By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 21, 2023 12:24 PM EDT
(59 Reads)
Students, undergraduate, and early graduate students are invited to join the second Space Weather Simulation Summer School to be held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, July 24 - August 5, 2023. The goal of the summer school is to prepare students to gain skills that are required for science researchers. Specifically, the school teaches coding and how to code well, as well as how to write simulations. One of the many things covered are reading real space instrument data and making plots in python, documentation, and solving non-linear equations on a grid. Financial support is available for students.
The deadline for applications is May 1st.
Link to online application form: https://forms.gle/fRroNi6CYcrm8mn16
For more information, please email Qusai Al Shidi
By: miker
on: Sun., Mar. 19, 2023 11:00 PM EDT
(282 Reads)
The NSF funded 2023 Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) Summer School (in-person) is planned to be held at University of Alaska Fairbanks between July 17-22. The summer school’s goal is to train students in the theory and concepts of incoherent scatter radar, and allows for hands-on opportunities to design and run experiments at ISR facilities. This year’s school will focus on high-latitude / auroral observations using the Poker Flat ISR (PFISR) as a part of the NSF supported Geospace Facility.
We encourage graduate/advanced undergraduate students to apply for the school. The program funds participants from the U.S. institutions, and international students who wish to participate can apply if their university/organization is willing to cover their travel expenses. The program web site ishttps://amisr.com/school/
The deadline for application submission is March 24, 2023.
By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 14, 2023 02:12 AM EDT
(821 Reads)
The 2023 Polar Aeronomy and Radio Science (PARS) summer school will be held in person at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) between August 1-10, 2023. The summer school provides faculty, graduate, and advanced undergraduate students with exposure to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Subauroral Geophysical Observatory (SAGO) for Space Physics and Radio Science and the HAARP research site in Gakona, Alaska.
Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for the school, and attendance is limited. Those candidates who are selected for the 2023 PARS summer school and are enrolled at U.S. Universities/institutions will receive travel support and accommodation to attend this event. Self-funded students from institutions in other countries are welcome to apply as well.
Website: https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/pars2023
Deadline for applications: March 31, 2023
By: miker
on: Thu., Feb. 23, 2023 12:10 PM EST
(349 Reads)
JIREP is an international internship program organized by Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP) at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory in Lima, Peru that is offered to junior/senior undergraduate and/or first and second year graduate students. The program will cover travel expenses (to and from Lima) as well as a reasonable stipend. Since the Observatory is located outside the city of Lima, transportation also will be provided. This is the opportunity to gain valuable international work experience and get to know Peru, a multicultural country, full of traditions, with an award-winning gastronomy and vast nature reserves.
By: miker
on: Thu., Feb. 23, 2023 11:10 AM EST
(767 Reads)
UCAR | CPAESS is accepting applications for the NASA Heliophysics Summer School which focuses on the physics of space weather events that start at the Sun and influence atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres throughout the solar system. This year’s theme is Observational Heliophysics.
Program website: https://heliophysics.ucar.edu/summer-school/recruitment-announcement
The Summer School has two sections. There will be a remote phase from July 17-21, 2023; and an in-person phase from August 7-11, 2023. The summer school has been expanded to include a remote phase so that more people can participate. Admission is competitive; up to 50 students are selected to attend each year.
Application deadline: March 3, 2023.
By: miker
on: Sun., Feb. 05, 2023 05:37 PM EST
(583 Reads)
The Institute of Space Weather Sciences (ISWS) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in the summer of 2023 (May 22 to July 28, 2023), funded by the National Science Foundation.
Undergraduate students in STEM fields will be invited to Newark, New Jersey for 10 weeks to engage in cutting-edge solar physics, terrestrial physics, space weather, and big data research with space physicists, astronomers, and computer scientists. A list of research projects offered can be viewed at this link: https://spaceweather.njit.edu/reu-research-projects. Students will be provided a stipend of $6,000 for the 10-week program. Additionally, travel, meal allowance, and accommodation are provided to each student. Applications by members of under-represented groups are encouraged. For more information about the program and online application, please visit the ISWS REU website: https://spaceweather.njit.edu/reu
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 30, 2023 10:45 AM EST
(432 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 27, 2023. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 27, 2023. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
The VSGC STEM Bridge Scholarship Program provides scholarships of $1,000 to students who are rising sophomores or juniors majoring in STEM. Students from any federally recognized minority group in STEM and enrolled full-time in a program of STEM at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities are strongly encouraged to apply. Application deadline is March 10, 2023. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/stembridge/
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 23, 2023 07:37 AM EST
(318 Reads)
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is accepting applications for its 2023 Space Weather Summer School, scheduled for June 5th-July 28th 2023. The school, which will be in-presence, combines lectures and summer research projects. Students receive a prestigious Vela Fellowship (worth $13,000 to cover travel and living expenses), technical training, and opportunities for professional development. Information about the school can be found at: https://www.lanl.gov/projects/national-security-education-center/space-earth-center/space-weather-school/index.php
By: miker
on: Wed., Jan. 18, 2023 05:32 PM EST
(281 Reads)
Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) is an undergraduate-to-graduate bridge program designed to broaden participation of historically underrepresented communities in the atmospheric and related sciences. SOARS Protégés can participate for up to four (4) summers conducting research in atmospheric and earth-system sciences. SOARS offers comprehensive financial support for summer research, conference travel, as well as undergraduate and graduate school funding.
SOARS invites students from multiple STEM disciplines — including chemistry, ecology, engineering, geography, mathematics, meteorology, physics, and the social sciences--to deepen their expertise in understanding the Earth’s Atmosphere. see the SOARS program website at https://soars.ucar.edu/
By: miker
on: Sun., Dec. 11, 2022 07:57 AM EST
(592 Reads)
Research groups in the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT) at Virginia Tech have funding available for students to enroll in the PhD program of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and pursue research in the emerging area of geospace data analytics. Successful applicants will work with Space@VT faculty on space weather specification and forecasting using globally distributed ground- and space-based datasets and numerical simulations. Applicants must be able to satisfy the admission requirements to the ECE PhD degree program. Candidates with suitable academic backgrounds in physics or engineering and advanced computer skills are encouraged to respond. Candidates should make the Fellowship sponsors aware of their interest by emailing a resume and statement of purpose to Prof. Joseph Baker (jo.baker@vt.edu). Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.
By: miker
on: Sun., Dec. 04, 2022 11:15 PM EST
(274 Reads)
The University of Colorado Boulder invites undergraduates to apply for a paid summer research experience for highly motivated students interested in solar and space physics. Students will come to Boulder, Colorado for 10 weeks to work on a research project with a mentor. The topic areas span the field of solar and space physics, from instrument hardware to data analysis to modeling of the Sun, the Sun-Earth system, the near-Earth environment, or the heliosphere. Successful applicants will work with scientist mentors at one of eight Boulder institutes (see 'Read More'). For further details see https://lasp.colorado.edu/home/information/undergraduates/reu/ and to request more information, email
By: miker
on: Sun., Dec. 04, 2022 03:24 PM EST
(370 Reads)
UCAR | CPAESS is pleased to announce the 2023 call for applications to the NASA Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowships, sponsored by the NASA Living With a Star (LWS) program. The two-year fellowships are designed to train the next generation of researchers in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Heliophysics. Early-career PhDs are matched with experienced scientists at U.S. host research institutions. There will be up to 5 positions available this year. For more information including how to apply see the program website at heliophysics.ucar.edu/jack-eddy
By: miker
on: Sun., Nov. 27, 2022 11:00 AM EST
(771 Reads)
The NCAR Advanced Study Program is accepting applications from students and the NCAR scientific staff for two programs: 1 - Graduate Visitor Program (GVP)
The Graduate Visitor Program provides opportunities to the NCAR staff to bring graduate students to NCAR for visits ranging from two months to a full year. These visits have the goal of enhancing NCAR partnerships with other public and private institutions while enriching the research of the participating students. Application deadline: October 31, 2022.
Website: https://edec.ucar.edu/advanced-study-program/graduate-visitor-program 2 - GVP Bridge Program
The new GVP Bridge program provides a one-month internship at NCAR for graduate students who may be early in their career or who don't have a fully defined collaborative project for a regular GVP visit. The internship will give the student an opportunity to explore potential collaborations at NCAR with the goal of a longer visit in the future. Unlike the regular GVP process, this program does not require an application from an NCAR sponsor. Application deadline: November 30, 2022
Website: https://edec.ucar.edu/advanced-study-program/gvp-bridge-program
By: miker
on: Mon., Oct. 31, 2022 10:55 AM EDT
(599 Reads)
The NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) has announced that NASA Internship Programs are preparing for Spring 2023 selections and spring applications are now open. The Intern program allows high school and college-level students to contribute to agency projects under the guidance of a NASA mentor. The Pathways Intern program offers current students and recent graduates internships that are direct pipelines to full-time emplyment at NASA upon graduation. There are also Fellowships for graduate-level students and International Internships. For more information see: https://intern.nasa.gov/
The internships are split into spring and summer sessions: Spring session dates: January 23 – May 12 > Application deadline: November 7, 2022 Summer session dates: June 5 – August 11 > Application deadline: March 10, 2023
An informal series of online ‘Coffee talks’ is being held this semester for undergraduate students to find out about career opportunities in space research and engineering. The next Talk will be held on Thursday, October 20, 5 - 6 PM on the topic of ‘Women in Space Sciences.’ A panel of young researchers will relate personal stories of how they found out about this field and progressed from undergrads to interns to career professionals. The series of Coffee Talks is hosted by four teaching universities (including Virginia Tech) that are participating in the recently awarded NASA DRIVE Science Center for Geospace Storms (CGS). Link to Flyer: http://vt.superdarn.org/assets/docs/news/CoffeeTalkSeriesPoster_Oct2022.pdf
Coffee Talk time: October 20, 2022, 5 - 6 pm
Zoom link: https://jhuapl.zoomgov.com/j/1612216069?pwd=SmZK Z1RoZE1najY1NVlLcnU1Vi9udz09
The 6th IAGA (International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy) Summer School will be held in early July 2023 at the Niemegk geomagnetic observatory of GFZ near to and just before the IUGG General Assembly (11-20 July, 2023) in Berlin, Germany. About 20 early career scientists will be sponsored for accommodation and cost of living (but not the travel cost to Germany). The definition of early career scientists is: 'Being an undergraduate or postgraduate (Masters/PhD) student or having received the highest degree qualification (e.g., BSc, MSc, PhD) within the last two years from 31 December, 2022.'
During a short repair trip with Kevin to the site of the Blackstone radar in southern Virginia Mike took this photo of a flock of birds tracing out the guying cables, antenna wires, and reflector wires at the western end of the main array near sunset. During this trip Mike and Kevin met the new director of the Southern Piedmont Agricultural and Extension Center (AREC), Dr. Arash Rashed. The Center is affiliated with Virginia Tech and the Blackstone SuperDARN radar is located on its grounds in the middle of cow pasture. Next year (2023) will mark 15 years of radar operation from this site.
By: miker
on: Wed., Sep. 14, 2022 11:02 AM EDT
(513 Reads)
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) designs and implements strategies to increase access to STEM education, funding, and careers. Towards this end, the IBP has created the website www.PathwaysToScience.org as a resource to help students find paid summer research programs and fully funded STEM graduate programs. PathwaysToScience.org has over 70 portable scholarships and fellowships posted on the site. These include undergraduate, graduate, and postdoc level funding opportunities with an emphasis on increasing diversity in STEM.
Undergraduate scholarships and tips and resources for applying: https://pathwaystoscience.org/Undergrads.aspx
Graduate fellowships and resources for applying: https://pathwaystoscience.org/Grad.aspx
Postdoc funding and resources: https://pathwaystoscience.org/Postdocs_Portal.aspx
By: miker
on: Thu., July 28, 2022 11:23 AM EDT
(579 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Ian Kelley successfully presented his thesis in support of earning a Master of Science degree to a committee of professors on July 28, 2022. The title of his thesis is 'Medium Scale Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances sensed with GNSS TEC and SuperDARN'. Ian has shown that there is a class of medium scale TIDs that is associated with very strong electric fields during storm times. This work has been submitted for publication in JGR. His official advisors are Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi while his primary mentor on the TID work has been Dr. Bharat Kunduri. He has also been mentored by scientists at MIT Haystack Observatory. During his time as a graduate student Ian has been very active on hardware under the supervision of Mr. Kevin Sterne and has worked extensively at Virginia Tech SuperDARN radar sites. Ian is a graduate of Virginia Tech's Undergraduate/Graduate (UG/G) Accelerated Master's Degree program.
Congratulations, Ian!
(Photo credit: Bharat Kunduri)
By: miker
on: Thu., June 16, 2022 12:46 PM EDT
(751 Reads)
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech has funding available for students to enroll in its PhD program and pursue research in the emerging area of geospace data analytics. Successful applicants will work with faculty in the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT) to conduct fundamental research on space weather specification and forecasting using globally distributed ground- and space-based datasets and numerical simulations. Outstanding candidates with advanced computer programming skills and academic backgrounds in physics or engineering are encouraged to respond. Potential applicants should make the Fellowship sponsors aware of their interest by emailing a resume and statement of purpose to Prof. Joseph Baker (jo.baker@vt.edu). Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the positions are filled.
