JUNE 2009 - TOPICS

Short News The 9th Hellenic Astronomical Conference New Members of Hel.A.S. June Activities for the IYA2009 The E-ELT Design Reference Science Plan The ESO Studentship Programme Training course: Cosmic rays and Neutron monitors The Fifth IRAM Summer School Training School: Towards the SKA Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. SHORT NEWS

We would like to congratulate Dr. Kalliopi Dasyra, currently at SSC/Caltech (USA), who has recently received a 2 year Marie Curie Fellowship and will be moving to CEA/Saclay (France) in the Fall of 2009. She will also be a long term visitor at the Leiden Observatory (The Netherlands). We would like to congratulate Dr. Stella Kafka, currently at SSC/Caltech (USA), who was recently awarded a NASA Astrobiology fellowship. Dr Kafka will be moving to the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of Carnegie Observatories in Washington, DC (USA) in the Fall of 2009. We would like to congratulate Dr. Charalampos (Haris) Skokos who was recently elected as an Assistant Professor of Dynamics at the Department of Physics of the University of Thessaloniki. Dr. Vassilis Charmandaris was recently promoted to an Associate Professor of Observational Astrophysics at the Department of Physics of the University of Crete.

2. THE 9th HELLENIC ASTRONOMICAL CONFERENCE

As it had been announced in previous newsletters, the deadline for submission of abstracts for the 9th Hellenic Astronomical Conference was today! However, in order to facilitate several of us who feel that they have to wait until the very last minute to send their contribution, it was decided that the abstract submission deadline of the conference is extended to July 1st 2009. Please note that this is the final deadline and no abstracts will be considered for the conference past that date. Everyone is invited to visit the conference web site, register online, and submit an abstract for an oral or poster contribution. More information is available at: http://www.helas.gr/conf/2009

3. NEW MEMBERS OF HEL.A.S.

During the 27th General Assembly of the Society, which will take place in September 2009 at the time of the 9th Hellenic Astronomical Conference, new members of the Society will be elected. This is a once in a year event as new members can only be elected during a General Assembly. We would like to request from all members of the Society to inform any individual who they believe would be interested to join Hel.A.S. to submit his/her application by the end of August 2009. Since this is the International Year of Astronomy the Governing Council of the Society will waive the registration fee to this years' new members. For more information on how to join the Hellenic Astronomical Society, as well as the benefits of being a member visit: http://www.helas.gr/membership.php

4. JUNE ACTIVITIES FOR THE IYA2009

In this news-item we present all activities related to the International Year of Astronomy which, to our knowledge, are scheduled in Greece this coming month. If you wish to have your IYA2009 planned activities included in this mailing please inform the Editor of the e-newsletter. For June 2009 the following events are planned: 10th of June - Talk of Prof. E. Sarris (Univ. of Thrace, Academy of Athens) entitled "Earth Space Environment", at the at the Megaron of the Academy of Athens. 10th of June - Talk of Prof. P. Niarchos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Searching for another Earth in the Universe", in the city of Tripoli 10th of June - Talk of Prof. K. Tsinganos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Our place in the Universe", in the city of Tripoli 20th of June - Talk of Prof. P. Niarchos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "The search for extrasolar planets", in the city of Argos 20th of June - Talk of Prof. K. Tsinganos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Cosmic fireworks marking the birth and death of stars and galaxies", in the city of Argos 24th of June - Talk of Dr. N. Sergis (Academy of Athens) entitled "Saturn, Enceladus, Titan: The words discovered by the mission Cassini-Huygens", at the Megaron of the Academy of Athens. 26th of June - Talk of Prof. P. Niarchos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "The search for extrasolar planets", in the city of Sparta 26th of June - Talk of Prof. K. Tsinganos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Our place in the Universe", in the city of Sparta 26th of June - Talk of Prof. N. Vlahakis (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Cosmic High Energy Laboratories" at the Univ. of Athens. 27th of June - Astronomy night at the Telloglio Center of Thessaloniki. 28th of June - Talk of Prof. P. Niarchos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "Extrasolar planets: Searching new worlds in other stars", in the city of Kalamata 28th of June - Talk of Prof. K. Tsinganos (Univ. of Athens) entitled "The Universe: from Quarks to the Quasars and the Big Bang", in the city of Kalamata More details about the events mentioned above, as well as all upcoming activities for the IYA 2009 which will take place in Greece under the auspices of Hel.A.S., are available at: http://www.helas.gr/gr/iya2009.php

