Hel.A.S. Newsletter 191 - January 2014

JANUARY 2014 - TOPICS
  1. Short News
  2. Meeting of the Governing Council of HEL.A.S.
  3. The HEL.A.S. Poll for the Conference dates
  4. The Hipparchos next Issue
  5. Job openings at the RCAAM of the Academy of Athens
  6. PhD Positions at the University of Geneva
  7. The Leiden/Huygens PhD Prize Fellowships
  8. Universe Awareness: Space Scoop
  9. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece
  10. About this Newsletter
1. SHORT NEWS.

The Council of the Hel.A.S. would like to wish to all members of the Society and their families Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy, and Productive New Year.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Georgios Balasis, a member of our Society, who was recently promoted to Researcher B at the National Observatory of Athens.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Kleomenis Tsiganis, a member of our Society, who was awarded the 2013 "G. Τ. Foteinos" award of the Academy of Athens.

 
2. MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF HEL.A.S.

The Governing Council of Hel.A.S. met on the 20th of December 2013 to discuss various issues related to organizational matters, as well as upcoming activities of the Society. All members are strongly encouraged to read the minutes of this GC meeting, which will soon be available online at the end of the web page: http://www.helas.gr/council.php. During the meeting it was decided that the next (32nd) General Assembly (GA) of the Society will take place on Friday 20th of June, 2014 at the Department of Physics of the University of Athens. During this G.A., the new Governing Council of the Society for the 2014-2015 term will be elected. By the end of January 2014 all Members will have received by e-mail the official announcement regarding the elections. According to Article 29 of the Constitution, all ordinary members of the Society who have no outstanding membership fees may nominate themselves or other ordinary members for the Council. The nominations have to be returned to the Secretary of the Society by February 28th 2014. The call for nominations as well as the necessary forms will soon be available online at the "News & Events" section of the web pages of the Society. More information on the General Assembly and the elections will become available in future newsletters.

 
3. THE HEL.A.S. POLL FOR THE CONFERENCE DATES

The 30th G.A. of the Society asked the G.C. to organise a "poll" among the Society's members regarding the period that our Society's Conference is organised (for more information please read the 3rd topic in the minutes of the 31st G.A. as they appear on our web site at http://www.helas.gr/council.php). The G.C. decided to set up a "doodle" which can be found at: The HEL.A.S. Poll. We ask the members of the Society to visit the doodle and express their opinion. The doodle will be opened until February the 28th, 2014. The new G.C. of the Society will take the results of the poll into consideration when they decide the dates for the next Conference of the Society.

 
4. THE HIPPARCHOS NEXT ISSUE

The next Hipparchos Issue will be ready in June 2014 (to be distributed to the members of the Society that will participate in the June G.A.). The editorial committee of Hipparchos would like to remind all Hel.A.S. members that they can act as contributors in this issue by sending us information regarding important activities in which our members are involved (astronomical projects, conferences, prizes, publications etc.) and which you consider worth being communicated to the broader body of the Hel.A.S. A short account (up to two pages) of the scientific context related to such announcements should be send directly to the editor Dr. C. Efthymiopoulos (cefthim@Academyofathens.gr), or to one of the editorial committee members A. Bonanos (bonanos@astro.noa.gr) and K. Tsiganis (tsiganis@auth.gr). Please consult past Hipparchos issues on what is the right "spirit" of such short articles. Contributions intended to appear in the next Hipparchos issue should be received by the end of February 2014.

 
5. JOB OPENINGS AT THE RCAAM OF THE ACADEMY OF ATHENS.

Applications are now open for two postdoctoral research positions at the Research Center for Astronomy and Applied Mathematics of the Academy of Athens to study the magnetic fields around accreting black holes. Applicants with previous experience in general relativistic numerical magnetohydrodynamics are particularly encouraged to apply. The starting date is January 2014, and the deadline for applications is on December 31st, 2013. Inquires should be addressed to Dr. I. Contopoulos (e-mail: icontop@academyofathens.gr; tel.: +30 2106597167; fax: +30 2106597602).

 
6. PhD POSITIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA.

The Geneva Observatory invites applications for two PhD positions in the stellar evolution group led by Prof. Georges Meynet. The starting date of both positions is as early as April 1st 2014, but later starting dates are possible. The salary scale is attractive (starting at CHF 50 000) and funding is available for up to 4 years. Interested candidates are invited to send to Georges Meynet (georges.meynet@unige.ch) the following documents: 1) A motivation letter, 2) A brief (1-2 pages) CV, and 3) At least two recommendation letters (one from the master’s thesis advisor). Deadline : January 31rst 2014.

 
7. THE LEIDEN/HUYGENS PHD PRIZE FELLOWSHIPS.

The Faculty of Science of Leiden University invites applications for the 2014 Leiden/Huygens Fellowships (http://huygens.researchschool.nl/). Interested candidates are asked to submit an outline for a research project and to arrange for a supporting letter by the faculty member who is prepared to supervise the PhD project. An overview of faculty members and their research topics, in the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics can be found at: http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/research/. Applicants should send an one-page cover letter with a two-page description of past research experience and outline of a Ph.D. project, an up-to-date curriculum vitae list of university courses taken, transcripts of grades obtained, and the supporting letter from a Leiden University faculty member, in whose group they would like to perform their Ph.D. research, to Huygens@Lorentz.LeidenUniv.nl. Complete applications received by January 15, 2014, will receive full consideration.

 
8. UNIVERSE AWARENESS: SPACE SCOOP.

Universe Awareness (UNAWE) is a programme devoted to inspiring children with Cosmos. UNAWE is endorsed by UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). "Space Scoops" are short news articles (~250 words) about astronomical discoveries, written in a child-friendly language. The idea behind "Space Scoop" is to change the way science is often perceived by young children as an outdated and dull subject, and to inspire them to develop an interest in science and technology. "Space Scoop" is available in a variety of formats including .pdf (http://unawe.org/kids/), video (http://chandra.harvard.edu/resources/podcasts/by_category.html?catid=34), podcast (http://cosmoquest.org/blog/365daysofastronomy/tag/space-scoop/), and an Android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gdogaru.spacescoop). Members interested in this initiative should check their website at http://unawe.org/kids/.

 
9. UPCOMING ASTRONOMY MEETINGS IN GREECE
 
10. 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 February 1st, 2014. Please send your announcements (e.g. appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before January 20, 2014. 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.

 


 
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