By: miker
on: Fri., June 03, 2022 03:38 PM EDT
(750 Reads)
NASA has announced that the Phase I award to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) for the Center for Geospace Storms (CGS) under the Diversity, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate (DRIVE) Science Center initiative will be extended into Phase II with five more years of funding. The goals of CGS are to fuse modeling and data to understand the physics of Earth's space environment (geospace) during storm conditions. The program of the DRIVE center is comprehensive with cutting edge research, community outreach, and student training. Virginia Tech is one of several participating universities with robust space programs. The lead researchers from Virginia Tech are Prof. J. Michael Ruohoniemi and Prof. Leonard Smith. The CGS DRIVE Center is led by the PI and director, Dr. Slava Merkin (JHU/APL), and deputy director, Dr. Michael Wiltberger (NCAR). News releases from these organizations and NASA are available at: https://www.jhuapl.edu/NewsStory/220413-nasa-extends-apl-solar-and-space-physics-drive-center https://news.ucar.edu/132837/ncar-partners-build-first-ever-comprehensive-community-geospace-model https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/nasa-selects-hubs-for-innovative-research-in-solar-sciences
By: miker
on: Fri., May 27, 2022 12:37 PM EDT
(1316 Reads)
The Boulder Space Weather Summer School (SWSS) is a two-week program, funded by NSF and hosted by HAO, that gives students a comprehensive introduction to the science of space weather: what it is, what it does, and what can be done about it. The theme is the physics of space weather and its impacts on the space environment, spacecraft, astronauts and ground based systems. Students will learn from leading researchers in the field and experts in forecasting space weather and meet other students working in the field. The program will appeal to graduate students starting their research careers in space physics as well as selected undergraduate students interested in exploring the topic.
The school wil be held July 18 – 29, 2022, in person in Boulder, CO (circumstances permitting). For more information see https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/SWSS
By: miker
on: Wed., May 25, 2022 12:36 PM EDT
(789 Reads)
In the U.S. community preparations are underway for the “Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033” under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences. This will lead to a series of recommendations that will determine research directions for the major agencies (e.g., NSF, NASA, NOAA). Numerous online discussions have been convened with the intention of drafting white papers as input to the agency-led deliberations. A deadline for submission of white papers is expected soon. Nominations to the Survey Steering Committee and Study Panels have closed. Meetings will begin in the July-August timeframe with a draft report expected by the end of the year.
During this two-week NASA funded summer school hosted by UCAR, participants will dive into physics connecting global models to remote and in-situ measurements, learn from leading experts in the field, use prototype visualizations tools to recreate data from a spacecraft flying through the magnetosphere, and connect with other early career researchers. The program will appeal to advanced graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who want to broaden their understanding of fundamental processes across all disciplines of heliophysics.
The Director of the the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Reearch (ISEE), Dr. K. Kusano, has announced that Dr. Shibaji Chakraborty has been accepted into the ISEE international joint research program. His project title is 'Influence of Solar Flare-Driven Changes in the Ionospheric Conductance and Electric Fields on HF Radar Observed Doppler Flash' and the term of the project is April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023. Shibaji will spend research periods in Japan visiting with his ISEE researcher sponsor, Dr. Nozomu Nishitani. To find out more about the program see https://www.isee.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/co-re/co-re-application.html
Shibaji completed PhD degree requirements in the Spring of 2021 and is currently a postdoctoral fellow with the VT SuperDARN group. He and Dr. Nozomu have published extensively on the subject of solar flare impacts on the ionosphere.
The 2022 Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) Summer School will be held in-person only at Boston University between July 17-22. The summer school’s goal is to train students in the theory and concepts of incoherent scatter radar, and allows for hands-on opportunities to design and run experiments at ISR facilities. This year’s school will focus on mid-latitude / subauroral observations using the Millstone Hill ISR, operated by MIT Haystack Observatory as part of the NSF supported Millstone Hill Geospace Facility. Details about school lectures and the application procedure can be found at the following web site: https://amisr.com/school
Deadline for application: April 27, 2022
By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 08, 2022 10:22 AM EST
(1657 Reads)
Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Bridge Scholarships of $1,000 to students who will be sophomores or juniors. Students from any federally recognized minority group in STEM and enrolled full-time in a program of STEM at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities (William & Mary, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech) are strongly encouraged to apply. Allied Health Science majors are not eligible for this program. The application deadline is March 11, 2022 and letters of reference are due March 18, 2022.
By: miker
on: Tue., Feb. 22, 2022 12:01 PM EST
(1585 Reads)
The Institute of Space Weather Sciences (ISWS) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the summer of 2022 (May 23 to July 29, 2022), funded by the National Science Foundation.
Undergraduate students in STEM fields will be invited to Newark, New Jersey for 10 weeks to engage in cutting-edge solar physics, terrestrial physics, space weather, and big data research with space physicists, astronomers, and computer scientists. Students will be provided a stipend of $6,000 for the 10-week program. Additionally, travel, meal allowance, and accommodation are provided to each student. Applications by members of under-represented groups are encouraged. For more information about the program and online application, please visit the ISWS REU website: https://sites.google.com/njit.edu/iswsreu/home
Deadline for applications: Mar. 1, 2022
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 24, 2022 07:14 AM EST
(2301 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 28, 2022. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 28, 2022. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 10, 2022 12:10 PM EST
(1604 Reads)
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) designs and implements strategies to increase access to STEM education, funding, and careers, with special emphasis on diverse underrepresented groups. Towards this end, the IBP has created the website www.PathwaysToScience.org as a resource to help students find paid summer research programs and fully funded STEM graduate programs. The site has a searchable database of 600+ undergrad summer research positions and 60+ graduate summer research programs, all paid and fully funded. Deadlines are approaching!
Direct link to the searchable database: https://pathwaystoscience.org/programs.aspx?descriptorhub=SummerResearch_Summer%20Research%20Opportunity
By: miker
on: Thu., Jan. 06, 2022 11:29 AM EST
(1482 Reads)
The High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research announces the availability of Newkirk Fellowships. The Newkirk Fellowship provides financial support to graduate students for research visits to HAO, allowing for 3 to 6 months per year in a single visit. The total supported length is 9 months, which can be spread out over up to 3 years. Newkirk Fellows will work with guidance from HAO scientists and engineers on projects related to their thesis, qualifying exams, or other research projects within the scope of HAO research including study of the Earth's upper atmosphere, solar physics and solar-terrestrial physics through observation, theory and instrumentation. To be eligible for the fellowship, the student must be enrolled full-time in a university graduate program having common interest with HAO research goals. The program website is https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/partnerships/visitor-program/newkirk-fellowship and the application deadline for fellowships starting in 2022 is March 1, 2022.
By: miker
on: Wed., Nov. 03, 2021 09:49 AM EDT
(1979 Reads)
The NASA Airborne Science Program invites highly motivated advanced undergraduates who will be rising seniors in summer 2022 to apply for participation in the 14th annual NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP 2022). Students will work in multi-disciplinary teams to study surface, atmospheric, and oceanographic processes. Participants will fly onboard a NASA research aircraft and assist in the operation of instruments to sample and measure atmospheric gases and aerosols and to image land and water surfaces in multiple spectral bands. Along with airborne data collection, students will participate in taking measurements at field sites. Each student will complete an individual research project from the data collected. The eight-week program begins June 12, 2022 and concludes August 5, 2022.
Applicants must be US citizens. For more information and to apply: https://baeri.org/sarp
Application Deadline: January 26, 2022
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) at The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) offers postdoctoral fellowships to early career Ph.D. scientists interested in theoretical, experimental and observational studies of the solar and terrestrial system. Successful applicants will pursue research in collaboration with members of the HAO scientific staff. The HAO postdoc program is closely coordinated with the postdoc program of NCAR’s Advanced Study Program (ASP) and prospective applicants should apply through ASP and specify HAO as their host laboratory. See https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/partnerships/visitor-program/postdoctoral-fellows for further details.
Deadline for applications: December 10, 2021
By: miker
on: Wed., Oct. 27, 2021 11:51 AM EDT
(1904 Reads)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) located in Boulder, Colorado sponsors postdoctoral fellowships through the Advanced Study Program (ASP) in areas broadly related to NCAR strategic priorities (https://ncar.ucar.edu/who-we-are/strategic-plan), including Earth system science and actionable science. Candidates should have completed their Ph.D. or should expect to complete their degree requirements by October 2022. Applications from all related fields are welcomed. Fellowships are for 2 years and carry an annual salary of $70,270, travel budget of $3500 annually, in addition to a relocation allowance and full health and retirement benefits.
Virginia Tech graduate Dr. Dong Lin is a current ASP postdoc and is available to answer questions about the program.
Review application instructions here: https://asp.ucar.edu/postdocs/prospective-applicants
For further information about this position and to submit your application, see this link: https://ucar.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UCAR_Careers/job/Mesa-Lab-Building/ASP-Postdoctoral-Fellow_REQ-2021-304-1
By: miker
on: Fri., Oct. 15, 2021 10:42 AM EDT
(1608 Reads)
The 9th Annunal IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE 2021) was held Oct 12-14 online hosted in Cleveland. The conference is a forum for investigators from NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA). For the Space Weather Workshop the Best Paper Award was presented to Dr. Shibaji Chakraborty and coauthors Jo and Mike for the paper 'Probabilistic Shortwave Fadeout Detection in SuperDARN Time Series Observations'. This was the first time that the VT SuperDARN group has participated in this conference. Congratulations, Shibaji!
Conference website: https://attend.ieee.org/wisee-2021/
By: miker
on: Thu., Oct. 07, 2021 11:18 AM EDT
(2117 Reads)
NCAR's Advanced Study Program (ASP) has announced a new program which provides a one-month internship at NCAR for graduate students who may be early in their career or who don't yet have a defined project that could serve as the basis for a full Graduate Visitor Program (GVP) experience. The GVP Bridge Program gives the student an opportunity to explore potential collaborations at NCAR with the goal of a longer visit in the future. Unlike the regular GVP process, this program does not require an application from an NCAR sponsor. See https://asp.ucar.edu/graduate-visitors/gvp-bridge-program
NSF graduate student internships are available now to do space/geospace research with Air Force scientists and research infrastructure at Air Force Office of Scientific Research facilities. Open to graduate students of PIs with an active geospace NSF awards or students participating in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Up to $55k/six-month NSF graduate student internships are available. The deadline for application is rapidly approaching.
By: miker
on: Mon., June 21, 2021 11:14 AM EDT
(2661 Reads)
The NASA Directorate of STEM Enjgagement has announced opportunities for professional development. To be eligible to submit a proposal, candidates must be U.S. citizens or a national who hold a bachelor's degree earned before Aug. 31, 2021; candidates must be enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program no later than Sept. 1, 2021, and intend to pursue a research-based Masters or Ph.D. program in a NASA-relevant field. For each Fellow, his or her institution receives up to a $55,000 annual award ($50,000 for Master’s student and $55,000 for Doctoral student), pending available Congressional funding.
Note: MSI - Minority Serving Institution
Proposals are due:
June 30, 2021 for APPENDIX L: Program Element Two: MSI and Non-MSI Fellowship 2021
July 19, 2021 for APPENDIX M: Program Element Three: MSI and Non-MSI Fellowship 2021 Part 2
For full program details, visit: https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId=%7b24E3CA0D-F71B-03FF-AD0E-AB283B3B1050%7d&path=open
By: miker
on: Wed., June 09, 2021 12:17 PM EDT
(2021 Reads)
Congratulations to Dr. Jo Baker on his promotion to the rank of full professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering! The announcement was made by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during its June 2021 meeting, see https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2021/06/provost-promotion-tenure-bov-2021.html.
Since his arrival at Virginia Tech in 2008 Dr. Baker has been key to the growth of the SuperDARN research group including student mentorship and has been responsible for many initiatives in the teaching program of the department. He was awarded the prestigious NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award in 2012. Jo is currently providing senior leadership to both the SuperDARN and Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Science Team (MIST) programs.
By: miker
on: Fri., June 04, 2021 05:40 PM EDT
(2265 Reads)
The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides early-career and more senior scientists opportunities to share in NASA's mission. NASA Postdoctoral Fellows work on 1 to 3 year assignments with NASA scientists and engineers at NASA centers and institutes to advance NASA's missions in earth science, heliophysics, planetary science, astrophysics, space bioscience, aeronautics, engineering, human exploration and space operations, astrobiology, and science management. For eligibility requirements see 'Read More'.
