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<p class="" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;line-height:117%;color:rgb(54,95,145)">Announcing the NASA
Living With a Star Institute</span></b></p>
<p class="" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:16pt;line-height:117%;color:rgb(54,95,145)">Call for
Proposals</span></b><span style="font-size:16pt;line-height:117%"></span></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">Purpose</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica">The concept
of a LWS Institute small working group style meetings that focuses on well defined
problems that demand intense, direct interactions between colleagues in neighboring
disciplines has been created to encourage and facilitate a deeper understanding
of the variety of processes that link the Sun’s magnetic variability
(radiation, solar wind, energetic particles) to Earth’s environment and
atmosphere. The goal of NASA Living With a Star program is to “Develop the
scientific understanding necessary to enable the U.S. to effectively address
those aspects of the connected Sun</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Helvetica">Earth system
that directly affects life and society.” Thus, the LWS program with its focus on
the basic science underlying all aspects of space weather and climate, acts as
a catalyst to bring the many research disciplines and applications communities
together to deepen the understanding of the system of systems created by the
Sun Earth connection. To that end, the LWS Institute Working Groups will
provide an opportunity for scientists from all over the world to contribute to
the evolution of heliophysics</span></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="">The inaugural LWS Institute is designed to
facilitate a bridge between cutting-edge heliophysics research and a societally
relevant technology area that is affected by space weather. Competitively
selected working groups will define and scope new research that will make a
critical difference to this technology. </p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">An LWS
Institute Working Group (WG) proposal will:</span></b></p><p class=""></p><ul><li><b style><i>Focus</i></b><span style> on a particular technology
area that will be positively affected by space weather research advances,</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"> </span></span><b style><i>Identify</i></b><span style> a team that is composed of
members who perform heliophysics research that is relevant to the affected
technology, who forecast or model space weather for this technology, and who
use (or who will use) this technology (when it is successfully improved)</span></li><li><b style><i>Describe</i></b><span style> how the team will quantify
and parameterize the magnitude and pathways of the impacts on the affected technology
and will scope the new ranges of targeted research that accordingly will be
needed, and</span></li><li><b style><i>Articulate</i></b><span style> the impacts of this
targeted research by envisioning the resulting, improved operational capability
that will make a positive difference to society.</span></li></ul><p></p><div><p class="" style></p>
<p class="" style></p>
<p class="" style></p>
<p class="" style></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="">Each LWS Institute WG is required – as a final
report – to jointly submit a peer-reviewed study that provides an integrated
view of the space weather impacts on the selected technology area, a
quantification of the magnitude of the impact for space weather of different
magnitudes, a description of the impact pathways and of the scientific
understanding achieved during the course of the WG, either a method to
positively impact the technology or a research plan by which positive impact to
the technology could be quantifiably achieved through space weather research
advances, and a high-level graphical and textual vision of the resulting
operational technology solution. The team will also provide a Working Group
Report for the benefit of the LWS community. </p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">Proposals
should focus on:</span></b></p><p class=""></p><ul><li><b style><i>Improving</i></b><span style> understanding of the
process and/or magnitude of the impacts of space weather on the selected
system,</span><br></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol"><span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"> </span></span><b style><i>Identifying</i></b><span style> the science needed to
enable our forecast ability for that system, and</span><br></li><li><b style><i>Outlining,</i></b><span style> if not executing,
research that may develop abilities to reduce the impacts of space weather on
that system.</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="" style></p>
<p class="" style></p>
<p class="" style></p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">2014 Working
Group topic area:</span></b></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class="">We are seeking proposals that develop these
principles in relation to the effects of geomagnetically induced currents
(GICs) during CME-driven geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs). Proposals may focus
on particular historical GMDs or on a statistical analysis of many such events.
