UK Solar Physics Newsletter Lyndsay Fletcher & Duncan Mackay, Editors May 1st 2009 o News, Views and Gossip o Changes to Newsletter Structure. o RAS Council Elections - reminder to vote. o Near Universe Advisory Panel (NUAP) - Plan of Action, April 2009 o Media Awareness and Communications Skills course o New RHESSI Science Nugget. o Solar News Item - http://solarnews.nso.edu/2009/20090415.txt o In Memoriam - Clifford G. Toner- December 8,1959 - March 29,2009 o Meetings, Conferences and Workshops o 2009 STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Terrestrial Physics o 2009 European Radio Interferometry School. o STFC Introductory Summer School in Solar System Science. o The 2nd announcement of the Total Solar Eclipse Meeting in China. o Last Call: Chinese-British Summer School on Solar and Solar-Terrestrial Research, July 13-22, 2009, Nanjing, China o UK MHD 2009 meeting o Solar News Item - http://solarnews.nso.edu/2009/20090415.txt o Cosmic rays and neutron monitors - a training course in science and applications. o Employment Opportunities o Lectureship positions in Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, UCLan. o EU Solaire Postdoc at St Andrews. o Solar News Items - http://solarnews.nso.edu/2009/20090415.txt. o Postdoctoral research fellowship on solar spectral irradiance- France. o Assistant Research Physicist - Berkeley. 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: Editors Changes to Newsletter Structure. To reduce the volume of information collected and sent out with each newsletter we have decided to include the full text only for items directly sent to us. For information gathered from other newsletters only titles along with a web link to the newsletters will be given. We hope that this change will still provide the community with all relevant information, while reducing the volume of work in producing the newsletters. Editors ************************************************ From: Editors RAS Council Elections - reminder to vote. Please note that the deadline for the RAS Council Elections is 12 noon 2009 May 7 (for electronic votes) 12 noon 2008 May 8 (for postal votes) The following people are standing from the UKSP Community. Bill Chaplin (A) Chris Davis (G) Robert Erdelyi (G) Alan Hood (G) Please vote and ensure that the UKSP community have representation on the RAS Council. Editors ************************************************ From: "Pritchard, S (Sarah-Jane)" Near Universe Advisory Panel (NUAP) - Plan of Action, April 2009 The Near Universe Advisory Panel (NUAP) is one of five standing advisory panels created to report to STFC's Science Committee for Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics. NUAP's remit covers those parts of the astronomy and space science programmes concerned with the sun, solar system and the properties of objects within our galaxy. The Panel membership is: * Chair: Michele Dougherty - Imperial College London * Ian Franchi - Open University * Boris Gaensicke - University of Warwick * Tom Hartquist - University of Leeds * Sarah Matthews - University College London (Mullard Space Science Laboratory) * Paulo D'Arrigo - Astrium * Don Pollacco - Queen's University Belfast The Panel is tasked to: * Draft and maintain a roadmap describing current and future research opportunities in their areas, for presentation and approval by PPAN * Consult and interact with the community to ensure its views are canvassed and there is an appropriate and effective route for communication with STFC on strategic programmatic issues * Make an independent presentation to PPAN on the relevant panel area in years in which an STFC Programmatic Review takes place, thereby providing community input to the programmatic review process * Respond to other specific requests from PPAN for advice as the need arises In order to carry out these tasks an expected timetable of activities has been mapped out and methods of operating agreed. The Panel is adamant that it should operate in an open and consultative manner. It is planned that: * A dedicated Website should be set up providing access to documents and presentations * The Panel will inform the community via the Astrocommunity, MIST, UKSP and Planetary Forum distribution mailing lists, and asks that this information should be circulated to interested parties who would not be reached by this method * A Web based questionnaire will be made available in mid-May to solicit inputs on future scientific challenges and requirements * A community meeting will be held on 9th July 2009. This will be an afternoon meeting in London (venue to be confirmed). * The Panel Chair will make a presentation to PPAN in September 2009. * The Panel Chairs have agreed to hold regular discussions to ensure they are covering all STFC science areas in a similar manner. * The AURAC Chair is invited to attend the NUAP meetings and close correspondence will be maintained with FUAP. Any queries relating to this should be sent to the Panel Chair M.Dougherty@imperial.ac.uk or the Secretary Rosemary.Young@stfc.ac.uk ************************************ From: "Illsley, M (Melanie)" The Science and Technology Facilities Council offers free one-day Media Awareness and Communications Skills courses for researchers, as part of its Science and Society programme. The Media course introduces scientists to the world of the mass media, press releases, how to be interviewed, etc; next dates are 14 May, 24 June, 21 October and 18 November 2009 in London. The Communications course includes how to write clearly without using jargon, structure a talk, use visual aids effectively, how to chair conferences, and how to run question and answer sessions. The next dates are 13 May, 23 June, 14 October and 11 November 2009 in London. STFC offers bursaries to pay the course fees and T&S costs for eligible researchers. The courses are run for us by the Royal Society. To book a place visit http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1151 [royalsociety.org] . Once you have a place, then visit http://www.scitech.ac.uk/PandS/Courses/media_doc.aspx to apply for an STFC bursary. Contact for more information: Jane.Butt@stfc.ac.uk , Tel 01793 