By: miker
on: Tue., May 18, 2021 12:01 PM EDT
(2183 Reads)
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is accepting applications for the 2021-2023 Next Generation Fellowships. Three awardees will receive financial support and two summer visits. Graduate students working on a masters or doctoral degree in Earth system science are encouraged to learn more about the fellowship online. For a listing of specific fellowship opportunities click on 'Read More'. Full fellowship details are available at: https://www.ucar.edu/opportunities/fellowships/ucar-next-generation-fellowships
Application and two referral letters must be received by Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
Awards announced: August 3, 2021
Awards begin: Fall semester 2021
Summer visits begin: May/June 2022 & May/June 2023
By: miker
on: Sat., May 08, 2021 01:50 PM EDT
(2221 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Shibaji Chakraborty defended his doctoral disseration on Friday, May 7, 2021 to an examining committee of seven professors. Shibaji is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. He has published in leading journals on the impacts of solar flares on the lower ionosphere and his work has lead to an award from the NASA SWO2R ('Space Weather Operations-to-Research') program. The title of his dissertation is 'Characterization and Modeling of Solar Flare Effects in the Ionosphere Observed by HF Instruments'. While working towards his doctoral degree Shibaji earned a dual M.A. in Data Analysis & Applied Statistcs from the Department of Statistics and established significant collaborations with colleagues at LANL, NCAR/HAO, and Natural Resources Canada.
By: miker
on: Thu., Mar. 18, 2021 12:33 PM EDT
(6373 Reads)
An informal on-line conversation will be held Thursday, April 15 4:00 - 4:45 PM on behalf of undergrads with interests in space science and engineering. The event is sponsored by the NASA DRIVE Center for Geospace Storms and involves several universities including Virginia Tech. A panel of young researchers will describe their paths into this field and offer insights on how today's undergrad can get involved.
See 'Read More' for information on how to attend. There is an optional registration that will connect you to receive emails about student opportunities in this field.
By: miker
on: Sun., Mar. 07, 2021 12:41 PM EST
(2803 Reads)
The 2021 Incoherent Scatter (IS) Radar Summer School will be held virtually July 19-24. The school provides students with experience in designing and running experiments on IS radars. These large and powerful facilities are used to study the ionosphere and space weather by providing critical measurements of ionospheric plasma and the upper atmosphere. IS radars operate in the equatorial, mid-latitude, and high-latitude regions. The IS Radar summer school is suitable for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and attendance is limited. Apply using the summer school web site: https://amisr.com/school
The deadline for application submission is extended to March 12, 2021.
Photo: Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) located in central Alaska
By: miker
on: Sun., Feb. 07, 2021 09:44 PM EST
(3034 Reads)
The Institute for Broadening Participation (IBP) designs and implements strategies to increase access to STEM education, funding, and careers, with special emphasis on diverse underrepresented groups. Towards this end, the IBP has created the website www.PathwaysToScience.org as a resource to help students find paid summer research programs and fully funded STEM graduate programs. The website currently lists
· 630 paid summer research programs for undergrads and grad students, including opportunities funded by NSF, NASA, NOAA, etc.
· 138 fully funded STEM masters programs
· 160 fully funded STEM PhD programs
The website includes a search tool to help identify opportunities.
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 26, 2021 10:57 PM EST
(3141 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 29, 2021. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be Student at NASA enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 29, 2021. See https://vsgc.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 12, 2021 11:22 PM EST
(2563 Reads)
The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) located in Boulder, Colorado announces the availability of Newkirk Fellowships. The Newkirk Fellowship provides financial support to graduate students for research visits to HAO, allowing for 3 to 6 months per year in a single visit. The total supported length is 9 months, which can be spread out over up to 3 years. Newkirk Fellows will work with guidance from HAO scientists and engineers on projects related to their thesis, qualifying exams, or other research projects within the scope of HAO research including study of the Earth's upper atmosphere, solar physics and solar-terrestrial physics through observation, theory and instrumentation.To be eligible for the fellowship, the student must be enrolled full-time in a university graduate program having common interest with HAO research goals. Application deadline for fellowships starting in 2021 is March 1, 2021. Program website: https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/partnerships/visitor-program/newkirk-fellowship
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 12, 2021 11:13 AM EST
(6070 Reads)
VT student and SuperDARN intern Ian Kelley is participating in the 2019 Greenland Climate and Space Science Research for Undergraduates program. He has reached Summit Station, located at the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet, 10,530 ft above sea level. He arrived in Greenland on a C-130 flight that landed in Kangerlussaq. Virginia Tech professor Bob Clauer is one of the program mentors (look for the grey beard). The purpose of the program is to enable research experiences in mapping climatic conditions for students from Hampton University, University of Albany, University of Michigan, and Virginia Tech. >> Update: January 2021 >> This trip has been made into a documentary, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-V2KL0boo
and click 'Read More' for an outline by Prof. Bob Clauer (ret.) who co-lead the expedition.
By: miker
on: Fri., Jan. 08, 2021 10:07 AM EST
(2667 Reads)
The NCAR Earth System Science Internship (NESSI) is accepting applications from undergraduate and graduate students interested in conducting research in the Earth system sciences with NCAR scientists. Research topics include but are not limited to atmospheric science, computational science, engineering, and solar & space physics. The NESSI program is hosted by the NCAR office of Education & Outreach. The program is designed to support and promote Earth system science through research, mentoring, and community building. The application deadline is February 7, 2021.
By: miker
on: Fri., Jan. 01, 2021 05:16 PM EST
(2412 Reads)
NOAA is sponsoring a competition with support from NASA involving prize money to "better forecast changes in Earth's magnetic field", specifically the disturbance-storm-time index, Dst, which is a measure of the severity of geomagnetic storms. In the words of the announcement, "..we seek solutions that work on the raw, real-time data streams and are agnostic to sensor malfunctions and noise." The sources of real-time data are NOAA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite and NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite. Prize money varies from $15k for first place to $2k for fourth place. The competition announcement can be found at https://www.drivendata.org/competitions/73/noaa-magnetic-forecasting/page/278/. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 12, 2021 11:59 PM
Art credit: NOAA MagNet website
By: miker
on: Tue., Dec. 08, 2020 03:24 PM EST
(2653 Reads)
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) located in Boulder, Co. sponsors postdoctoral fellowships tthrough the Advanced Study Program (ASP). The program provides successful applicants with considerable freedom to pursue their own research interests. Fellows develop research projects in collaboration with NCAR scientists and engineers, but all are expected to choose their own research directions and are responsible for the design and conduct of their projects. The program website is https://asp.ucar.edu/postdocs/prospective-applicants
Virginia Tech graduate Dr. Dong Lin is a current ASP postdoc and is available to answer questions about the program.
Application deadline: December 21, 2020
By: miker
on: Sun., Dec. 06, 2020 09:03 PM EST
(2866 Reads)
The 2021 Heliophysics Summer School will be held June 15 - 22, 2021 in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. The school is seeking approximately 35 graduate students, from masters through postdoctoral fellows. Participants will learn about the exciting science of heliophysics as a broad, coherent discipline that reaches in space from the Earth’s troposphere to the depths of the Sun, and in time from the formation of the solar system to the distant future. For more details see 'Read More'. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2021 Heliophysics Summer School may be held in a virtual format.
By: miker
on: Tue., Dec. 01, 2020 04:18 PM EST
(2401 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Shibaji Chakraborty successfully presented his Project and Report in support of earning a Master of Arts Degree from Virginia Tech's Department of Statistics on December 1, 2020. The title of his presentation was 'Characterization of SuperDARN Backscatter Echoes using Machine Learning Techniques'. The background to this unusual accomplishment is a special degree program that enables graduate students to take courses and earn degree credit in Data Analysis and Applied Statistics (M.A. DAAS degree). Shibaji was advised on the Statistics side by Dr. Srijan Sengupta. Shibaji is simultaneously a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering supervised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi and has several radar-related papers to his credit. (Photo credit: Uddipan Mukherjee)
Congratulations, Shibaji!
By: miker
on: Sun., Nov. 15, 2020 11:16 PM EST
(2353 Reads)
For students interested in doing scientific research in the atmospheric sciences, solar and space physics, engineering, social sciences, or computer sciences the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is holding an NCAR Explorer Series Student Opportunities event on Wednesday, November 18 from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm (MT). During the event, a panel of educational program leads, an NCAR scientist, and a student internship participant will talk about internships, workshops, and fellowships for students in all stages of their academic careers, from undergraduate through early career.
Please note the registration link below and the request to register by the end of the day on Monday, November 16th : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzG7l3f7XCMgBK3nsfYkhFVuCEYDP6LYLnNacau8wJv8UQVw/viewform
By: miker
on: Sat., Nov. 07, 2020 10:50 PM EST
(2575 Reads)
Space@VT doctoral graduate Dong Lin has pointed out that NCAR hosts a program that makes it possible for graduate students to visit for periods ranging from a few months to a full year. In the words of the program announcement: 'NCAR's Advanced Study Program's Graduate Student (GVP) Fellowship is an excellent way to spend time at NCAR and work on parts of your thesis, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NCAR scientists and engineers. The GVP also is an opportunity to develop research collaborations at NCAR and to participate in professional development workshops and seminars.' The program website is https://asp.ucar.edu/graduate-visitors/graduate-visitor-program
Dong, now an ASP Postdoctoral Fellow at High Altitude Observatory, has offered to answer questions about the program and further opportunities. Application deadline: November 15, 2020
By: miker
on: Wed., Oct. 28, 2020 11:30 AM EDT
(2406 Reads)
Recent PhD graduates Dr. Dong Lin and Dr. Xueling Shi, also a married couple expecting their first baby, were hosted on a visit to the site of the Fort Hays SuperDARN radar by Fort Hays State University intern Cody Jiles, on May 31, 2019. Dr. Shi performed her research in the SuperDARN group headed while Dr. Lin was a member of the plasma physics group headed by Prof. Wayne Scales. They defended within a few weeks of each other. The visit occurred while they were driving across the country to take up postdoctoral positions at Boulder, Co. Cody is an FHSU undergrad and maintains the radar site for the VT SuperDARN group. The photo in the background shows the closest approach or 'nexus' of the main arrays of the two radars.
NASA will be at this year's SciFest from Sept. 16-23. This is a FREE virtual career fair for students, recent graduates, and early career folks.
Registration: https://usasciencefestival.org/ccc/. This effort is in collaboration with NASA's recruitment team and NASA Internships is helping support this event by spreading awareness via social media. NASA representatives will be sharing how students and recent graduates can get involved with the agency.
Sep. 8, 2020: UPDATE: The services enabled by the Virginia Tech SuperDARN server are now believed to be fully restored following a physical move of the hardware to new quarters. Thank you for bearing with us through the interruption. Special thanks to Kevin for managing the move and to Bharat for assisting with some technical issues.
By: miker
on: Mon., May 04, 2020 03:25 PM EDT
(3455 Reads)
Xueling and coauthors and Bharat and coauthors have been recognized with certificates from the Journal of Geophysical Research – Space Physics for papers that were among the top 10% for downloads that were published between January 2018 and December 2019. The paper citations are:
Kunduri, B. S. R., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., Sazykin, S., Oksavik, K., Maimaiti, M., et al. (2018). Recent developments in our knowledge of inner magnetosphere‐ionosphere convection. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 123, 7276– 7282. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA025914
Shi, X., Baker, J. B. H., Ruohoniemi, J. M., Hartinger, M. D., Murphy, K. R., Rodriguez, J. V., et al. ( 2018). Long‐lasting poloidal ULF waves observed by multiple satellites and high‐latitude SuperDARN radars. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 123, 8422– 8438. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA026003
Congratulations to Bharat, Xueling, and coauthors!
By: miker
on: Wed., Mar. 25, 2020 11:16 AM EDT
(4461 Reads)
Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Bridge Scholarships of $1,000 to students who will be sophomores during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students from any federally recognized minority group in STEM and enrolled full-time in a program of STEM at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities are strongly encouraged to apply.
By: miker
on: Thu., Mar. 05, 2020 10:28 AM EST
(4158 Reads)
The 2020 ISR Summer School will be held July 27 - August 1 in Lowell, Massachusetts. The school provides students with hands-on experience in designing and running experiments at incoherent scatter radar (ISR) facilities. During this summer school, students will have the opportunity to run experiments with the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar and use data from multiple ISR observatories, such as Poker Flat (PFISR), Arecibo, and Jicamarca. The ISR summer school is suitable for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and attendance is limited. For most students attending institutions within the United States, travel, housing and meals will be provided. For post-docs and students outside of the United States, funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All students who wish to apply for the ISR summer school must follow the application instructions at the summer school web site: https://amisr.com/school
The deadline (exte3nded) for application submission is March 13, 2020.
Notice of acceptance will be sent to participants by March 27, 2020.
By: miker
on: Mon., Feb. 17, 2020 01:05 PM EST
(3906 Reads)
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides annually more than 50 scholarships to the brightest and most talented college students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.Students can not apply directly themselves. They must be nominated by a Virginia Tech Faculty member.
