Dear Colleagues,
Apologies for the delay in this edition of the newsletter.
Here are a few items which have come to our attention since the last Newsletter.
You can find this news also at the UKSP website:
http://www.uksolphys.org/news/last-15-days/
or the newsletter in full in our JISCMail archive:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/uksp
Richard ([log in to unmask])
Mihalis ([log in to unmask])
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General News/UKSP Business:
STFC – Emerging and Enabling Technology Survey – Last call – Closes on July 14th
PROBA2: Eighth Call for Guest Investigators
STFC Challenge Led Applied Systems Programme (CLASP) 2017 Launch
Nuggets:
Meetings/Workshops/Summer Schools:
Newton Fund STEM Skills Malaysia Call – Extended Deadline
AGU SH011 session on solar radiative variability and influence on Earth
RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting on “Solar Orbiter: Synergy between Observations and Theory”
MINI-CONFERENCE: Bridging the Divide Between Space and Laboratory Plasma Physics
Fall AGU – SH012: Space Weather Forecasting: Science, Operations, Future Missions, Missing Information, and the Economic Case – FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
“Into the Red Dragon’s Lair: Four-in-One Workshop Tackling Outstanding Problems in Heliophysics and Space Weather” at the Clayton Hotel, Cardiff, Wales, UK (03-08 December 2017) – First Announcement.
Dynamic Sun: II. Solar Magnetism from Interior to the Corona
Jobs/Studentships:
Research Associate in Heliospheric Physics
Director General for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory
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General News/UKSP Business:
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STFC – Emerging and Enabling Technology Survey – Last call – Closes on July 14th
from Sian Giles [July 12, 2017]
STFC – Emerging and Enabling Technology Survey – Last call – closes on July 14th
The STFC External Innovation and 21st Century Challenges team is working to foster and strengthen collaboration with Innovate UK and the Catapult centres. As part of this, we are looking to map the landscape of emerging and enabling technology arising from our science programme.
Therefore, we are inviting our research community to complete a survey to provide baseline information about existing interactions with Catapults and examples of emerging and enabling technologies, together with potential applications.
We will use this information to establish priority areas for facilitating collaboration with Catapults and people to involve in future activities and discussions.
To complete this survey, please go here.
If you have any queries please contact Andi Kidd
https://stfc.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/emerging-and-enabling-tech
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PROBA2: Eighth Call for Guest Investigators
from Matthew West [July 7, 2017]
PROBA2: Eighth Call for Guest Investigators
The PROBA2 team welcomes research proposals for the eighth round of its Guest Investigator program for research based on SWAP and LYRA data analysis by scientists outside the SWAP and LYRA PI-teams. We encourage in particular young post-docs and PhD students to apply, although more senior guest investigators’ proposals are welcome also. In this round we anticipate funding for around five guest investigators or teams who will visit the PROBA2 Science Center at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, in Brussels, between September 2017 and May 2018.
Selected proposers will be invited to spend a few weeks with the PI teams to obtain expert knowledge on the instruments, to participate in the daily commanding of the SWAP and LYRA instruments according to the needs of their data analysis proposal, and to conduct their research. Guest investigators may be reimbursed for travel, accommodation and living expenses up to a maximum of 5000 euro. Limited support to present the results at an international conference (during the visit at P2SC) can also be considered.
During the selection process, special consideration will be given to young scientists and PhD students, collaborative research teams with members from more than one research institute (funding above the 5000 euro level may be approved for such teams), and to proposals addressing research topics to which SWAP and LYRA are particularly well-suited.
More details about the application process can be found here: http://proba2.oma.be/EighthGICall, or by emailing [log in to unmask]
Deadline: Proposals must be received by 2017-Sep-24 (23:59 CET)
Matthew J West on behalf of the PROBA2 team
http://proba2.oma.be/EighthGICall
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STFC Challenge Led Applied Systems Programme (CLASP) 2017 Launch
from Sian Giles [July 7, 2017]
STFC Challenge Led Applied Systems Programme (CLASP) 2017 – Healthcare
Launch Event – Friday 22nd September 2017, London
Outline application closes at 4pm on Tuesday 7th November 2017
This briefing event is to launch the STFC’s CLASP Healthcare call for 2017. The main purpose of the day is to enable delegates to discover more about the programme including the priority challenge areas set by the healthcare community, to hear from agencies driving the healthcare agenda and to meet with researchers from the STFC community as well as companies and users engaged in developing solutions to tackle healthcare challenges. There will also be networking opportunities for potential applicants to meet and share ideas with potential project partners. Up to £2m will be available for this call.