442030 Jane Butt, STFC Science in Society programme. ******************************************** From: Hugh Hudson Announcing a new RHESSI Science Nugget: RHESSI - Concept to Fruition A brief history of RHESSI The Science Nuggets are found at http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/RHESSI_Science_Nuggets [sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu] and we publish these at roughly two-week intervals. S. Christe H. Hudson ********************************************************************* * * * Conferences, Workshops, Meetings * * * ********************************************************************* From: Bill Chaplin 2009 STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Terrestrial Physics University of Birmingham, September 7 - 11 Now open for registration "An astrophysical Rosetta Stone: Observational & Theoretical Perspectives of the Sun" The Sun is a Rosetta stone for astrophysics. Its close proximity affords a unique opportunity to study a star to levels of detail and precision not possible for other stars. The Sun is also an "astrophysical laboratory", allowing us to test fundamental physics under the exotic conditions found in the solar atmosphere and solar interior. The influences that the Sun has on the terrestrial environment, and the various links from the solar interior to the Earth, are part of a major theme in the STFC Road Map. The School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Birmingham will host the annual STFC Advanced Summer School in Solar Physics from Monday 7th to Friday 11th September 2009. The aim of the School is to provide PhD students and PDRAs with a firm grounding in various aspects of solar physics, with talks from subject experts in the UK solar physics community. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to make short presentations on their own work. Full details may be found on the School web pages, at: http://octave.ph.bham.ac.uk/ASSSP2009/ Registration details may be found at: http://octave.ph.bham.ac.uk/ASSSP2009/reg.php ************************************ From: Karl-Ludwig Klein 2009 European Radio Interferometry School 7 -- 11 September 2009 Oxford Astrophysics ERIS will provide a week of lectures and hands-on tutorials on how to get scientific results from radio interferometry. Topics covered include: * Choosing the right instrument, configuration and observing plan for your project * Calibration and imaging continuum, spectral line and polarization data * Extracting and interpreting measurements * Example data drawn from observations of Galactic and extragalactic sources, the Sun, transient and variable objects. Students will be helped to use their own laptops to install and use the most widely-used packages such as AIPS, CASA and Parseltongue. Most examples will be drawn from cm-wave instruments such as MERLIN and the EVN but experts will be available on arrays from LOFAR to ALMA. Limited financial support is available from RadioNet. Please see http://astrowiki.physics.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/twiki/view/ERIS2009/WebHome for more details including Registration and Accomodation Forms or email eris2009@physics.ox.ac.uk Best wishes ERIS Organising Committee ********************************************* From: Sarah Matthews STFC Introductory Summer School in Solar System Science This year's STFC Introductory Summer School in Solar-Terrestrial Physics will be held at University College London during the week of 13-18 September 2009. The school is open to all new students and researchers in the area of solar system physics and will include selected topics on: * solar and heliospheric physics * Magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere of the Earth * Planetary atmospheres and environments, including exoplanets * A "rockets" afternoon and visit to MSSL satellite facilities Further details and the registration form can be found at: http://zuserver2.star.ucl.ac.uk/~stfc09/ Sarah Matthews & Alan Aylward sam@mssl.ucl.ac.uk, alan@apl.ucl.ac.uk ********************************************* From: Chen Peng-Fei The Dynamic Solar Corona July 23-26, 2009, Suzhou, China http://solar.nju.edu.cn On 2009 July 22, a total solar eclipse will be visible across China, with a maximum duration of more than 6 minutes. The 3-day meeting offers an opportunity for solar physicists to exchange new results, discuss hot topics, and propose future observations and research. This meeting has also an educational impact on the society for its relation with the rare solar eclipse phenomenon, especially since China has the longest history of solar eclipse observations. This meeting, just after the total solar eclipse is thus an important part of the activities associated with the global celebration of the International Year of Astronomy. The conference site, Suzhou, a city near Shanghai, is famous for its garden architecture and Chinese traditional culture. Main topics include: 1. Solar Eclipse Observations and Public Outreach 2. Coronal magnetic field 3. Coronal structure and dynamics 4. Flares and CMEs: observations and modeling Web site for the meeting: http://solar.nju.edu.cn Deadline for online registration is postponed to May 20, 2009 In order to guarantee the hotel, please register as soon as possible. ********************************************** From: Robert von Fay-Siebenburgen Last Call: Chinese-British Summer School on Solar and Solar-Terrestrial Research, July 13-22, 2009, Nanjing, China Web: http://solar.nju.edu.cn/school09/index.htm On 2009 July 22 a total solar eclipse will be visible across China. Exploiting such an excellent and rare opportunity for research training purposes, as advertised before, there is a joint Chinese-British Summer School on solar and solar-terrestrial research at Nanjing University, China. The School is supported by the Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Nanjing University. For the detailed programme and scheduled lectures visit the Shcool's website. Post-graduate students and early career postdocs from UK and China are encouraged to apply to attend. The local expenses for participants will be covered. Limited partial