By: miker
on: Mon., Feb. 10, 2020 04:25 PM EST
(4601 Reads)
The Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO) located near Lima, Peru is the venue for a summer school that is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the Geophysical Institute of Peru. JIREP is an international internship program that is offered to junior/senior undergraduate, and/or first and second year graduate students. The program will cover the travel expenses (to and from Lima) as well as a reasonable stipend. Students with interests in atmospheric and ionospheric science and radar techniques, electronics, RF, instrumentation and computer science are encouraged to apply. If you would like to discuss this possibility with interested VT faculty, contact Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi (mikeruo@vt.edu) or Dr. Jo Baker (bakerjb@vt.edu) or any faculty member in the Space@VT research center listed at http://space.vt.edu/people.html The application deadline is February 20, 2020 and the JIREP web site is https://www.igp.gob.pe/convocatorias/jirep
By: miker
on: Sun., Feb. 09, 2020 02:47 PM EST
(3478 Reads)
The Boulder Space Weather Summer School (SWSS) will be held June 29 – July 10, 2020 at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) located in scenic Boulder, Colorado. The SWSS is a comprehensive two-week introduction to the science of space weather: what it is, what it does, and what can be done about it. The SWSS curriculum integrates the fundamental science of the Sun-Earth system with the impacts of space weather, and has a particular emphasis on modeling and forecasting. The School is broadly designed for graduate students who are considering space weather or space physics as a research field, as well as active practitioners from government and industry (for example, space weather forecasters). Admission is also open to advanced undergraduate students. For further information, and instructions on how to apply, see: https://www2.hao.ucar.edu/SWSS
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 27, 2020 10:44 AM EST
(3131 Reads)
Dr. Erxiao Liu of Hangzhou Dianzi University has been on an academic visit with the VT SuperDARN group for the past year. During this time he has worked on research related to the application of machine learning techniques to space science datasets, in particular to the estimation of the cross polar cap potential using SuperDARN data. He has made presentations and been an active participant in group meetings and activities. His wife Qiong Wang acclimated to life in Blacksburg and his daughter Zhenrui (Sherry) attended local school gaining remarkable proficiency in English. They enjoyed a boisterious (and victorious) Hokie home football game. The photo shows them decked out in Hokie gear on Erxiao's last day in the office; from left to right: Jo, Kevin, Erxiao, Sherry, Qiong, Mike, Bharat, and Shibaji. Erxiao and family now travel home in time for Chinese New Year. We wish them safe travels and much success !
By: miker
on: Wed., Jan. 22, 2020 09:58 AM EST
(3935 Reads)
The Los Alamos Space Weather Summer School is accepting applications for its 2020 session to be held June 1 - July 31, 2020. Sponsored by the Center for Space and Earth Sciences at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), this summer school brings together top space science graduate students and LANL space scientists to work on challenging space weather research. Students receive a prestigious Vela Fellowship (worth $10,000 to cover travel and living expenses), technical training, and opportunities for professional development. Applications due: January 31, 2020 (extended deadline)
Eligibility: Open to U.S. and foreign graduate students currently enrolled in PhD programs in space physics, planetary science, aerospace engineering, or related fields. For more details see 'Read More' or the website http://swx-school.lanl.gov
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 14, 2020 12:37 PM EST
(3484 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 31, 2020. See http://vsgc-net.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be Student at NASA enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 31, 2020. See http://vsgc-net.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 07, 2020 04:07 PM EST
(3287 Reads)
Ke Li has been visiting with the SuperDARN group and assisting her supervisor, Dr. Erxiao Lui, since October. She is a graduate student at the School of Communication Engineering at Hangzhou Dianzi University. During her stay Ke made a presentation to the group on her experience as a student and conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Lui and Dr. Ruohoniemi. She now returns home in time to celebrate Chinese New Year. The members of the VT SuperDARN group wish her the best!
Pictured: Shibaji Chakraborty, Bharat Kunduri, Erxiao Lui, Mike Ruohoniemi, Ke Li, Jo Baker, JianJun Liu (visiting from the Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai)
By: miker
on: Fri., Nov. 22, 2019 10:25 AM EST
(4221 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Muhammad Maimaiti defended his doctoral disseration on Thursday, November 21 to an examining committee of six professors. Muhammad is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. He has published in leading journals on topics as varied as reconnection dynamics, subauroral electric fields, and the prediction of auroral substorm onset using machine learning techniques. The title of his dissertation is 'Driving Influences of Ionospheric Electrodynamics at Mid- and High-Latitudes'. While working towards his doctoral degree Muhammad also earned a dual M.A. in Data Analysis & Applied Statistcs from the Department of Statistics.
Congratulations, Muhammad!
At the 2019 NSF CEDAR Workshop Muhammad won a poster prize in the MLT category (pictured).
By: miker
on: Thu., Nov. 21, 2019 02:10 PM EST
(3636 Reads)
Duration: June 19-25, 2020 Location: NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia
Open to: US Citizens and Permanent Residents Application Deadline: 30 April 2020 Apply Through:http://tinyurl.com/2020RockOn
How it works: You register to participate and, when selected, you are invited to stay in scenic Chincoteague, Virginia (next to the Wallops Flight Facility) for the duration of the program, assembling and then flying a rocket payload as part of a team of rocketeers.Teams of 3 build a sounding rocket payload from a kit in three days and launch it into space on the sixth day. Since 2008, 702 people have participated in the RockOn workshops and successfully built and launched 226 payloads to space. The hardware in the kit may be used on future RockSat (and possibly CubeSat) flights. NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility will again be providing the rocket (two stage Terrier-Orion) and launch operations during the 2020 workshop. This hands-on workshop is about learning to build sounding rocket payloads, not rockets. RockOn is supported by the Colorado and Virginia Space Grant programs with significant cost sharing from Wallops and NASA Education. The registration for the 2020 RockOn workshop, is $909 if your register by March 6, 2020 ($999 after), which includes kit hardware (that teams take home), breakfast and lunch each day plus one dinner, t-shirt, handbook, software, and more plus a priceless experience. For more information on the workshop, please visit the website.
By: miker
on: Thu., Nov. 14, 2019 11:46 AM EST
(3326 Reads)
Shibaji Chakraborty successfully sat his PhD Preliminary Exam on Wednesday, November 13 before a committee of seven professors. Shibaji has authored and co-authored papers that focus on the impacts of solar flares on the ionosphere, in particular, the effects of the ionization enhancement that leads to shortwave fadeout (SWF). This is the fastest form of space weather felt by Earth with only an 8 min delay for propagation of enhanced X-ray and EUV radiation from the sun. Shibaji is currently developing a model that incorporates the physis and chemistry that are needed to account for HF absorption in the ionospheric D region during geomagnetic disturbances. He now passes into PhD Candidate status.
By: miker
on: Mon., Nov. 11, 2019 02:47 PM EST
(5042 Reads)
As reported by the University of Scranton and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Virginia Tech alumnus Nathaniel Frissell has won a $1.3 million, 3-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study weather effects in the ionosphere by leveraging a network of amateur radio stations as a Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments (DASI) project. Principal investigator Frissell will head a collaborative team that will develop ground-based space science observation instruments and software. His research effort will recruit multiple universities and radio amateurs to operate a network of personal space weather stations.
Nathaniel initiated his studies of space weather with amateur radio networks as a graduate student with the SuperDARN HF radar group at Virginia Tech where he graduated in 2016. Recently he has begun a faculty position at the University of Scranton after holding positions at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The University of Scranton news item can be found at https://news.scranton.edu/articles/2019/11/news-faculty-nsfgrant-frissell.shtml
Congratulations to Nathaniel on this success from his advisors and colleagues at Virginia Tech!
Photo credit: The University of Scranton 'Royal News'
By: miker
on: Sun., Nov. 10, 2019 04:26 PM EST
(4426 Reads)
Applications are open for the 2020 Heliophysics Summer School to be held in beautiful Boulder, CO over 14-21 July, 2020. Advanced graduate students and post doctoral fellows who have completed some research in the area of space physics or related fields are eligible. The aim of the summer school is to provide students with the background and understanding they need to do research and make discoveries about the interconnected Heliophysics system in their professional careers.
Application Deadline: February 21, 2020
For additional information on the Summer School and instructions on how to apply: https://cpaess.ucar.edu/heliophysics/summer-school
Photo credit: CPAESS Heliophysics Summer School website
Space@VT doctoral graduate Dong Lin has pointed out that NCAR hosts a program that makes it possible for graduate students to visit for periods ranging from a few months to a full year. In the words of the program announcement: 'NCAR's Advanced Study Program's Graduate Student (GVP) Fellowship is an excellent way to spend time at NCAR and work on parts of your thesis, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NCAR scientists and engineers. The GVP also is an opportunity to develop research collaborations at NCAR and to participate in professional development workshops and seminars.' The website for the program is https://asp.ucar.edu/graduate-visitors/graduate-visitor-program
Dong, now an ASP Postdoctoral Fellow at High Altitude Observatory, has offered to answer questions about the program and further opportunities. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2019
By: miker
on: Tue., Aug. 06, 2019 12:13 PM EDT
(4925 Reads)
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) announced the 2019 Section awardees on July 31, 2019. Dr. Evan Thomas has won the Basu United States Early Career Award for Research in Sun-Earth Science from the Space Physics and Aeronomy Section. Evan is a 2016 doctoral graduate from the VT SuperDARN Group (advised by Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi) and a past awardee of a NSF postdoctoral research fellowship (performed at Dartmouth College under Dr. Simon Shepherd). He is now research faculty at Dartmouth College and is very active across the SuperDARN collaboration.
The citation for the award reads: 'For significant work that shows the focus and promise of making outstanding contributions to research in Sun-Earth systems science that further the understanding of both plasma physical processes and their applications for the benefit of society.'
By: miker
on: Mon., June 24, 2019 02:09 PM EDT
(9339 Reads)
PhD candidate Muhammad Rafiq won 2nd place in the MLT Student Poster prize competition held during the CEDAR 2019 Workshop in Santa Fe, June 17-21, 2019. The bibliographic details of his poster were: 'Maimaiti, M., B. Kunduri, J.M. Ruohoniemi, J.B. H. Baker, DATA04 - A Deep Learning Based Approach to Predict the Onset of Magnetic Substorms'. The competition was fierce as a total of 51 posters were entered for judging in the MLT category. Former VT SuperDARN graduate students also took away prizes - Mr. Pratik Joshi at University of Illinois (IT, 2nd place) and Ms. Garima Malhotra at University of Michigan (MLT, Honorable mention). Virginia Tech was especially well represented this year with at least six poster presentations by early-career researchers (see 'Read More').
Congratulations to Muhammad and all the prize winners!
By: miker
on: Thu., May 23, 2019 04:07 PM EDT
(5069 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Muhammad Rafiq successfully presented his Project and Report in support of earning a Master of Arts Degree in the Department of Statistics on May 2, 2019. The title of his presentation was 'Deep Learning Application to Predicting Onset of Magnetic Substorms'. The background to this unusual accomplishment is a special degree program at Virginia Tech that enables graduate students to take courses and earn degree credit in Machine Learning (ML) techniques. Muhammad was advised on the Statistics side by Dr. Leanna L. House and has worked most closely with Dr. Bharat Kunduri on applying ML techniques to the analysis of geospace datasets. Muhammad is simultaneously a PhD candidate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has several radar-derived papers to his credit.
By: miker
on: Fri., May 03, 2019 04:55 PM EDT
(5039 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Paul Kennedy successfully defended his M.Sc. thesis on Friday, May 3 to an examining committee of four professors. Paul was advised on his thesis work by Drs. Mike Ruohoniemi and Jo Baker and has worked closely with other faculty members (Dr. Greg Earle, Dr. Bob McGwier, and Mr. Kevin Sterne). The title of his thesis is 'Design of Software Defined Radio for SuperDARN Radars'. Paul designed and built a receiver system based on Red Pitaya software designed radio and succesfully collected data with it using the interferometer array of the Blackstone radar. Paul is a repeat awardee of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (high school - undergraduate - graduate), has interned at MIT Lincoln Laboartory, and has distinguished himself in the field during working trips to several SuperDARN radars. He is planning to take up a position in research at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory this summer.
By: miker
on: Wed., May 01, 2019 10:18 AM EDT
(6075 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Xueling Shi defended her doctoral disseration on Thursday, April 18 to an examining committee of six professors. Xueling is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. She is particularly well known for her work on ULF pulsations that combines observations from radars, satellites, and magnetometers and has developed many collaborations. Xueling arrived at Virginia Tech having graduated with her MSc from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing as a student of Prof. Tao Chen. During her time at Virginia Tech she won a prestigious NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship. The title of Xueling's thesis is 'Occurrence Statistics and Driving Mechanisms of Ionospheric Ultra-Low Frequency Waves Observed by SuperDARN Radars'.
The VT SuperDARN group is hosting a one-week visit by colleagues from the SuperDARN group at the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE) Nagoya University. The visitors are Dr. Nozomu Nishitani (SuperDARN PI), Dr. Tomo Hori, and Mr. Kento Oya (graduate student). Shared research interests, radar operations and planning for the SuperDARN collaboration are being discussed. Drs. Nishitani and Hori made presentations to the Space@VT graduate student seminar on April 23. All three participated in a trip to the site of the Blackstone radar lead by Mr. Kevin Sterne. Our visitors were greeted by the new director of Space@VT, Prof. Scott Bailey.
Welcome Nozomu, Tomo, and Kento!
(Shown in photo: Bharat Kunduri, Jo Baker, Mike Ruohoniemi, Scott Bailey, Nozomu Nishitani, Tomo Hori, Kento Oya, Kevin Sterne)
Photo credit: Dr. Xueling Shi
By: miker
on: Tue., Apr. 09, 2019 02:25 AM EDT
(5359 Reads)
The 2019 ISR Summer School, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (U.S.) and the EISCAT Scientific Association (Europe) will be held August 12-17 at Pikku-Syöte, about an hour’s drive from Oulu, Finland. The school provides students with hands-on experience in designing and running experiments at incoherent scatter radar facilities. During this summer school, students will have the opportunity to run experiments with the EISCAT incoherent scatter radars (ISRs) and use data from multiple ISR observatories, such as Poker Flat (PFISR), Millstone Hill, Arecibo and Jicamarca.
