UK Solar Physics Newsletter Lyndsay Fletcher & Duncan Mackay, Editors December 1st 2008 o News, Views and Gossip o Congratulations to Robert Walsh on promotion to Reader. o Solar Cycle 24 Panel still encourages you to submit predictions o IAU Symposia in 2010 o HELAS II publications on helio- and asteroseismology o New Program Scientist at NASA HQ o SOHO 20 Special Issue Published o NERC Peer Review College o New RHESSI science nugget o Meetings, Conferences and Workshops o Space Climate School and Space Climate Symposium 3 in Saariselk? Finland, in March 15-18, 2009 (School) and in March 18-22, 2009 (Symposium) o Workshop on Cross-Scale Coupling in Plasmas - Italy March 9-11, 2009 o Call for abstracts for the ST2 session at EGU2009 o IAU Joint Discussion "New Advances in Helio- and Asteroseismology" o First Announcemnent: IHY Africa/Scinda 2009 Workshop o RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting on solar flares, March 13th 2009: Registration Open o Third Solar Orbiter Workshop, Sorrento, 25-29 May 2009. 1st announcement o Solar Wind 12 Workshop, Saint-Malo, France, 21-26 June 2009. o USO School "Solar Magnetism" at Dwingeloo, June 28 - July 4 2009 o Employment Opportunities o Postdoctoral Fellowships in Solar/Stellar Physics - HIGH ALTITUDE OBSERVATORY o Postdoc or Junior Research Scientist in Solar Physics, NWRA/CoRA Dear Colleague, Here are a few items which have come to our attention since the last Newsletter. You can find this newsletter also at the UKSP website: http://www.uksolphys.org Lyndsay (lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk) Duncan (duncan@mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk) ********************************************************************* * * * News, Views and Gossip * * * ********************************************************************* From: Gordon Ernest Bromage Congratulations: Congratulations to Robert Walsh has just been promoted to the position of Reader in Solar Astrophysics at UCLan. ************************************ From : Douglas Biesecker Solar Cycle 24 Panel still encourages you to submit predictions In July and August of 2006, the Solar Cycle 24 Panel asked the community to submit their predictions for the next solar cycle. As many of you are aware, the panel did not reach a single consensus prediction, but did settle on two possible scenarios for the smoothed International Sunspot Number for cycle 24. These are a high prediction of 140 (+/- 20) to peak in October, 2011 and a low prediction of 90 (+/- 10) to peak in August, 2012. The panel would like to reiterate its invitation for interested parties to submit their prediction for the strength and timing of Solar Cycle 24. The panel continues to meet periodically to assess the current state of the Sun and discuss factors which could sway opinion. If you have a prediction, published or not, that you have not previously submitted directly to the panel, we would appreciate receiving it. It may just move the opinion of the panel in the direction you would prefer! You can find details about the panels predictions at http://www.spaceweather.gov/SolarCycle/SC24/index.html The Solar Cycle 24 Prediction Panel is chaired by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and funded by NASA. E-mail the information, requested below, about your prediction to the panel by sending it to the panel chairperson, Douglas Biesecker at submit.cycle24 @noaa.gov Name: Institution (if applicable): Mailing Address: Work Phone Number (include country code if outside USA): Category of prediction (Precursor, Spectral, Climatology, Recent Climatology, Neural Network, other (please specify)): Submit a prediction for any of: - Peak sunspot number for solar cycle 24 (in units of sunspot number, preferably international Smoothed Sunspot Number, or F10.7 flux) - Time of maximum (absolute date or time (in months) after minimum) - Duration of cycle 24 A maximum 2-page summary of your prediction technique. Other things we would like to see, but not required: - A skill score from a prediction of prior cycles (show how computed) - Error bars on your prediction (show how derived) ************************************* From : James Klimchuk IAU Symposia in 2010 Please note that Dec. 15 (extended from Dec. 1) is the deadline for submitting proposals for IAU symposia in 2010. Relatively few proposals have been submitted thus far, so the chances of success are improved. More information can be found at http://www.iau.org/science/meetings/. ************************************* From : Laurent Gizon HELAS II publications on helio- and asteroseismology The publications related to the HELAS II Conference are now available online: 1) Journal of Physics: Conference Series, volume 118, articles 012001-012091 (Oct 2008), "Proceedings of the Second HELAS International Conference: Helioseismology, Asteroseismology, and MHD Connections", Eds. L. Gizon and M. Roth, URL: http://www.iop.org/EJ/toc/1742-6596/118/1. All articles are permanently available online as open-access pdf files. 