CEDAR email: Announcing the NASA Living With a Star Institute Call for Proposals - Deadline 15 September

[Susanne Demaree]

*Announcing the NASA Living With a Star Institute*

*Call for Proposals*

Deadline 15 September



*Purpose*



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

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 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.

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.



*An LWS Institute Working Group (WG) proposal will:*

·      *Focus* on a particular technology area that will be positively
affected by space weather research advances,

·      *Identify* 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),

·      *Describe* 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

·      *Articulate* the impacts of this targeted research by envisioning
the resulting, improved operational capability that will make a positive
difference to society.



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.



*Proposals should focus on:*

·      *Improving* understanding of the process and/or magnitude of the
impacts of space weather on the selected system,

·      *Identifying* the science needed to enable our forecast ability for
that system, and

·      *Outlining,* if not executing, research that may develop abilities
to reduce the impacts of space weather on that system.



*2014 Working Group topic area:*

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).




*How the program works: *

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.

 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.

 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.


For details on submitting a proposal, please visit the website:

http://www.vsp.ucar.edu/Heliophysics/science-LWS.shtmlNASA Living With a
Star


Program sponsorship:
NASA Living With a Star

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.

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.


Program administration:

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.


_______________________

 *Susanne Demaree*

*Webmaster | Marketing | Social Media*

P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO  80307
Phone: 303-497-8627

     <http://www.vsp.ucar.edu>
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