| MARCH 2017 – TOPICS |
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| 1. Short News |
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The Society would like to congratulate Ordinary Member Dr. Christina Plainaki, until recently a PostDoctoral researcher at IAPS-INAF, Rome, for accepting a Researcher position at the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Dr. Plainaki can be reached at her new e-mail address, christina.plainaki[at]asi.it . The Society extends its best wishes to Dr. Plainaki for every success in her future endeavors. The Society would like to congratulate Junior Member Mr. Ioannis Liodakis, currently a PhD student at the University of Crete, for being awarded an Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) at Stanford. Mr. Liodakis will be moving to KIPAC in September this year, upon completion of his Thesis. The Society would like to congratulate Ordinary Member Dr. Maria Petropoulou, currently a PostDoctoral researcher at Purdue University, for being awarded a prestigious Lyman Spitzer PostDoctoral Fellowship at Princeton University. Dr. Petropoulou was the recipient of the Hel.A.S. Best PhD prize in the Society’s 12th Conference (Thessaloniki, 2015). Dr. Petropoulou will be moving to Princeton later this Year. The Society would like to congratulate Ordinary Member Dr. Christos Efthymiopoulos for a honorary distinction presented to him by the IAU Minor Planet Center. In its January 12, 2017 meeting, the Center named the minor planet “2002 PV34” “Efthymiopoulos”, in recognition of Dr. Eftymiopoulos’ contributions to the field of Celestial Mechanics. “Efthymiopoulos” (2002 PV34), has been discovered on August 5, 2002 by CINEOS at Campo Imperatore. |
| 2. Hel.A.S. 13th Conference |
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Registration is now open for the 13th Conference of the Hellenic Astronomical Society (website: http://www.helas.gr/conf/2017/), to take place in Heraklion on July 2 – 6, 2017. We encourage Society members planning to attend the conference to register as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that hotel availability may be very limited in Heraklion in early July, so it is important for participants to make accommodation arrangements well in advance. The conference venue will be the Cultural and Conference Center of the Municipality of Heraklion, conveniently located near the downtown area, next to the Kommeno Benteni gate of the Venetians Walls. The venue is at walking distance from Heraklion city center and, as long as accommodation is booked early, participants have a wide variety of conveniently located hotels to choose from (an indicative list would include hotels Kastro, Atrion, Lato, Iraklion, Capsis Astoria, El Greco, Megaron, Olympic). Early booking using online booking tools allows for a variety of hotel options, good deals on hotel prices, and the possibility of free-of-charge cancellation. |
| 3. IAU Junior Membership |
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The Executive Committee of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) proposes to create a new category of membership, the “IAU Junior Member”. This new category is expected to be open to PhD Students and/or early-career PostDoctoral researchers in the area of Astronomy and Astrophysics. This proposal, with details still to be shaped, was based on the results of a relevant questionnaire, publicized in February 2017, in which 89% of respondents voted favorably to the IAU instituting this new membership category. The establishment of IAU Junior Members will require an amendment in the Union’s Statutes that must be approved by the IAU General Assembly. The next, XXX General Assembly, will take place in Vienna, Austria, in August 2018. Months ahead, the IAU Executive Committee will gauge the opinion of National Members with respect to the content of the proposal, that will outline the specifics of the new IAU membership category. The Society will follow the developments and keep its Members informed, as there may well be opportunities for Society Members to become IAU Junior Members. |
| 4. Current National Research Opportunities |
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The following openings have come to our attention for this month:
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| 5. Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad |
The following openings have come to our attention for this month:
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| 6. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece |
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| 7. About this Newsletter |
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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 April 1st, 2017. Please send your announcements (e.g., appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before March 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. |