DOCSLIB.ORG

The Boston University Astronomy Department Annual Report 2006

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Boston University Astronomy Department Annual Report 2006 The Boston University Astronomy Department Annual Report 2006 Dept. Administrator: Susanna Lamey Chairman: James M. Jackson The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 4 Faculty and Staff 5 Teaching 6 Observatory and Facilities 9 Boston University Astronomical Society 10 The Graduate Program 11 Seminar Series 12 Alumni Affairs and Public Outreach 12 Research 13 Future Plans and Departmental Needs 14 APPENDIX A: Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students 19 APPENDIX B: 2006 Astronomy Graduates 21 APPENDIX C: Seminar Series 2005/2006 22 APPENDIX D: Sponsored Project Funding 24 APPENDIX E: PhD Recipients, 1995-2006 26 APPENDIX F: Research Telescopes Available to Peer Institutions 30 The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Department of Astronomy teaches science to hundreds of non-science majors from throughout the university, and runs one of the largest astronomy degree programs in the country. The faculty’s substantial grant activity, scientific productivity, and professional ser- vice demonstrate the Department’s excellence. The Department graduated a class of nine undergraduates, all with a major concentration, as well as two Astronomy minors. While our program is small by CAS standards, among astronomy programs it is among the largest in the US. In our graduate program, two students completed a PhD. Our graduate recruiting for next year was very successful: we have an incoming class of ten new students, bringing our total of new and ongoing astronomy graduate students to . Overall grant revenue won through competitive proposals by Department Faculty and affili- ated Research Associates stayed at modern high levels. Last year, the Department and its as- sociated research centers raised $11,256,807, or approximately $700,000 per teaching faculty. Our faculty published a total of 11 papers in the disciplines’ most prestigious journals. The Department had several noteworthy achievements. Prof. Janes and graduate student April Pinnick were part of a team that discovered a new planet orbiting a nearby sun-like star. The Boston University-Five College Radio Observatory Galactic Ring Survey, an 8-year project to map the molecular gas clouds in our home galaxy, the Milky Way, was completed and its data released to the public. Prof. Schwadron, a new faculty member, has proposed a theory to explain the puzzling absence of energized cosmic rays as Voyager passed through the so-called “termination shock” at the outer edge of our solar system. Prof. Oppenheim uses radar data and modeling to study meteor trails in the earth’s upper atmosphere. In summary, the Department continues to thrive, serve, lead, and prosper with a strong edu- cational programs and an outstanding research program. We look forward to working with the College to solve our long-standing space problem, to find the funds for a new observa- tory complex, and to support Boston University’s participation in an exciting new project, the Discovery Channel Telescope. The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 FACULTY AND STAFF Faculty The Department of Astronomy currently has twenty-six faculty members: sixteen academic faculty and ten research faculty. The full list of the faculty and staff of the Department is provided in Appendix A. This coming fall, we plan to conduct a faculty search. The as- tronomy faculty continues to provide outstanding service to the nation and profession by serving on advisory committees for NASA and NSF, observatories, learned societies, and professional journals. This activity not only keeps our faculty informed of national and international developments, but it also allows us to form and influence national research policies. This high level of external activity demonstrates our stature among the first rank of the nation’s research departments. New Appointments Associate Professor Nathan Schwadron joined the Astronomy Department teaching faculty in August 2005. Professor Schwadron came to us from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, where he was a staff scientist. Prof. Schwadron’s research and expertise on the sun’s outer atmosphere and its interaction with the material in the solar system is an important new area that helps bridge many of the Department’s diverse research initiatives. Changes in Status and Awards