PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER Volume 9, Number 16 (April 19, 2015) PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org Editor: Melissa Lane Co-Editors: Susan Benecchi, Mark V. Sykes Email: pen_editor at psi.edu o-------------------------TABLE OF CONTENTS---------------------------o 1. Small Bodies Assessment Group 13th Meeting: Early Career Travel Support and Agenda 2. Nominations Requested for the 5th Farinella Prize 3. Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) 4. Impending Deadlines - Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II Conference 5. [NASA] Delay of Step-2 Due Date for Hayabusa2 Participating Scientist Program 6. NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships 7. [NASA] MUREP Community College Curriculum Improvement (MC3I) Updated Pre-Proposal Teleconference Date and Time 8. [NASA] New Date for EONS Pre-Proposal Teleconference 9. Postdoctoral Research in Core/Ocean Geomagnetism 10. The European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) Dates 11. Planetary Meeting Calendar Additions o---------------------------------------------------------------------o 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 SMALL BODIES ASSESSMENT GROUP 13TH MEETING: EARLY CAREER TRAVEL SUPPORT AND AGENDA The 13th meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) will be held June 29 to midday July 1 in Washington, DC. 1) Early career travel support: We are pleased to be able to offer limited US travel support for a few early career scientists to participate in the SBAG 13 meeting. Interested graduate students, postdocs, and other early career scientists (within 3 years of PhD/MS/ BS) should email a one-page letter and a CV to Nancy Chabot by April 24, 2015. 2) As we get the SBAG 13 agenda together, we’d like to give any team that submitted a small body related Discovery mission proposal the opportunity to briefly share their submitted concept with the community on June 30. Please pass this invitation along to any teams you were involved with, and contact Nancy Chabot to be added to the agenda. Also, both the Dawn and New Horizons teams have provided great slide sets: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/dawn_materials/ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/new_horizons/ As public interest continues to grow in these missions, please use these slides to share the excitement with the public at any possible opportunity! 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2 NOMINATIONS REQUESTED FOR THE 5TH FARINELLA PRIZE The 5th Farinella Prize, devoted to "Dynamics and Physics of Comets" is open for candidate nominations. Please read the call and download the candidature form at: http://www.df.unipi.it/~paolic/publicinfo.html You can also send questions to paolicchi@df.unipi.it or fulle@oats.inaf.it. Thank you, Paolo Paolicchi 3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3 DIRECTOR, NASA ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE (NAI) NASA seeks a new Director for the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). The ideal candidate will be an internationally recognized scientist with proven experience in leading or managing large interdisciplinary research programs or projects, possessed with a vision for leading the Institute into the future. Applicants for this position should have a broad scientific perspective on astrobiology, experience in conducting interdisciplinary scientific research, and demonstrated skills needed to harness the strengths of disparate research communities towards a greater goal. S/he should understand how to grow a research endeavor and respond to changing budget climates while focusing on maximizing the scientific return on NASA's investments in astrobiology. S/he should have experience in leading a diverse staff ranging from established scientists to support personnel, resource planning, and executing budgets and schedules. S/he should be comfortable with modern information technologies and distributed research teams. NASA is particularly interested in applicants who will find ways to infuse astrobiology into NASA flight missions. Interested individuals should apply directly to USAJobs at: http://www.usajobs.gov by May 1, 2015. In the keyword search box, type vacancy number "AR15S0001". Select "Director, NASA Astrobiology Institute", then click "Apply Online". 