Issue 20-50, November 19, 2020
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- ANNE VERBISCER ENDS SECOND TERM AS DPS SECRETARY
- DPS 52 MATERIALS STILL VIEWABLE
- INTERESTED IN SERVING ON LOC FOR FUTURE DPS?
- IN MEMORIAM: JOHN CALDWELL (1949-2019)
- EXOPAG SCIENCE INTEREST GROUP 3 ORGANIZING TUTORIAL TALKS
- P/2019 LD2 OBSERVING CAMPAIGN COORDINATION
- EXOPAG CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- NEXT EGU PLANETARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOV 30
- INDEPENDENT REVIEW BOARD FOR PDE SEEKS INPUT
- PLANETARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
- JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
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ANNE VERBISCER ENDS SECOND TERM AS DPS SECRETARY
Dr. Anne Verbiscer stepped down as DPS Secretary, having served two terms from 2014-2020. The DPS Committee thanks her for her service to our membership in keeping us informed about important events and connected as a community. We greatly appreciate the wealth of knowledge and experience she has brought.
Going forward, Dr. Maria Womack is serving as DPS Secretary. You can reach her with the same email address as before: dpssec@aas.org
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DPS 52 MATERIALS STILL VIEWABLE
The virtual platform for the 52nd meeting of the DPS last month will remain open indefinitely for registered attendees. That includes the talks, posters and Slack. As a reminder, Nov 30 is the deadline for presenters who are not pleased with idea of their work being displayed indefinitely to write to reg-help@aas.org and ask that their talks/posters be taken down.
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INTERESTED IN SERVING ON LOC FOR FUTURE DPS?
Planning for future DPS meetings is ongoing. If you would like to host one, we would like to hear from you! The first step is to make sure that your city has a facility large enough to host the meeting (the number of attendees has grown to >700). We have a spreadsheet (Excel format), courtesy of Jason Barnes, to help you make that judgment with a few examples. Note that a convention center is not necessary if there is a hotel available with adequate space. Once you have checked on this minimum threshold please contact any DPS Officer or DPS Committee member. For tips and advice on running an annual meeting, see the most recent version of the DPS Meeting Guide.
A list of the next DPS meeting locations and more information is provided here: https://dps.aas.org/meetings/future
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IN MEMORIAM: JOHN CALDWELL (1949-2019)
York University Professor Emeritus John Caldwell died on Dec. 12 at the age of 75 after a lengthy illness. Caldwell was a professor of astronomy, with expertise in space and planetary astronomy and extra-solar planets, in the Faculty of Science.
Caldwell came to York in 1986 after serving in the Royal Canadian Navy, and earning a PhD in astronomy from the University of Madison (Wisconsin). During his career, he also taught at Princeton University and State University of NY at Stony Brook.
He was well known for his extensive collaborations with NASA’s Ames Research Centre, where he worked with a team of scientists to develop the Kepler mission to discover Earth-like planets around other stars. He also made observations of Mars with the Hubble Space Telescope and focussed efforts on searching for possible volcanic emissions with his students and collaborators.
He is also remembered for his passion for softball, and playing on campus during the summer months with grad students.
John achieved great professional success and was highly respected in his field. Raising his three children, as he would say, was his greatest accomplishment and spending time with his children and grandchildren was his favourite thing to do.
He leaves behind his daughter, Devon (Neil), and his sons, David (Lisa) and Garrett (Candice). He was the adored "Du" of nine grandchildren: Tim (Salina), Bryanna, Madison, Abigail, Sophia, Riley, James, Reagen and Emma. He will be missed by his twin sister, Joan, and her family.
Adapted from the full obituary at: https://yfile.news.yorku.ca/2019/12/18/passings-professor-emeritus-john-caldwell/
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EXOPAG SCIENCE INTEREST GROUP 3 ORGANIZING TUTORIAL TALKS
The ExoPAG Science Interest Group 3 on Exoplanet Solar System Synergies is organizing Tutorial Talks aimed at introducing field newcomers to important topics or methods in planetary and exoplanetary science. The talks include a 30-minute tutorial from an expert to introduce the topic, followed by a 30-minute group discussion of a recent paper in which the topic/method features. They are held by zoom the 2nd Thursday of each month 11 AM PST/ 2 PM EST and recorded so that anyone who can’t make it can watch them later (or rewatch them since they are so informative). We have hosted three talks so far:
· “Solutions and Solubilities” by Laura Schaeffer (Stanford University)
· “How to leverage NASA’s Planetary Data System Atmospheres Node for exoplanet science” by Nancy Chanover (New Mexico State University)
· The advantages and challenges of M dwarfs as planet hosts by Elisabeth Newton (Dartmouth College)
· “Spectra of Solar System Planets for Exoplanet Scientists” by Mark Marley (NASA Ames) and Victoria Meadows (University of Washington)
These talks are hosted at our new informational space on the NExSS website:https://nexss.info/community/exoss-synergy
All are welcome, so feel free to share this announcement and the link to the recording of the first tutorial. Also feel free to suggest topics you'd like to hear future tutorials on. Vikki Meadows<http://meadows@uw.edu>, Mark Marley<http://mark.s.marley@nasa.gov> and Laura Schaefer<http://lkschaef@stanford.edu> are collecting suggestions for future tutorials.
