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<p class="Body"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Dear Colleagues,</span></p>
<p class="Body"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">We invite you to participate in the <b class="">GEM-CEDAR Modeling Challenge Sessions at the 2016 Joint CEDAR-GEM Workshop</b>. We will have three sessions, which will be held <b class="">on
June 20 and 21, 2016 </b>in<b class=""> </b>Sweeney B of Santa Fe Community Convention Center, Santa Fe, NM. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><b class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Session 1 (13:30-15:30, Monday, 06/20)</span></b><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> will focus on overview topics related
to model validation: <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 9pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">1.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Review the status of current
CEDAR-GEM Model Validation Challenge projects <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 9pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">2.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Challenges related to data
availability and how to address these challenges for specific model validation projects <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 9pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">3.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Uncertainty assessment and
sensitivity analysis <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 9pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">4.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Event-based metrics, expanding
event list: benefits, challenges, guidelines <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 9pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">5.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Role of magnetospheric drivers
and ionospheric feedback <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><b class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"><br class="">
Session 2 (16:00-18:00, Monday, 06/20)</span></b><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> will focus on current research and future plans for: <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">1.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Quantification and validation
of phenomena in the auroral region <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 1in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New';">o<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Conductivity<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 1in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New';">o<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Particle precipitation<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">2.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Validation and metrics selection
for auroral boundaries specification and predictions <o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">3.<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Quantification and validation
of storm-driven ionospheric/thermospheric disturbances <b class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 1in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; color: windowtext;">o<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Poynting
flux/Joule heating <b class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></b></span></p>
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<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; color: windowtext;">o<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">TEC,
NmF2 <b class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 1in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 8pt;">
<span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; color: windowtext;">o<span class="" style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Neutral
density/satellite drag</span></p>
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<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><b class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Session 3 (13:30-15:30, Tuesday, 06/21)</span></b><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> will kick off and define a new <b class="">Ionospheric
Conductance Challenge</b> with a discussion of which conductance validation goals will be the most timely and helpful to the GEM-CEDAR community. Please join our discussion of conductance observations and models, and help us get our Conductance Modeling Challenge
off to a good start as we discuss available datasets, optimal methods of</span><span lang="IT" class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> data-model comparison,</span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> and event selection.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Please find more information on the sessions at </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"><a href="http://cedarweb.vsp.ucar.edu/wiki/index.php/2016_Workshop:GEM_CEDAR_Modeling_Challenge" class="">http://cedarweb.vsp.ucar.edu/wiki/index.php/2016_Workshop:GEM_CEDAR_Modeling_Challenge</a></span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> and
the CEDAR-GEM Modeling Challenge at </span><span class="Hyperlink0"><span lang="DE" class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"><a href="http://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/challenges/GEM-CEDAR/" class="">http://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/challenges/GEM-CEDAR/</a></span></span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10pt;" class=""> </span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">We are soliciting short contributed talks for sessions #1 and #2 and active participation in the challenge-defining discussion planned for session #3. If you
are interested in presenting your ideas, please contact Ja Soon Shim</span><span class="Link"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> (</span></span><span class="Hyperlink1"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"><a href="mailto:jasoon.shim@nasa.gov" class="">jasoon.shim@nasa.gov</a></span></span><span class="Hyperlink1"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">)</span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;"> or
Katherine Garcia-Sage (<a href="mailto:katherine.garcia-sage@nasa.gov" class="">katherine.garcia-sage@nasa.gov</a></span><span class="" style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10pt;">).</span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;">We look forward seeing you at the sessions.</p>
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<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Best regards,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Conveners:<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Ja Soon Shim<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Masha Kuznetsova<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt; color: windowtext;">Katherine Garcia-Sage<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Mihail Codrescu<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Yongliang Zhang<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Lutz Rastaetter<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Rob Redmon<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p>
<p class="Body" style="margin: 5pt 0in; line-height: 8pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 10pt;">Mike Liemohn </span></p>
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