March 2017
Application Deadline: March 26, 2017
Rising sophomores through Ph.D. students as of fall 2017 who participate in the 2017 APL NASA Intern Program will work at the APL facility in Laurel, Maryland, and will contribute to NASA missions and space-related research work. Talks by key mission engineers and scientists, along with tours of APL and other activities, will be provided throughout the summer. Interested intern candidates must be U.S. citizens, be in high academic standing (3.0 GPA or higher), and have successfully passed a background check (criminal, social security, and driving record).
For all the internship information, visit: http://www.jhuapl.edu/NASAIntern/.
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Application Deadline: March 30, 2017
There is an open call to apply for Transnational Access (TA) visits for the Europlanet 2020 Research Infrastructures (RI), a €9.95 million project to address key scientific and technological challenges facing modern planetary science by providing open access to state-of-the-art data, models and facilities across the European Research Area. The project was launched on 1st September 2015 and is funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme. It is led by the Open University, UK, and has 33 beneficiary institutions from 19 European countries. Europlanet 2020 RI provides:
• Free transnational access to world-class laboratory facilities that simulate conditions found on planetary bodies, as well as analogue fields sites for Mars, Europa and Titan.
• Virtual access to the diverse datasets and visualisation tools needed for comparing and understanding planetary environments in the Solar System and beyond.
• Networking activities, including meetings, workshops and personnel exchanges, to strengthen the community, develop industry-academic collaboration, discuss latest scientific results, and set the strategy and goals for planetary science in Europe for decades to come. Our outreach and education programmes engage Europe’s citizens, teachers, students and policy makers with cutting-edge planetary science and exploration.
The application and peer review process is coordinated by European Science Foundation (ESF) and no other members of the Europlanet 2020 RI consortium are involved in the evaluation procedure. Potential applicants are, however, strongly advised to make contact with staff of the proposed host facility to ensure that proposals are viable and/or choosing the optimal facility for the proposed research.
The next closing date for proposals will be Thursday March 30th 2017 at 12.00 (noon), CEST (Brussels, Paris time).
More details about the project can be found at: http://www.europlanet-2020-ri.eu/research-infrastructure
How to apply: http://www.europlanet-2020-ri.eu/research-infrastructure/field-and-lab-visits/how-to-apply
The form: https://e-forms.esf.org/europlanetcall/
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Application Deadline: March 31, 2017
The Department of Physics and Space Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology invites applications for a permanent faculty position beginning August 2017. This position is at the rank of assistant professor, but higher ranks may be considered for senior or well-established candidates. While applicants from all branches of planetary science will be considered, those with active research involving Mars are strongly encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in applicants with experience that overlaps other research areas in our department, and that can make best use of our available research facilities. These facilities include a large Mars atmospheric simulation chamber and 1-m class telescopes in Florida, Tucson, Chile, and La Palma. Candidates should be committed to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and to developing or bringing a leading research program in planetary science. The candidate will also mentor and train students in our Space Sciences masters and doctoral programs, and work closely with the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute. Review of applications will begin immediately, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Florida Tech hosts one of the largest physics and space sciences programs in the U.S. The Department of Physics and Space Sciences has 130 undergraduates and 35 graduate students. Being founded to support NASA, and being only a few miles from the Kennedy Space Center, we are tightly integrated into the federal and private space industry. Information about the department and its current research activities can be found at http://cos.fit.edu/pss/. For more information interested candidates should contact Dr. Daniel Batcheldor. To apply email searchpss@fit.edu with the subject “Position # PSS705”. In a single PDF provide a cover letter, CV, statements of research and teaching experience and interests, and the names and contact information of at least three references. Review of applications will begin immediately, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Florida Tech is an equal opportunity employer.
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Application Deadline: March 31, 2017
NASA’s Planetary Science Division (PSD) is announcing the establishment of the Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC), a new committee replacing the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS) of the NASA Advisory Council, Science Committee (NAC SC). The PAC has been constituted under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and will advise the Planetary Science Division of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD). On December 2, 2016, NASA provided notice of their establishment via Federal Register Notice 16-083.
The Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC) (https://science.nasa.gov/nac/science-advisory-committees/pac) supports the advisory needs of the Planetary Science Division (PSD), the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and other mission directorates as required, and NASA Administrator. The scope of the PAC includes all aspects of NASA’s planetary science program. In addition to scientific research, the scope also encompasses considerations of the development of near-term enabling technologies, systems, and computing and information management capabilities, as well as developments with the potential to provide long-term improvements in future mission operational systems. Responsibility for biological planetary protection is outside the purview of the PAC.
NASA’s PSD is extending the invitation for nominations for service on the PAC. Interested member of the community are invited to review the charter and to submit self-nominations for consideration to fill intermittent vacancies on the committees.
To be considered by NASA, self-nomination packages from interested U.S. citizens must be sent to NASA as an email and must include the name of the Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC). The deadline for NASA receipt of all public nominations is March 31, 2017.
The following information is required to be included as part of each self-nomination package:
(1) a cover email including the name and full mailing and email addresses of nominee;
(2) a professional resume (one-page maximum, included as an attachment); and,
(3) a professional biography (one-page maximum; included as an attachment).
Please submit the nomination as a single package containing the cover email and both required attachments electronically to the email for the Planetary Science Advisory Committee (PAC): pac-execsec@hq.nasa.gov. All self-nomination packages must be submitted electronically via email to NASA; paper-based documents sent through postal mail (hard-copies) will not be accepted.
Self-nomination packages that do not include the three (3) mandatory elements listed above will not receive further consideration by NASA.
The following qualifications/experience are highly desirable in nominees, and should be clearly presented in their self-nomination packages:
• At least 10 years post-Ph.D. research experience including publications in the scientific field of the committee for which they are nominated, or comparable experience;
• Leadership in scientific and/or education and public outreach fields as evidenced by award of prizes, invitation to national and international meetings as speaker, organizer of scientific meetings/workshops, or comparable experience;
• Participation in NASA programs either as member of NASA mission science team, Research and Analysis program, membership on an advisory/working group or a review panel, or comparable experience;
• Good knowledge of NASA programs in the scientific field of the committee for which they are applying, including the latest NASA Science Plan (available as a link from http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/); and,
• Knowledge of the latest Decadal Survey conducted by the National Academies or other relevant advisory reports for the scientific field of the committee.
Nominees from any category of organizations or institutions within the U.S. are welcome, including, but not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. Nominees need not be presently affiliated with any organization or institution.
There will also be member vacancies from time to time throughout the year, and NASA will consider self-nominations to fill such intermittent vacancies as well. Nominees will only be contacted should a vacancy be available and it is judged that their area(s) of expertise is appropriate for that specific vacancy. NASA is committed to selecting members to serve on the committee based on their individual expertise, knowledge, experience, current/past contributions to the relevant subject area and overall diversity of the committee. These appointments are non-compensated. These are not full-time positions. Successful nominees will be required to attend meetings of the committee approximately two or three times a year, either in person (NASA covers travel-related expenses for this non-compensated appointment) or via telecon and/or virtual meeting medium. All successful nominees will be required to submit confidential financial disclosure forms, and undergo conflict of interest reviews by the NASA Office of the General Counsel, before their appointment can be finalized. Once appointed, successful nominees will be required to complete FACA training and annual ethics briefings. Successful nominees who are not U.S. Government employees will be formally appointed as Special Government Employees (SGEs).
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Application Deadline: March 31, 2017
Early Career Faculty (ECF) is one of three calls for proposals from STMD’s Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program. Early Stage Innovations (ESI) appears as Appendix B2 under the SpaceTech-REDDINRA, and NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) is a separate solicitation.