Programme to follow.
More details of CLASP and this call will be available on the following link from 4th September:
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/working-with-industry/challenge-led-applied-systems-programme/
Please register here for this event which is being held at the Royal College of Physicians, London on Friday 22nd September 2017
Any queries regarding the above, please contact Ling Xu ([log in to unmask])
https://stfc_clasp_healthcare.eventbrite.co.uk/
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Nuggets:
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Meetings/Workshops/Summer Schools:
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Newton Fund STEM Skills Malaysia Call – Extended Deadline
from Sian Giles [July 14, 2017]
Newton Fund STEM Skills Malaysia call
Extended deadline (closing date 24 July) for registering interest to attend a workshop in Malaysia 11-13 September 2017
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) are pleased to announce a workshop to take place in Malaysia on 11-13 September 2017.
During the workshop, UK and Malaysian attendees will scope outline proposals aimed at developing a programme for delivering transferable skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The training would be in the context of some of the biggest and most cutting-edge scientific collaborations in the world e.g. the Large Hadron Collider and astronomical telescopes.
We have a limited number of places still available for UK academics from the STFC research community to attend this workshop. For full details and links to the expression of interest for attending the workshop please go to http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/research-grants/funding-opportunities/funding-calls/stfc-mohe-scoping-workshop/ .
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/research-grants/funding-opportunities/funding-calls/stfc-mohe-scoping-workshop/
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AGU SH011 session on solar radiative variability and influence on Earth
from Odele Coddington [July 7, 2017]
Dear Colleagues,
We would like to invite you to submit abstracts to the following Solar and Heliospheric Physics session (cross-listed with Global Environmental Change) at the 2017 Fall AGU Meeting (December 11-15 in New Orleans, LA) (https://fallmeeting.agu.org/2017/abstract-submissions/):
SH011:
Solar Radiative Variability: From Minutes to Millennia. The Sun’s Influence on the Earth’s Space Environment, Atmosphere, and Climate
Session ID#: 23451
Session Description:
Variability of the incoming solar irradiance and its effects on the terrestrial environment and climate have received wide attention in recent years. There is a continuous effort to reduce measurement uncertainties of the total and spectral solar irradiances. Physical and empirical modelling have also made considerable progress in reconstructing accurate and reliable records. At the same time, numerical models and observations have been extensively used to characterize the influence of solar irradiance variability on Earth’s atmosphere and climate. This session invites abstracts on measurements and models of solar spectral and total irradiance on all time scales, as well as abstracts on the response of the surface, atmosphere and the heliosphere to solar radiative forcing. Abstracts focused on comparisons of surface and atmospheric effects to different solar irradiance datasets are particularly welcome.
Here is a link to the session:
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm17/preliminaryview.cgi/Session23451
Abstract Submission Deadline: 2 August
We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!
Marty Snow, Odele Coddington, Natalie Krivova, Will Ball
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RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting on “Solar Orbiter: Synergy between Observations and Theory”
from Duncan Mackay [July 5, 2017]
RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting
“Solar Orbiter: Synergy between Observations and Theory”
Friday 10th November 2017
10.30am-15.30pm
The Royal Astronomical Society will host a Specialist Discussion Meeting on 10th November 2017 on, “Solar Orbiter: Synergy between Observations and Theory”. We aim to bring together experts from both observations and theory to initiate a synergy that will bring about major advances with the unique remote sensing and in-situ capabilities of Solar Orbiter.
Information regarding registration, abstract submission and the science programme will be announced shortly.
Organisers: Duncan Mackay, Andrzej Fludra, Louise Harra, Tim Horbury and Chris Owen
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MINI-CONFERENCE: Bridging the Divide Between Space and Laboratory Plasma Physics
from Christopher Chen [July 2, 2017]
MINI-CONFERENCE: Bridging the Divide Between Space and Laboratory Plasma Physics
Organizers: Jason TenBarge, Greg Howes, Kris Klein, Chris Chen, Stanislav Boldyrev
October 23-27, 2017 in Milwaukee, WI
The American Physical Society Topical Group in Plasma Astrophysics is sponsoring a mini-conference held as part of the 2017 Division of Plasma Physics meeting. Many of the challenges facing the laboratory plasma physics and fusion confinement communities are rooted in fundamental kinetic plasma physics phenomena that are also crucial to understand the physics of the heliosphere and astrophysical systems. This mini-conference is dedicated to fostering cross-disciplinary interaction and communication among plasma physicists, space physicists, and astrophysicists. We solicit talks and poster presentations focusing on new results from spacecraft missions that illuminates plasma phenomena, laboratory findings relevant to space physics, and theoretical and computational work that covers the fundamental physics common to studies of space and laboratory plasmas.