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P/2019 LD2 OBSERVING CAMPAIGN COORDINATION
P/2019 LD2 (ATLAS) is a recently discovered active centaur, on an unstable orbit that is evolving towards the inner solar system and a potential future as a Jupiter Family Comet. This object presents a unique opportunity, which enables us to monitor a Centaur as its activity evolves and it transitions to an inner solar system object for what is likely the first time. LD2 is currently (and starting April/May 2021) observable as a northern hemisphere nighttime object at ~18th visual magnitude. It is a high priority target for characterization of composition, continuous activity and outbursts.
We encourage the community - those with planned, scheduled or completed observations - to participate in a observing campaign coordination, through the following webpage:
https://observe-ld2.blogspot.com
The webpage includes a short observing record form. Note that signing up here does not commit anyone to sharing their data, but we hope this will become a natural gathering place for researchers to see who else will be at the telescope and when, and perhaps initiate some new collaborations.
Sincerely,
G. Sarid, L. Woodney, M. Womack
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EXOPAG CALLING FOR NOMINATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
To: Astrophysics and Planetary Science Community
From: Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
Date: November 16, 2020
Subject: Call for Nominations to the Executive Committee of the Exoplanet Exploration Program
Analysis Group (ExoPAG)
Dear Colleagues:
The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is pleased to issue this open
call for nominations to serve on the Executive Committee (EC) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). In the coming months, NASA anticipates making three new appointments to the ExoPAG EC, replacing three current members of the committee who have reached the end of their appointments. New appointments will start in the Spring of 2021 and will be for a period of three years. The ExoPAG is an open, interdisciplinary forum that provides a conduit for community input into NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP, http://exoplanets.nasa.gov), and for conducting analyses in support of ExEP science objectives and their implications for planning and prioritization of Program activities. The ExoPAG is led by a Chairperson drawn from the membership of the Astrophysics Subcommittee, and a volunteer Executive Committee, whose membership is chosen to reflect the broad range of scientific disciplines and interests represented in the field of exoplanet exploration. Together, the ExoPAG Chair and Executive Committee are responsible for capturing and organizing community input, overseeing ExoPAG analyses, reporting ExoPAG findings and inputs to the Astrophysics Division Director, and keeping the scientific community apprised of ongoing activities and opportunities within NASA’s ExEP. Detailed information about the structure and function of the ExoPAG, including the current and past membership of the EC, can be found at http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exopag.
Nominations for the ExoPAG EC should be submitted via email to the address: douglas.m.hudgins@nasa.gov. Nominations must include both a cover letter and a one-page CV summarizing the nominee’s relevant background. The cover letter should provide a description of the nominee’s area of expertise and qualifications for service on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. Nominations will only be accepted for scientists who reside at a U.S. institution for the period of the service. There are no citizenship restrictions. Nominations from individuals at academic institutions—university, college, or non-NASA research laboratory—are strongly encouraged. Self-nominations are welcome. The deadline for nominations is January 22, 2021, with announcement of selections anticipated in April 2021. Selections will be announced by the ExoPAG mailing list (http://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/exopag/announcementList).
We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to develop a robust and compelling
Exoplanet Exploration Program.
Sincerely,
Douglas Hudgins, NASA Headquarters
Exoplanet Exploration Program Scientist, ExoPAG Executive Secretary
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NEXT EGU PLANETARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING NOV 30
The next Planetary Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting will be held, via WebEx, on November 30, 2020 (10 am to 6pm Eastern time). See here for connection information: https://science.nasa.gov/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/FRN-PAC-2020-24365.pdf
In 2021, EGU will be hosting vEGU21: Gather Online (#vEGU21), a fully virtual meeting that will be held in place of the General Assembly in Vienna. The dates of vEGU21 will be 19–30 April 2021.vEGU21 will provide as full a representation of the experience that EGU members enjoy at the annual meeting in Vienna as possible.
You are invited to submit a paper to the Session PS5.1 Ice Giant System Exploration (see https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/session/39948).