The ISR summer school is suitable for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and attendance is limited. For most students attending institutions within the United States, travel, housing and meals will be provided. For post-docs and students outside of the United States, funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Link to the program web site at https://amisr.com/workshop
The deadline for application submission is 19 April 2019. Notice of acceptance will be sent to participants by 3 May 2019.
There are opportunities for undergrad students to participate as summer interns in research carried out by Space@VT research groups. The website for Summer 2019 applications is now open. Please apply using the applicable link below:
By: miker
on: Wed., Mar. 20, 2019 04:59 PM EDT
(8673 Reads)
Educational opportunities are available at NASA for students at all levels. Applications are now being accepted for 2019 summer internships with a deadline of April 1, 2019. NASA also makes competitive awards to support independent research by faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students. A Pathways program offers paths to Federal interships for student from high school through post-graduate studies.
For more details and answers to specific questions regarding NASA Summer 2019 internships click on the 'Read More' to this News item. The NASA hosting web site is https://intern.nasa.gov
By: miker
on: Thu., Mar. 14, 2019 10:45 AM EDT
(7622 Reads)
The Awards committee of Hamvention, which organizes the world's largest convention of radio amateurs, has announced that Dr. Frissell has been recognized as the Amateur of the Year, which is considered the highest award in the amateur community. Nathaniel has been a licensed ham since 1998 and operates under the call sign W2NAF. He earned his graduate degrees at Virginia Tech working in the SuperDARN HF radar group and graduated in 2016, going on to take up a postdoctoral position at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). During his student days Nathaniel studied at the world's northenmost campus in Svalbard (UNIS, Norway) and participated in radar builds and repair trips to the Aleutian Islands (Alaska) and McMurdo Station (Antarctica). His research included the discovery of a surprising connection between the occurrence of medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) and the polar vortex. Nathaniel organizes the annual HamSCI workshop (http://hamsci.org/hamsci2019) that brings together radio professionsals and amateurs to discuss the science of ham radio.
By: miker
on: Sun., Mar. 10, 2019 12:02 PM EDT
(4912 Reads)
The new director of the Center for Space Science and Engineering (Space@VT), Prof. Scott Bailey, is calling on industrial partners, alumni, and all interested parties to consider contributing to the goals of the space program at Virginia Tech by making a Giving Day contribution on Tuesday, March 19, that is targeted as a donation to Space@VT. In his words: 'Giving Day is a one-day fundraising event for all members of Hokie Nation. The goal is to engage our community to advance the mission of the university while raising critical funding to ensure we continue to build upon our foundations to provide big opportunities for our students. As part of Giving Day you have the option to make donations to Space@VT. These donations can help us in a number of ways, but first and foremost to help our students. The funds may be used to broaden their research experiences, support the student’s infrastructure needs, or to support our diversity initiatives. Any donation you are able to make will be very impactful to our center and students. The link to Giving Day is https://givingday.vt.edu/ Select 'College of Engineering' from the left hand menu ('Area of Support'), then 'Space@VT' from the right hand menu ('Fund Designation'). Donations will be accepted starting at noon Tuesday March 19 and for the following 24 hours, though donations outside that period can be made by following instructions on the web page.
We are very grateful for all of your support!
Best regards, Scott
By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 05, 2019 04:06 PM EST
(6100 Reads)
Current freshman are invited to apply to the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Bridge Scholarships of $1,000. Students must be sophomores during the 2019-2020 academic year. Students from any federally recognized minority group in STEM and enrolled full-time in a program of STEM at one of the five Virginia Space Grant member universities are strongly encouraged to apply. The program web site is http://vsgc.odu.edu/stembridge/ For information on eligibility see 'Read More'.
By: miker
on: Mon., Feb. 25, 2019 10:54 AM EST
(5491 Reads)
The 2019 Boulder Space Weather Summer School (SWSS) will be held July 8 – July 19 at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. The SWSS is a comprehensive two-week introduction to the science of space weather: what it is, what it does, and what can be done about it. The School is targeted at first or second year graduate students who are considering space weather or space physics as a research field and is also open to advanced undergraduate students. For more information see 'Read More'. The application deadline is March 1, 2019
By: miker
on: Sat., Feb. 23, 2019 04:13 PM EST
(5285 Reads)
Undergrad students may apply to participate in an expedition to Greenland in the summer of 2019 to map climatic conditions from these institutions:
• Hampton University
• University of Albany
• University of Michigan
• Virginia Tech University
First priority will be for 3rd and 4th year undergraduates in fields of atmospheric and other geosciencesas as well as sociocultural studies.
For more information see: http://greenland.engin.umich.edu
Application deadline: March 1, 2019
See 'Read More' for VT contact information.
By: miker
on: Wed., Jan. 30, 2019 12:49 PM EST
(5629 Reads)
UCAR is pleased to announce the 2019 call for applications for the Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowship program sponsored by NASA’s Living with a Star (LWS) program. These fellowships are designed to train the next generation of researchers in the emerging field of heliophysics. New application deadline: February 8, 2019.
Fellows are UCAR employees and receive a fixed annual salary, UCAR’s extensive benefits package, and allowances for relocation, travel and publications. Appointments will be announced by April 1, 2019.
By: miker
on: Mon., Jan. 28, 2019 03:00 PM EST
(8127 Reads)
FDL is an applied artificial intelligence research accelerator established to maximize new AI technologies and capacities emerging in academia and the private sector and apply them to challenges in the space sciences. FDL is hosted by the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California in partnership with NASA Ames Research Center. Over an 8-week period participants work on interdisciplinary teams that tackle a specfic challenge in space science. US nationals, green card holders, and students on J1 visas can apply. See 'Read More' or the FDL website https://frontierdevelopmentlab.org/
Application deadline: 28 February 2019
By: miker
on: Tue., Jan. 22, 2019 01:58 PM EST
(5555 Reads)
Applications are being accepted for the 2019 Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program hosted by the Arecibo Observatory (Puerto Rico). Research on radio astronomy, planetary sciences, and space and atmospheric sciences are carried out at the site. Interested students must be U.S. citizens or permament residents enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program for Fall 2019. Among the suitable majors are physics, engineering, geophysics, and space sciences. For more information click on the program web site at http://www.naic.edu/ao/REUT or click 'Read More'.
By: miker
on: Sun., Jan. 20, 2019 03:44 AM EST
(7018 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 28, 2019. See http://vsgc-net.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be Student at NASA enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 28, 2019. See http://vsgc-net.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
By: miker
on: Thu., Jan. 03, 2019 02:11 PM EST
(5299 Reads)
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $8,500 to rising juniors and seniors who are enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 31, 2020. See http://vsgc.odu.edu/undergraduatescholarships/
The VSGC Graduate Research STEM Fellowship Program provides fellowships of $6,000 in add-on support to graduate students to supplement and enhance basic research support. Applicants must be Student at NASA enrolled full-time in a program of study in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and have a specific faculty-mentored research project that has NASA or aerospace relevance. Application deadline is January 31, 2020. See http://vsgc.odu.edu/graduatefellowships/
By: miker
on: Wed., Jan. 02, 2019 11:06 AM EST
(9479 Reads)
The Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO) located near Lima, Peru is the venue for a summer school that is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by the Geophysical Institute of Peru. Senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students with interests in atmospheric and ionospheric science and radar techniques, electronics, RF, instrumentation and computer science are encouraged to apply. If you would like to discuss this possibility with interested VT faculty, contact Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi (mikeruo@vt.edu) or Dr. Jo Baker (bakerjb@vt.edu) or any faculty member in the Space@VT research center listed at http://space.vt.edu/people.html The application deadline is February 22, 2019 and the JIREP web site is http://jro.igp.gob.pe/jirep/.
By: miker
on: Fri., Nov. 30, 2018 10:08 AM EST
(5416 Reads)
Applications are invited for the 2019 Heliophysics Summer School, which will be held July 23 - 30, 2019 in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. Approximately 35 graduate students or first or second year postdoctoral fellows will learn about the exciting science of heliophysics as a broad, coherent discipline that reaches in space from the Earth’s troposphere to the depths of the Sun, and in time from the formation of the solar system to the distant future. The theme of this year's school is "Heliophysics Exploration" (see 'Read More').
Application Deadline: February 22, 2019
By: miker
on: Thu., July 19, 2018 03:19 PM EDT
(5658 Reads)
An article featuring intern Kelly Strecker and the SuperDARN radar facility located on the grounds of Fort Hays State University (FHSU) in western Kansas has appeared in the FHSU magazine 'Roar'. Kelly is an FHSU undegraduate in physics originally from Colorado. She was appointed to her position as SuperDARN intern by Dr. Gavin Buffington, chair of the Department of Physics at FHSU. As part of her duties she minds the radar site and reports back on issues to Virginia Tech personnel. Currently she is visiting the Virginia Tech SuperDARN Lab in Blacksburg, Virginia and has participated in a repair trip to the Blackstone radar. To read the FHSU magazine article click on the link https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_spr18_web
Note that Kelly is featured on the cover framed by antenna support poles and the article is on pages 32-35. The SuperDARN internship program at FHSU provides research experience to undergrads and is supported by the NSF via subcontract from Virginia Tech.
By: ksterne
on: Mon., June 25, 2018 10:17 AM EDT
(5788 Reads)
Congratulations to Dr. Mike Ruohoniemi for promotion to full Professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering! He and Dr. Jo Baker have built a team of researchers and graduate students in the SuperDARN HF radar lab within Space @ VT. Dr. Ruohoniemi's promotion is official with approval by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors meeting on June 4th, 2018. More information can be found at the official VT News announcement.
By: ksterne
on: Tue., Mar. 20, 2018 02:23 PM EDT
(5906 Reads)
Space @ Virginia Tech has been accepted as a Google Summer of Code (GSoC) organization for 2018! This program allows undergraduate and graduate students to propose to work on open source projects that benefit the open source community and the community related to the organization. Project ideas and more information about how to apply to Space@VT's program can be found on the info page on the Space@VT site.
Interested students should begin working on the Google form to send us some introductory info as well as a simple coding task. From there, proposals can start to be submitted to the GSoC website beginning on March 12, 2018 and ending on March 27, 2018. For more information, please e-mail the Space@VT GSoC e-mail: .
Space@VT is excited to be working with the GSoC program for it's first year and very honored to be selected amongst only a few other higher education organizations!
By: miker
on: Thu., Feb. 22, 2018 12:53 PM EST
(6153 Reads)
The Space@VT research center welcomes applications from undergraduates with interests in space for summer 2018 REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) internships. See the Space@VT web site for more information: http://www.space.vt.edu/. Deadline for applications is March 1.
In addition, off-campus summer schools are advertising for both senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students. For a partial listing see the 'VT SuperDARN' / 'Student Opportunities' item on the menu to the left. The earliest application deadline is February 22 and most are March 1.
Photo Credit: NCAR/HAO website sourced at Advanced Visualization Lab at NCSA/Univ. Illinois (D. Cox et al.)
By: miker
on: Wed., Feb. 21, 2018 05:45 PM EST
(5707 Reads)
The AGU journal Radio Science has announced that Ray's article cited below has been identified as one of the journal's top 10 most downloaded papers (based on measuring downloads within the first 12 months of on-line publication for articles published between 2016-2017):
Greenwald, R. A. (2017), The importance of international collaboration in space research, Radio Sci., 52, 511–515, doi:10.1002/2017RS006329.
By: miker
on: Mon., Nov. 13, 2017 02:07 PM EST
(5863 Reads)
The Yasme Foundation Board of Directors has announced that Dr. Nathaniel Frissell, a former student in the VT SuperDARN group, and Magda Moses, a current Space@VT student, have received a Yasme Foundation 2017 Excellence Award. The award is for 'creating and leading the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) organization that sponsored the Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SQEP)...the largest Amateur Radio experiment ever devised.' Nathaniel is now an assistant professor at NJIT and is preparing to ship out to Antarctica. The full text of the citation can be found at http://www.arrl.org/news/yasme-foundation-announces-excellence-awards-and-supporting-grant and a related HamSCI article is posted at http://hamsci.org/article/w2naf-and-km4ege-win-yasme-foundation-excellence-award
Congratulations, Magda and Nathaniel! (Photo from the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting.)
By: miker
on: Thu., Nov. 09, 2017 12:40 PM EST
(5282 Reads)
Xueling Shi successfully sat her PhD Preliminary Exam on Monday, November 6 before a committee of six professors. Xueling has authored and co-authored papers using satellite and radar data to study ULF pulsations in the coupled magnetosphere-ionosphere system. She is currently performing a comprehensive survey of Pc3-4 and Pc5 pulsations using data collected by the SuperDARN radars operating in the high-resolution THEMIS mode. Xueling is a recipient of a prestigious 2017 NASA Earth and Space Fellowship. She now passes into PhD Candidate status.