Received - Professor Jules Aarons retired from the department after many years of exemplary research and service. Professor Aarons will be missed by all. - Professor James Jackson became the Department’s eleventh Chairman on July 1, 2005. He succeeds Professor Harlan Spence, who tirelessly and ably served the department since July 2002. - Professor Tereasa Brainerd became the head of Boston University’s Institute for Astro- physical Research (IAR), a research center within the department. Professor Brainerd suc- ceeds Prof. Jackson, who served as IAR Director for three years. - Professor Thomas Bania was appointed the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. Research Associates and Departmental Staff Through its two affiliated research centers, the CSP and the IAR, the Department of As- tronomy currently has 18 Research Associates supporting our collective research mission. A full listing of Research Associates connected with the department and department staff appears in Appendix A. Changes in Status and Awards Received: Research Associates -Dr. Justin Kasper joined the Center for Space Physics as a Research Fellow. Dr. Kasper will be working on the CRaTER project. -Dr. Qiugang Zong will be leaving the Center for Space Physics to take a new position at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. 5 The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 Changes in Status and Awards Received: Department Staff -Jennifer Brown was hired as the new librarian of the Michael D. Pappagiannis Astronomy Library. Jennifer is also currently working half-time as a web developer for the CRaTER project. -Erin Buck, Nikole Lewis, and Rick Foster joined the staff of the Center for Space Physics this year, and Lisa Walsh left the CSP. TEACHING Approximately 700 – 900 undergraduate students and 25 – 0 graduate students per year enroll in astronomy courses. The Astronomy Department has three distinct suites of courses to serve Boston University students: 1. Astronomy for non-science majors. Undergraduate non-science majors at Boston Uni- versity usually take our 100-level courses to fill the natural science distribution requirement. Since astronomy is rarely part of the high school curriculum, these courses offer an attrac- tive opportunity for students wishing to experience a new field of science. 2. Core Curriculum. Astronomy faculty play a key role in the Core Curriculum Natural Sci- ences course CC105. About 00 students per year enroll in this course. Astronomy for majors. Our 200-00 level courses provide a rigorous technical education for students wishing a career in astronomy or a related field. About 1/3 of our majors go on to graduate school in astronomy or physics. Those who enter the workforce instead have gained important skills in problem solving, mathematics, and physics. Many of these stu- dents find jobs where skills in analysis are highly sought. Graduate-level astronomy. Our graduate program trains the next generation of astro- physicists and space physicists. Because of our department’s strong concentration in space physics research, our students are all required to take elementary courses in both astrophys- ics and space physics. After passing the qualifying exams, a student may choose advanced courses in either field. Undergraduate Programs Director of Undergraduate Studies: Professor Kenneth Janes Divisional Studies Courses In terms of number of students, the department’s largest teaching mission by far is courses designed to satisfy College divisional study requirements and similar requirements within the other undergraduate schools and colleges of the University. We offer four such 100-level courses. Two of these, AS 101: The Solar System, and AS 102: The Astronomical Universe, provide surveys of solar system astronomy and extra-solar sys- tem astronomy and carry laboratory credit. The other two, AS 109 Cosmology and AS 117 Cosmic Evolution, are somewhat more focused and do not carry laboratory credit. This year we offered eight sections of these courses: four sections of AS 101, two of AS 102, and one 6 The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 each of AS 109 and AS 117. In addition, we offered two honors sections, which were run as additions to regular courses. Left: This chart shows Astronomy undergraduate course enrollment trends since 2000. Table 1: 100-Level Astronomy Enrollments Year Fall Spr CAS Non-CAS Total 1995/96 442 394 546 290 836 1996/97 407 361 486 282 768 1997/98 416 311 449 278 727 1998/99 