The impacted technological infrastructure may be (all or part of) the US
high-voltage power distribution network or its components (e.g., transformers,
generators, power lines, etc.), or may be equipment powered by the low-voltage
distribution network or societal functions enabled by that (e.g., communication
systems, transportation-navigation systems, or systems related to safety and
security). </p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">How the program
works:<br>
<br>
</span></b></p>
<p class="">Up to twice a year, a call for applications will
be released for international teams of scientists to address specific topic
areas related to the broad theme of Living With a Star, including pure and
applied research into the nature of space weather and space climate phenomena
and their impacts on society and its infrastructure. Teams may be made up of
approximately 8 to 15 scientists from different research labs, universities,
and industry, from different countries and with complimentary expertise. The
teams will meet approximately twice in a 12-month period for about a one-week
duration each time. Meeting locations
may vary depending upon cost and home institution locations of the
participating scientists.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="">The team leader will be responsible for submission
of the proposal and for organizing the execution of the project. The team
leader should also identify a co-team lead that would provide complimentary
expertise from the engineering/user community. The primary goal of the projects
is to result in a comprehensive report of the outcome of the study and at least
one refereed team publication. One or two postdoctoral or early career scientists
may be included in the proposal to work alongside the team.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="">A science committee selected by the LWS Program
Scientist and appointed by UCAR evaluates proposals and makes recommendations
for support to LWS Institutes’ sponsors. UCAR Visiting Scientist Programs
administers these Working Groups and provides support for travel expenses, per
diem, lodging and local area transportation costs during the weeklong meetings.</p>
<p class="" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:117%">For details on submitting a proposal,
please visit the website:</span></p>
<p class="" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:117%"><a href="http://www.vsp.ucar.edu/Heliophysics/science-LWS.shtml">http://www.vsp.ucar.edu/Heliophysics/science-LWS.shtml</a></span></p>
<p class=""> </p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">Program
sponsorship:</span></b></p>
<p class="">NASA Living With a Star</p>
<p class=""><br></p><p class="">Scientific fields of research tend to split into
parallel subdisciplines as our understanding deepens. The successful increase in knowledge of the
workings of the Sun’s magnetic activity, the recognition of the many physical
processes that couple throughout the heliosphere, and the insights into the
interaction of the solar wind and radiation with the Earth’s magnetic field and
climate system, have tended to differentiate and insularize the solar,
heliospheric, and geospace subdisciplines of the physics of the local cosmos.
Technical jargons, publications channels, and meeting venues have also been
subject to this tendency, hampering communication between the various
subdisciplines. </p>
<p class="">The NASA Living With a Star program aims to
reverse this trend. The recognition that
the many connections within the Sun-Earth system require a systems approach,
led to the development of an integrated strategic mission plan and a
comprehensive research program encompassing all branches of solar,
heliospheric, and space physics. This
has raised awareness and appreciation of the research priorities and
difficulties among LWS scientists, and has led to observational and modeling
capabilities that span traditional discipline boundaries, and increased
cross-publication in technical journals as well as the number of
multi-disciplinary meetings.</p>
<p class=""><b><span style="color:rgb(54,95,145)">Program administration:</span></b></p>
<p class="">The University Corporation for Atmospheric
Research is a consortium of more than 100 member colleges and universities
focused on research and training in the atmospheric and related Earth system
sciences. The UCAR Visiting Scientist
Programs office partners with federal agencies and universities across the
nation to recruit, hire, and provide administrative management to scientists
who are working on cutting-edge research of benefit to society. </p>
<div><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div><font color="#0c343d" size="4">_______________________</font></div><div><strong><em><font color="#0c343d"><br></font></em></strong></div><div><strong><em><font color="#0c343d">Susanne Demaree</font></em></strong></div>
<div>
<p><font color="#134f5c"><em><strong>VSP Webmaster, Marketing & Media</strong></em><br>
UCAR Visiting Scientist Programs <br>
P.O. Box 3000<br>
Boulder, CO 80307 <br>
303-497-8627</font></p><p> </p></div></div></div>
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