MAY 2017 - TOPICS

Short News Update on Hel.A.S. Functions: the 13th Hel.A.S. Conference and Student Travel Support Draft Law for the Establishment of a Hellenic Space Agency Upgrade of the Kryoneri Observatory Current National Research Opportunities Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. Short News

The Society would like to congratulate Ordinary Members Panagiotis Boumis and Emmanuel Xilouris for being promoted to Research Director (Researcher A') positions at the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of the National Observatory of Athens. The Society extends its best wishes to these colleagues for productivity and success in their future endeavors. The Society would also like to congratulate Junior Members Anastasios Epitropakis, Ioannis Liodakis and Alexandros Maragkoudakis for having successfully completed their PhD Thesis at the University of Crete, under the supervision of Prof. I. Papadakis, V. Pavlidou and A. Zezas, respectively. The Society extends its best wishes to the graduates for a prolific career and success in their pursuits.

2. Update on Hel.A.S. Functions: the 13th Hel.A.S. Conference and Student Travel Support

The deadline for abstract submission to the upcoming Hel.A.S. Conference in Heraklion, Crete (2 - 6 July, 2017) elapsed on Sunday, April 30. While a significant number of submitted contributions has been collected already, the Society's Council has decided to provide a brief extension to the deadline, to facilitate submissions by colleagues who may have lost the deadline and still wish to participate. Please consult the abstract submission page of the Conference for the new submission deadline. We wish to remind our Junior Members that the Society continues to provide meaningful travel support for participation to international scientific conferences and workshops that are paramount to the completion of their Thesis. Submission deadlines for support applications are on December 15 and June 20 each year, corresponding to travel that is to take place during the first and second half, respectively, of a given year. Junior Member are encouraged to review the general conditions and submission forms here. For the particular case of the 13th Hel.A.S. Conference, limited travel support by Junior Members may be requested by May 20, 2017. More information can be found here.

3. Draft Law for the Establishment of a Hellenic Space Agency

The Society had informed its members in its February 2017 Newsletter that a tentatively named "National Center for Space Applications" had been verbally announced by the Minister of Digital Policy, Communications and Information. This announcement cultivated in a Draft Law that was presented online for public consultation. The consultation period expired May 1st, with a good number of comments and requests for clarifications collected. The Draft Law pertains to (a) Licensing of Space Activities in Greece, (b) Cataloguing of Space Objects, and (c) the Establishment of the Hellenic Space Agency, S. A.  The Society encourages its Members to familiarize themselves with the Draft Law and the comments submitted. The next steps of the Law's implementation are expected by the Ministry of Digital Policy, Communications and Information. The Society will keep informing its Members as developments unfold.

4. Upgrade of the Kryoneri Observatory

The Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications, and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) is pleased to announce that a major upgrade in the optics and electronics of the 1.2m telescope at Kryoneri Observatory has been accomplished. The telescope has become prime focus (f/3) with one degree field of view. Its improved capabilities will enable the facility, currently used to determine the distribution and frequency of small near-earth objects by monitoring lunar impact flashes under ESA's NELIOTA project, to play a further active role in projects related to ESA's Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Programme, as well as in the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Programme. For more information regarding the possibility to use the telescope for other science projects, please contact the Director of IAASARS / NOA, Prof. V. Charmandaris. Relevant information can also be found in the website of the Kryoneri Observatory.

5. Current National Research Opportunities

The following openings have come to our attention for this month: Master of Science in Space Science Technology and Applications: The Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of the Peloponnese, in cooperation with the National Observatory of Athens and the National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos", present the first of its kind postgraduate course programme in Greece, with a specialization in Space Science, Technologies and Applications. Lectures in this Course are given in Athens and are in English, with more information available here. Deadline for applications for the Second Circle of lectures (September 2017 - August 2019) is May 15, 2017, with more information available here. 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.

6. Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad

The following announcements have come to our attention for this month:    Three PhD Student Positions in Space Plasma Physics, Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden. The research topic will be experimental plasma physics, with a focus on data analysis from the ESA cometary mission Rosetta and on development of instruments for studies of the Jovian system on the ESA mission JUICE to Jupiter. Deadline for applications is May 10, 2017. More information can be requested by Drs. Gabriella Stenberg Wieser and Martin Wieser. Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Space Plasma Physics, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, United Kingdom. This is a four-year NERC-funded project investigating the nonlinear plasma physics of wave-particle interactions in Earth’s Radiation Belts. The project forms part of a large UK consortium to study the physics of Earth’s Radiation Belts and improve physics-based modelling of important wave-particle interactions. The closing date for applications is  May 19, 2017, while complete information can be found here. NEON Observing School 2017, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, 3 - 17 September, 2017. The School is primarily for M.Sc. and Ph.D. students who do not have prior observing experience with professional telescopes. It will provide hands-on observing experience by expert tutors who will go through all steps, from planning and carrying out observations to reducing and analysis of the acquired data. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2017. More information about the School can be found here Summer School on Natural Space Risks, Paris, France, August 28 - September 1, 2017. The Schools aims to  provide Master and first Year PhD students with an intensive training on natural space risks, such as solar storms, asteroids and space debris, with emphasis on resilience and societal aspects of these effects. Successful student applicants will be selected via a two-stage process, with the deadline for applications being June 9, 2017. More information about the School can be found here. PhD Position in (Astro)statistics at Université Catholique de Louvain, Leuven, Belgium. Supervision will be assumed by Prof. Rainer von Sachs (ISBA), in collaboration with statisticians of the Royal Observatory of Belgium.  Preference will be given to candidates with knowledge in methodological statistics: nonparametric statistics, multivariate analysis, regression, time series analysis, quality control. The candidate should have a keen interest in stellar and solar physics, quantitative data analysis and/or climate sciences. The deadline for applications is June 15, 2017, while more information 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. Postdoctoral Position in Theoretical Space Plasma Physics, University of New Hampshire, USA. The position will be in heliospheric physics. The successful applicant will carry out theoretical and/or numerical investigations of turbulence and kinetic plasma physics in the context of the solar wind and solar corona. Applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and statement of research interests to Dr. Ben Chandran  and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to the same person. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

7. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece

3rd OBSPM / LAM Summer School, Galaxy Formation and Evolution in a Cosmological Context,  Island of Spetses, May 15-19, 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 International Conference on Kappa Distributions and Statistical Mechanics,  Corfu, July 10-14, 2017 Ninth Aegean Summer School on Einstein's Theory and its Modifications,  Apollonia, Sifnos, September 18-23, 2017

8. 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 June 1st, 2017. Please send your announcements (e.g., appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before May 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.