APRIL 2017 - TOPICS

Short News Hel.A.S. Best PhD Thesis Award 2017 Two Greek CubeSats in the International QB50 Program Graduate Studies in Astrophysics in Crete for 2017 - 2018 European Solar Physics Division Awards Current National Research Opportunities Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. Short News

The 10-year Anniversary Meeting of the Neutron Monitor Database (NMDB) Network took place in Athens on 20 - 23 March, 2017. The NMDB was conceived and inaugurated also in Athens during the COST-724 Workshop of April 2 - 4, 2007 by  research teams from twelve (12) countries and has since managed to become an essential source of data for NASA, ESA and other space agencies around the world, managing sixty two (62) different stations in all continents, including Antarctica. The Greek node comprises the Athens Neutron Monitor Station (A.Ne.Mo.S), supervised by Ordinary Member Prof. Helen Mavromichalaki of the University of Athens. The Society wishes best of luck to the NMDB consortium and network, with success in its future endeavors. It has come to the Society's attention that there is a limited hotel room availability during the time of the 13th Hel.A.S. Conference in the general area of Heraklion, due to the start of this year's tourist season. Society members who plan to attend the conference are strongly encouraged to reserve their accommodation well in advance in order to avoid high room rates and  / or availability problems. As mentioned in the previous Society Newsletter, an indicative list of hotels in close proximity to the Conference venue includes Kastro, Atrion, Lato, Iraklion, Capsis Astoria, El Greco, Megaron, Olympic, among others. The deadline for the first Call of proposals of the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) for young scientists and postdocs, the first of its kind in the Greek research landscape, has just elapsed (March 31). The Society wishes best of luck to all proposers and encourages them to look for and respond to future Calls, as well. The Society will publicize relevant Calls and dates whenever available.

2. Hel.A.S. Best PhD Thesis Award 2017

The Hel.A.S. Governing Council has just concluded the evaluation of six (6) applications for the Best PhD Thesis Award for 2017. The Prize is presented on a biennial basis, during the Society's Conferences. The Prize pertains to Junior members of Hel.A.S. who have successfully defended (or are expected to defend) their thesis in Astronomy or Astrophysics in a University either in Greece or abroad between August 1, 2015 and July 31, 2017. It is accompanied by a monetary award for participation in an international conference to present Thesis results. The award recipient is also expected to give an oral presentation on the awarded Thesis during the upcoming 13th Conference of Hel.A.S. (Heraklion, 2-6 July 2017). The Hel.A.S. Council extend most sincere congratulations to all applicants for the substantial, meritorious work accomplished during their Theses. To undertake the demanding task of the evaluation, the Council designed a two-stage process: an initial independent rating, aiming to create a short list of candidates, and a detailed discussion among Council members on this list. Potential conflicts of interest were also foreseen and addressed. Two of the candidates collected equal scores at both stages, with the Council deciding in unanimity that the differences between the two are too slim to bestow the Award to just one of them. Hence, the Council decided that the 2017 Best PhD Thesis Award will be presented jointly to two (2) applicants, namely Mr. Ioannis Liodakis, University of Crete (Thesis topic: "Unveiling the Physics of the Most Active of Galaxies: Connecting Blazar Theory and Observations"; Supervisor: Prof. Vasiliki Pavlidou; Expected Graduation: June 2017); and Dr. Antonios Nathanail, University of Frankfurt (Thesis at the University of Athens & the RCAAM of the Academy of Athens; Thesis topic: "Relativistic Astrophysics"; Supervisor: Dr. Ioannis Contopoulos; Graduation: 2016) The two awardees have been invited to present their PhD work during the upcoming 13th Conference of Hel.A.S. The Council joins the Supervisors and Society's members  in congratulating the two awardees, wishing them success in their current and future professional endeavors.

3. Two Greek CubeSats in the International QB50 Program

The Society proudly informs its members that the international QB50 Program that will supply the International Space Station (ISS) with twenty eight (28) cubesats to be ejected at low Earth orbit for diverse scientific purposes includes two (2) cubesats designed and developed by Greek educational and research entities. Their code names are GR01-DUTHSat and GR02-UPSat and have been implemented by the Democritus University of Thrace and the University of Patras, respectively. GR01-DUTHSat, under the supervision of Ordinary Member Prof. Theodore Sarris, will perform measurements of plasma parameters in the Earth's magnetosphere, gauging the response of the geospace plasma environment to the incessant forcing of space weather. Detailed information about the GR01-DUTHSat Program with sections on Science, Education, and Innovation can be found here. GR02-UPSat,was implemented under a collaboration of the non-profit Libre Space Foundation and the University of Patras. It opens a new era of open-source hardware and software for a satellite that will use its payload for the measurement of local plasma parameters via a quadruplet of Langmuir needle probes. More information and instructions of hardware and software access can be found here. The cluster of cubesats was initially planned to be launched aboard a Cygnus Cargo Craft from Cape Canaveral to the ISS on March 25. Technical reasons unrelated to the craft's load have delayed launch, that will be commence immediately after issues are resolved.

