APRIL 2008 - TOPICS

Short News Upcoming Elections of Hel.A.S. News from ESA Spitzer Science Center Graduate Fellowship Program Job Openings The 2009 International Fulbright Science and Technology Award University of Crete Physics Alumni Upcoming Astronomy meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. SHORT NEWS

We would like to congratulate Mr. Emmanuil Chatzopoulos, Masters student at the University of Crete, who has recently been awarded a graduate fellowship towards his PhD studies from the Department of Astronomy of the University of Texas at Austin (USA), and will be moving there in the fall of 2008. We would like to congratulate Dr. Nektarios Vlahakis who was recently promoted to an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics of the University of Athens.

2. UPCOMING ELECTIONS OF HEL.A.S.

By mid-April all Ordinary and Junior members of Hel.A.S. must have received an envelope from the Society. This will include the summary of the President on the activities of the current Governing Council during its term, the agenda for the 26th General Assembly of Hel.A.S., and the ballots and instructions from the Secretary on how to vote. A printout with brief CVs of the candidates for the election, which is available online here, will also be included. Please check your mailboxes!

3. NEWS FROM ESA

- XEUS is one of the missions selected under the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme. On the 5 & March 2008 a meeting entitled "XEUS - Physics of the Hot Evolving Universe" took place at ESA/ESTEC in The Netherlands. The scope of the meeting, which was attended by more than 160 participants was to inform the community about the status in the design of XEUS as well as about possibilities of science that can be performed by this space mission. The viewgraphs of all presentations of the meeting are available online at: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=42392 - Marco Polo is a Near-Earth Object sample return mission also proposed in response to ESA's call for mission proposals as part of the new Cosmic Vision programme. The first open Workshop on the Marco Polo mission, jointly organized by the Côte d'Azur Observatory and ESA, will take place on 5 & 6 June 2008 in Cannes, France. For more information on the workshop please visit: http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=42479

4. SPITZER GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The Spitzer Science Center (SSC) announces the availability of six-month graduate student fellowships beginning summer 2008 designed to allow students from other institutions throughout the world to visit the SSC and perform astronomical research in close association with a SSC staff member during 2008/early 2009. The aim of the program is to provide a graduate student from another institution with the opportunity of working at the SSC during the SPITZER mission, and to share in the excitement of NASA's latest Great Observatory. The deadline to send the necessary material is 2008 April 18. The information about the program, the projects and the application process can be found in the VGSP web site: http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/vgsp/ Typically 4-5 students will be accepted on the program. Students would normally begin work at the SSC in July 2008 and leave in late January or early February 2009.

5. JOB OPENINGS

A new promotion-related position at the level of "Associate Professor" in the field of "Observational Astrophysics" has opened at the Department of Physics of the University of Crete. The deadline for the applications is 29 April 2008. For more information contact the secretary of the Department Ms. A. Koutendaki at +30 2810 394304. A new position at the level of "Researcher C" in the field of "Solar Physics" has opened at the Research Center for Astronomy and Applied Mathematics of the Academy of Athens. The position has been announced in FEK 133. More information on this position, including the deadline for submission of applications, will be included in the next e-newsletter as well as in the web page of Hel.A.S.

6. THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL FULBRIGHT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AWARD

The Fulbright Foundation in Greece has announced a new International Fulbright Science and Technology Award for outstanding foreign students. The award is designed to be among the most prestigious international scholarships in science and technology. The International Fulbright Science and Technology award is for PhD study at top U.S. institutions in science, technology, or engineering. The program is funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the State Department (ECA) and aims to convey the message that the U.S. remains the premier destination for serious scientific study and research, and that America not only welcomes top notch talent, we encourage future leaders to shape their careers here. For 2009, approximately 40 awards will be competed worldwide for candidates who demonstrate unique aptitude and innovation in scientific fields. A worldwide competition for 2009 is conducted to select top Science and Technology Award PhD participants eligible for study at prestigious U.S. institutions. Deadline for applications is May 29, 2008. For more information visit: http://www.fulbright.gr/main3.html

7. UNIVERSITY OF CRETE PHYSICS ALUMNI

Fall 2008 marks the 30 year anniversary from the foundation of the Department of Physics of the University of Crete. With this opportunity the Department has commenced an effort to reach out to all individuals who have obtained their undergraduate degree in Physics from the University of Crete. A web page will the names of all 1505 physics alumni has been created and is available at: http://alumni.physics.uoc.gr The Department of Physics of the University of Crete would like to encourage all its past graduates to visit this web page to track old friends and classmates, to provide any additional information on their current whereabouts if they wish, and to remain informed about the activities which will be organized for them in October 2008

8. UPCOMING ASTRONOMY MEETINGS IN GREECE

The following meetings will take place in Greece. Please check the corresponding web page or contact the organizers by e-mail for more information.

5th Astronomical Data Analysis Conference (ADA5) Island of Crete, 7-9 May 2008 Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference (CHAOS2008) Island of Crete, 3-6 June 2008 The Central Kiloparsec: Active Galactic Nuclei and Their Hosts Island of Crete, 4-6 June 2008 NEB - XIII: Recent Developments in Gravity Thessaloniki, 4-6 June 2008 International Conference on the "Dynamics of Celestial Bodies" In honor of Prof. John D. Hadjidemetriou Litohoro, 23-26 June 2008 The Cosmic Odyssey of the Elements Island of Aegina, 23-27 June 2008 Protostellar Jets in Context Island of Rhodes, 7-11 July 2008

9. ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

This Newsletter was sent to all members of Hel.A.S. who have e-mail access. The next edition of the Newsletter will be mailed around May 1st 2008. Please send your announcements (e.g. appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before April 25, 2008. If you do not wish to receive future issues of this Newsletter or the e-mail address to which it was sent is not your preferred one, please inform the Secretary of Hel.A.S.