Newsletter 17-40

Issue 17-40, October 5, 2017

 

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  1. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: DPS 49 BANQUET
  2. LSST AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM WORKSHOP AT DPS 49
  3. FUTURE KUIPER BELT MISSIONS WORKSHOP AT DPS 49
  4. REMINDER: ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ICARUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF POSITION
  5. TRICK OR TREAT AND TELESCOPES
  6. STUDENT AND EARLY CAREER TRAVEL GRANTS FOR VEXAG MEETING #15
  7. OPAG FINDINGS AND NEXT MEETING
  8. JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: DPS 49 BANQUET 

 

I just signed up for the DPS 49 Banquet (https://tinyurl.com/y7q7n6rf) and an

 art class before the banquet that Sundance has made available to DPS members 

(https://aas.org/meetings/dps49/events#banquet). Note that the banquet cost 

includes transportation to and from Sundance Mountain Resort, a beautiful 

property at the base of Mount Timpanogos, ~15 miles from downtown Provo.  

It is a special place and I know it will facilitate collegial interactions and 

discussions about our scientific work. 

 

The activities prior to the meeting include pottery, jewelry making, painting 

and journal making. I finally decided on painting to exercise a different part 

of my brain. These classes are offered for a fee and I hope you’ll take the time 

to sign up for this different experience for two hours before the banquet if 

you’re so inclined. No experience is necessary. I’m looking forward to 

@DPSMeeting #DPS17 (or DPS49) in Provo, UT next month and hope you 

are too.

 

Lucy McFadden

DPS Chair

 

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LSST AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM WORKSHOP AT DPS 49

 

Thursday October 19 2017, 4:30-6:30 pm, 49th DPS meeting, Cascade E 

(Utah Valley Convention Center) 

This workshop serves as the annual meeting of the Large Synoptic Sky 

Survey Telescope (LSST) Solar System Science Collaboration (SSSC) 

and is open to all DPS attendees. We will provide a brief status of LSST 

with respect to Solar System science and provide updates on current and 

future activities within the SSSC. 

The presentation schedule is as follows: 

  •  LSST & Solar System Science Collaboration (SSSC) Update: Where is the SSSC Headed in 2018? – Meg Schwamb (Gemini Observatory) & David Trilling (NAU) 
  • The LSST Observing Strategy: Upcoming Opsim Simulations, Small Body Metrics, and White Papers – Lynne Jones (University of Washington/LSST) 
  •  LSST Solar System Data Products and Moving Object Processing System (MOPS) Status – Mario Jurić (University of Washington/LSST)
  • The Minor Planet Center: Status and Plans – Matt Holman (Harvard CfA/MPC)
  •  Community Feedback on the Planned LSST Solar System Database Schema

Contact organizers Meg Schwamb ([email protected]) and 

David Trilling ([email protected]) with any questions 

 

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FUTURE KUIPER BELT MISSIONS WORKSHOP AT DPS 49

 

Sunday, 3:30 pm at DPS 49 Provo, Battle Creek Room

 

Interested DPS members please join us Sunday, October 15th, from 3:30-5:30

pm for a focused workshop on future missions to the Kuiper Belt.  The workshop 

will take place in the Battle Creek room of the Utah Valley Convention Center 

(DPS 49 conference venue).  No pre-registration required. 

 

The Kuiper Belt (KB) is a scientific treasure trove consisting of comets, 

planetesimals, and small planets like Pluto. Since its discovery in the early 

1990s, the KB has yielded fundamental insights into planetary accretion, the 

migration of planets, and the population structure of our solar system—

including the discovery that dwarf planets like Pluto are common there.

 

In this workshop we will review the scientific case to return to Pluto with an 

orbiter, as well as the scientific case to explore other small KB planets and 

smaller bodies with flybys or orbiters. We will go beyond this to discuss 

possible mission payloads. Finally, we will solicit community and individual 

scientist interest in future studies leading to the next Decadal Survey.

 

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REMINDER: ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR ICARUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF POSITION

 

The DPS Committee, its publications subcommittee and representatives of 

Elsevier, publisher of Icarus, are accepting applications for the position of Icarus

Editor-in-Chief. The application, consisting of a cover letter with a 5-year vision 

statement and skills and experience brought to the position, Curriculum Vita and 

publications list, should be submitted here.  

 

Application deadline is October 8, 2017.  

 

Questions, contact Lucy McFadden or Kate Hibbert

 

Please distribute this announcement widely among our colleagues.