Abstract Deadline: July 14, 2017
https://www.aps.org/units/dpp/meetings/annual/
Please note that when submitting your abstract, presenters must select mini-conference subject category 15.1 and may include a brief mini-conference title in the Special Instructions (e.g., bridging the divide-GPAP). Mini-conference presenters are allowed one additional first author paper submission in the regular technical program.
https://www.aps.org/units/dpp/meetings/annual/
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Fall AGU – SH012: Space Weather Forecasting: Science, Operations, Future Missions, Missing Information, and the Economic Case – FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT
from Mario Bisi [July 2, 2017]
Dear All.
We ask for contributed abstracts to our co-convened SH (Solar and Heliospheric Physics) and SM (Magnetospheric Physics) Space Weather Forecasting: Science, Operations, Future Missions, Missing Information, and the Economic Case session at the upcoming Fall AGU in San Francisco, 11-15 December 2017 (http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2017/). The abstract-submission deadline is 02 August 2017 at 11:59 P.M. EDT / 03 August 2017 at 03:59UT. However, if you submit early (before 26 July 2017 11:59 P.M. EDT/27 July 2017 03:59UT), you will be entered into a free prize draw for a VIP Package (see: http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2017/abstract-submissions/).
To submit, the first author must be the submitting author and must be an AGU member (by early July 2017). First authors are allowed to submit one contributed abstract, or one contributed abstract and one invited abstract, or two invited abstracts to the science sessions.
To submit your abstract, please go here: https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm17/preliminaryview.cgi/Session23441.
Please note that this session is being organized as one of the alternate-format sessions and the details will be given in the next announcement; please see: https://fallmeeting.agu.org/2017/alternate-session-formats/ for further AGU details on the alternate format sessions. Invited abstracts and panelists to be announced in due course.
This is a follow-on from last-years very-successful session which attracted 69 abstracts covered over three dedicated oral sessions, one of which was a panel session, as well as a full and active poster session.
Best wishes, and thanks,
Mario (on behalf of all the SH012 Conveners).
Session ID#: 23441
Session Description:
Society is ever-more reliant on energy supplies and technologies proving increasingly susceptible to everyday and extreme space weather (SW) (power grids, GNSS-positioning/timing, aviation/maritime/rail, communications, etc.). The present solar cycle’s SW has proven to be, perhaps surprisingly, mostly driven by solar-wind structures rather than CME events.
Following the highly-successful sessions at Fall-AGUs-2015/2016, this intends to follow-up and further expand/continue the assessment of state-of-the-art global SW forecasting capabilities and establish where additional-services/improvements are necessary to advance our SW forecast/prediction capabilities with a focus on Lagrange missions.
We solicit contributions of: provisions/justifications of suitable observations/measurements; model developments to utilize future missions’ data; ongoing developments in SW forecasting; science from SW operational missions (SWFO/ESA-UK-L5/GOES/DSCOVR/etc.); and identifications of data/model gaps. We also encourage submissions that quantify the economics of SW. It is time to review the economic assessments status and identify the paths forward to further-improve the societal-economic case for SW research and operations.
Primary Convener: Mario Mark Bisi, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, RAL Space, Harwell Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom.
Co-Conveners: Antti A Pulkkinen, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States; Edward J. Oughton, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and David F Webb, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States.
Co-Organized between:
SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics (SH), and SPA-Magnetospheric Physics (SM)
Cross-Listed:
NH – Natural Hazards
P – Planetary Sciences
PA – Public Affairs
SA – SPA-Aeronomy
Index Numbers:
4305 – Natural Hazards: Space Weather
7594 – Solar Physics, Astrophysics, and Astronomy: Instruments and techniques
7924 – Space Weather: Forecasting
7999 – Space Weather: General or miscellaneous
https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm17/preliminaryview.cgi/Session23441
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“Into the Red Dragon’s Lair: Four-in-One Workshop Tackling Outstanding Problems in Heliophysics and Space Weather” at the Clayton Hotel, Cardiff, Wales, UK (03-08 December 2017) – First Announcement.
from Mario Bisi [July 2, 2017]
Dear Colleagues.