This call seeks proposals on specific space technologies that are currently at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). Investment in innovative low-TRL research increases knowledge and capabilities in response to new questions and requirements, stimulates innovation, and allows more creative solutions to problems constrained by schedule and budget. Moreover, it is investment in fundamental research activities that has historically benefited the Nation on a broader basis, generating new industries and spin-off applications.
Our Nation’s universities couple fundamental research with education, encouraging a culture of innovation based on the discovery of knowledge. Universities are, therefore, ideally positioned to both conduct fundamental space technology research and diffuse newly-found knowledge into society at large through graduate students and industrial, government, and other partnerships. STMD investments in space technology research at U.S. universities promote the continued leadership of our universities as an international symbol of the country’s scientific innovation, engineering creativity, and technological skill. These investments also create, fortify, and nurture the talent base of highly skilled engineers, scientists, and technologists to improve America’s technological and economic competitiveness.
This ECF Appendix seeks to tap into that talent base, challenging early career faculty to examine the theoretical feasibility of new ideas and approaches that are critical to making science, space travel, and exploration more effective, affordable, and sustainable. It is the intent of the STRG Program and this Appendix to foster interactions between NASA and the awarded universities/PIs. Therefore, collaboration/interaction with NASA researchers should be expected while conducting space technology under these awards.
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Application Deadline: March 31, 2017
The Early Career Fellowship (ECF) program supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the areas supported by the Planetary Sciences Division. This Program is based on the idea that supporting key individuals is a critical mechanism for achieving high impact science that will lead the field forward with new concepts, technologies, and methods.
This program consists of two components with two different submission procedures: the first is the one-page application to be an “Early Career Fellow” (ECF) and the second is the subsequent submission of a seven-page proposal for start up funds by a previously selected ECF. Section 2 presents details on the former, the application to be an ECF. Section 3 presents details on the latter, the proposal in response to this program element by selected ECFs to apply for up to $100K in start up funds, once they obtain a permanent track position, which is defined in Section 4.3. See Section 3 for eligibility to apply for start up funds.
Please also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions PDF which may be downloaded from the NSPIRES web page for this program element.
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Application Deadline: April 1, 2017
The Astrobiology Early Career Collaboration Award offers research-related travel support for undergraduate, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior scientists. Applicants are encouraged to use these resources to circulate among two or more laboratories supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program (the NASA Astrobiology Institute, Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology, Planetary Science and Technology Through Analog Research, MatiSSE, PICASSO and the Habitable Worlds Programs), however any travel that is critical for the applicant’s research will be considered.
Travelers must be formally affiliated with a U.S. institution. Requests are limited to $5,000, and are accepted with yearly deadlines of April 1 and October 1.
How to Apply
To be considered for an Astrobiology Early Career Collaboration Award, please submit the following material to Melissa Kirven-Brooks at Melissa.Kirven-Brooks@nasa.gov:
• the team(s) and researchers you plan to visit
• the approximate dates of travel
• a brief description of the research you plan to conduct at the hosting laboratory (include, for example, any technique you expect to learn, or equipment you will need to use) and how the collaboration is relevant to your research
• a budget describing what funds are required, and
• letters of recommendation from your faculty advisor and from the researcher(s) you plan to visit
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Application Deadline: April 14, 2017
The 2017 International Summer School in Astrobiology will be held at the summer campus of the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP), Palacio de la Magdalena, Santander, Spain on June 25 – 30, 2017.
The theme of this year’s International Summer School in Astrobiology is Exoplanet Habitability. With the discoveries of small planets orbiting nearby stars mounting and new characterization methods appearing, the discovery of life beyond the Solar System may occur in the near future. However, the challenges in recognizing habitable exoplanets, i.e. those with liquid water, remain significant. This school will bring together scientists interested in observational techniques that can probe terrestrial planet properties, as well as the physical processes that dictate planetary features such as planet formation, atmospheric phenomena, and geophysical effects.