By: miker
on: Wed., Nov. 08, 2017 01:19 PM EST
(5801 Reads)
Muhammad Rafiq successfully sat his PhD Preliminary Exam on Wednesday, November 1 before a committee of six professors. Muhammad has authored and co-authored several papers on the drivers of ionospheric plasma convection at high latitudes and is currently leading on research into the nature of convection at subauroral latitudes using data from the mid-latitude SuperDARN radars. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Muhammad now passes into PhD candidate status.
Congratulations, Muhammad!
Photo shows Muhammad pointing to a poster that describes some of his findings at subauroral latitudes (credit: Shibaji Chakraborty)
By: miker
on: Fri., Mar. 17, 2017 11:21 AM EDT
(7093 Reads)
Dr. Philip Erickson and Dr. Anthea Coster from MIT Haystack Observatory will be visiting with the Virginia Tech SuperDARN HF radar group and Space@VT from Monday, March 20 until Wednesday, March 22. Please contact Mike or Wayne if you would like to arrange a time to meet with Phil or Anthea.
On Monday Phil will present an IGEP seminar in Remote Sensing entitled
'Sensing Earth's Ionosphere with Really Large Radars: How and Why'
Monday, 12:20 - 1:10 pm
Fralin Auditorium
Click 'Read More' to view Phil's abstract for the seminar.
By: miker
on: Sun., Dec. 25, 2016 01:31 PM EST
(10467 Reads)
The PI of the King Salmon SuperDARN radar, Dr. Tsutomu Nagatsuma of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT/Tokyo) paid a visit in early December to the site of the Kapuskasing radar during a trip to install a set of instruments in northern Ontario as part of the PWING project of Dr. Kazuo Shiokawa-san of the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE/Nagoya University). The tour was conducted by Mr. Ghislain Leboeuf who maintains the Kapuskasing radar for the Virginia Tech group. Temperatures were on the chilly side!
The first campaign involving SuperDARN, PWING, and the ERG satellite mission is planned for March 2017.
Pictured from left to right: Mitsu Ozaki (Kanazawa U.), Takumi Dejima (Kanazawa U.), Kohei Iida (Nagoya U.), Ghislain, Hiro Uchino (Kyoto U.), and Tsutomu Nagatsuma (NICT)
Photo credit: Masahito Nose (Kyoto U.)
By: miker
on: Fri., Nov. 18, 2016 02:49 PM EST
(8204 Reads)
Ms. Srimoyee Samaddar successfully sat her PhD Qualifying Exam on Wednesday, November 16 before a committee consisting of three professors. Srimoee is advised by Virginia Tech SuperDARN professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. She joined the SuperDARN group after she earned an M.S. degree from Ohio State University.
By: miker
on: Mon., Nov. 07, 2016 11:58 PM EST
(7996 Reads)
The Virginia Tech SuperDARN group is pleased to announce that Dr. Bharat Kunduri has joined the group as a postdoctoral fellow. Bharat was a graduate student here at Virginia Tech and defended his dissertation on SuperDARN-related topics in the fall of 2013. He has since worked for industry in California and in his native India. He will conduct research with faculty members Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi using data from the mid-latitude SuperDARN radars and extend work on hemispheric conjugacy that he started as a graduate researcher.
Mr. Shibaji Chakraborty successfully sat his PhD Qualifying Exam on Wednesday, October 26 before a committee consisting of three professors. He is advised by Virginia Tech SuperDARN professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Shibaji joined the SuperDARN group from a work position at TCS Innovation Labs (India) where he was an IT Analyst.
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation has recognized Jo Baker as Virginia Tech Scholar of the Week. Jo is an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, a member of the Space@VT consortium, and a leader of the Virginia Tech SuperDARN research group.
Virginia Tech SuperDARN student Nathaniel Frissell defended his doctoral disseration on Monday, April 25 to an examining committee of seven professors. Nathaniel is advised by Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Nathaniel has published on the causes of Pi2 pulsations, the characteristics and sources of atmospheric gravity waves, and the role of citizen science in observating radio blackout during solar flares. He has contributed extensively to the web design and analysis tools found at the VT SuperDARN website. He has also participated in radar builds in Kansas and Alaska and in a trip to repair a radar located at McMurdo station, Antarctica. His defense was well-attended by family and friends including fellow radio hams. Nathaniel is moving on to a postdoctoral position at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). He is eligible to walk in the graduation ceremonies in December, 2016.
On April 9th VT SuperDARN grad student Garima Malhotra successfully presented her MSc thesis to an examining committee of four professors. The title of her thesis is 'HF Radar Observations of Inter-annual variations in Mid-Latitude Mesospheric Winds.' Garima is advised by professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Her research is reported in a paper that has been submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research with coauthors from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Saskatchewan. Garima has found and interpreted a signature of the Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in the mid-latitude mesopheric wind measured by radar using meteor trails.
By: miker
on: Sat., Feb. 20, 2016 11:20 AM EST
(7838 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Evan Thomas defended his doctoral disseration on Tuesday, February 16, to an examining committee of six professors. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Evan is especially well known for his work in applying GPS/TEC and SuperDARN data to study ionospheric plasma structuring at mid and high latitudes. His research has involved significant collaborations with scientists at MIT Haystack Observatory and with scientists in Japan. Evan is now preparing to take up an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth College working with Dr. Simon Shepherd. The title of Evan's thesis is 'Morphology and dynamics of storm-time ionospheric density structures'. He is eligible to walk in graduation ceremonies in May, 2016.
By: miker
on: Thu., Nov. 12, 2015 11:05 PM EST
(6997 Reads)
Xueling successfully sat her PhD Qualifying Exam on Thursday, November 12 before a committee consisting of three professors. She is advised by Virginia Tech SuperDARN professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Xueling took her M.Sc. degree at the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences located in Beijing.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Tue., Sep. 29, 2015 01:38 PM EDT
(8740 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.
Virginia Tech undergraduate student Carson Squibb from nearby Giles County presented a poster at the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium held at Goodwin Hall on July 30, 2015. Carson conducted research under the guidance of PhD candidate Nathaniel Frissell and SuperDARN group supervisors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi as part of his participation in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program sponsored by NSF and hosted by the Space@VT research center. The theme of Carson's research is explained by his poster title: 'Dayside Ionospheric Response to X-Class Solar Flare Events Observed with Reverse Beacon Network High Frequency Communication Links.' His coauthors include Magda Moses of Virginia Tech and Dr. Robyn Fiori of the Canadian Space Weather Forecast Center, Ottawa.
Pictured: Carson (left) stands ready to present his poster assisted by Nathaniel.
By: miker
on: Thu., Aug. 13, 2015 01:58 PM EDT
(7342 Reads)
On August 12 Pratik Joshi successfully defended his MSc thesis to an examining committee of four professors. The title of this thesis is 'Ion-neutral coupling in geomagnetically disturbed mid-latitude ionosphere as observed by SuperDARN HF radars and NATION Fabry-Perot Interferometers'. Pratik has been advised by professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi and he has also conducted research with Prof. Randy Wynne of the Forestry department as part of his enrollment in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Program (IGEP) in Remote Sensing. His thesis work forms the basis of a paper that he has submitted to the Journal of Geophysical Research with coauthors from Virginia Tech and the University of Illinois.
By: miker
on: Fri., July 31, 2015 03:03 PM EDT
(7313 Reads)
Virginia Tech undergraduate student Carson Squibb from nearby Giles County presented a poster at the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium held at Goodwin Hall on July 30, 2015. Carson conducted research under the guidance of PhD candidate Nathaniel Frissell and SuperDARN group supervisors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi as part of his participation in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program sponsored by NSF and hosted by the Space@VT research center. The theme of Carson's research is explained by his poster title: 'Dayside Ionospheric Response to X-Class Solar Flare Events Observed with Reverse Beacon Network High Frequency Communication Links.' His coauthors include Magda Moses of Virginia Tech and Dr. Robyn Fiori of the Canadian Space Weather Forecast Center, Ottawa.
Pictured: Carson (left) stands ready to present his poster assisted by Nathaniel.
By: miker
on: Fri., July 24, 2015 04:55 PM EDT
(7204 Reads)
A news bulletin issued by the National Association for Amateur Radio (ARRL) describes an experiment spearheaded by Virginia Tech students led by PhD candidate Nathaniel Frissell to detect transmissions from Ham radio stations with the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (ePOP) Radio Receiver Instrument (RRI) on-board the CASSIOPE satellite. A total of 23 stations, mostly in mid-western states, were detected during an ARRL Field Day on June 28. The reception of signals at 7 MHz but not 3.5 MHz was explained on the basis of ionospheric density levels measured by an ionsonde located at the Millstone Hill Observatory in Massachusetts. The operation of the ePOP instrument is managed by Dr. Gareth Perry at the University of Calgary. Read the ARRL bulletin at http://www.arrl.org/news/researchers-decode-cassiope-satellite-field-day-fly-over-experiment-results
Pictured: logo of the CASSIOPE (CAScade Smallsat and IOnsopheric Explorer) mission, designed and built by the Canadian Space Agency.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Tue., July 07, 2015 06:46 PM EDT
(7215 Reads)
The July 2015 issue of Earth Magazine features recent work led by VT SuperDARN PhD candidate Nathaniel Frissell about the possibility of using Amateur Radio Networks for conducting space science and space weather research. This work is made possible through automated networks such as the Reverse Beacon Network and allows for a unique opportunity for citizen-science collaborations. The Earth Magazine article focuses on a study which shows how a solar flare can impact HF communications, a topic which is now under continued investigation by the VT SuperDARN laboratory.
Photo: Nathaniel Frissell (right) and fellow ham enthusiast Joseph Przebieglec install a roof-top antenna (credit - Ann Marie Rogalcheck-Frissell)
By: Nathaniel Frissell and Deven Chheda
on: Fri., June 19, 2015 03:52 PM EDT
(12720 Reads)
Virginia Tech students (pictured left-to-right) Magda Moses (KM4EGE), Nathaniel Frissell (W2NAF), Deven Chheda, and Carson Squibb deployed a Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) ham radio receiver at the Blackstone radar site on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. This temporary installation is designed to assess the feasibility of a large-scale deployment of RBN receivers at SuperDARN sites around the world. The Blackstone RBN receiver is operating as K4KDJ, the call sign of the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association (VTARA). Real-time spots observed by this system are available at http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&c=k4kdj&t=de.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Fri., May 29, 2015 11:52 AM EDT
(7141 Reads)
Congratulations to Dr. Joseph Baker on receiving the W.S. "Pete" White Award in Engineering Education and to Dr. J. Michael Ruohoniemi on being named a Faculty Fellow at the 18th annual Dean's Awards reception on April 28, 2015. Mike and Jo arrived at Virginia Tech in 2008 from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and have built a research team consisting of engineers and graduate students; their first three doctoral students graduated in the 2013-2014 academic year.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Sun., May 10, 2015 03:33 PM EDT
(7249 Reads)
As part of the Wireless@VT 25th Anniversary Symposium, a vintage radio exhibition will be held at the Virginia Tech Newman Library on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 from 3 PM - 8 PM in the basement multipurpose room. This exhibit will feature radio equipment from early in the 20th Century through modern day. Radios on exhibit include vintage consumer radio receivers in wooden cases, early shortwave receiving equipment, amateur radio transceivers, morse code keys (and live demonstration station), vintage military radio, radios from the Motorola Museum, and a variety of cellular phones.
Many of the pieces for this exhibition have been made available by members of the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association (VTARA/K4KDJ) and may also be seen in this history video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbFgoGcQbcw.
By: miker
on: Wed., Mar. 18, 2015 10:33 PM EDT
(12566 Reads)
The largest geomagnetic storm of the current period of solar cycle maximum struck on March 17, 2015. The Dst index dove below -200 nT and very active aurora were reported from surprisingly low latitudes in the U.S. A meteorlogy student at Virginia Tech, Alex Thornton, went to Bald Knob (on a mountain near Blacksburg) and took this time-exposure picture looking to the north at about 10:30 pm local time. The picture shows greenish-yellow auroral glow in the clear sky and clouds silhouetted against the glow.
The storm was rated G4 ('severe') on the five-level NOAA space weather scale. Kp reached 8. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) held a press conference while the storm was in progress, see http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/swpc-press-conference-g4-activity
By: Xueling
on: Thu., Mar. 12, 2015 08:42 AM EDT
(8050 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
(8542 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: Fri., Mar. 06, 2015 12:26 PM EST
(7609 Reads)
Evan Thomas sat his PhD preliminary exam on Friday, March 6. He presented his research plan to an advising committee consisting of six professors. Evan now enters into official Ph.D. Candidate status. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi.
Congratulations, Evan!
In the course of his research on storm effects in the ionosphere, Evan has developed widely used tools for jointly plotting and analyzing GPS/TEC and SuperDARN radar data. These have their own sub-menu on the VT SuperDARN web page ('GPS/TEC Plot Tools'). For quick access to overview plots, see http://vt.superdarn.org/tiki-index.php?page=DaViT+TEC+Overview
By: miker
on: Tue., Mar. 03, 2015 12:59 PM EST
(8827 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: miker
on: Fri., Feb. 20, 2015 12:25 PM EST
(11650 Reads)
An article first-authored by VT SuperDARN PhD candidate Nathaniel Frissell is being featured in the AGU journals Space Weather Quarterly and EOS. The article describes the impact of space weather on transionospheric radio links and the potential scientific and operational value of real-time amateur radio reporting networks.