2) Solar Physics, volume 251, nos. 1-2, pp. 1-666 (Sep 2008), Topical Issue "Helioseismology, Asteroseismology, and MHD Connections", Eds. L. Gizon, P. Cally, and J. Leibacher, URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/x548678p1725/. This volume covers the topics of both the HELAS II and SOHO 19/GONG 2007 conferences. ************************************* From: Alexei Pevtsov New Program Scientist at NASA HQ We are pleased to announce that Dr. Terry Kucera has joined the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters for a year long detail. In January 2009 she will be taking over the role of Solar Physics Discipline Scientist and Program Scientist for the Solar and Heliospheric Physics ( SR&T and LCAS) Program. Her new address and phone number are: Therese Kucera NASA Headquarters, Mail Suite 3R15, 300 E St., SW, Washington, DC 20546 Ph: 202-358-3649; FAX: 202-358-3987 Email: Therese.A.Kucera@nasa.gov ************************************* From: Eva Robbrecht The SOHO20 special issue in Annales Geophysicae has been published online! It contains 23 refereed articles that were presented at the meeting. The special issue can be found at http://www.ann-geophys.net/special_issue210.html (listed under2008). Offprints of the entire issue can be ordered at http://www.copernicus.org/site/redsys/classicform.php?form=form_back_volume_issue_new, whereas single articles can be ordered at http://www.copernicus.org/site/redsys/classicform.php?form=form_offprint_order_new. The rates for the special issue are listed on http://www.copernicus.org/EGU/annales/prices.html. The website http://www.sidc.be/soho20 is still up and presentations and photo's are still available. The next SOHO workshop "STEREO-3/SOHO-22: Three eyes on the Sun - Multi-spacecraft studies of the corona and impacts on the heliosphere" is scheduled from April 27 to May 1, 2009 in Dorset England. (info is on http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/community/) Thank you all for contributing to the success of the meeting! Eva Robbrecht and Jean-Francois Hochedez in the name of the Editors **************************************************** From: Mervyn Freeman Dear All You may be interested to know that NERC has announced its annual call for membership of its influential Peer Review College. Solar terrestrial physics is one area identified in which NERC needs to increase the expertise on the College. NERC invites nominations for membership and affiliate membership of the NERC Peer Review College by 9 January 2009. Full details are at http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/assessment/peerreview/nominationscall.asp Regards Mervyn Freeman Principal Investigator Natural Complexity Programme British Antarctic Survey High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, U.K. Tel: 01223 221543 Fax: 01223 221226 **************************************************** From: Steven Christe Announcing a new RHESSI Science Nugget: "The Rise and Fall of the Low Energy Cutoff" (http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/RHESSI_Science_Nuggets) by Ewan Dickson and Eduard Kontar. Solar hard X-rays tend to have a power-law distribution in energy, implying infinite photon numbers at low energy (a "soft X-ray catastrophe"). Can we observe what limits this behavior? ********************************************************************* * * * Conferences, Workshops, Meetings * * * ********************************************************************* From: Kalevi Mursula Space Climate School and Space Climate Symposium 3 in Saariselk? Finland, in March 15-18, 2009 (School) and in March 18-22, 2009 (Symposium). The Local Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that Space Climate School and Space Climate Symposium 3 are to be held in Saariselk? Finland, in March 15-18, 2009 (School) and in March 18-22, 2009 (Symposium). Space Climate School aims to introduce under-graduate and post-graduate students, young space researchers and any other interested to the basics of the key topics of Space Climate, including Earth's climate and Sun-climate relations, in a friendly, encouraging and inspiring atmosphere. Lecturers include, e.g., J. Beer, J. Haigh, D. Marsh, A. Ferriz Mas, J. Moore, K. Mursula, E. Priest, E. Rodr?uez Camino, W. Schmutz and I. Usoskin. Space Climate Symposium review speakers include, e.g., P. Charbonneau, K. Georgieva, A. Kosovichev, D. Nandi, V. Obridko, E. Priest, J.