420 346 526 240 766 1999/00 437 307 502 242 744 2000/01 421 373 521 273 794 2001/02 322 242 374 190 564 2002/03 389 295 458 226 684 2003/04 372 329 488 213 701 2004/05 319 273 408 180 588 2005/06 295 293 406 182 588 Table 1 indicates that the total 100-level enrollment was 588 in 2005/2006. The average en- rollment in each section this year was 12 students; actual section enrollments varied between 5 and 19. Of the students taking these courses, approximately 69% (06) were CAS students and 1% (182 ) came from other schools and colleges. Table 1 demonstrates also that this relative distribution between CAS and other schools has prevailed for at least the past de- cade. The Core Curriculum The department is committed to providing excellent science education to students not con- centrating in science, in the spirit of a true liberal arts education. Since an increasing num- ber of CAS students choose to meet this component of their education through the Core, the department is committed to supporting the physical science component of the Core 7 The Boston University Astronomy Department 2006 Annual Report - July 2005-June 2006 Curriculum, CC105.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Executive Summary
    The Boston University Astronomy Department Annual Report 2010 Chair: James Jackson Administrator: Laura Wipf 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 5 Faculty and Staff 5 Teaching 6 Undergraduate Programs 6 Observatory and Facilities 8 Graduate Program 9 Colloquium Series 10 Alumni Affairs/Public Outreach 10 Research 11 Funding 12 Future Plans/Departmental Needs 13 APPENDIX A: Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students 16 APPENDIX B: 2009/2010 Astronomy Graduates 18 APPENDIX C: Seminar Series 19 APPENDIX D: Sponsored Project Funding 21 APPENDIX E: Accounts Income Expenditures 25 APPENDIX F: Publications 27 Cover photo: An ultraviolet image of Saturn taken by Prof. John Clarke and his group using the Hubble Space Telescope. The oval ribbons toward the top and bottom of the image shows the location of auroral activity near Saturn’s poles. This activity is analogous to Earth’s aurora borealis and aurora australis, the so-called “northern” and “southern lights,” and is caused by energetic particles from the sun trapped in Saturn’s magnetic field. 3 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY associates authored or co-authored a total of 204 refereed, scholarly papers in the disciplines’ most The Department of Astronomy teaches science to prestigious journals. hundreds of non-science majors from throughout the university, and runs one of the largest astronomy degree The funding of the Astronomy Department, the Center programs in the country. Research within the for Space Physics, and the Institute for Astrophysical Astronomy Department is thriving, and we retain our Research was changed this past year. In previous years, strong commitment to teaching and service. only the research centers received research funding, but last year the Department received a portion of this The Department graduated a class of twelve research funding based on grant activity by its faculty.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Weather — History and Current Status
    Space Weather — History and Current Status Ji Wu National Space Science Center, CAS Oct. 3, 2017 1 Contents 1. Beginning of Space Age and Dangerous Environment 2. The Dynamic Space Environment so far We Know 3. The Space Weather Concept and Current Programs 4. Looking at the Future Space Weather Programs 2 1.Beginning of Space Age and Dangerous Environment 3 Space Age Kai'erdishi Korolev Oct. 4, 1957, humanity‘s first artificial satellite, Sputnik-1, has launched, ushering in the Space Age. 4 Space Age Explorer 1 was the first satellite of the United States, launched on Jan 31, 1958, with scientific object to explore the radiation environment of geospace. 5 Unknown Space Environment Sputnik-2 (Nov 3, 1957) detected the Earth's outer radiation belt in the far northern latitudes, but researchers did not immediately realize the significance of the elevated radiation because Sputnik 2 passed through the Van Allen belt too far out of range of the Soviet tracking stations. Explorer-1 detected fewer cosmic rays in its orbit (which ranged from 220 miles from Earth to 1,563 miles) than Van Allen expected. 6 Space Age - unknown and dangerous space environment 7 Satellite failures due to the unknown and Particle dangerous space environment Radiation！ Statistics show that the space radiation environment is one of the main causes of satellite failure. The space radiation environment caused about 2,300 satellite failures of all the 5000 failure events during the 1966-1994 period collected by the National Geophysical Data Center. Statistics of the United States in 1996 indicate that the space environment caused more than 40% of satellite failures in 1958-1986, and 36% in 1986-1996.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Weather ± Physics and Effects Volker Bothmer and Ioannis A