Session Description: This session welcomes papers addressing the exploration of the ice giant systems, including the composition, structure, and processes of ice giant atmospheres, internal structure, and ice giant systems including magnetospheres, satellites, and rings. Potential concepts for future ice giant system exploration, instrumentation, mission concepts, technology developments, and international cooperation are also topics of high interest. We especially would like to encourage authors of Decadal Survey White Papers focused on ice giant system science, exploration, mission concepts, and instruments and instrument technologies to contribute to this session.
Conveners: David H. Atkinson, Sushil K. Atreya, Mark Hofstadter, Patrick Irwin, Olivier Mousis.
To submit an abstract, go to
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/abstractsubmission/39948
The deadline for abstract submission 13 Jan 2021, 13:00 CET. Please note that EGU has a One-Abstract Rule: Authors are allowed as first author to submit either one regular abstract plus one abstract solicited by a convener, or two solicited abstracts.
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INDEPENDENT REVIEW BOARD FOR PDE SEEKS INPUT
The NASA Planetary Science Division is conducting an independent review of the Planetary Data Ecosystem (PDE), defined as the ad hoc connected framework of activities and products that are built upon and support the data collected by planetary space missions and research programs which are primarily NASA funded. Many familiar tools and databases are part of the PDE, including (but not limited to): ADS, AstroMat, DAPs, data policies & standards, JMars, JPL Horizons, MAPSIT, NASA Github, PDS, Planetary Geologic Mapping, Planetary Photojournal, Quickmap, RPIFs, and USGS Astrogeology ISIS3. The PDE Independent Review Board will review the current state of the PDE and provide findings and prioritized, actionable recommendations that will be used to develop an optimal PDE long-term strategy. To this end, NASA is seeking information and gathering community feedback on the PDE via a Request for Information (RFI), with responses due November 9, 2020. We encourage the planetary sciences community to provide input via this RFI. The full text of the RFI and response instructions can be found at:
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PLANETARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
The next Planetary Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting will be held, via WebEx, on November 30, 2020 (10 am to 6pm Eastern time). See here for connection information:
https://science.nasa.gov/science-red/s3fs-public/atoms/files/FRN-PAC-2020-24365.pdf
In 2021, EGU will be hosting vEGU21: Gather Online (#vEGU21), a fully virtual meeting that will be held in place of the General Assembly in Vienna. The dates of vEGU21 will be 19–30 April 2021.vEGU21 will provide as full a representation of the experience that EGU members enjoy at the annual meeting in Vienna as possible. You are invited to submit a paper to the Session PS5.1 Ice Giant System Exploration (see https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/session/39948).
Session Description: This session welcomes papers addressing the exploration of the ice giant systems, including the composition, structure, and processes of ice giant atmospheres, internal structure, and ice giant systems including magnetospheres, satellites, and rings. Potential concepts for future ice giant system exploration, instrumentation, mission concepts, technology developments, and international cooperation are also topics of high interest. We especially would like to encourage authors of Decadal Survey White Papers focused on ice giant system science, exploration, mission concepts, and instruments and instrument technologies to contribute to this session.
Conveners: David H. Atkinson, Sushil K. Atreya, Mark Hofstadter, Patrick Irwin, Olivier Mousis
To submit an abstract, go to https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/abstractsubmission/39948
The deadline for abstract submission 13 Jan 2021, 13:00 CET. Please note that EGU has a One-Abstract Rule: Authors are allowed as first author to submit either one regular abstract plus one abstract solicited by a convener, or two solicited abstracts.
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JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES
- NASA Hubble Fellowship- #0049161
https://dps.aas.org/content/nasa-hubble-fellowship-0049161
- Postdoctoral Researcher (Visiting) (Geochemistry and petrology)
https://dps.aas.org/content/postdoctoral-researcher-visiting-geochemistry-and-petrology
- Postdoctoral Researcher (Visiting) (Radiative Transfer Modeling)
https://dps.aas.org/content/postdoctoral-researcher-visiting-radiative-transfer-modeling
- Exploration Science Summer Internship
https://dps.aas.org/content/exploration-science-summer-internship
- Cooper Union full-time tenure track position in astrophysics. 50/50 position jointly with the Center for Computational Astrophysics of the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute.
- BRIDGE TO FACULTY PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
The B2F program is a University-level initiative to increase the pipeline toward faculty diversity at UIC by attracting and retaining
promising scholars from different backgrounds, with an emphasis on individuals from groups who are underrepresented in their discipline. Outstanding candidates will be mentored and supported to further their research and scholarship during their postdoctoral appointments with the goal that they will transition to a research-active, tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The position is open to all disciplines in the Geosciences.
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Send submissions to:
Maria Womack, DPS Secretary (dpssec@aas.org)
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