Newsletter Newsletter Published on Division for Planetary Sciences ( Issue 15-53, December 20, 2015

Transcription

1 Issue 15-53, December 20, CONTENTS MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: DPS REPRESENTATION AT AAS MESSAGE FROM THE FEDERAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR RENEW YOUR AAS/DPS MEMBERSHIP TODAY SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY (SARA) JWST EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE REQUEST DUE JAN. 15 NASA DUE DATE EXTENDED FOR COMMENTS ON STANDARD AO JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR: DPS REPRESENTATION AT AAS As you know, the DPS is a subunit of our parent organization, the American Astronomical Society. The AAS hires the staff that help us run our meetings, keep track of our finances, and provide legal help as well as lots of useful services. While I would characterize our relationship with the AAS as very good today, the same hasn't always been true historically. Part of the communication barrier between us and the AAS derives from a lack of DPS representation on the AAS governing body, the AAS Council. When I mentioned this to present AAS President Meg Urry, she recommended that we use the democratic process to win representation by voting in the traditionally low-turnout AAS elections. Since that time, a DPS member, Nancy Chanover, was appointed to the DPS Council to serve out the term of a American Astronomical Society. Page 1 of 10

2 Councilor who stepped down. But I still want to take Meg up on her recommendation to win representation democratically. To that end, several of us signed a petition to nominate DPS Member Stefanie Milam to stand for election for AAS Council this year. Stefanie is the Deputy Project Scientist for Planetary Science for JWST at Goddard. With her diverse research interests including comets, stars, and laboratory studies, she is well placed to bring planetary interests to the table at the AAS. The AAS elections open Monday at [1]. Please take the time to vote, even if you normally don't! Note that you must be an AAS Member to vote -- affiliates are ineligible. Finally, let me note a point of electoral strategy. The AAS ballot allows up to three choices for the AAS Councilor positions. In a case where a voter might prefer a single candidate far and above all others, the most influential option would be to vote for that single preferred candidate alone, leaving the other two voting lines blank. Such an approach maximizes the net effect on the vote totals. Merry Earth Northern Winter Solstice, Jason W. Barnes DPS Chair PS: I am *very* excited about the potential NASA Planetary Budget Page 2 of 10

3 being over $1.6B!!!!! See the next post for details MESSAGE FROM THE FEDERAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR As you likely know, on Friday Congress passed an omnibus appropriation bill. The omnibus, once signed into law by the President, funds the entire federal government throughout Fiscal Year Not only does the bill avoid the threats of government shutdowns and continuing resolutions for the coming year, it is generally great news for planetary science - and science in general. The planetary sciences division received a 13.44% increase over FY2015 for a total of $1.631 billion. This is the highest level of funding for planetary science in 10 years. The science mission directorate as a whole received a 6.57% increase to $ billion. NASA got a 7.08% increase in its overall budget, bringing it to an overall $ billion. As we have seen more and more in recent years, there are a number of Congressional mandates in the bill (carrying the force of law) and in the report langauge (which does not carry the force of law but expresses guidance and the intent of Congress), including: * $448 million for Mars Exploration, with $250M for Mars 2020 * $50 million for NEO observations * $189.7 million for OSIRIS-REx * $189 million for Discovery; includes $19 million for Lunar Reconnaisance Program and funds to enable a 2017 Discovery AO * Increase to New Frontiers to accelerate the next AO, targeting before February 2016 * $261 million for outer planets research, including $175 million for the Jupiter Europa Clipper * Mandate that the Clipper "...shall include an orbiter with a lander that will include competitively selected instruments...with a target launch date of 2022" and the expectation that the Clipper will be launched on the SLS * Direction to create an Ocean World Exploration Program with the primary goal "to discover extant life on another world" Page 3 of 10

4 * $197 million for planetary science techonology, with at least $25 million for icy satellites surface technology and $15 million for plutonium-238 production For more specifics go to: [2] After years of Administration-proposed cuts to planetary science and work in Congress to build back the budget, we are now seeing the highest level of funding for planetary science in a number of years. It is cause for celebration and expressing appreciation to our supporters in Congress. But we as a community must stay engaged in order to maintain and build on these gains. If you want more information on the bill, report, etc. or for other questions or comments on policy matters please contact Makenzie Lystrup at dps.frschair@aas.org [3] RENEW YOUR AAS/DPS MEMBERSHIP TODAY With no dues increase and a "stellar" lineup of benefits, there isn't a better time than now to renew your commitment to the AAS/DPS. AAS ed members in early September announcing the start of membership renewal season, and many took notice. Online renewals are arriving at a steady pace. If you have already paid your dues, thanks for your continued support. To help reduce costs and the Society's carbon footprint, we encourage you to renew online today for fast, easy self-service. Simply log in to pay your dues, to confirm or update your journal subscriptions and Division memberships, and to lock in savings for 2017 by renewing for two years at the current rate. Page 4 of 10

5 (Note: That last option isn't available to junior members, who instead get two years for the price of one currently $80 when first joining the Society, then renew annually thereafter.) Renew before 31 December to maintain your benefits and receive additional savings: the AAS will extend a one-time 15% discount off your portion of the author charges for one paper published in the Astronomical Journal, the Astrophysical Journal, ApJ Letters, or ApJ Supplement. Eligible members can double their savings: if you renew by 31 December for two years, you will receive the 15% author discount on one paper each in 2016 and The Society has much planned for 2016 including the 227th meeting of the AAS in Kissimmee in January so you won't want to miss out on the latest science, member communications, and career and networking opportunities. Supporting the AAS is supporting your discipline. Renew today! If you have any questions about your dues or benefits, or need assistance when logging in, please contact the membership team by at membership@aas.org [4]or by phone at Thank you! SOUTHEASTERN ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY (SARA) The SARA Consortium is seeking to engage at least one new institutional member in Currently our 13-member consortium operates 1-m-class telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in Chile, and Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in the Canary Islands, Spain. All three SARA telescopes support remote access observing programs and are equipped for imaging at optical wavelengths. The telescopes in Arizona and Chile are also equipped with moderate resolution Page 5 of 10