    Space Weather ± Physics and Effects Volker Bothmer and Ioannis A. Daglis Space Weather ± Physics and Effects Published in association with Praxis Publishing Chichester, UK Dr Volker Bothmer Dr Ioannis A. Daglis Institute for Astrophysics National Observatory of Athens University of GoÈttingen Athens GoÈ ttingen Greece Germany SPRINGER±PRAXIS BOOKS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES SUBJECT ADVISORY EDITOR: John Mason B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D. ISBN 10: 3-540-23907-3 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York ISBN 13: 978-3-540-23907-9 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York Springer is part of Springer-Science + Business Media (springer.com) Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliogra®e; detailed bibliographic data are available from the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de Library of Congress Control Number: 2006921904 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. # Praxis Publishing Ltd, Chichester, UK, 2007 Printed in Germany The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a speci®c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
    [Show full text]
  • NASA Living with a Star TR&T Town Hall Renaissance Washington, DC
    NASA Living With a Star TR&T Town Hall Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown 13 December, 2018 LWS Town Hall Agenda Item Time Agenda Item Presenter 1 6:30 PM Welcome Nicky Fox 2 6:35 PM LPAG Status Anthea Coster / Mark Linton 3 6:55 PM LWS Program Status Jeff Morrill / Simon Plunkett 4 7:15 PM Multi-Agency Collaborations & Space Janet Kozyra Weather Activities 5 7:30 PM GDC STDT Status Jared Leisner 6 7:45 PM LWS Infrastructure & New Initiatives Lika Guhathakurtha 7 8:00 PM ADJOURN 2 LWS Town Hall Agenda Item Time Agenda Item Presenter 1 6:30 PM Welcome Nicky Fox 2 6:35 PM LPAG Status Anthea Coster / Mark Linton 3 6:55 PM LWS Program Status Jeff Morrill / Simon Plunkett 4 7:15 PM Multi-Agency Collaborations & Space Janet Kozyra Weather Activities 5 7:30 PM GDC STDT Status Jared Leisner 6 7:45 PM LWS Infrastructure & New Initiatives Lika Guhathakurtha 7 8:00 PM ADJOURN 3 NASA Living with a Star Program Analysis Group (LPAG) Executive Committee (EC) Co-Chairs: • Anthea Coster (MIT Haystack Observatory) • Mark Linton (Naval Research Laboratory, NRL) EC Members: • Joe Borovsky (Space Science Institute) • Richard Collins (University of Alaska) • Seebany Datta-Barua (Illinois Institute of Technology) • Matina Gkioulidou (JHU / APL) • Fan Guo (Los Alamos National Laboratory) • Jorg-Micha Jahn (Southwest Research Institute) • Enrico Landi (University of Michigan) • John Leibacher (National Solar Observatory) • Sabrina Savage (NASA / MSFC) • Brian Walsh (Boston University) See website at https://lwstrt.gsfc.nasa.gov/lpag 4 Living with a Star LPAG, continued Liaison Members: Charles N.
    [Show full text]
  • NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications: Process, Priorities and Goals
    NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications: Process, Priorities and Goals January 1992 NTIS order #PB92-152503 Office of Technology Assessment Congressional Board of the 102d Congress GEORGE E. BROWN, JR., California, Chairman TED STEVENS, Alaska, Vice Chairman Senate House EDWARD M. KENNEDY JOHN 0. DINGELL Massachusetts Michigan ERNEST F. HOLLINGS CLARENCE E. MILLER South Carolina Ohio CLAIBORNE PELL DON SUNDQUIST Rhode Island Tennessee ORRIN G. HATCH AMO HOUGHTON Utah New York CHARLES E. GRASSLEY (Vacancy) Iowa JOHN H. GIBB0NS (Nonvoting) Advisory Council CHASE N. PETERSON, Chairman MICHEL T. HALBOUTY MAX LENNON University of Utah Chairman of the Board & President Salt Lake City, Utah Chief Executive Officer Clemson University Michel T Halbouty Energy Co. Clemson, South Carolina Houston, Texas JOSHUA LEDERBERG, Vice Chairman - NEIL E. HARL JOSEPH E. ROSS Professor Professor Director Rockefeller University Department of Economics Congressional Research Service New York, New York Iowa State University The Library of Congress Ames,. Iowa Washington, D.C. CHARLES A. BOWSHER JAMES C. HUNT JOHN F.M. SIMS Comptroller General of Chancellor Vice President Marketing the United States Health Sciences Center Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. Washington, D.C. University of Tennessee Fairbanks, Alaska Memphis, Tennessee LEWIS M. BRANSCOMB HENRY KOFFLER MARINA v.N. WHITMAN Director of Science, Technology & President Emeritus Vice President & Group Executive Public Policy Program University of Arizona Public Affairs Staffs Group Albert Pratt Public Service