-P. Rozelot, A. Rouillard, A. Ruzmaikin, N. Shaviv, E. Smith, S. Solanki, B. Tinsley, and B. Tsurutani. Important Dates: Early registration deadline, abstract submission deadline and hotel special price deadlines are 31 December, 2008. ? For registration and information on program, travel, accommodation etc., see http://spaceweb.oulu.fi/spaceclimate/ [spaceweb.oulu.fi] Welcome to Lapland! Sincerely Yours, Kalevi Mursula for the LOC ++++++++++ FOR WEB PAGE Space Climate School LOCATION Saariselka, Finnish Lapland, Finland DATES? March 15 - 18, 2009 STATUS? Registration Open Space Climate Symposium 3 LOCATION Saariselka, Finnish Lapland, Finland DATES? March 18 - 22, 2009 STATUS? Registration Open For both cases, please use the same web page link: http://spaceweb.oulu.fi/spaceclimate/ ********************************************* From: Steve Schwartz Second Announcement and call for abstracts Workshop on Cross-Scale Coupling in Plasmas Universit?della Calabria, Rende (Cosenza) - Italy March 9-11, 2009 Abstract deadline: JANUARY 31st, 2009 Description of the Workshop =========================== Space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas are dominated by processes, such as shocks, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence, that are intrinsically variable and coupled on disparate scales. This workshop will discuss and refine the science background and mission design for Cross-Scale, a candidate ESA Cosmic Vision mission dedicated to the study of these fundamental phenomena. The objective of the workshop is to develop further the science objectives of the mission, their applications, and the mission programmatics (payload, orbit, operations) that will optimise the science return. At the heart of Cross-Scale are fundamental plasma processes (shocks, reconnection, turbulence) that govern a wide variety of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas. Thus an important aspect of the mission will be to ensure that it can provide answers not just about the processes as they are found in near-Earth space, but in a way that can be applied to maximum benefit in other corners of the Plasma Universe. The Workshop will involve scientists from these branches of physics together with the in situ space plasma community to forge a productive wider Cross-Scale community. Invited talks, contributed talks, poster sessions, and splinter workshop sessions will explore the key science questions and how the mission will best address them. This format is reflected in the draft Programme. These discussions will feed into the studies currently being funded by ESA, NASA, CSA, and JAXA and into the payload concepts currently being advanced in laboratories around the globe. They will maintain the broad international support and interest that the mission has enjoyed and thus place it in a leading position for the next selection process with ESA toward the end of 2009. Programme and abstract submission ================================= The Workshop programme will includes the following topics: * multiscale coupling in plasmas: universal aspects and the role of in situ measurements from space * turbulence, shocks and reconnection in plasmas: recent theoretical and experimental results from space, astrophysical and laboratory plasmas * theory and numerical simulations: pointing the way to key questions and observables * mission description: targets and concept of the Cross-Scale mission * measurements and operations: instruments, orbit and mission design for the Cross-Scale ESA candidate mission * a challenging mission: focus on international cooperation * open discussion: inputs from and complementarity to other related fields The submission of abstracts for oral or poster presentation is now open. The deadline for submission is 31st of January, 2009. For accessing the abstract submission form, for a more detailed description of the sessions, and for any further information on the workshop, see the web site: http://www.fis.unical.it/astroplasmi/cross-scale The deadline for the abstract submission is JANUARY 31st, 2009 Downolad the workshop poster: http://www.fis.unical.it/astroplasmi/cross-scale/LOCANDINA/locandina-final.pdf On the behalf of the SOC, Luca Sorriso-Valvo (LOC) ********************************************* From: Marilena Mierla Call for abstracts for the ST2 session at EGU2009 Call for Papers for EGU 2009 to be held in Vienna, during April 19-24, 2009 ST2 session: On the three