotic systems for measuring Earth’s ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland using submarines, ice rovers, and boats. He also participated in the exploration of Mars, serving as the Investigation Scientist for both the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on the Curiosity rover and the High Energy Neutron Detector on the Mars Odyssey orbiter. Alberto was a research professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. He held a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Thomas Wagner, the Cryosphere Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters, summed up Behar this way: “From his submarines that peeked under Antarctica to his boats that raced Greenland’s rivers, Alberto’s work enabled measurements of things we’d never known. His creativity knew few bounds. He is, and will forever be, sorely missed.”

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NASA/APPLIED PHYSICS LAB (APL) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Students participating in the 2015 NASA/APL Internship Program will work at the APL facility in Laurel, MD. Students will receive a stipend ($4K-undergrads and $5K-grads) for the 10-week program, and housing will be provided. Talks by key mission engineers and scientists, along with tours of APL and NASA/Goddard will be provided throughout the summer. Students must be U.S. Citizens, and have successfully passed a background check of criminal, social security and driving record. The investigation will be facilitated by the Visitor Control Office at APL.

https://dnnpro.outer.jhuapl.edu/aplnasaintern/Home.aspx

Application Deadline February 28, 2015.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS

A) SPF1: STAR AND PLANET FORMATION IN THE SOUTHWEST

We would like to draw your attention to the upcoming meeting: “SPF1: Star and Planet Formation in the Southwest”.

Note that the abstract deadline has been extended to Friday, 23 January 2015.

This conference will take place at the Biosphere 2 Center in Oracle, Arizona, just north of Tucson, on March 23-26, 2015, and will feature senior reviews, as well as invited and contributed talks by junior scientists that highlight contributions to the field by post-docs and graduate students. This conference will also foster extended, unstructured discussion and interaction between the senior review speakers and other attendees.
SPF1 registration, abstraction submission, and additional information are available at the conference website:
http://tinyurl.com/spf2015
Please note that payment and registration/abstract submission are separate processes. Questions should be directed to: [email protected]
A one-day NRAO Community Day will be held Friday, March 27, immediately after the SPF1 conference and at the same location. For more information and ** free ** registration, please visit:
https://science.nrao.edu/facilities/alma/naasc-workshops/nrao-cd-spf1/index

We look forward to seeing you at Biosphere 2!
The Scientific Organizing Committee

B) VENUS SCIENCE PRIORITIES FOR LABORATORY MEASUREMENTS AND INSTRUMENT DEFINITION WORKSHOP

April 7-8, 2015
Hampton, Virginia

http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/venustech2015/venustech20151st.shtml

Abstract deadline January 22, 2015

C) THE FUTURE & SCIENCE OF GEMINI OBSERVATORY

June 14-18, 2015
Toronto, Canada

Registration is now open for the next Gemini Science and User Meeting, which will be held in Toronto, 14-18 June 2015. The Gemini Science Meeting occurs every three years. The theme of this year’s meeting is “The Future & Science of Gemini Observatory.” The meeting will cover a range of exciting scientific results from the international community, such as: Solar System, Exoplanets, Galactic astronomy, The Nearby Universe, Cosmic Explosions, AGNs and QSOs, and Distant Galaxies and Cosmology.

If you have used Gemini data in the past several years, or are interested in finding out more about the capabilities of the Observatory, please consider attending. At the User meeting there will be discussions on the next-generation instruments, observing modes and synergies with other facilities as the Observatory looks ahead to 2020 and beyond. In particular, the Gemini Instrument Feasibility Study (GIFS) teams will present their studies for the next Gemini instrument and your feedback is requested on the different concepts to be proposed.

Abstract and Early Registration (reduced fee) deadlines are both March 4, 2015. For further information on the program, registration, abstract submission, and the venue, see

http://www.gemini.edu/fsg15

D) ASTROBIOLOGY SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2015 (AbSciCon)

Please join us for the session on “Determining the Origin and Nature of Prebiotic Species in Comets” at the upcoming AbSciCon meeting this summer, June 15-19 in Chicago, Illinois. This session invites contributions from comet observations at all wavelengths, investigating the inventory and origin of cometary organics.

Abstract submission is now open (closes March 4), and details, as well as a list of other session topics, are available at the AbSciCon website (http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2015/).

Theme: How to Build a Habitable Planet
Session Title: Determining the Origin and Nature of Prebiotic Species in Comets
Summary: Sublimated molecular ice, silicate dust, and solid-state carbonaceous materials are the major components of cometary comae that can be studied by space- and ground-based observations, as well as by rendezvous missions. Multiple organic molecules are now routinely detected, including ethylene glycol and formamide, as well as a number of unidentified lines in bright comets that suggest that other organic/prebiotic molecules may be present and detectable in comets. This session invites contributions from comet observations at all wavelengths, investigating the inventory and origin of cometary organics.

Sincerely,
Stefanie Milam and Martin Cordiner

E) PLANETARY SYSTEMS: A SYNERGISTIC VIEW

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

PLANETARY SYSTEMS: A SYNERGISTIC VIEW
International Center for Interdisciplinary Science Education
Quy Nhon, Vietnam
19-25 July 2015

http://rencontresduvietnam.org/conferences/2015/planetary-systems/

Abstract Deadline: 20 February 2015