travel support is still available, on a first comes first serves bases. The deadline for registration is now imminent: May 10, 2009. For further information, please visit the homepage of the Summer School at http://solar.nju.edu.cn/school09 or contact the Directors of the Schools. R. Erdelyi (U. of Sheffield): robertus [at] sheffield.ac.uk P. F. Chen (Nanjing U.): chenpf [at] nju.edu.cn ************************************************** From: Sergei Molokov Dear All, This is the last call for the UK MHD 2009 meeting. The register, please use the following link: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/amrc/mhd/UKMHD2009/ Our web-server was down for several days, so the deadline has been extended to 7th May. Regards Sergei *********************************************************************** * * * Positions Vacant * * * *********************************************************************** From: Robert William Walsh Lectureship positions in Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, UCLan Lecturer in Physics (?32,458 - ?37,651 per annum) Lecturer in Applied Mathematics (?32,458 - ?37,651 per annum) The University of Central Lancashire is currently expanding its provision of undergraduate teaching in physics and mathematics and is therefore seeking to appoint two new lecturers. Both positions will be eligible to join the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute (JHI) for Astrophysics and Supercomputing. The JHI provides a dynamic and vibrant research environment with interests that include solar physics, extragalactic and stellar astrophysics and soft matter physics. The lectureship in Physics expects the successful applicant to make a significant contribution to the operation of the School?s undergraduate Physics Laboratories. The lectureship in Applied Mathematics expects the successful applicant to teach a range of undergraduate mathematics courses according to school needs. Both post holders will have a PhD in a relevant subject, be self motivated researchers with the desire to instigate a research programme that can complement and enhance our current internationally competitive research strengths, and have a strong publication record. Both posts are available from 1 September 2009 or as soon as possible thereafter. The closing date for applications is 15th May 2009. Interviews will be held during the week of 26th May 2009. Further details can be found at www.uclan.ac.uk/jobs [www.uclan.ac.uk] . For an informal discussion about the positions, please contact Dr. Robert Walsh at rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk or on +441772 893557 / 894282. **************************************** From: Clare Parnell Position: Research Fellow, Solar and Magnetospheric Theory Group, University of St Andrews Closing date: 22nd May 2009 Within the framework of the Solaire Marie Curie Network, a postdoctoral position, lasting 15 months, is available starting on 1st September 2009, or as soon as possible thereafter. We are looking for a candidate with interest in magnetic reconnection and coronal heating who already holds a PhD in solar MHD or plasma physics. Experience in analytical or numerical modelling of magnetic fields and/or magnetic reconnection are desirable, but not essential. The Group has eight staff members (Professors Hood, Priest and Roberts, Drs De Moortel, Mackay, Neukirch, Parnell and Wright), a Senior Scientific Officer, a number of Research Fellows and PhD Students. Links between analytical theory, numerical computations and observations are strongly encouraged. Areas of particular interest within the group include magnetic reconnection, coronal heating, particle acceleration, coronal seismology, MHD waves and computational MHD. The Group leads a national MHD Consortium in computational MHD and has a large Beowulf parallel computer. The Solar and Magnetospheric Theory Group constitutes one of the teams of the SOLAIRE European Network, financed by the European Commission until 31 May 2011. You will benefit from the networking activities within Solaire, including network-wide research and research training, postgraduate schools, network meetings and complementary-skills courses. The Solaire network (http://www.solairenetwork.eu) is a joint initiative of 12 European Universities and Research Institutes and a private R&TD company. Salary and social benefits are based on the applicable EU regulations, as well as the local regulations of the University of St Andrews. Following the European Commission rules, in addition to your salary you will receive a mobility allowance depending on your marital status. From these amounts, local taxes and the employee's contribution to national insurance will be deducted. In addition, you will receive travel and career exploratory allowances in accordance with the European Commission's rules for Marie Curie Networks. Details about salary and benefits can be obtained through the contacts given below. The position is open to nationals of any EU or associated country other than the UK. At the start of your appointment, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity in the UK for more than 12 months in the previous 3 years (for exceptions to these rules please see further particulars). Informal enquiries to Dr Clare Parnell, tel: +44 (0)1334 463706, email: clare@mcs.st-and.ac.uk, or Prof Eric Priest, tel: +44 (0)1334 463709, email: eric@mcs.st-and.ac.uk. The Group's website address is http://www-solar.mcs.st-and.ac.uk. For general information about the Solaire Network, please contact Dr Fernando Moreno-Insertis, fmi@iac.es. Please quote ref: JC110/09 Application forms and further particulars are available from Human Resources, University of St Andrews, College Gate, North Street, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AJ, (tel: 01334 462571, by fax 01334 462570 or by e-mail Jobline@st-andrews.ac.uk. The advertisement, further particulars and a downloadable application form can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/employment/. Applications must be made officially through Human Resources before 5pm on 22nd May 2009. -- 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