dimensional morphology and dynamics of coronal mass ejections Convener: M. Mierla (marilena.mierla@oma.be) Co-Conveners: L. Rodriguez (luciano.rodriguez@oma.be), N. Srivastava (nandita @prl.res.in) Link for abstract submission: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2009/session/882 Deadline for abstract submission: 13 January 2009 Deadline for financial support: 7 December 2008 This session will focus on the studies of 3-D morphology and dynamics of coronal mass ejections or CMEs. The launch of SECCHI coronagraphs on the twin spacecraft STEREO has made possible observations from 2 different vantage points. These observations have been found to be extremely useful in reconstructing the 3-D structures and measuring the true speeds of CMEs, which can lead to improved understanding of the initiation and propagation of CMEs. In particular, 3-D reconstruction of CMEs and associated structures is achievable from COR1 and COR2 coronagraphs and EUVI images. The techniques of 3-D reconstruction, and their applications to observations of CMEs will be discussed. In addition, we invite papers on the interplanetary manifestations of the CMEs identified in the solar wind using in-situ measurements made by instruments aboard STEREO. An inter-comparison of both coronal and in-situ observations made by STEREO with those observed by earlier instruments, for example SoHO and ACE will also be highlighted. In this session, we also invite presentations on new results obtained from STEREO observations of CMEs and ICMEs and their implications on CME initiation and propagation models. ********************************************** From: Junwei Zhao IAU Joint Discussion "New Advances in Helio- and Asteroseismology" Joint Discussion, JD11, "New Advances in Helio- and Asteroseismology" will take place August 10 - 11, 2009, during the XXVII IAU General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This 1.5-day meeting will focus on new results from global and local helioseismology and on the latest results from and developments in asteroseismology. Discussions on the Sun will include topics on the chemical composition, internal rotation, meridional circulation, imaging of the deep interior and the far-side of the Sun, magneto-seismology, search for g modes, solar cycle variations, implications for dynamo models, and new instruments. Discussions on distant stars will address topics on the latest results from asteroseismic space missions (MOST, CoRoT, Kepler), including results from solar-type stars, red giants, classical pulsators, magnetic and massive stars, white dwarfs, as well as topics on mode physics, asteroseismic observing techniques, and future ground-based and space-borne observing campaigns. For details, see http://sun.stanford.edu/IAU_JD/. The deadline for abstract submission and travel grant application is March 1, 2009. For more information on important dates, accommodation, travel and visa issues, please refer to the IAU GA webpage: http://www.astronomy2009.com.br/. ********************************************** From: Joseph Davila First Announcemnent: IHY Africa/Scinda 2009 Workshop IHY Africa/Scinda 2009 Workshop Livingstone, Zambia 7 - 12 June 2009 The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) Africa 2009 workshop will be held at the New Fairmount Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia's tourist capital and home to one of the world's most spectacular natural wonders - the Victoria Falls. (For more information visit: http://www.zambiatourism.com). This workshop is aimed at scientists and students from African countries, and those international scientists interested in working together with African scientists, who are involved in all aspects of Space Physics, and will include at least four main Heliophysics science sessions: (1) Total Electron Content, (2) Ionospheric Irregularities and Scintillation,(3) Sun-Heliosphere Connection and (4) Magnetosphere-Ionosphere coupling. In addition to these four main science sessions, the meeting will include a Space Science Education and Public Outreach (EPO) section. Moreover, the meeting will be expanded and include panel discussions on the collaborative common database over the continent and about the infrastructure and communications in Africa. The Scintillation Network Decision Aid (SCINDA) 2009 meeting will take part in conjunction with the IHY-Africa 2009 meeting, and sessions concerning the SCINDA participants will take place on the Sunday (7 June 2009) and Monday (8 June 2009) preceding the IHY-Africa workshop. The deadline for registration and submission of abstracts is 1 March 2009. Registration forms will