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4 IMPENDING DEADLINES - COMPARATIVE CLIMATES OF TERRESTRIAL PLANETS II CONFERENCE Deadlines are coming for the Comparative Climates of Terrestrial Planets II conference that will be held at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California on 8-11 September 8-11, 2015. Abstracts and Student Travel Requests are due Thursday, April 30th. Student travel applications should include the following information: - A one-page description of how your participation in the meeting will benefit NASA’s goals of planetary exploration, particularly Venus; - A copy of your abstract; - Your resume; - A statement of endorsement from a faculty member. Student travel applications are due on the same date as the abstracts (April 30), but all application materials should be sent to the conveners (Jeff Hollingsworth, jeffery.l.hollingsworth@nasa.gov, Lori Glaze, lori.s.glaze@nasa.gov, and Shawn Domagal-Goldman, shawn.goldman@nasa.gov). Applicants will be notified of the selections by May 8. If you are a NASA or JPL employee (or on-site contractor) and planning to attend this conference, you are now required to register in NCTS (code #22053-15). You should register in NCTS, before the end of May 2015 in order to attend. 5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5 [NASA] DELAY OF STEP-2 DUE DATE FOR HAYABUSA2 PARTICIPATING SCIENTIST PROGRAM Hayabusa-2 Participating Scientist Program Step-1 proposals were due on April 1, 2015, and Step-2 proposals are now listed in the Tables of due dates as "TBD." This amendment delays the due date for Step-2 proposals. Planetary Science Division personnel are working with NASA’s international partners on the Hayabusa2 mission to provide additional documents and information about the mission for proposers to use in writing Step-2 proposals. The new date for the Step-2 proposal deadline has not yet been determined, but it will be no less than four weeks after the additional information is provided. Until then, the Step-2 deadline for C.19 will be listed as TBD. NASA still anticipates that instrument scientist awards would receive funding starting in FY 2016, and the sample scientist awards would start with a small amount in FY 2017. This Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2015" (NNH15ZDA001N) is posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ and on the RSS feed at: http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/ roses-2015 Questions concerning this program element may be directed to: Tony Carro at anthony.carro-1@nasa.gov 6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6 NASA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides opportunities for scientists and engineers to conduct research largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research opportunities posted on the NPP Web site. Selected by a competitive peer-review process, NPP Fellows complete one- to three-year Fellowship appointments that advance NASA’s missions in Earth science, heliophysics, astrophysics, planetary science, astrobiology, space bioscience, aeronautics and engineering, human exploration and operations, and space technology. An example of one of the research opportunities in planetary science is: https://www3.orau.gov/NPDoc/Catalog/18818 Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in hand before beginning the fellowship, but may apply while completing the degree requirements. U. S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 status as a Research Scholar may apply. Stipends start at $53,500 per year, with supplements for high cost- of-living areas and for certain academic specialties. Financial assistance is available for relocation and health insurance, and $8,000 per year is provided for professional travel. Applications are accepted three times each year: March 1, July 1, and November 1. The latest NPP Newsletter: http://bit.ly/1Kjlmyr For further information and to apply, visit: http://nasa.orau.org/postdoc/description/index.htm Questions: nasapostdoc@orau.org 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7 [NASA] MUREP COMMUNITY COLLEGE CURRICULUM IMPROVEMENT (MC3I) UPDATED PRE-PROPOSAL TELECONFERENCE DATE AND TIME NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Community College Curriculum Improvement (MC3I) Amendment 12.1 changes language to reflect an updated Pre-Proposal Teleconference date and time in Appendix L, Section 4.3. A pre-proposal teleconference will be held on April 22 (formerly April 23), 2015, from 3-4:30 p.m. EST (12-1:30 p.m. PST). Prospective proposers are requested to submit any written questions no later than three (3) business days before the teleconference so that NASA will be able to cover as much information as possible during the meeting. NASA plans to post written questions and answers and teleconference charts to the NSPIRES website. An opportunity to ask questions and to solicit clarifications will be provided during the teleconference. To join teleconference: Call-in number: 1-866-844-9416 Meeting Number: 999 970 123 Meeting Password: EONSMC3I! To join the online meeting: 1. Go to: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID= m56043b128c6b401daa40b9b1e7a1487a 2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: EONSMC3I! 4. Click "Join". Questions concerning Appendix L, NASA MUREP Community College Curriculum Improvement (MC3I), may be directed to Roslyn Soto at Roslyn.soto@jpl.nasa.gov. [Edited for length.] 