Traditionally, the search for habitable exoplanets begins with identifying terrestrial exoplanets orbiting in their host star’s habitable zone, a shell around a star in which a planet with an Earth-like atmosphere could support liquid water on the surface. While this condition must be met, many additional features are important which can be roughly divided into factors due to the host star, the planetary system, and the planet itself. This school will explore the connections between these aspects of planetary systems that permit habitable surface environments. The intellectual connections the students develop at this school will facilitate interdisciplinary research that brings the groundbreaking discovery of life beyond Earth within our grasp.
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Application Deadline: April 15, 2017
BMSIS provides opportunities for college students to participate as Young Scientists with Blue Marble Space and participate in basic research and learn about science communication. Young Scientists conduct supervised research under direct supervision by a BMSIS mentor. The Young Scientist may work on-site or remotely, depending on the needs of the project, mentor, and Young Scientist. Funding is available for some projects. Young Scientist positions will last nominally a maximum of three months, and funded positions may last longer.
BMSIS Young Scientists will write a written report of their research which may be used in a variety of applications, and will also be paired with a communication mentor to help develop their skills in science communication. The Young Scientist Program includes required modules in science communication as well as ethics and society with guidance from their research and communication mentors. Young Scientists also will attend monthly BMSIS seminars and may have other opportunities to participate in BMSIS activities.
Applications for the Young Scientist Program will be accepted on a rolling basis with limited available positions, so interested applicants are encouraged to contact Blue Marble Space at apply@bmsis.org and apply early.
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Application Deadline: April 17, 2017
The MIRS Program aims both to train a new community of educators in astrobiology and to increase diversity within the astrobiology community. Over the past twelve years, the program has provided opportunities for faculty members from minority-serving institutions to partner with astrobiology investigators in a wide variety of research areas. One of the program’s main objectives is to engage more faculty from minority-serving institutions in astrobiology research to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in astrobiology. MIRS Fellows have been hosted at UC Riverside, NASA Goddard, NASA Ames, the SETI Institute, the Scripps Research Institute, JPL, RPI, U Wisconsin, and many other institutions.
For more information and a link to the MIRS application form, go to http://nai.nasa.gov/funding/nasa-astrobiology-minority-institution-research-support-mirs-program/.
For questions, please contact Melissa Kirven at Melissa.kirven@nasa.gov.
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Application Deadline: April 28, 2017
The goals of the Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship (RTF) program in Astrophysics are to provide early-career researchers the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to lead astrophysics flight instrument development projects, including suborbital investigations, in preparation to become Principal Investigators (PIs) of future astrophysics missions; to develop innovative technologies for space astrophysics that have the potential to enable major scientific breakthroughs; and to foster new talent by putting early career instrument builders on a trajectory towards long-term positions. NASA is committed to supporting deserving early career researchers by selecting one or more Roman Technology Fellows every year.
This program consists of two components with two different submission procedures. The first component is the one-page application from an early career individual to be named a Roman Technology Fellow (RTF). The second component is the subsequent submission of a proposal for up to $300K in Fellowship Funds by a previously selected RTF once that individual obtains a permanent or permanent-track position, in order to start a laboratory or develop a research group at the Fellow’s institution.
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Application Deadline: April 30, 2017
The course “Impacts and their Role in the Evolution of Life” will take place from July 25 to August 3, 2017 at Kuressaare and the Kaali impact crater site on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. It aims to give students a thorough introduction in the role of meteorite and comets impacts in the formation of Earth, its atmosphere and the evolution of life. The course consists of lectures, pratical exercises and student-led discussions. Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in two poster sessions.
The Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre, the University of Tartu, the European Astrobiology Campus, and the Nordic Network of Astrobiology will function as co-organisers of the course.
The following subjects will be covered by the lectures:
• Roles of impacts in the formation of habitable planets
• Physical and chemical properties of comets and meteorites
• Detection and investigation of impact craters by geological methods and remote sensing from space
• Ecological consequences of impacts and the role of impacts in mass extinctions
• Transfer of life through meteorite impacts
• Threat of life on our planet by near-Earth asteroids and comets
The lecture programme will be complemented by practical exercises concerning:
• Electromagnetic mapping of impact sites
• Analysis of pollen indicators of the Kaali impact event.