be available on the website soon. All registration and other enquiries should be sent via email to ihy2009@hmo.ac.za. Abstracts should be sent in preferably MS-Word format before 1 March 2009 by email to ihy2009-abstracts@hmo.ac.za The registration fee for both the SCINDA and IHY Africa workshops will be US $ 325, which will include transport to and from the airport, all lunches and teas, and the workshop dinner and excursion. A block of accommodation has been reserved for workshop participants at the New Fairmont Hotel in Livingstone. The workshop website is located at the following address: http://www.unza.zm/ihyafrica2009/index.html Details concerning travel, accommodation, registration and abstract submission will be announced on this page as they become available. Local Organizing Committee Chairs: Marius Potgieter, North-West University, South Africa Lee-Anne McKinnell, Rhodes University and Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, South Africa Nchimunya Mwiinga, University of Zambia, Zambia Patrick Sibanda, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, South Africa John Bosco Habarulema, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, South Africa Chigomezyo Ngwira, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, South Africa Steven Mudenda, University of Zambia, Zambia International Organizing and Programme Committee Marius Potgieter, North-West University, South Africa Lee-Anne McKinnell, Rhodes University and Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, South Africa Joseph M. Davila, NASA-Goddard, USA Keith Groves, Air Force Research Labs, USA Endawoke Yizengaw, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Nat Gopalswamy, NASA-Goddard, USA Barbara Thompson, NASA-Goddard, USA Baylie Damtie, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia Babatunde Rabiu, Federal University of Technology, Nigeria Eduardo Araujo-Pradere, University of Colorado and NOAA, USA Nchimunya Mwiinga, University of Zambia, Zambia Scott Bailey, VirginiaTech, USA Paul Baki, Nairobi University, Kenya Ahmed Hady, Cairo University, Egypt International Advisory Committee Tim Fuller-Rowell, University of Colorado and NOAA, USA Sunanda Basu, Boston University, USA Christine Mazaudier, Centre d'Etudes des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires, France Monique Petitdidier, Centre d'Etudes des Environnements Terrestre et Planétaires, France Endawoke Yizengaw, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Patricia Doherty, Boston College, USA David Murr, Augsburg College, USA Keith Groves, Air Force Research Laboratory, USA **************************************************** From: Lyndsay Fletcher Dear Colleagues This is the first announcement of the following RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting Solar Flares: 150 Years on from the Carrington Event On September 1st 1859, while projecting optical images of the Sun, the British astronomer Richard Carrington made the first corroborated observation of a solar flare. Early the following morning, spectacular aurorae were visible across Earth, making this in retrospect also the first 'space weather' event in which both cause and effect were recorded. Our understanding of solar flare cause and effect has advanced enormously over the intervening century and a half, driven by numerous ground- and space-based observatories, and the ability to model a physical process requiring scales from 100,000 km down to the electron gyroradius. This meeting will focus on our modern theoretical and observational understanding of solar flares and their impact, but presentations on stellar flares, microflares and other related phenomena are also welcome When & Where: Friday, 13th March 2009, 10:30-15:30 (followed by Monthly A&G (Ordinary) Meeting 16:00-18:00) Geological Society Lecture Theatre, Burlington House, London The subsequent Monthly A&G (Ordinary) Meeting (16:00-18:00) will feature a talk by Stuart Clark, author of the recent book "The Sun Kings", about Carrington and the 1859 event. Admission Fee: This meeting, as with all other specialist discussion meetings, is free to RAS member, ?15 for non-members or ?5 for student non-members. The admission fee is payable by cash or cheque and collected at the door. The subsequent open meeting, at which Stuart Clark is speaking, is free and open to anyone. Registration: Registration for this meeting is now open. We encourage both oral (20 min) and poster presentations (space limited) See the web page at: http://www.astro.gla.ac.uk/~iain/flares150/ Contacts: Lyndsay Fletcher, University of Glasgow (lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk) and