    [Show full text]
  • The Hubble Space Telescope Aurora C
    Instrumentation and Facilities Research Students have access to rooftop instructional optical and radio telescopes in the Judson B. The Department of Astronomy, through its affiliated research units (the CSP, the IAR, and CISM), has a robust and thriving research program. Research areas in the Department include observational and Coit Observatory. Through the B.U.-Lowell Observatory partnership we have guaranteed time theoretical studies in a variety of fields. To learn about the research programs of individual faculty-led groups, go to www.bu.edu/astronomy/research. A few of the current research projects at BU are: on the 1.8m Perkins telescope and the 4.3m DCT near Flagstaff, AZ. We are frequently guest investigators at national and international facilities in Puerto Rico, Chile, Hawaii, Massachusetts, The Hubble Space Telescope Arizona, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Australia. Members of the Department also use Aurora Campaign space-based facilities, such as NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope; the Fermi Gamma-ray Space The aurora on Jupiter and Saturn Telescope; the Cluster suite of four satellites; the Chandra X-Ray Observatory; and Spitzer, have been studied with increasing Herschel, and Swift satellites. sensitivity and resolution in a series of HST Guest Observer programs of UV imaging and spectroscopy. These have revolutionized our understanding of the auroral phenomenona on both planets, and the auroral emissions provide the only remote method to study the magnetospheres of these giant planets. Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) Boston University has recently partnered with Lowell Observatory in the Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT). The BU Astronomy Department will have guaranteed observing time on the 4.3 meter telescope, located on a site called “Happy Jack” about 40 miles from Flagstaff, AZ.
    [Show full text]
  • The Dalton Minimum and John Dalton's Auroral Observations
    Silverman and Hayakawa (2021) The Dalton Minimum and John Dalton’s Auroral Observations, Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate. DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2020082 The Dalton Minimum and John Dalton’s Auroral Observations Sam M. Silverman 18 Ingleside Road Lexington, MA [email protected] Hisashi Hayakawa (1) Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research Nagoya University, Nagoya, 4648601, Japan (2) Institute for Advanced Researches Nagoya University, Nagoya, 4648601, Japan (3) UK Solar System Data Centre, Space Physics and Operations Division, RAL Space, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK [email protected] 1 Silverman and Hayakawa (2021) The Dalton Minimum and John Dalton’s Auroral Observations, Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate. DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2020082 Abstract In addition to the regular Schwabe cycles of approximately 11 y, “prolonged solar activity minima” have been identified through the direct observation of sunspots and aurorae, as well as proxy data of cosmogenic isotopes. Some of these minima have been regarded as grand solar minima, which are arguably associated with the special state of the solar dynamo and have attracted significant scientific interest. In this paper, we review how these prolonged solar activity minima have been identified. In particular, we focus on the Dalton Minimum, which is named after John Dalton. We review Dalton’s scientific achievements, particularly in geophysics. Special emphasis is placed on his lifelong observations of auroral displays over approximately five decades in Great Britain. Dalton’s observations for the auroral frequency allowed him to notice the scarcity of auroral displays in the early 19th century.