6 echelle spectrographs. Guaranteed observing time (approximately 60 nights per year distributed across three telescopes) is proportionately assigned to SARA member institutions based on an initial capital investment of $100K and annual operational dues of $15K. Letters of interest received before March 1, 2016 will be reviewed at the spring 2016 SARA Board meeting and invitation(s) for full proposal(s) will be extended shortly thereafter. Additional information about SARA and our facilities can be found at [5] Inquiries should be directed to the Chairman of the SARA Board of Directors, Dr. Terry Oswalt at [6] JWST EARLY RELEASE SCIENCE REQUEST DUE JAN. 15: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is scheduled for launch in October 2018, and the first call for proposals will be released in The Space Telescope Science Institute, following the recommendations of the JWST Advisory Committee ( [7]), is now defining the parameters for an Early Release Science (ERS) program. The primary objective of the ERS program is to provide community access to a broad suite of JWST science observations as early as possible in Cycle 1. The observing programs will be chosen by peer review to provide representative datasets and to address technical challenges related to the major instrumental modes available on JWST. ERS observations are expected to seed initial discovery and to inform Cycle 2 proposals, which will be submitted just months after the start of Cycle 1. We are gathering community input to inform our preparations for the program and invite your participation in our brief survey at: Page 6 of 10

7 [8] The survey will be open until 15 January 2016 and consists of four pages; it should take minutes to complete. More information on the general framework and timeline for the ERS program can be found on the ERS webpage ( [9]). Questions and/or comments are welcome via (jwst_ers [at] stsci.edu [10]) DUE DATE FOR COMMENTS ON THE NASA SMD STANDARD AO EXTENDED TO JANUARY 15, 2016 The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has extended the open period for comments on the Standard Announcement of Opportunity (AO) until January 15, For reference information regarding the current Standard AO Template and a copy of the previous message inviting comments please see: [11] Modifications that could result in shortening and/or simplifying Step 1 proposals submitted for two-step flight mission acquisitions and other suggestions may be submitted via by January 15, 2016 to Thomas Wagner at thomas.wagner@nasa.gov [12] and Washito Sasamoto at washito.a.sasamoto@nasa.gov [13] JOBS, POSITIONS, OPPORTUNITIES A) POSTDOC POSITIONS, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI 1 AT MANOA The Reaction Dynamics Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, invites applications for four postdoctoral positions. The appointment period is initially for one year, but can be renewed annually based on availability of funds and satisfactory progress. The salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Successful Page 7 of 10

8 applicants should have a strong background in one or more of the following: experimental reaction dynamics, molecular beams, combustion chemistry, low temperature condensed phase, UHV technology, pulsed laser systems. 2 Positions: Reaction Dynamics & Combustion Chemistry (Gas Phase). The prime directive of the experiments is to investigate the formation of carbonaceous molecules (PAHs) in combustion systems exploiting crossed molecular beams along with mass spectrometry and ion imaging (Hawaii) and a pyrolytic micro reactor (Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory). 2 Positions: Planetary Chemistry & Astrobiology (Condensed Phase). The goal of these experiments is to probe the formation of alkylphosphonic acids via interaction of ionizing radiation with low temperature interstellar and cometary analog ices. Reaction products will be probed via tunable vacuum ultraviolet photoionization of the subliming molecules. Solid communication skills in English (written, oral), a publication record in internationally circulated, peer-reviewed journals, and willingness to work in a team are mandatory. Only self-motivated and energetic candidates are encouraged to apply. Please send a letter of interest, three letters of recommendation, CV, and publication list to Prof. Ralf I. Kaiser, Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI , USA [ralfk@hawaii.edu [14]]. Applicants must demonstrate their capability to prepare manuscripts for publications independently. The review of applications will start December 15, 2015, and continues until the position is filled. A description of our current research group can be found at [15]. Examples of recent publications can be seen at Int. Rev. Phys. Chem. 34, (2015). Annu. Rev. Physical Chemistry 66, (2015). Page 8 of 10

9 The Astrophysical Journal 814, 45 (2015). Chemical Communications 51, (2015). Angewandte Chemie International Edition 54, (2015). Angewandte Chemie International Edition 54, (2015). Angewandte Chemie International Edition 53, (2014). Angewandte Chemie International Edition 53, (2014). The Journal of the American Chemical Society (2014). Chem. Soc. Rev. 43, (2014). B) POSTDOC AT LIEGE UNIVERSITY, BELGIUM A two-year research contract will start in early 2016 at the Laboratoire de Physique Atmosphérique et Planétaire (Liège University, Belgium). We are looking for a postdoc to work on a new project on the Martian atmosphere in relation with the Mars Express and the upcoming TGO/EXOMARS ESA s missions. The candidate should be familiar with analysis of optical observations related to emission and absorption of radiation in terrestrial planets atmospheres. If you know of researcher(s) who could be interested by this position, please contact JC Gerard (at jc.gerard@ulg.ac.be [16]) Send submissions to: Anne Verbiscer, DPS Secretary (dpssec@aas.org [17]) To unsubscribe visit [18] or unsubscribe@aas.org [19]. To change your address address@aas.org [20]. -Anne J. Verbiscer Research Associate Professor Department of Astronomy University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Page 9 of 10

10 Footer Reports History Bylaws Source URL: Links: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] American Astronomical Society. Powered by TCPDF ( Page 10 of 10