| APRIL 2017 – TOPICS |
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| 1. Short News |
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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 |
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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
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 |
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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
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 |
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The following openings have come to our attention for this month:
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| 7. Student and Postdoctoral Research Opportunities Abroad |
The following announcements have come to our attention for this month:
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| 8. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece |
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| 9. 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 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. |