Iain Hannah, University of Glasgow (iain@astro.gla.ac.uk) **************************************************** From: Eckart Marsch ?Solar Orbiter and its synergies with future solar?heliospheric missions? Venue: Sorrento, Italy Time: 25 - 29 May 2009 Detailed information on the conference registration, abstract submission and logistics will be made available in the second announcement. The solar and heliospheric science community plans to hold the Third Workshop on ESA's Solar Orbiter Mission in Sorrento, Italy, in May 2009. The four unique scientific goals of Solar Orbiter are to Determine the properties, dynamics and interactions of plasma, fields and particles in the near-Sun heliosphere; Investigate the links between the solar surface, corona and inner heliosphere; Explore, at all latitudes, the energetics, dynamics and fine-scale structure of the Sun's magnetized atmosphere; Probe the solar dynamo by observing the Sun?s high-latitude field, flows and seismic waves. The workshop will be organized around sessions addressing these objectives and the instrumental approaches and observational strategies to achieve them with the envisaged payload. A specific focus of the meeting will be the exploitation of the unique orbit and vantage point of Solar Orbiter, linking remote-sensing with in situ observations. There will be a session devoted to operational aspects and to review instrumental and technological issues of the payload. Invited reviews and panel discussions will place the Solar Orbiter in the context of past, present and future solar and heliospheric physics missions. Comparisons will be made with other missions? goals, and synergies will be identified and defined. Specific topics of the workshop are the: - Consolidation of the excellent and unique science of Solar Orbiter, in the light of the scientific results of recent solar physics missions and the perspectives of future ones - Complementarity of the scientific objectives of Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus - Mission synergies with JAXA?s Solar-C and NASA?s SDO - Importance of Solar Orbiter for the development of the European and international solar and heliospheric communities: science and technology issues - Preparation of the ground for a global inter-agency international collaboration - Preparation for a possible competition in the Cosmic Vision selection procedure Scientific Organizing Committee: E. Marsch (D), E. Antonucci (I), R. Marsden (ESA) (Co-Chairs), Arnold Benz (CH), Roberto Bruno (I), Peter Gallagher (IRL), Richard Harrison (UK), Viggo Hanstein (N), Petr Heinzl (CZ), Jean-Fran?is Hochedez (B), Valentin Martinez-Pillet (E), Christopher Owen (UK), Javier Rodriguez-Pacheco (E), Helmut O. Rucker (A), Kanaris Tsinganos (G), Jean-Claude Vial (F), Robert Wimmer-Schweingruber (D) Local Organizing Committee: E. Antonucci (Chair), TBD **************************************************** From: Milan Maksimovic Call for Pre-Registration and Abstract submissions Dear colleagues, The Twelfth International Conference on the Solar Wind, organized by the Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA) of the Paris Observatory, will be held at the Palais du Grand Large in Saint-Malo, France, from 21 to 26 June 2009. The meeting, covering all aspects of solar wind physics, will comprise both invited and contributed papers. Check out the program and the preliminary list of invited speakers at http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/SW12 For all participants, the pre-registration is required http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/SW12/pages/inscript.html , and the abstracts of both contributed and invited papers may be submitted using this link http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/SW12/pages/Absub.html For the Solar Wind 12 SOC & LOC M. Maksimovic **************************************************** From: Rob Rutten USO School "Solar Magnetism" at Dwingeloo This school will take place from June 28, 2009 (arrival) until July 4, 2009 (departure) at ASTRON at Dwingeloo, The Netherlands. It is organized by the Utrecht-Stockholm-Oslo collaboration in slar physics funded by the EC. Graduate students and recent postdocs with interest in solar magnetism are encouraged to apply. The course will be an intensive introduction to solar magnetism. Teachers and topics: - Christoph Keller: spectropolarimetry - Stefaan Poedts: MHD theory - Oskar Steiner: MHD simulations - ASTRON staff: LOFAR, Westerbork, JIVE (excursion) - Lidia van Driel-Gesztelyi: solar acitivity and cycle - Lyndsay Fletcher: corona, loops, flares, CMEs The total cost of the school