FEBRUARY 2011 - TOPICS

Short News Job Opening EuroVO-ICE School in Strasbourg Carnegie Observatories Graduate Fellowships Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. SHORT NEWS

We would like to congratulate Dr. Stelios Kazantzidis who was recently elected as an Assistant Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the Department of Physics of the University of Athens. The registration and abstract submission for the 10th Conference of Hel.A.S. has opened. Please visit the conference web site for more details. On February 14 2011, the STARDUST-NExT NASA spacecraft, on which Dr. T. Economou, a member of our Society, is the team leader for the Dust Flux Monitor Instrument (DFMI), will have an encounter with the comet Tempel 1. More information about this mission can be found here.

2. JOB OPENING

A ‘Post-doctoral Research Associate position on Space Physics’ has opened in the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IAA) of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), starting on March 15, 2011. Funding is provided by a 2nd FP7 project in which IAA also participates as a Principal Investigator. IAA is looking for a self-motivated individual who will conduct data analysis and interpretation of Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) measurements from instruments at various points in the 3-D Heliosphere (SOHO, ACE, STEREO, Ulysses), as well as complementary solar wind and magnetic field observations. The successful candidate will participate in the establishment of an operational European Space Weather Alert system to forecast SEP radiation storms, closely linked to Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and magnetic storms. Important aspects of the position are the following: the collection of event data for the SOHO era and their statistical analysis, a study of the causes of false alarms, the development of an SEP propagation model and its adaptation and optimisation for the purpose of forecasting the arrival of SEPs at the Earth or other specified locations in interplanetary space, a risk analysis to directly represent risks of radiation storms for particular applications e.g. assessment of the exposure risk for an unshielded astronaut during an extra-vehicular activity (EVA) in low Earth orbit, or for an astronaut on the surface of the Moon. Experience in data visualization and the use of IDL or MATLAB is an asset. Visits to partner institutes for collaboration are foreseen for the successful candidate during the implementation of the project. Following a 6 month probation period, there will be possibility for 1, 2 or 3 year extension totally. Salaries for full-time occupation will be 2000 euros per month.To apply please submit a complete CV, names and contact details of two references, to be contacted if needed, by February 20, 2011 to Dr. Olga Malandraki: omaland@astro.noa.gr (+30-210-3490150/105, 6944369713)

3. EUROVO-ICE SCHOOL IN STRASBOURG

The EURO-VO project, in the framework of the EURO-VO International Cooperation Empowerment (ICE), is organising an international School at the Observatoire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. The Virtual Observatory (VO) is opening up new ways of exploiting the huge amount of data provided by the ever-growing number of ground-based and space facilities, as well as by computer simulations. The goals of the School are to expose European astronomers to the variety of VO tools and services available today so that they can use them efficiently for their own research. To achieve these goals, VO experts will lecture and tutor the participants on the usage of such tools. Real life examples of scientific applications will be given, some of them selected from the science cases that participants will be asked to submit at the time of registration. A large fraction of the time will be dedicated to hands-on exercises, which will allow participants to become fully familiar with the VO capabilities on their own laptops. Some travel support is available for this workshop. The deadline for registration is February 7, 2011. More information can be found at: http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/voschool2011

4. CARNEGIE OBSERVATORIES GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS

The Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, CA (USA), announces the inauguration of the Graduate Research Fellowship which supports graduate students interested in carrying out all or part of their thesis research under the supervision of a Carnegie Staff member. With 15 senior Staff members and 17 postdoctoral fellows and associates, Carnegie Observatories provides a vibrant environment for vigorous scientific research and academic excellence. Major areas of research include cosmology and the distance scale, physics of active galactic nuclei, searches for massive black holes, galaxy formation and evolution, galaxy groups and clusters, intergalactic medium, star formation, supernovae, star clusters, and nucleosynthesis and chemical abundances of stars. Applications from current Ph.D. students in astronomy from an accredited (US or non-US) university, pursuing thesis research in observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, or instrumentation development are encouraged. The deadline for registration is April 15, 2011. More information can be found at: http://obs.carnegiescience.edu/gradfellowships

5. 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.

10th Conference of Hel.A.S. Ioannina, 5-8 September 2011 13th European Solar Physics Meeting (ESPM-13) Rhodes, 12-16 September 2011

6. 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 March 1, 2011. Please send your announcements (e.g. appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before February 25, 2011. 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.