Dear Colleagues,

The Commons SIT Committee has announced an inquiry into UK Astronomy with a deadline of October 27.

https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/3238/

However, the RAS are collating information for their own submission, and if you would like your points to be included within that submission, please email Robert Massey (rmassey@ras.ac.uk) directly by September 27 (we apologise for the short deadline).

However, if you miss this, information can still be submitted by individuals until October 27.

Kind regards,

UKSP Council… continue to the full article

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The SunPy Project is looking for new community members to become maintainers of a new magnetic field extrapolation package.
SunPy will provide mentorship in how to maintain a SunPy package.
Ideally anyone interested in the role would be familiar with the magnetic extrapolation algorithms.
If you are interested in taking on this role please comment on the SunPy discourse.

More details

The pfsspy project has recently been archived by David Stansby, it’s lead author and maintainer.
We want to thank him for his work on pfsspy and a variety of other heliophysics Python projects.

The pfsspy package is now widely used throughout the solar physics community for computing potential field extrapolations, including in several high-profile publications.
Given its wide usage, the SunPy Project believes it is important to continue to provide this functionality within the SunPy ecosystem to ensure it’s longevity.

To that end we are creating a new package within the SunPy ecosystem which, initially, will be a fork of the pfsspy package.

In the longer term, this package may expand to cover other extrapolation techniques the community has an interest in contributing.

To achieve this, we need someone who can bring some expertise on magnetic field extrapolation algorithms and who has time to dedicate to creating and maintaining this package.

The SunPy Project will provide the required package infrastructure and mentorship on package maintenance for anyone interested.
Additionally, this new package will be housed under the SunPy organization on GitHub, similar to existing affiliated packages maintained by the Project.

If you are interested in becoming a maintainer or have more questions, please post on the SunPy discourse thread linked here, or email me.… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues

Please be advised we are now accepting expressions of interest for the astronomy large awards scheme. All details, guidance and contact information can be found on the funding funder page here: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/astronomy-large-awards/

The deadline for expression of interests is Tuesday 31st October by 4pm. Applications (by email) received after this time will not be accepted. Applications found not to have followed the guidance and process detailed in the link above will not be considered.

Kind regards
The Astronomy Awards Team… continue to the full article

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The Call for Applications to new STFC Science Board (PPAN) and Science Board (Facilities and Laboratories)

Science Board (PPAN): https://www.ukri.org/who-we-are/work-for-us/join-an-advisory-committee-panel-or-network/stfc-science-board-ppan-members-2/
• Science Board (PPAN) is seeking two new members in astronomy only.
• All members of Science Board (PPAN) must be based at UK-based institutions.

The deadline for applications is Monday 23 October 2023.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact joanna.bromley@stfc.ac.uk or rachel.leader@stfc.ukri.org (Science Board (PPAN))… continue to the full article

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The journals Solar Physics & Living Reviews in Solar Physics have opened a joined Topical Collection on “Applications of Machine Learning in Solar Physics”, which aims to include review articles and original research:

https://www.springer.com/journal/11207/updates/25899446

While the Living Review “Machine learning in solar physics” serves as a general introduction to the topic, we encourage authors to submit their work on specific applications of machine learning methods, neural networks, and deep learning techniques in solar and heliophysics to the journal Solar Physics.… continue to the full article

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ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft is due to launch on Saturday 2nd September at 11:50 IST (07:50 UK time).

ISRO will livestream the Aditya L1 launch event on its website and YouTube channel:
https://www.isro.gov.in
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5hEVOTfz_AfzsNFWyNlNg

Best of luck to our Indian colleagues and we look forward to seeing the data!… continue to the full article

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During the UKSP ECR Workshop held in April, an idea was proposed to create a dedicated webpage on the UKSP website providing information about available funding opportunities for Early Career Researchers (ECRs).

Now, we have successfully implemented this page on our website: https://www.uksolphys.org/resources/fellowships/

However, it’s possible that the list of available funding may not be exhaustive. Therefore, we kindly request your assistance in reviewing the page. If you are aware of additional opportunities that could be included in the funding list, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to the Deputy Chair via email at m.korsos@sheffield.ac.uk.