It is with great pleasure that we announce that registration and bookings are now open for our workshop entitled “Into the Red Dragon’s Lair: Four-in-One Workshop Tackling Outstanding Problems in Heliophysics and Space Weather” – we expect around 40 participants to take part in this workshop which will be held at The Clayton Hotel, Cardiff, Wales (UK) 03-08 December 2017. This immediately follows the European Space Weather Week (ESWW) in Belgium and precedes the Fall AGU in the USA.
Full details and deadlines can be found on the workshop website here: https://www.ukssdc.ac.uk/meetings/IntoTheRedDragonsLair/.
Our Workshop encompasses four main themes:
– The “Fourth Remote-Sensing of the Inner Heliosphere Workshop”;
– “Where are we on Bz?” (a SEREN follow-on);
– “Novel Ionospheric Studies with Advanced Observing Techniques”; and
– The “11th LOFAR Solar Physics and Space Weather Key Science Project”.
(The combined workshop also incorporates the MWA SHI and future potential SKA SHI SWG science.)
The workshop aims to gather experts from the various fields of remote¬-sensing observations of the inner heliosphere, including EUV, white-/visible-¬light, and radio observations, together with modellers, in order to tackle key outstanding heliophysics issues. The science learned from remote-sensing observations is critical to improving our capabilities of space-¬weather forecasting as well as having an impact on the fundamental physics behind how the Sun creates and drives the heliosphere. It is also intended to establish closer working relations and devise the best ways our group can move the field forward as a whole, tapping into observational capabilities that can be used to aid the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe Communities, as well as Space Weather science and forecasting enhancements in general. The workshop also aims to look at ways in which we can more easily and efficiently share and access the various types of data between individual groups and across the different techniques.
The workshop will have a small registration fee (£120 early/£150 late – this includes the lunches, refreshments, welcome reception, workshop dinner, and excursion – but NOT accommodation) and a strong Welsh theme (including the refreshments, food, and excursion).
We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff!
Best wishes,
Mario (SOC and LOC Chair, on behalf of the SOC and LOC).
Science Organising Committee (SOC):
Mario M. Bisi (STFC RAL Space, UK) (Chair)
Michael (Mike) A. Hapgood (STFC RAL Space, UK)
Richard A. Fallows (ASTRON, NL)
Kent Miller (EOARD, UK/AFRL, USA)
Bernard (Bernie) V. Jackson (UCSD, US)
David (Dave) F. Webb (BC, US)
Biagio Forte (University of Bath, UK)
Alexander (Alec) MacKinnon (University of Glasgow, UK)
Gottfried Mann (AIP, DE)
Local Organising Committee (LOC):
Mario M. Bisi (STFC RAL Space, UK) (Chair)
Catherine A. Baker (Baker-Bisi Executive Assistance, UK)
Annabel Cartwright (Cardiff University, UK)
https://www.ukssdc.ac.uk/meetings/IntoTheRedDragonsLair/
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Dynamic Sun: II. Solar Magnetism from Interior to the Corona
from Viktor Fedun [July 2, 2017]
Venue: Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Dates: Monday 12 – Friday 16 February 2018
“Dynamic Sun” is a newly proposed conference series, which will provide a highly visible platform to the observers, theoreticians, numerical modellers and instrumentation experts in the field of solar physics and space science to discuss cutting edge scientific challenges. The first Dynamic Sun meeting, which focused on MHD wave phenomena in the solar atmosphere, took place in 2016 in Varanasi, India and was highly successful with more than 120 participants (http://ssg.group.shef.ac.uk/Conferences/India_2016/index.html).
The Dynamic Sun II meeting will follow up the success of the first and also an additional requested session devoted to the Sun driving magnetospheric dynamics will be added. As well as this new magnetospheric session, the focus of the Dynamic Sun II meeting will be to discuss in detail the recent achievements in understanding photospheric, chromospheric and coronal dynamics, energy transport between the lower and upper layers of solar interior and the solar atmosphere, dynamical processes in the confined solar transients. Special attention will be paid to the key results and goals of the current and proposed space and ground-based instruments. These topics are also aligned with the long-term goals of current and proposed space/solar missions. This meeting will be also useful for future scientific data interpretation from forthcoming new generation ground-based instruments, e.g., the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST, USA), European Solar Telescope (EST, Europe), new Indian facilities (MAST, upcoming 2m-NLST, Aditya-I) and more recently CHROMIS (located alongside CRISP at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope) which will be able to significantly advance scientific understanding of our solar-terrestrial environment.