5. THE E-ELT DESIGN REFERENCE SCIENCE PLAN

The E-ELT Design Reference Science Plan (DRSP) is a collection of science cases provided directly by the future users of the E-ELT. The DRSP aims at exploring the full range of science cases for which the E-ELT will be used. Ultimately, it will help to define the boundaries of the parameter space over which the E-ELT will operate. It will be used to guide the performance optimisation of the telescope, the prioritisation of the instruments, as well as to plan the science operations modes. ESO is requesting from the future E-ELT user community to submit one or more science cases to the DRSP. The deadline for submissions is June 5, 2009. For more information visit: http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt/science/drsp

6. THE ESO STUDENTSHIP PROGRAMME

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) research student programme aims at providing opportunities to enhance the Ph.D. programmes of member-state universities. Its goal is to bring young scientists into close contact with the activities and people at one of the world's foremost observatories. Students in the programme work on their doctoral project under the formal supervision of their home university. They come to either Garching or Santiago for a stay of normally between one and two years to conduct part of their studies under the co-supervision of an ESO staff astronomer. Candidates and their home institute supervisors should agree on a research project together with the ESO local supervisor. The studentship selection takes place on an annual basis. Review of received applications will start on 15 June 2009 and will continue until all positions are filled. For more information visit: http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/ESOstudentship.html

7. TRAINING COURSE: COSMIC RAYS AND NEUTRON MONITORS

The Neutron Monitor Database (NBDB) consortium, a Real Time Database for High-Resolution Neutron Monitor Measurements, sponsored by the European Commission), organizes a training course for graduate students, researchers and engineers who want to get familiar with neutron monitor measurements of cosmic rays and their applications in astrophysics, heliospheric physics, and their impact on the Earth. The training course will take place in Athens between September 14-19 2009, and consist of lectures ranging from the origin of cosmic rays to their impact on Earth. It will provide hands-on experience through practical exercises, under the supervision of internationally recognized experts in the field. For more information visit: http://cosmicrays.oulu.fi/nmdbinfo/?q=node/123

8. THE FIFTH IRAM SUMMER SCHOOL

The upcoming fifth IRAM summer school is entitled "Paving the way: From Millimeter to Far-Infrared Astronomy") and has as a goal to expose new astrophysicists to the science possibilities offered by current and future single-dish mm-, submm-, and far-infrared telescopes. It will take place in Pradollano (Sierra Nevada, Spain) in 4 - 11 September 2009. The school will consist of lectures on key science questions as well as practical training on calibration and reduction of observations of planets, stars, dusty clouds, nearby and distant galaxies obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. An effort will be given to demonstrate to the participants how these mm-wave observations pave the way for observations at far-infrared wavelengths. Applications from young scientists with little previous experience in mm-astronomy are strongly encouraged. The course is limited to about 40 students, who will be selected on the basis of their interests, CV, and references. The application deadline is July 15, 2009. For more information visit: http://www.iram.es/IRAMES/events/summerschool2009/

9. TRAINING SCHOOL: TOWARDS THE SKA

The Observatoire de Paris will be organizing a Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Design Studies Training School, entitled “Towards the SKA: increasing the evolution rate in radio astronomy”. This is the third, and final, School organised within the framework of the training activities of the Square Kilometre Array Design Studies (SKADS) initiative. The main goal of the school is to attract and train potential users of the new generation of radio interferometers, with special focus on the Square Kilometre Array. This school is not only aimed at radio astronomers, but also at young astronomers and engineers from all fields. A requirement for participation is to have finished undergraduate (university) studies. The school covers the following areas: science and technology highlights of the SKA, scientific projects for the SKA Precursor instruments (ASKAP and MeerKAT), science with SKA pathfinder instruments, such as LOFAR, scientific synergy with, e.g., the higher-frequency radio telescope ALMA and with future large optical telescopes like the E-ELT, new approaches in radio astronomy imaging and calibration (like MeqTrees). The programme will consist of a series lectures, spread over a period of 5 days, in morning and afternoon sessions. The participation will be limited to a maximum of 40 people. The school will be held in Paris, France, from 25 to 29 August 2009. The course is limited to about 40 students, who will be selected on the basis of their interests, CV, and references. The application deadline is July 15, 2009. For more information visit: http://mcct.skads-eu.org/paris/paris-mcct.php

10. 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.

2nd International Conference on Chaotic Modeling and Simulation Chania, Crete, 1-5 June 2009 Modern Challenges in Nonlinear Plasma Physics - A conference honoring the career of K. Papadopoulos. Sani Resort, Halkidiki, 15-19 June 2009 COSMOS Summer School Rethymno, Crete, 5-10 July 2009 Training course: Cosmic rays and Neutron monitors Athens, 14-19 September 2009 9th Conference of the Hellenic Astronomical Society Athens, 20-24 September 2009 6th Conference of Greek Amateur Astronomers Alexandroupoli, 25-27 September 2009

11. 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 July 1st 2009. Please send your announcements (e.g. appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before June 25, 2009. 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.