The source article is posted on-line as a Space Weather article. It can be accessed via the on-line Wiley library or by the link provided in the 'Research Spotlights' article posted on the eos.org web site under 'News':
By: miker
on: Thu., Jan. 15, 2015 11:25 PM EST
(7769 Reads)
The first annual SuperDARN fishing derby was held in San Francisco Bay on the Saturday after after the 2014 Fall AGU Meeting. A fearless crew consisting of doctoral graduates of the VT SuperDARN group now working in the Bay area (AJ, Sebastien, and Bharat), one current doctoral student (Evan), and two faculty members (Jo and Mike) set off from Fisherman's wharf at 6 am. In addition to numerous small sharks, a large (50 inch, 40 pound) sturgeon was brought on board (photo).
Jo was declared the winner of the derby and all-around mug.
By: miker
on: Mon., Dec. 15, 2014 04:10 PM EST
(11429 Reads)
Dec 12 Post: The repair of the McMurdo station radar is well underway and likely to be completed early next week, ahead of schedule. Major repairs are being made to the main antenna array during this trip, including the raising of the new reflector curtain, replacement of a reflector curtain support pole, and leveling of all antenna poles. Repair work on the electronics has also been completed.
During off hours, team members have taken advantage of many of the recreational activities McMurdo Station has to offer. This includes hiking, listening to science lectures, and visiting the New Zealand Scott Base research center. Nathaniel, an avid amateur radio operator, also enjoys operating the KC4USV amateur radio station.
Photo: Nathaniel (center) poses at the McMurdo station sign with fellow Virginia Tech grad student Peter Marquis (left) and postdoc Zhonghou Xu.
By: miker
on: Mon., Nov. 17, 2014 05:45 PM EST
(7536 Reads)
Muhammad successfully sat his PhD Qualifying Exam on Monday, November 17 before a committee consisting of three professors. He is advised by Virginia Tech SuperDARN professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Muhammad began his graduate work in the Antennas area but transferred to the Electromagnetics area and the SuperDARN project this past summer.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Fri., Nov. 07, 2014 06:44 AM EST
(7197 Reads)
Ph.D. student Evan Thomas is attending and presenting a poster at the 5th Multidisciplinary Science Forum in Gainesville, Florida this week. The meeting is hosted by the US chapter of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellows Alumni Association (http://www.jspsus-aa.org/).
Evan's participation derives from his experience as a visiting student-scholar in the NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for U.S. Graduate students (EAPSI) program. He spent much of the summer of 2013 working with Japanese scientists at their home institutions. To find out more about the NSF EAPSI program and Evan's experience, see the News items and links at http://vt.superdarn.org/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=163
By: miker
on: Thu., Sep. 25, 2014 11:51 AM EDT
(7301 Reads)
On September 25 Kris Dixon sucessfully presented his MSc thesis work to a examining committee of four professors. The title of his thesis is 'Analysis of Refractive Effects on Mid-Latitude SuperDARN Velocity Measurements.' Kris has been advised by professors Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi on his SuperDARN research and he has also performed work in the Hume Center for Prof. Bob McGwier.
Kris came to Virginia Tech from the University of Alaska Fairbanks where was was mentored on space science and SuperDARN by Prof. Bill Bristow. He is now heading to Florida to start a new job in a related industry.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Wed., Sep. 03, 2014 01:53 PM EDT
(9089 Reads)
June - August 2015 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: 13 November 2014 Apply Through/Official Information:http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi Support: $5000 stipend, travel, room, and board is provided.
By: miker
on: Mon., June 23, 2014 12:59 PM EDT
(7090 Reads)
The Virgina Tech Board of Visitors has announced that Prof Joseph Baker has been awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor. Jo arrived at Virginia Tech in 2008 from a research position at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He and Prof. Mike Ruohoniemi have built a research team consisting of engineers and graduate students; the first three doctoral students co-advised by Jo graduated in the 2013-2014 academic year. Prof. Baker has been recognized for his outstanding teaching and is a recepient of the Steven O. Lane award from Virginia Tech. He is also an NSF CAREER grant awardee.
By: miker
on: Mon., May 19, 2014 08:10 PM EDT
(7588 Reads)
The Virginia Tech SuperDARN group will send four people to the 2014 SuperDARN Workshop at Svalbard, May 25-30. The SuperDARN workshop is an annual event that brings together SuperDARN researchers to discuss operation and management of the radars and research on space science. The host for this year's meeting is Dr. Lisa Baddeley of the University Centre of Svalbard. See the 'Recent SuperDARN News' item for more information.
Follow this News item for information on VT / SuperDARN activities at the Svalbard workshop.
The VT / SuperDARN attendees are faculty members Mike Ruohoniemi and Ray Greenwald and graduate students Nathaniel Frissell and Evan Thomas.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Fri., Feb. 28, 2014 10:24 AM EST
(9494 Reads)
21-26 July 2014 Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico
Open to: Graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Extended Application Deadline: 7 March 2014 Apply Through:http://amisr.com/workshop Funding: Travel, housing, and meals for most US-based students. Funding for post-docs and students outside of the US is considered on a case-by-case basis.
The 2014 ISR Summer School will be held at the Arecibo Observatory July 21 – July 26, inclusive. The school provides students with hands-on experience in designing and running experiments at incoherent scatter radar facilities. During this summer school, students will have the opportunity to run experiments with the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar (ISR) and use data from multiple ISR observatories, such as EISCAT, Poker Flat (PFISR), Millstone Hill, Resolute Bay (RISR), Sondrestrom, and Jicamarca. The school will be structured to provide presentations in the morning and hands-on experience in experiment design and analysis in the afternoons. The morning lectures will include an introduction to the theory of incoherent scatter, radar operations, ISR analysis techniques, and the Madrigal database. The afternoon exercises will involve working closely with ISR facility staff in the topic areas of: proposal design, experiment execution, and data analysis. All students will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with experienced scientists from multiple institutions.
By: miker
on: Fri., Feb. 21, 2014 02:42 PM EST
(15233 Reads)
Sebastien de Larquier, recent graduate of Virginia Tech from the SuperDARN radar group, has been featured in a blog by the Insight Data Science Program. He describes his development of CouchTube.net, which is a device to easily find and watch TV shows on YouTube. Sebastien is now a data scientist at Netflix located in Mountain View, California and has mentored fellow VT SuperDARNers A. J. Ribeiro and Bharat Kunduri in their introductions to data science under the Insight program.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Fri., Feb. 21, 2014 12:17 PM EST
(9991 Reads)
Location: Various NASA Campuses across the United States, including NASA Goddard in Greenbelt, MD and JPL in Pasadena, CA. Time: Summer 2014 (May/June - August) Apply:https://intern.nasa.gov/ Eligibility: Varies with position. NASA has opportunities from high school through postdoctoral, as well as for US Citizens and International Students. Field: Engineering, Science, Technology, and Administrative Internships exist. Financial: Varies with position. In addition to salary, travel and lodging assistance is often provided. Summer Internship Application Deadline: March 1, 2014 Apply:https://intern.nasa.gov/
NASA internships are still available for summer of 2014 at the Goddard Space Flight Facility in Greenbelt, MD, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, and other NASA campuses. The goal of NASA's internship program is to further students' pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Research projects are offered in areas such as computer science, robotics, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, astrophysics, electrical engineering, as well as planetary, geological, and biological sciences. NASA's work reaches many fields and is conducted at numerous campuses across the United States. This internship program gives students of many levels an opportunity to explore the frontiers of human space knowledge.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Fri., Jan. 10, 2014 01:47 PM EST
(8859 Reads)
Duration:June 2, 2014 – August 8, 2014 Location:Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Open to: U.S. Citizen or permanent resident. Completion of Junior year as of spring term 2014. Students completing their sophomore year may be considered. Application Deadline: February 14, 2014 Official Information:http://www.space.vt.edu/REU/ Support: $5000 stipend, travel, room, and board Contacts: Dr. Robert Clauer (rclauer@vt.edu) or Dr. Scott Bailey (baileys@vt.edu)
Space@VT is looking for enthusiastic students to join us for a ten-week summer program opportunity to learn about space science and engineering and to participate in cutting-edge research. Students will be assisted by faculty mentors and will join their research teams for the duration of the program. Projects are available in the modeling of atmospheric and plasma processes; atmospheric science; space weather, small spacecraft engineering; instrument design & characterization; sounding rocket experiment testing; and remote sensing from space and ground platforms.
For further information see the Space@VT REU web page or email the primary contacts (both listed above) or inquire with any member of Space@VT.
By: miker
on: Tue., Dec. 17, 2013 09:00 PM EST
(13969 Reads)
Having completed all degree requirements, A J Ribeiro will walk in the Fall 2013 Commencement Graduate School Ceremony on Friday, December 20, 3:00 pm at Cassell Coliseum. He will be capped by his advisors, Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. A J has previously graduated with B.Sc and M.Sc degrees from Virginia Tech. He is the first doctoral graduate from the SuperDARN group. He will be followed by Sebastien de Larquier and Bharat Kunduri who have also completed doctoral degree requirements and will walk in the Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremonies.
AJ is originally from Rhode Island. He will be accompanied at his graduation by his parents, relatives and friends. A small reception will be held afterwards at Mike and Hedy's house, beginning about 6 pm.
By: miker
on: Fri., Nov. 22, 2013 03:48 PM EST
(9548 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Sebastien de Larquier successfully defended his PhD thesis on Friday, November 22 to an examining committee of six professors and a general audience. Sebastien is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. He has published on topics ranging from infrasound propagation in the atmosphere to the causes of plasma irregularity in the mid-latitude ionosphere. Sebastien joins AJ Ribeiro and Bharat Kunduri as one of the first doctoral graduates from the VT SuperDARN group. Sebastien is eligible to walk in the May 2014 Convocation.
Félicitations, Sebastien!
The title of his thesis is: 'The Mid-Latitude Ionosphere Under Quiet Geomagnetic Conditions: Propagation Analysis of SuperDARN Radar Observations for Large Ionospheric Perturbations'
For a listing of Sebastien's papers, click 'Read More'
By: miker
on: Wed., Nov. 13, 2013 09:47 AM EST
(8486 Reads)
Evan Thomas successfully sat his PhD Qualifying Exam on Tuesday, November 12. Evan has published on the formation of ionospheric tongues of ionization based on GPS derived maps of TEC and SuperDARN convection maps. He is the recipient of a VGSC Graduate Research Fellowship and conducted research in Japan this past summer under an NSF EAPSI Scholarship.
Evan has made available much of his analysis software in the form of web-accessible research tools. Link to the 'GPS/TEC Plot' tool or click directly on
By: miker
on: Fri., Nov. 08, 2013 11:18 AM EST
(9470 Reads)
VT SuperDARN student Bharat Kunduri successfully defended his PhD thesis on Friday, November 7 to an examining committee of six professors and a general audience. Bharat is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi. Among his accomplishments Bharat took first prize in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere student poster competition at the 2013 CEDAR Workshop. He will join AJ Ribeiro as one of the first doctoral graduates from the VT SuperDARN group. Bharat is eligible to walk in the May 2014 Convocation.
Congratulations, Bharat!
The title of his thesis is: 'A Study of Interhemispheric Magnetic Conjugacy and Large Scale Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Using SuperDARN Radars'
For a listing of Bharat's papers, click 'Read More'
June - August 2014 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: 25 November 2013 Apply Through/Official Information:http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi Support: $5000 stipend, travel, room, and board is provided.
By: miker
on: Fri., Aug. 30, 2013 12:25 PM EDT
(7667 Reads)
The Virginia Tech SuperDARN group is transitioning to a new, more powerful server. We will endeavor to keep the web page running through the transition but brief interruptions can be expected and some functions may go off-line for a few days. If you have an urgent need, please email directly to or to any other member of the SuperDARN group (see 'Personnel'). The server work is being lead by Nathaniel and Brian.
By: miker
on: Fri., Aug. 16, 2013 12:02 PM EDT
(7483 Reads)
Neeraj Pramodkumar presented his M.Sc. thesis research on Friday, August 16 to an exam committee consisting of four Virginia Tech professors. The title of his thesis is 'Large-scale observations of the spatial and temporal dynamics of quiet-time Sub-auroral Polarization Streams using SuperDARN HF radars'. This work has been the basis of several recent presentations at scientific meetings. Neeraj is advised by Drs. Mike Ruohoniemi and Jo Baker. His defense was a great success and Neeraj will now graduate with an M.Sc. degree at the Fall 2013 Commencement.
By: miker
on: Tue., July 16, 2013 10:17 AM EDT
(8587 Reads)
Virginia Tech grad student Evan Thomas is conducting research with SuperDARN colleagues in Japan with the support of a scholarship from the NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (EAPSI) program.