We warmly welcome participation of internationally recognised experts in the field of solar physics, early career researchers and PhD students. We anticipate that Dynamic Sun II conference will help to establish a long-term relationships between research groups.
Conference website http://star-lab.group.shef.ac.uk/Conferences/Cambodia_2018/index.html
Registration and accommodation deadline: 15th December 2017
Abstract submission deadline: 15th January 2018
http://star-lab.group.shef.ac.uk/Conferences/Cambodia_2018/reg_and_accom_main.html
S. Shelyag, E. Scullion, V. Fedun, G. Verth and A.K. Srivastava (on behalf of SOC)
http://star-lab.group.shef.ac.uk/Conferences/Cambodia_2018/index.html
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Jobs/Studentships:
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Research Associate in Heliospheric Physics
from Silvia Dalla [July 12, 2017]
The Jeremiah Horrocks Institute for Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is seeking to appoint a Research Associate to work within the Solar Physics Group. This is a 16-month position, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, to work with Dr Silvia Dalla on modelling of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) for application to Space Weather forecasting. The project will focus on improving test particle models to produce SEP forecasts and evaluating the associated radiation risk. Collaboration with the Space Weather team at the UK Met Office is envisaged. It is expected that further funding will be applied for to extend the project.
The appointee will also be required to contribute to teaching or demonstrating for not more than six hours per week as well as participating in targeted public engagement projects.
A BSc (Hons) in Physics or in a related field is essential and applicants must also have research experience in a related field of physics at PhD level (or thesis submitted before appointment) or above and have publications in recognised peer-reviewed journals. Skills in scientific computing (e.g. C, C++, FORTRAN, IDL) in a UNIX/Linux environment are essential as well as the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Applicants must have the ability to work to deadlines and demonstrate a professional approach to duties.
The Jeremiah Horrocks Institute is comprised of nearly 30 academic staff members with a wide range of interests ranging from solar physics to stellar and extragalactic astrophysics. The Solar Physics group includes Prof Robert Walsh, Dr Silvia Dalla, Dr Danielle Bewsher and Dr Daniel Brown.
The Jeremiah Horrocks Institute is located on the University’s main campus, on a pleasant site in the centre of Preston, UK. Preston itself is nestled on the edge of the beautiful Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Lake District, Peak District, and Yorkshire Dales are all within an hour’s drive. Both Manchester and Liverpool are just 45 minutes away.
The successful applicant will be appointed at Grade G (starting salary GBP 29301) and will receive the usual benefits for employees in the UK (pension contribution, annual leave, etc). Funds for conference/collaboration travelling will also be provided.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Silvia Dalla (Email: [log in to unmask] ; Tel. +44-1772-893527).
Applicants need to meet all essential criteria on the person specification to be considered for interview. This position is based in Preston.
Job reference: REQ002975
Salary: Grade G (£29301-33943)
Closing date: 13/08/2017
Interviews will take place on 31/08/2017 (to be confirmed).
Please apply online via www.uclan.ac.uk/jobs if you cannot apply online, please contact Human Resources on 01772 892324 and quoting the reference number. CVs will not be considered unless accompanied by a completed application form.
www.star.uclan.ac.uk
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Director General for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory
from Sian Giles [July 2, 2017]
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is searching for a Director General to lead the organization. The Director General has the overall responsibility for the management of the organization in charge of the construction and future operation of Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory.
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is a multinational project to observe extremely high energy photons from the Universe with greatly improved sensitivity than has been done previously. On the site of the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma (Canaries, Spain) and at the European Southern Observatory in Chile about 120 telescopes will be in-stalled, in order to measure the Cherenkov radiation produced by the atmospheric particle showers initiated by cosmic photons.
CTAO is seeking an internationally renowned science manager with several years of experience in successfully managing large Research Infrastructures or at least large international construction projects. Experience in the relevant experimental areas of CTA would be welcome in addition. He/She will be well experienced in negotiations with international partners and with funding agencies and ministries in particular. Further requirements include: outstanding leadership and communication skills, excellent knowledge of English, competence in contractual and economic affairs.
Applications should be submitted by September 1st 2017 to the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the CTA-Council.
Further information is available here:
https://www.cta-observatory.org/jobs/#1498053859055-ce74b0ee-c838
https://www.cta-observatory.org/jobs/#1498053859055-ce74b0ee-c838
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