    [Show full text]
  • On-Line Education Material at CCMC
    On-Line Education Material at CCMC George Siscoe, M. Kuznetsova, A. Chulaki, D. Berrios A. Taktakishvili, A. Pulkkinen, L. Rastaetter, M. Hesse M. Maddox, P. MacNeice Outline • CCMC Support of Heliophysics Summer School • General Purpose Runs for Education and Research • Idea of On-line Educational Courses on Space Physics and Space Weather that Use CCMC Simulations • DEMO of the First of the Series of Modules on Earth’s Magnetosphere (George Siscoe, Anna Chulaki) George Siscoe George Siscoe Sandro Taktakishvili Antti Pulkkinen SOHO Satellite Instrument Images for 4 Moments of time t1<t2<t3<t4. EIT‐ EUV Imaging Telescope LASCO C2 Coronograph LASCO C3 Coronograph t1 t2 t3 t4 5 ExerciseExercise 11:: WhichWhich instrumentinstrument hashas dedetectedtected ththee CMECME appearanceappearance firstfirst andand whwhen?en? Average CME Speed from the Catalog at IACS CUA (http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/CME_list/) (Exercise 4) There were 8 halo CMEs in March and April of 2002 listed in this catalog. CME date Catalog POS speed TheThe tabltablee showsshows halohalo CMECMEss inin MarchMarch andand AprilApril 20022002 listedlisted At 2 Rs inin ththee catalog,catalog, justjust bebeforefore 2002/04/172002/04/17 CMECME occurred.occurred. (km/sec) OneOne ofof thethe waysways ofof forecastingforecasting CMECME arrivalarrival timestimes isis toto 2002/03/10 1429 estimateestimate ththee propagationpropagation timtimee ofof anan “average”“average”sspeedpeed 2002/03/11 950 CME.CME. 2002/03/14 907 ExerciseExercise 4:4: TakingTaking thethe averageaverage ofof halohalo CMECME speedsspeeds listedlisted inin thethe TableTable 2002/03/15 957 estimateestimate thethe arrivalarrival timetime ofof thethe “average”“average” sspeedpeed CMECME toto thethe EarthEarth andand comparecompare itit toto thethe observedobserved arrivalarrival timetime andand thethe arrivalarrival timetime obtainedobtained inin thethe ExercisExercisee 3.3.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Magnetospheres: Lessons for Earth
    Advances in Space Research 33 (2004) 2113–2120 www.elsevier.com/locate/asr Comparative magnetospheres: lessons for Earth V.M. Vasyliunas * Max-Planck-lnstitut fu€r Aeronomie, Max-Planck-Str. 2, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany Received 3 March 2003; received in revised form 3 April 2003; accepted 3 April 2003 Abstract The comparative study of various magnetospheres is not only interesting in itself but also useful for understanding better many aspects of the magnetosphere of Earth. Scaling relations can be tested over a much wider parameter range than that provided by Earth alone. Comparison of Earth with other magnetospheres tells us about the relative importance of the ionosphere, the sig- nificance of kinetic effects, the dependence on the geometrical configuration of rotation axis, magnetic dipole, and solar wind flow direction, and the role of the external magnetic field. Processes such as magnetic field line reconnection and auroral particle ac- celeration are common to many different magneto-spheres and can be better understood when observed in different contexts. Diffusive transport across closed magnetic field lines plays a special role in the magnetospheres both of Jupiter and of Earth. Finally, some properties and limitations of numerical simulation work are illuminated by application under distinct conditions provided by different magnetospheres, in particular Jupiter and Earth. Ó 2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Comparative magnetospheres; Lessons for Earth; Scaling relations; Planetary magnetospheres 1. Introduction significance; the first step in trying to understand a magnetosphere that is being observed for the first time Lessons for Earth, or lessons from Earth? Both are has always been to invoke analogies from the terrestrial objectives of comparative magnetosphere studies as magnetosphere and see how far they can be pushed.