8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8 [NASA] NEW DATE FOR EONS PRE-PROPOSAL TELECONFERENCE NASA will conduct a Pre-proposal Webex/Teleconference to discuss NASA Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) MUREP Other Opportunities (MOO). The new date for the call will be Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 3:30-5:00 PM ET (6:30 – 8:00 PM Pacific). The purpose of this session is to provide prospective proposers an in-depth overview of the MUREP Other Opportunities (MOO) program and proposal requirements. Please visit the MUREP Other Opportunities (MOO) in NSPIRES for details regarding this opportunity. Please connect to both Webex and Teleconference. If you have any accommodation needs, please contact MUREPOPFAQ@nasaprs.com in advance. * Connect to teleconference (for audio): Call-in number: toll free number: 866-844-9416 Participant passcode: 2033636 * Connect to WebEx (for slide presentation): Meeting Number: 998 676 077 Meeting Password: EONSMOO123! To join the online meeting (Now from mobile devices!) 1. Go to: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID= m9b70e647568b9a59723f069e5068b031 2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: EONSMOO123! 4. Click "Join". To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?MTID= mb1500b1f58b99ae385b508ea22e5df15 For assistance 1. Go to https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/mc 2. On the left navigation bar, click "Support". [Edited for length.] 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH IN CORE/OCEAN GEOMAGNETISM NASA-GSFC/CRESST/University of Maryland Applications are now being accepted for a Postdoctoral Associate, funded through the University of Maryland College Park and the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology (CRESST), to work in the Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the area of core/ocean geomagnetism. Additional details are available at: http://www.astro.umd.edu/employment/index.html#Geomag Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree (or expect to have the degree by the start of the appointment) in a related field of physics, geophysics, dynamical oceanography/meteorology, and/or applied mathematics. Applicants are expected to have strong quantitative analysis and modeling skills – in addition to knowledge of geomagnetic fields, satellite or ground observatory data, geomagnetic field models, and core dynamics. Familiarity with UNIX OS, FORTRAN, and parallel computing is a strong plus. The University of Maryland is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. All applications received by May 22, 2015 will receive full consideration. 10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 THE EUROPEAN PLANETARY SCIENCE CONGRESS (EPSC) DATES The European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) will be held at: La Cité des Congrès Nantes, France Sep 27 - Oct 2, 2015 You are invited to submit abstracts to this major European planetary science forum. Deadline for abstract submission is April 29, 2015. This year, 3 new technology sessions have been added to the program: MT2: Instrumentation for descent probes and next generation orbiters MT5: Technology and instrument concepts for upcoming Asteroid Redirect Missions (ARM) MT6: Exploration of planetary environments with CubeSats and NanoSats More on the conference at: http://www.epsc2015.eu/home.html If you have questions please contact: EPSC-2015 at: epsc2015@copernicus.org 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11 PLANETARY MEETING CALENDAR ADDITIONS October 5-9, 2015 Rainbows on the Southern Sky: Science and Legacy Value of the ESO Public Surveys and Large Programmes http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/2015/Rainbows2015.html Garching, Germany October 27-29, 2015 13th Meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/meetings/upcoming/ Washington, DC [Editor Note: If there is a planetary-related meeting, conference or workshop of which you think your colleagues should be aware, please send the date, title, URL and location to pen_editor at psi.edu.] *********************************************************************** * The Planetary Exploration Newsletter is issued approximately weekly. * Current and back issues are available at http://planetarynews.org * * To subscribe, go to http://planetarynews.org/pen_subscribe.php, or * send a request to pen_editor at psi.edu * * To unsubscribe, send an email to pen_editor at psi.edu * * Please send all replies and submissions to pen_editor at psi.edu. * Announcements and other messages should be brief with links to URLs * for extended information, including detailed descriptions for job * announcements. 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