 

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TRICK OR TREAT AND TELESCOPES

 

DPS is  continuing its Trick-or-Treat and Telescopes Program. We are encouraging 

people to put out their telescopes during trick-or-treat time on Halloween, in their 

own lawns or in a neighbor’s lawn with better viewing (or more traffic). The 

following website gives advice and connections to resources. 

 

education/trick-or-treat-and-telescopes

 

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STUDENT AND EARLY CAREER TRAVEL GRANTS FOR VEXAG MEETING #15

 

Student and early career (less than 5 years from PhD) travel support

may be available for VEXAG Meeting #15, November 14-16, 2017, Applied

Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. Selected recipients of travel

grants are expected to present a poster.

 

Provide a Notice of Intent by Friday, October 20, 2017 to

[email protected] containing:

 

1. A one-page description of how your participation in this meeting

will benefit you professionally and contribute to NASA’s explorations

of Venus and an overview of your poster,

2. Your resume

3. An endorsement from a faculty member.

 

For logistical reasons, also provide:

– Legal Full Name

– Date of Birth

– City/State of Birth

– Preferred Email Address and Phone Numbers

– Home Address

– Emergency Contact – Name, Relationship, and Phone Number

– Your Affiliation with Full Address and Phone Number

– Gender

 

If you are a foreign national or permanent resident alien, also 

provide:

– Country of Citizenship

– Birth Date and Birth City, State/Region and Country

– Passport Number, with Expiration Date

– Visa Type, with Effective and Expiration Dates

– Alien Registration # (if applicable)

 

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OPAG FINDINGS AND NEXT MEETING

 

Dear OPAG community,

 

Findings from the September meeting in La Jolla have been posted at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/.

 

Also, please pencil in the following for the next OPAG meeting:  

February 21-22 in Hampton, Virginia

 

-Alfred McEwen and the OPAG steering committee 

 

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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

 

A) POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR POSITION

     UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

 

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral scholar position in astronomy at 

the University of California, Irvine. The postdoctoral researcher will work 

with Prof. Aomawa Shields at UCI on theoretical climate modeling studies 

of potentially habitable exoplanets, including systems discovered by NASA’s 

Kepler mission, the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), 

and other space- and ground-based observatories. Desirable qualifications 

include experience in climate modeling in 1D, 2D, and/or 3D; research 

experience and interests related to atmospheric science, orbital dynamics, 

glaciology, or land surface geology; strong written and oral communication 

skills; an interest in interdisciplinary science education; and an ability to work 

well in a collaborative environment. 

 

The appointment can begin as early as summer 2018, with a negotiable starting 

date. The initial appointment will be for one year, with a possibility of extension 

to longer terms contingent upon availability of funds and successful performance. 

Applicants must have a Ph.D. in astronomy, astrobiology, physics, or one of the 

earth science disciplines prior to beginning the appointment. Salary will be 

commensurate with experience.

 

Candidates should submit a CV, publication list, and a statement of research 

interests (in pdf format) through the UC Irvine academic personnel recruiting 

portal at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/apply/JPF04311.Through this site, applicants 

will also provide names and email addresses of three referees who will be 

contacted to submit letters of reference. For full consideration, applications and 

reference letters should be received by December 15, 2017.  All application 

materials must be submitted through the UCI RECRUIT website.

 

Information on postdoctoral appointments and resources at UC Irvine is available at

http://www.grad.uci.edu/postdoctoral-scholars.

 

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action 

Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive 

consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual 

orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran 

status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy.

 

B) POSTDOC POSITIONS IN COMETARY SCIENCE AT MPS, GERMANY 

 

The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, Germany,

invites applications for postdoc positions in the field of cometary science. 

 

Two positions will be in the working group on the role of comets in the

formation of the planetary system. The following research topics – in order

of their priority

– are identified for collaboration in the working group:

– The growth of cometary nuclei

– The size and mass distribution of cometary dust and solids

– The Carbon-chain material in cometary nuclei

– The elemental composition of cometary material

Details of the positions and the application are found at
http://www.mps.mpg.de/5074883/job_full_offer_11530192?c=2169 

 

One position will be in a newly forming group on activity in comets and asteroids,

funded by an ERC Starting Grant. The position will focus on one of the following

topics:

– Physical, thermal, and optical properties of cometary material

– Activity in comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from a Rosetta

   multi-instrument perspective

– Activity in asteroids

Details of the position and the application are found at
http://www.mps.mpg.de/5066843/job_full_offer_11485198?c=2169

 

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Send submissions to: 

Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary ([email protected]

 

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