4. Graduate Studies in Astrophysics in Crete for 2017 - 2018

The Department of Physics of the University of Crete, in collaboration with the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) will issue in early May 2017 a Call for Applications for the 2017 - 2018 Graduate Program in Advanced Physics.  A number of graduate fellowships toward a one-year Master Program in Astrophysics & Space Physics, as well as toward a three-year PhD Program in Theoretical or Observational Astrophysics are available. For more information on the Astrophysics Graduate Program in Crete, please see the following file. Deadline for applications is June 15, 2017. For details about the overall program, as well as the application process, visit the Crete Physics Graduate Program web page here. More details on the Astrophysics Group at the University of Crete can be found here.

5. European Solar Physics Division Awards

The European Solar Physics Division (ESPD), a joint Division of the European Physical Society (EPS) and the European Astronomical Society (EAS), has established three (3) distinct prizes for the European solar physics community. Prizes include an annual PhD Thesis prize, awarded during the calendar year after a Thesis' successful viva or public defense; an annual  PostDoc (Early Career) Prize, awarded to researchers without a permanent position up to four (4) calendar years after the date of their successful viva or public defense; and a triennial Senior Prize, awarded to a distinguished senior solar physicist for a life-long prolific career or scholarship. This first Prizes will be awarded during the Division's 15th European Solar Physics Meeting (ESPM-15) in Budapest, Hungary,  4 - 8 September 2017. The deadline of applications for all three prize categories is May 1, 2017. The application is completely paperless and can be accomplished via this link, while detailed descriptions and information about eligibility rules can be found here.

6. Current National Research Opportunities

The following openings have come to our attention for this month: Ninth Aegean Summer School on Einstein's Theory of Gravity and its Modifications: from Theory to Observations, Apollonia, Sifnos, 18 - 23 September 2017. Einstein's theory of Gravity over hundred years now, is considered one of the most successful theories describing cosmic objects and their interactions. However, recent observations suggest that the Einstein's theory of Gravity may have to be modified. The Aegean School is mainly addressed to postgraduate students and young researchers aiming at introducing them to these very challenging topics that recently have attracted much interest. The registration deadline is May 31, 2017. More information about the School and the application process can be found at this website.

7. Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad

The following announcements have come to our attention for this month:    2017 NASA Frontier Development Lab. NASA FDL has announced its 2017 challenges and opened the application process for participants, with a deadline of April 19, 2017. FDL seeks 12 US-based or international planetary scientists and 12 computer scientists with machine-learning emphasis. Applicants must have a masters, doctorate or post-doc level of understanding in this year’s problem areas (Heliophysics, Astronomy, Exogeology, Data Science, Software Engineering or Advanced Statistics). Hosted by the SETI Institute, FDL is an applied research accelerator established to tackle knowledge gaps in space science by bringing together machine learning expertise and physical science specialists at the PhD level. For more information, see the FDL website. OPTICON Horizon 2020 Instrumentation School, Copenhagen, Denmark, 3 - 12 July 2017. This School has a theme 'Observing the Transient Sky', and during it students will carry out a 'Phase A' study of an instrument under supervision of an experienced tutor. The instrument can be either for finding new transient sources, or for characterizing them. The School is meant for both astronomers and engineers at almost any level (from MSc students to young postdocs). The deadline for applications is April 21, 2017. For more information, visit the School's website. An application form for attendance can be found here.  XXIX Canary Island Winter School for Astrophysics, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, 13 - 17 November, 2017. The XXIX Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics, to be held in San Cristobal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain) in November 2017, focuses on Applications of Radiative Transfer to Stellar and Planetary Atmospheres. The audience will be limited to 50 participants. The aim of this Winter School is to bring together in a relaxed working environment distinguished scientists and young researchers who want to broaden their knowledge in this specific field of Astrophysics. The deadline for applications is June 23, 2017. For more information, visit the School's website.

8. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece

3rd OBSPM / LAM Summer School, Galaxy Formation and Evolution in a Cosmological Context, Island of Spetses, 15-19 May, 2017 The Labyrinth of the Unexpected: Unforeseen Treasures in Impossible Regions of Phase Space, Kerastari, Arcadia, Peloponnese, May 29 - June 3, 2017 Polarised Emission from Astrophysical Jets Ierapetra, Crete, June 12-16, 2017 13th Hellenic Astronomical Conference Heraklion, Crete, July 2-6, 2017 Ninth Aegean Summer School on Einstein's Theory and its Modifications,  Apollonia, Sifnos, September 18-23, 2017

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, 2017. Please send your announcements (e.g., appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before April 25, 2017. 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. at secretary@helas.gr.