• Microscopy of impactites
• Georadar profiling at Kaali
Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in two poster sessions. They will also go on excursions to geologically interesting sites like the Panga cliffs.
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Application Deadline: June 1, 2017
The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) pursues NASA’s strategic objectives using a wide variety of space flight programs that enable the execution of both remote sensing and in situ investigations. These investigations are carried out through flight of space missions in Earth orbit, as well as to or even beyond objects in the solar system, and also through ground-based research activities that directly support these space missions. This ROSES NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicits proposals for both flight investigations, using suborbital-class platforms (including aircraft, balloons, sounding rockets, CubeSats, commercial suborbital reusable launch vehicles, and small International Space Station (ISS) payloads, and all kinds of ground-based supporting research and technology (SR&T) investigations that seek to understand naturally occurring space and Earth phenomena, human-induced changes in the Earth system, and Earth and space science-related technologies and to support the national goals for further robotic and human exploration of space. These ground-based investigations include, but are not limited to: theory, modeling, and analysis of SMD science data, development of concepts, techniques and advanced technologies suitable for future SMD space missions; development of methods for laboratory analysis of both extraterrestrial samples returned by spacecraft and terrestrial samples that support or otherwise help verify observations from missions; determination of atomic and composition parameters needed to analyze space data, as well as returned samples from the Earth or space; Earth surface observations and field campaigns that support SMD science missions; development of integrated Earth system models; development of systems for applying Earth science research data to societal needs; and development of applied information systems applicable to SMD objectives and data.
In order to pursue NASA’s strategic objectives, SMD research activities are organized into four Research Programs:
• The Earth Science Research Program sponsors research to explore interactions among the major components of the Earth system — continents, oceans, atmosphere, ice, and life — to distinguish natural from human-induced causes of change and to understand and predict the consequences of change.
• The Heliophysics Research Program sponsors research to understand the Sun as a magnetic variable star and its effects on the Earth and other planets and the dynamics of structures in the solar system.
• The Planetary Science Research Program sponsors research to explore the solar system to study its origins and evolution, including the origins of life within it.
• The Astrophysics Research Program sponsors research to explore the universe beyond, from the search for planets and life in other solar systems to the origin, evolution, structure, and destiny of the universe itself.
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Early Bird Registration Deadline for Robotic Telescopes Student Research and Education Conference
March 31Abstract Submission Deadline for Kepler & K2 Science Conference IV: Legacy & Scion
April 01Abstract Submission Deadline for The 4th International Conference of Geobiology — Rocks, life and climate
April 01Deadline for Merit and Need-Based Student and Early-Career Grants for Goldschmidt 2017
April 03Financial Assistance Deadline for NASA’s 29th Annual Planetary Science Summer Seminar
April 03Abstract Submission Deadline for Robotic Telescopes Student Research and Education Conference
April 04Indication of Interest Deadline for The Fifth International Planetary Dunes Workshop: From the Bottom of the Oceans to the Outer Limits of the Solar System
April 04Registration Deadline for Radio Exploration of Planetary Habitability
April 06Abstract Submission Deadline for Molecules in Space: Linking the Interstellar Medium to (Exo)planets
April 11Abstract Submission Deadline for The XVIIIth International Conference on the Origin of Life
April 15Abstract Submission Deadline for the International Symposium on Education in Astronomy and Astrobiology
April 17Application Deadline for the 2018 NSF Antarctic Biology Course
April 19Session Proposal Deadline for 2017 AGU Fall Meeting
April 20Abstract Submission Deadline for The First Billion Years: Accretion: Building New Worlds
April 24Abstract Submission Deadline for the International Society of Subsurface Microbiology (ISSM) 2017 Conference