including lodging (shared hotel rooms), all meals, local transport, and registration is 500 Euro per person. A few applicants may be exempted from school costs. Travel cannot be covered by the school. All applicants are requested to email a description of their background, research interest, and motivation for attending the school to both R.J.Rutten@uu.nl and T.Aiouaz@uu.nl. Graduate students should include the name and email address of their supervisor. The application deadline is May 1. The school can accommodate 25 students; the selection will be made in May. Website: http://www.astro.uu.nl/~rutten/uso-school Tayeb Aiouaz and Rob Rutten Sterrekundig Instituut Utrecht *********************************************************************** * * * Positions Vacant * * * *********************************************************************** From: Amy Knack Postdoctoral Fellowships in Solar/Stellar Physics - HIGH ALTITUDE OBSERVATORY The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in Boulder, Colorado announces its 2009 postdoctoral fellowship program. Scientists at HAO conduct research related to solar/stellar interiors and variability (including asteroseismology), the lower solar atmosphere, corona and heliosphere, and terrestrial and planetary atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres. Projects involving radiative transfer, hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, radiation hydrodynamics, plasma physics and other topics are pursued both out of fundamental physical interest and for their application to the above areas of research. Successful applicants will be expected to pursue research in collaboration with members of the scientific staff and other long-term visitors in these and related areas. Postdoctoral Fellows are appointed for a maximum of 2 years beginning in September or October; a degree of flexibility is possible on the specific times of arrival and departure. Fellows are expected to work at HAO in Boulder, Colorado, with the exception of time spent participating in field research and observing programs. Fellows will have access to the HAO Linux/Unix computers, NCAR supercomputer systems, and the HAO and NCAR libraries and data archives. Fellows will receive a salary commensurate with NCAR postdoctoral rates. The current annual rate is $53,000 in the first year and $55,000 in the second year. A travel budget of up to $1,500 per year is also normally available. In accordance with NCAR policy, benefits include health insurance, vacation time and retirement contributions, and NCAR will provide assistance in finding Boulder accommodations. Please see http://www.hao.ucar.edu/people/visitors/postdoc.php for complete application details. The deadline for applications is January 5, 2009. ******************************************** From: Doug Braun Postdoc or Junior Research Scientist in Solar Physics, NWRA/CoRA NorthWest Research Associates, CoRA Division (Boulder CO) has an opening for a postdoctoral or junior researcher in solar physics starting early 2009. NWRA is a small company with research activities including solar and heliospheric physics, oceanography, meteorology and upper atmospheric research (http://www.nwra.com). This position is to work with Drs. D. Braun, A. Birch and others in the broad topic of local helioseismology as applied to solar observations of magnetic regions at all stages of their evolution. The work will incorporate one or more of the following: data analysis, semi-analytical forward modeling, inverse methods, and numerical wave propagation. Applicants should have a Ph.D. in a relevant field. Applications consisting of a curriculum vita, names of three professional references, and a short statement of research interests, will be accepted until the position is filled; consideration will begin Dec 1, 2008. Salaries and benefits at NWRA are very competitive, and the work environment is flexible, similar to an academic institution. For further questions, please contact Dr. Braun (dbraun "at" cora.nwra.com). No phone calls please. Applications should be sent by email or by post to Dr. D. Braun, NWRA/CoRA Div., 3380 Mitchell Ln., Boulder, CO 80301. NWRA encourages applications from women and minorities and is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/D. -- Dr Duncan H Mackay Mathematical Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS, Scotland. Tel 01334 463760 Fax 01334 463748 The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532_______________________________________________ uksp mailing list uksp@physics.gla.ac.uk http://www.physics.gla.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/uksp