Student Funding to Attend the 12th International School/Symposium for Space Simulations (ISSS-12); Prague, Czech Republic; July 3-10, 2015

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This is a proposal to fund airfare for U.S. students to participate in the International School/Symposium for Space Simulations (ISSS-12), held in Prague, Czech Republic. ISSS-12 is the synergistic combination of a noted international school with world-class instructors and an international space plasma physics symposium during which related cutting-edge research is discussed. The planned school offers an exciting opportunity for U.S. students to get hands-on experience with complex plasma simulation codes and to obtain copies of some of the basic codes at its completion. In the subsequent symposium, students are exposed to research using these same and additional cutting-edge simulation technologies. Throughout this experience, students have the opportunity to network with an international cadre of researchers and students both one-on-one and in small groups. This school and symposium approach has proven over the years to be very effective in maximizing the knowledge that students gain but, in addition, it creates an environment that enables these same students to establish international contacts and build future collaborations. The strong relevance of ISSS-12 to international STEM-related workforce issues makes it of potential interest to the Global Venture Fund program housed in the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE). GVF agreed to co-review the proposal with the NSF Geospace section. Although OISE normally does not support international symposia, ISSS-12 was judged to be a solid investment in 10 junior US researchers/students who will gain an exceptional early-career opportunity to interact with the Czech research community, which is strong in plasma physics and related areas. Furthermore, Czech research infrastructure is world class, with existing simulators, an Institute of Plasma Physics, HILASE, and a newly built EU-funded facility called ELI. Thus, this destination is an important investment in the junior US participants? professional future. To make this opportunity available to U.S. students, the GVF joined with NSF Geospace to provide funding for this proposal.