Evan is being hosted by Dr. Keisuke Hosokawa at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo. He will also visit with Dr. Tsutomu Nagatsuma of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (also in Tokyo) and with Dr. Nozomu Nishitani at the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory of Nagoya University.
An EAPSI award provides U.S. graduate students in science, engineering, and education: 1) first-hand research experiences in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore or Taiwan; 2) an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and 3) an orientation to the society, culture and language.
Evan is pictured here at the Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine in Kyoto (photo taken by Evan's girlfriend Rachel).
By: miker
on: Fri., July 12, 2013 12:11 PM EDT
(13561 Reads)
VT SuperDARN grad student Nathaniel Frissell has completed his term as a Student representative to the Science Steering Committee of the NSF Geospace and Environment Modeling (GEM) program. He served for two years as one of two student reps. The reps organize and run student sessions at the annual GEM summer workshop and report to the Steering Committee on student activities. Nathaniel oversaw a significant increase in student participation and activities at GEM and also performed valuable liason with the NSF CEDAR workshop and CEDAR student activities. Well done, Nathaniel!
Photo shows Nathaniel posing at Independence pass, just off Highway 82 en route to Boulder, Colorado from Snowmass. The pass straddles the Continental Divide at an elevation of 12,095 feet.
By: miker
on: Fri., June 28, 2013 01:12 PM EDT
(10957 Reads)
The annual CEDAR Workshop was held this year at the Millennium Hotel in Boulder Colorado, June 22-28 and counted nearly 400 participants. More than 60 students competed in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere poster session held on Tuesday, June 25th. First prize was awarded to VT SuperDARN student Mr. Bharat Kunduri for his poster entitled 'Statistical characterization of sub-auroral polarization stream using large scale observations by mid-latitude SuperDARN radars.' Well done, Bharat!
Space@VT was well represented at this year's meeting by eight graduate students. Congratulations also to Space@VT graduate student Ms. Kshitijia Deshpande, who won honorable mention in the IT competition with her poster entitled 'Sensitivity study of a model of GPS scintillations used to characterize high latitude ionospheric irregularities'. Ms. Deshpande is supervised by Prof. Bob Clauer.
More information about CEDAR and its annual workshop can be found by clicking 'Read More'.
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Wed., June 05, 2013 10:52 AM EDT
(8462 Reads)
After coming to Virginia Tech as an Associate Professor in 2008 from a research position at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Prof. Mike Ruohoniemi was awarded tenure at Virginia Tech in June 2013. During his time at Virginia Tech, he, along with Prof. Jo Baker, has built a team that currently consists of eight graduate students and two staff members. He has also mentored a post-doc and a number of students who have already graduated. Since 2008, this team has helped to build 7 new radars and be fully responsible for daily operations of 5 SuperDARN radars. Virginia Tech SuperDARN now has a leading website for providing space weather data to the world, as well credit for the publication of numerous new findings in the field. None of this would have been possible without Prof. Ruohoniemi's leadership. Prof. Ruohoniemi also teaches courses in the electrical engineering department on radar design, satellite communications, antenna design, and electromagnetics.
AJ Ribeiro sat his PhD preliminary exam on Tuesday, April 30. He presented his research plan to an advising committee consisting of six professors. AJ now enters into official Ph.D. Candidate status. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi and VT Adjunct Faculty Dr. Pasha Ponomarenko (University of Saskatchewan).
Congratulations, AJ!
AJ has crafted many of the tools that are available on the VT SuperDARN web site for plotting and analyzing ACFs and deriving radar data products. These are grouped under the 'Diagnostics' submenu. For a neat demonstration of SuperDARN ACFs see the 'ACF Applet' or click on
An article first-authored by Dr. Qing-He Zhang of the Polar Research Institute of China in Shanghai was published in the prestigious journal Science on 29 March, 2013. The title of the article is 'Direct Observations of the Evolution of Polar Cap Ionization Patches'. It draws on the work of Virginia Tech SuperDARN grad student Evan Thomas, who, in collaboration with colleagues at the MIT Haystack Observatory, developed tools for co-plotting GPS Total Electron Content (TEC) data and SuperDARN ionospheric plasma velocity data. The Virginia Tech coauthors include Evan and his supervisors, Drs. J. Michael Ruohoniemi and Joseph Baker.
By: miker
on: Thu., Feb. 07, 2013 11:40 AM EST
(7770 Reads)
Nathaniel sat his PhD preliminary exam on Thursday, February 7. He presented his research plan to an advising committee consisting of seven professors. Nathaniel now enters into official PhD Candidate status. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi.
Congratulations, Nathaniel!
Nathaniel is repsonsible for the design of the SuperDARN web page and many of the web-accessible utilities. His research focuses on using the SuperDARN radars to study the causes and characteristics of the atmospheric gravity waves that give rise to travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs).
Photo: Nathaniel poses in front of the dish of a large incoherent scatter radar located in Svalbard (Norway) during a semester of study at the world's most northern university campus.
By: miker
on: Tue., Feb. 05, 2013 12:02 PM EST
(8307 Reads)
Thursday, February 7, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Seminar Room (1032) of the Space@VT Building (1901 Innovation Drive)
Title: NASA Missions THEMIS/ARTEMIS: Past Successes and Future Prospects
Speaker: Dr. David Sibeck
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Dr. David Sibeck of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is visiting the VT SuperDARN group this week. He will give a special seminar featuring the NASA's THEMIS /ARTEMIS space missions on Thursday afternoon. Click on 'Read More' to view the abstract and a brief bibliographic sketch.
By: Evan Thomas
on: Fri., Nov. 30, 2012 05:14 PM EST
(7772 Reads)
The Fall 2012 Meeting of the American Geophysical Union is being held in San Francisco, December 3-7. The meeting web site is at http://fallmeeting.agu.org/2012/
The VT SuperDARN group is being represented by professors Mike Ruohoniemi and Jo Baker and graduate students Nathaniel Frissell and Evan Thomas
By: miker
on: Tue., Nov. 13, 2012 01:22 PM EST
(8029 Reads)
AJ Ribeiro successfully sat his PhD Qualifying Exam on Tuesday, November 13. AJ has published on the characterization of quiet-time mid-latitude irregularities seen with the new MSI radars and has developed a radar simulator for testing data fitting algorithms. He has also developed many of the on-line analysis tools available at the VT SuperDARN web site.
For a neat demonstration of ACF plotting and fitting, try out his Java-based ACF Applet tool at
Bharat sat his PhD preliminary exam on Friday, September 14. He presented his research plan to an advising committee consisting of six professors. Bharat now enters into official Ph.D. Candidate status. He is advised by Drs. Jo Baker and Mike Ruohoniemi.
Congratulations, Bharat!
To view and try out one of the valuable products of Bharat's research - a tool to facilitate conjugate comparisons of SuperDARN data between the northern and southern hemispheres - see:
By: miker
on: Sat., Sep. 08, 2012 11:46 AM EDT
(7351 Reads)
Sebastien sat and passed his two hour PhD preliminary exam on Friday, September 7. He presented his research plan to an advising committee consisting of six professors. Sebastien now enters into official Ph.D. Candidate status. He is advised by Drs. Mike Ruohoniemi and Jo Baker.
Congratulations, Sebastien!
To view and try out one of the valuable products of Sebastien's research - an interactive ray tracing tool - see:
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Sat., Aug. 04, 2012 10:01 PM EDT
(7776 Reads)
Ph.D. students Bharat Kunduri and Nathaniel Frissell spent this past week in Banff, Canada at the 2012 NSF Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) Summer School. During the week, they attended lectures given by leading international researchers in the field of ISR and interacted with other space science students from around the world.
Incoherent scatter radar is a type of radar that is able to remote sense ionospheric plasma properties such as electron density, ion and electron temperature, and ion velocities. This is done by measureing the ion acoustic and plasma waves using very large radars that operate at frequencies typically around 500 MHz with approximately 2 megawatts of power or more. ISRs often complement SuperDARN radars, which are coherent scatter radars. This is because ISRs are able to provide plasma measurements SuperDARN can not, but have much smaller spatial coverage. Also, unlike SuperDARN which operates continuously, ISRs can typically only be operated for limited amounts of time.
By: miker
on: Wed., July 18, 2012 01:27 PM EDT
(9815 Reads)
Ellen is the student of Dr. Simon Shepherd, PI for the Oregon MSI/SuperDARN radars. The thesis defense took place at Dartmouth College on July 17. The title of Ellen's thesis is
"Statistical Analysis And Empirical Modeling Of Large- And Small-Scale Plasma Drifts In Earth's High-Latitude Ionospheres"
Ellen visited with the VT SuperDARN group for 3 productive months in 2009.
Dr. Cousins will be starting a postdoc at HAO/NCAR in September working with Art Richmond and Tomoko Matsuo. As Simon says, hopefully we can convince Ellen to remain part of the SuperDARN community!
By: miker
on: Tue., July 10, 2012 04:23 PM EDT
(7817 Reads)
The re-location of the Space@VT research groups to a new building in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC) is scheduled to take place the over the July 16-18 period. The SuperDARN group will be the first to see the movers (on Monday morning). We are now packing up our offices and lab equipment. Please bear with us through expected interruptions to our web service and in our email responsiveness.
The move is being MC'ed by Dr. Scott Bailey.
Instructions regarding the move can be found at the 'Space@VT Move!' link:
By: ksterne
on: Thu., June 14, 2012 05:35 PM EDT
(8295 Reads)
Update 6/16/2012: I've since left the USS Manufacturing shop in Renfrew, Ontario and toured some through Canada. Upon leaving the shop at USS, there were a few remaining issues, only a small one of which for the upcoming build at Adak Island. One thing that was communicated very well to the guys at USS Manufacturing, was our problem with the 1/2" shackles at the base of the 56' poles as seen in the picture to the right. These poles were quickly brought inside and a air-powered dremel tool was used to easier make the hole bigger such that the 1/2" shackle would fit into the hole. Upon leaving the shop in Renfrew, it was determined that the set of poles and hardware for Renfrew could go out early next week, probably on Tuesday and take about 5 days to get to Seattle.
By: miker
on: Tue., June 05, 2012 10:48 AM EDT
(8217 Reads)
The Office of the Vice President for Research recognizes Wayne Scales, professor of electrical and computer engineering, for theoretical modeling and experimental characterization of the earth’s atmosphere and space weather and for his leadership in establishing the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research (Space@VT).
The Space@VT consortium includes the VT SuperDARN group. Congratulations, Wayne!
By: miker
on: Tue., May 15, 2012 12:14 AM EDT
(8772 Reads)
Our former NSF/GEM postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lasse Clausen, is visiting with us for two weeks. Lasse is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics in Braunschweig, Germany. Among other interests, Lasse will be discussing his recent work on inferring the amount of open flux in the magnetotail with AMPERE measurements. This holds great promise for understanding magnetospheric dynamics especially the loading of energy from the solar wind during southward IMF and unloading into the ionosphere during substorms.
Dr. Clausen gave a scientific talk at the VT SuperDARN group meeting on Tuesday, May 15. For the title and abstract click on 'Read More'.
Breaking news >>> The editors of the Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR) have selected Lasse's paper, entitled "Large-scale observations of a subauroral polarization stream by mid-latitude SuperDARN radars: Instantaneous longitudinal velocity variations " as an AGU "Research Spotlight." Congratulations. Lasse!
Evan Thomas, an M.Sc. student in the VT SuperDARN group, has been awarded a Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) Graduate Research Fellowship for the 2012-2013 academic year. The award is in recognition of the strength and relevance of the research that Evan is conducting and his academic achievement. Evan is analyzing SuperDARN HF backscatter within the context of GPS/TEC observations. He is the developer of the 'GPS/TEC Plot' tool that is available here on the VT web site under 'Data Plotting'.
A group of students from Dr. Jo Baker's ECE 2984 'Exploring the Space Environment' class launched a high altitude balloon last week from Kentland Farms. The mission was 100% successful. The balloon went to 32,708 m (107,310 ft) and came to down to the east of Roanoke, having travelled a horizontal distance of about 100 km. The payload took some stunning pictures. The only glitch was the payload got stuck in a tree on return and could not be recovered until the next day.
By: miker
on: Tue., Apr. 10, 2012 10:14 AM EDT
(7998 Reads)
The National Science Foundation has announced that VT SuperDARNer Joseph Baker has won an NSF CAREER award.
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
To read an article on the award that ran in The Daily Email issued by Virginia Tech, see:
By: Nathaniel Frissell
on: Wed., Feb. 29, 2012 06:00 PM EST
(8903 Reads)
Prithwish Chakraborty (third from left), a graduate student in the Virginia Tech Discovery Analytics Center, won an award for his poster on Gravity Wave Detection in SuperDARN Data.
A team of DAC students won poster awards to present and attend the Humboldt Kolleg on "Collaboration and Networks in the 21st Century", held Feb 24-25 in Arlington, VA. Featuring prominent speakers including Dr. Bruce Alberts (Editor-in-chief, Science), Dr. Rita R. Colwell (former director, NSF), Dr. Mark A. Suskin (Acting Deputy Director Office of Cyberinfrastructure, NSF), and Dr. Cathleen Fisher (President of the American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation) among others, the symposium stressed on the paramount importance of collaborative research in the modern world.