Best Regards,

UKSP Council… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues

We are happy to announce the 2023 contest for the International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals. The medal recipients will be announced during the Medal Ceremony on 20th November 2023 at the European Space Weather Week. Each winner will be invited to give a 20-minute lecture on their research in a dedicated session.

All three prizes are prestigious recognitions of the recipients’ major contributions in the field of space weather and space climate. Medal recipients’ achievements must have been documented in peer-review journals or book chapters, or must be a technological contribution that has led to a fully implemented and documented new space weather or space climate capability. Medal recipients’ work must be relevant to space weather and space climate. The work must also be internationally recognized.

In addition to the above common criteria, there are the following specific requirements for each of the three medals:

The Kristian Birkeland Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate
The recipient of the Kristian Birkeland Medal must have demonstrated an ability to combine basic and applied research to develop useful space weather and/or space climate products used outside the research community, and/or across scientific research disciplines. The work must have led to a better physical comprehension of solar-terrestrial phenomena related to space weather and/or space climate, to a significant improvement of space weather and/or space climate modeling, or to a new generation of instruments or tools.

The Baron Marcel Nicolet Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate
The recipient of the Baron Marcel Nicolet Medal must have demonstrated an ability to bind the space weather and space climate community in a spirit of peace and friendship, to educate the younger generations within and outside the space weather and space climate community, to go beyond the research community and address larger audiences, and/or to serve the space weather and space climate community.

The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal for Space Weather and Space Climate
The Alexander Chizhevsky Medal is awarded to an early-career scientist in recognition of outstanding achievements in space weather and space climate with innovative approaches. The nominee must be an early-career scientist within eight years of receiving their PhD (or equivalent) degree at the time of nomination. This 8-year period may be increased at the discretion of the Awards Committee to include the duration of any career breaks (such as parental leave) after obtaining the PhD degree.

How to nominate?
In order to nominate a person for one of the International Space Weather and Space Climate Medals, please send one single pdf document which includes:

• Your full name and professional address.
• The full name and professional address of the person that you nominate.
• Which of the three medals you nominate the person for (only one medal type is allowed for each nominee).
• Reasons for the nomination (two pages maximum). Please make sure that these reasons relate to space weather and space climate and fulfil the criteria listed above.
• A full CV of the nominee
• Letters of support from two colleagues, preferably outside your own or the candidate’s institution. You may also include those two colleagues as co-signatories on the nomination proposal. For the Chizhevsky prize, a recommendation letter from the PhD advisor (in case the PhD supervisor is not the person submitting the nomination) is recommended.
• Up to five references (journal articles, prizes, patents, etc.) of the nominee’s work.

Self-nominations are not allowed. Any individual can only nominate one person for a medal. The medal committee members cannot nominate or be nominated.

Send the documents by email to: medals@lists.eswan.eu

The deadline for the nominations: 5th September 2023.

Composition of the Medal Committee in 2023
Previous winners:
Bruce T. Tsurutani (2019 Birkeland)
Delores Knipp (2019 Nicolet)
Jiajia Liu (2019 Chizhevsky): vice-chair
Richard Horne (2020 Birkeland)
Madhulika Guhathakurta (2020 Nicolet)
Mateja Dumbovic (2020 Chizhevsky)
Kazunari Shibata (2021 Birkeland)
Maria Kusnetsova (2021 Nicolet)
Martin A. Reiss (2021 Chizhevsky)

Ex-officio members:
Ronald van der Linden: Representative of E-SWAN.
Mario M. Bisi: Representative of the ESWW Programme Committee.
Ilya Usoskin: Representative of the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate.

The Medal Committee is chaired by Andrea Opitz.… continue to the full article

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Many of you will be familiar with COSPAR. If not, have a glance at https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/. COSPAR presents a number of awards at each of its Scientific Assemblies. Nominations for the 2024 awards must reach the COSPAR Secretariat no later than the end November this year.

