DR. LARS K.S. DALDORFF WILL WORK WITH DR. JAMES A. KLIMCHUK WHO IS AT NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER ON THE SIMULATION OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION WITH THE SPECIFIC GOAL OF UNDERSTANDING THE ONSET CONDITIONS AT THE START OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION. THIS WORK HAS IMPLICATIONS ON HOW MUCH ENERGY IS TAKEN FROM THE MAGNETIC FIELD TO HEAT UP THE PLASMA IN THE SUN S CORONA AS WELL AS IN FLARES JETS AND CORONAL MASS EJECTION WHICH IN TURN HAS IMPLICATIONS ON SPACE WEATHER PREDICTION. CURRENT EFFORTS WILL FOCUS ON TWO PARTS. ONSET OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION: THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF RECONNECTION ONSET BY SIMULATING INDIVIDUAL CURRENT SHEETS STARTING WITH THE SIMPLEST POSSIBLE SITUATION AND ADDING INCREASING LEVELS OF REALISM. OUR ULTIMATE SIMULATION WILL INCLUDE A THERMALLY AND GRAVITATIONALLY STRATIFIED ATMOSPHERE PHOTOSPHERIC DRIVING AND PARTIAL IONIZATION. AND A SECOND PART; COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR: UNDERSTANDING THE COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR THAT GIVES RISE TO LOOPS IS A CRUCIAL ASPECT OF THE CORONAL HEATING PROBLEM. WE WILL PERFORM 3D MHD SIMULATIONS OF COLLECTIONS OF TWISTED AND TANGLED MAGNETIC FLUX TUBES TO INVESTIGATE HOW THEY BECOME UNSTABLE AND INTERACT WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS PERHAPS CREATING AN AVALANCHE OF RECONNECTION EVENTS. THE COMPLETED WORK WILL BE SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION IN REFEREED JOURNAL AT THE END OF 2019. IN 2020 THE PROJECT WILL BE STUDYING THE COUPLING BETWEEN THE SUN S CHROMOSPHERE AND CORONA.