Welcome to the Virginia Tech SuperDARN Student Interest Page. Here you will find information important to prospective, current, and future VT SuperDARN students, as well students with a general interest in Space Science. This includes information about the lab, news items of interest to students, and important training and policy information. If you have interest in SuperDARN or space related studies, please contact either Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi or Dr. Jo Baker.
The Virginia Tech SuperDARN radar group conducts research on Earth’s space environment using HF radars and allied instrumentation and operates the U.S. component of the international SuperDARN collaboration as an Upper Atmosphere Facility for the National Science Foundation. The activities of the group are student-centered and involve all facets of research, including hardware design, operations, data analysis, and collaborative support for the scientific community. The group is a component of the Space@VT research center within the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Current student research activities include analysis of ionospheric irregularities observed with the new mid-latitude chain of SuperDARN radars, study of ultra low frequency pulsations in the magnetosphere and ionosphere, intercomparison of GPS/TEC data with radar observations of ionospheric stucture, and studies of ionospheric plasma convection and the impacts of space weather disturbance on the ionosphere. Students are closely involved with the operation of the radars including travel to the sites and hardware development and testing. Students also develop new data products and software tools for analysis. They assist members of the scientific community in accessing and utilizing the SuperDARN data set, develop scientific collaborations with colleagues, and represent the group at meetings and conferences. The Virginia Tech SuperDARN radar group is headed by Drs. J. Michael Ruohoniemi (miker@vt.edu) and Joseph B. H. Baker (bakerjb@vt.edu).
Please visit our Archive of Student Items page for important information such as research ethics training and other important information all SuperDARN students need to know.
News Items of Student Interest
Many of the news items below represent excellent opportunities for interested students at both the undergraduate and graduate level. If you would like to talk to a Virginia Tech student who has participated in a number of these types of programs, please feel free to contact our student representative, Nathaniel Frissell.
By: miker
on: Thu., Mar. 09, 2017 10:42 AM EST
(487 Reads)
This summer (June 6-16), take advantage of a unique free opportunity to explore the burgeoning field of space weather by joining the Space Weather REDI summer Bootcamp. Bootcamp, to be held at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, includes two weeks of space weather tutorials led by the NASA GSFC scientists. The application deadline: April 20, 2017. For more information see the following websites: http://bit.ly/swredi2017 https://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/support/SWREDI/bootcamp/
A letter from a faculty member will be needed to complete the application. Contact Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi or any Space@VT faculty member for assistance.
By: miker
on: Tue., Feb. 07, 2017 12:09 PM EST
(522 Reads)
The Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO) located near Lima, Peru is the venue for a summer school in 2017 that is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students with interests in atmospheric and ionospheric science and radar techniques, electronics, RF, instrumentation and computer science may apply. If you would like to discuss this possibility with interested VT faculty, contact Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi at or any faculty member in the Space@VT research center listed at http://space.vt.edu/people.html. The application deadline is February 16, 2017 and the JIREP web site is http://jro.igp.gob.pe/jirep/
By: miker
on: Tue., Dec. 20, 2016 01:40 PM EST
(623 Reads)
Senior undergrad and beginning grad students are eligible to participate in an introductory summer school program in space weather hosted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) located in Boulder, Colorado. Support is available. The term of the school is July 17 - 28, 2017 and the deadline for applications is March 1, 2017.
Feel free to consult with Space@VT faculty about this opportunity and ways to pursue your interest in this topic. Email to Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi at or anyone listed at http://space.vt.edu/people.html
For information about the school and links to the NCAR school website, click 'Read More' below:
Photo: Satellite image of aurora provided by Dr. Mike Wiltberger (NCAR/High Altitude Observatory)
Missions have been announced that welcome student ideas and participation in the launch of scientific sounding rockets from the Andoya rocket range located in Norway. The first, called the Grand Challenge Initiative - CUSP Project, welcomes partners for the purpose of access to all CGI data via a common database. The second, the Grand Challenge Student Rocket (G-Chaser), is an education-specific program to recruit interested universities to provide student payloads. Information on both programs can be found at http://www.grandchallenge.no/
If you would like to discuss these opportunities or more broadly the possibility of conducting space research with Virginia Tech faculty, contact anyone in Space@VT or email Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi at .
By: miker
on: Thu., July 14, 2016 11:40 AM EDT
(974 Reads)
The emerging field of radio glaciology lies at the intersection of applied electromagnetics, geophysics, glaciology, and planetary science. The Department of Geophysics at Stanford University is actively recruiting students for its graduate program in radio glaciology with the possibility of starting as early as Fall 2016. Inquiries can be made to the head of the program, Dr. Dustin Schroeder at .
Information about the research and doctoral program at Stanford can be accessed via these links: https://earth.stanford.edu/radio-glaciology/ https://eart.stanford.edu/geophysics/propspective-students/
By: Evan Thomas
on: Tue., Sep. 29, 2015 01:38 PM EDT
(2938 Reads)
June - August 2016 Various Locations in China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand
Open to: U.S. Citizens or permanent residents enrolled in STEM/STEM Education Masters or Ph.D. Programs at U.S. Institutions Application Deadline: 12 November 2015 Apply Through/Official Information:http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi Support: $5000 stipend, travel, room, and board is provided.
By: Xueling
on: Thu., Mar. 12, 2015 08:42 AM EDT
(2508 Reads)
Still looking for something fantastic to do and financial assistance this summer? You get a lot of choices: the Space@VT REU program right here at VT; Summer Bootcamp and internship at NASA, GSFC; Heliophysics and CISM Summer School in Bounder, CO; GEM Summer Workshop in Viceroy Snowmass, CO; ISR Summer School in Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Lima, Peru. Click on Summer schools in 2015_updated.pdf for more details about these summer schools! Act as soon as possible, the deadlines are approaching!!!
By: miker
on: Sat., Mar. 07, 2015 07:32 AM EST
(3054 Reads)
Students are invited to apply for a ten-week summer program to work on cutting edge topics in space science and engineering research within the Space@VT research center of Virginia Tech. The Space@VT REU website includes an on-line enrollment form: http://www.space.vt.edu/REU/index.html
Come learn about space science while enjoying the summer of 2015 in the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia!
Applications are due by March 14, 2015. Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 03, 2015 12:59 PM EST
(2329 Reads)
The annual Virginia Tech GIS and Remote Sensing Research Symposium will be held on April 10, 2015 (Friday) between 1 and 5 pm in the Multipurpose Room on the first floor of the Newman Library. The Symposium provides a venue for presenting recent advances in geographic information systems and remote sensing applications and research. The VT SuperDARN group participates via its involvement in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program (IGEP) for Remote Sensing (http://rsigep.frec.vt.edu/). Poster Proposals are due by Friday, March 13, 2015.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Wed., Nov. 05, 2014 11:45 AM EST
(2545 Reads)
Open to: Undergraduate and Graduate Students with US Citizenship attending VA Space Grant Schools (Including Virginia Tech!) Graduate STEM Research Fellowship Deadline: February 9, 2015 Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Deadline: February 9, 2015 Application and more information:http://www.vsgc.odu.edu/