You can see the awards and past winners at https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/awards/ . Full instructions on the nomination process can be found on that website. In the words of COSPAR… “Nominations for all awards, except Outstanding Paper and Distinguished Service, may be submitted by anyone although they are to be signed or endorsed by a COSPAR Bureau member, a representative of a COSPAR National or Scientific Union member, a member of the COSPAR Scientific Advisory Committee, a COSPAR Scientific Commission or Panel chair or vice-chair, or by a previous recipient of a COSPAR honour (except Zeldovich or Outstanding Paper).” I will point out that we have a UK COSPAR National Committee that I chair, so we can sign and endorse submissions. Alternatively, you can suggest nominees to our Committee and we can follow up your suggestions. So, please do contact me.

So, can I encourage you to have a look at the awards and consider the people around you, particularly the younger researchers, and come back to me. To ensure that the Committee can process nominations and get them back to COSPAR well in time, please can I ask you to submit anything well before the end of September.

Thank you,

Richard Harrison, RAL Space (richard.harrison@stfc.ac.uk)… continue to the full article

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The DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee facility time opportunity (RAC16) is now open. The UK theory and modelling communities in astronomy and cosmology, astrophysics, solar system physics, particle astrophysics, particle physics and nuclear physic are invited to apply for computational resources on the STFC DiRAC HPC Facility.

The deadline for submission of proposals is Thursday 14th September 2023 at 16:00 UK time.

This year, there is a new submission process as follows:

• Scientific proposals for Short and Thematic projects must be submitted using The new UKRI Funding Service (TFS), the replacement for Je-S. This will cover the information which in previous facility time opportunities (calls) would have been provided as part of the scientific application form, scientific case for support, and the project management and data management plans which were submitted as separate attachments via email to STFC. Applicants are no longer required to submit documents via email to STFC; any documents sent to STFC via email will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted by the closing date of Thursday 14th September 2023 16:00 UK time. The system will close at this time and it will not be possible to submit after this deadline. Please see the UKRI Funding Finder for full details including the link to begin your application.
• A technical proposal form for Short and Thematic projects must be completed and sent directly to DiRAC via email: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date of Thursday 14th September 2023 16:00 UK time. The technical form can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Applicants may discuss their request with the DiRAC RSE Team in advance of submitting a technical case by emailing DiRAC support (dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk) and adding the heading ‘RAC 16 technical enquiry’ into the subject of the email.
• Applicants requesting Research Software Engineer (RSE) support must complete the RSE application form and send it directly to DiRAC via email:
  dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date of Thursday 14th September 2023 16:00 UK. Time. The RSE application form and guidance can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss RSE requests with the RSE team in advance of the closing date.
• Seedcorn proposals can be submitted at any time; please see the DiRAC website.

Proposals for Short and Thematic projects will not be accepted unless both a scientific application has been submitted via the UKRI Funding Service and a technical application has been submitted to DiRAC.

Please refer to the UKRI Funding Finder for full instructions on how to submit proposals.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the UKRI website to see information regarding The new Funding Service including videos to show how to use the system.

Applicants should ensure they are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place for the submission of their proposal. These deadlines may be similar to those for standard Je-S grant applications and it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm this, as they may be significantly earlier than the STFC submission deadline of Thursday 14th September 2023 16:00 UK time.

Successful awards will be scheduled to begin on 1st April 2024.

STFC welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers.

No single application can request more than 80% of the availability of a DiRAC machine within a given year. Availability figures are provided in the guidance notes at annex 1, which can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Please note the availability figures are provisional, and the resources which are allocated may be lower depending on confirmation of the levels of systems availability.

Applicants are strongly advised to read the RAC guidance notes and information available on the UKRI Funding Finder.

Enquiries:
Enquiries should be directed as follows:

• RAC process and remit: STFC Swindon Office: DiRACRAC@stfc.ac.uk
• Technical questions: RSE Team: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk
• Direct allocations or discretionary requests: DiRAC Director, Prof Mark Wilkinson
• UKRI Funding Service: Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
  The team aims to respond to emails within 2 working days.
  Phone: 01793 547490
  Phone lines are open:
  Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
  Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

… continue to the full article

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