    [Show full text]
  • Dr. Gary M. Erickson
    Dr. Gary M. Erickson Biography: Gary Erickson received his B.S. (1976) and M.S. (1978) degrees in physics from Florida Atlantic University, and his Ph.D. (1985) in space physics from Rice University. After a post-doctoral ap- pointment at Rice University (1985{1986), he was an NRC Resident Research Associate at Goddard Space Flight Center (1986{1987), a Geophysics Scholar at the Air Force Geophysical Laboratory (1987{1989), and Senior Scientist at Massachusetts Technological Laboratory (1989{1990). He came to Boston University as a Research Associate (1990{1991), taught a graduate course in mag- netospheric physics, and became a member of the Research Faculty in the Department of Space Physics and Astronomy and Center for Space Physics (1991{2003). He held Visiting Faculty ap- pointments at the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Air Force Summer Faculty Research Program (1997, 2001, 2002). He is now a Research Scientist at the Solar Observatory and Visiting Associate Professor of Physics at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Research has included both theoretical and data-analysis projects. Theoretical projects include convection in Earth's plasma sheet, the physics of the Harang discontinuity, the generation of magnetic-¯eld-aligned currents, magnetospheric structure, and magnetopause reconnection and turbulence. The problem of the magnetospheric substorm has been a particular research focus since he elucidated the \pressure-balance inconsistency" as a graduate student. For his Ph.D. project, he developed the ¯rst computer code to model force-balanced, adiabatic, magnetospheric convection, which established the structure of the substorm growth phase. Data-analysis projects include use of data from the CRRES and Geotail satellites to describe magnetospheric substorms.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heliophysics Summer School: 10 Years and Counting
    The Heliophysics Summer School: 10 years and Counting By Dr. Tony Phillips Some institutions of cutting-edge learning are very old. Harvard: 380 years. Princeton: 270 years. Caltech: 125 years. Others are a little younger. This year, academicians around the world are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the “Heliophysics Summer School,” a fresh-faced academy that introduces the next generation of scientists to a field of study that, arguably, didn’t even exist when the new millennium began. “Heliophysics is something new and exciting,” says Lika Guhathakurta of NASA Headquarters. “It’s a leap across scientific boundaries,” says Karel Schrijver, formerly of the Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Laboratory. “It is a blueprint for the Universe,” says Amitava Bhattacharjee, Professor of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University. It begins with Helios, our sun. Of all the objects in the cosmos, the sun affects our planet most. It is the 900lb gorilla of the Solar System, shaping climate, weather, even life itself. Earth and the sun are deeply and intricately connected, not only by simple rays of light and heat, but also by a complex web of electricity, magnetism, solar wind and extreme ultraviolet radiation. Lines of electrical current and magnetic force can sometimes be traced, without interruption, all the way from the ground beneath our feet to the base of seething sunspots 93 million miles away. Our planet and our star are, in a sense, one. “Back in the early 2000s, NASA had a division called the ‘Sun-Earth connection,’ which recognized this link,” recalls Guhathakurta. ”When Mike Griffin became the NASA administrator in April of 2005, he asked us to come up with a one-word description of our division that captured both the holistic simplicity and the vast scope of the sun-Earth system.
    [Show full text]
  • Universal Heliophysical Processes (IHY) Savannah, Georgia, USA 10–14 November 2008
    UPCOMING MEETINGS Reserve Housing by 14 November 2008 Register at Discounted Rates by 14 November 2008 Abstract Submission Deadline: 4 March 2009, 2359UT 2010 Meeting of the Americas 8–13 August Iguassu Falls, Brazil For complete details on these meetings please visit the AGU Web site at www.agu.org AGU Chapman Conference on Universal Heliophysical Processes (IHY) Savannah, Georgia, USA 10–14 November 2008 Conveners • Nancy Crooker, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA • Marina Galand, Imperial College, London, England, UK Program Committee • Terry Forbes, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA • Joe Giacalone, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA • Wing Ip, National Central University, Jhongli City, Taiwan • Chris Owen, University College London, Surrey, England, UK • George Siscoe, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA • Roger Smith, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA • Jan-Erik Wahlund, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden • Gary Zank, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA Sponsor U.S. National Science Foundation 1 *************** MEETING AT A GLANCE Sunday, 9 November 18:30 – 20:00 Registration and Welcome Reception Monday, 10 November 8:00 – 8:45 Registration 9:00 – 10:30 Oral Discussions 10:30 – 11:00 Morning Refreshments 11:00 – 12:30 Oral Discussions 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (on own) 14:00 – 15:30 Oral Discussions 15:30 – 16:00 Afternoon Refreshments 16:00 – 17:00 Oral Discussions 17:00 – 18:30 Poster Viewings (refreshments and cash bar) Tuesday,
    [Show full text]