This project supports travel costs for students attending the American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference on "Modeling the Ionosphere/Thermosphere System". The conference will address the current state of large-scale, complex computational models of the coupled upper atmosphere as well as future modeling needs of the ionosphere/thermosphere (IT) research community. Specific objectives of the conference are to provide the IT community, including its student members, with the following: - an overview of existing IT models - examples of model applications - data/model comparisons - assessment of model strengths and weaknesses - identification of future efforts to improve IT modeling capabilities
This award supported the participation of four students in the AGU Chapman Conference dedicated to ionospheric theory and modeling. The students in question came from The University of Colorado, Cornell University, and the University of Maryland. Each student made a presentation at the conference while interacing with the other professionals present. Presentations covered material in the areas of basic aeronomy, neutral dynamics, space plasma physics, and ionospheric plasma waves and instabilities. Three of the presentations were oral. At least three of the students will have complteted their Ph.D. studies by the end of June, 2012. Several ot the students will contribute papers to the AGU monograph resulting from the conference. That monograph is expected to be one of themost important paper compilations in the areo of upper atmospheric theory and modelling studies to come around in many years. The submission process is currently open. Student participation in professional conferences is an essential component of both education and research and is essential for community vitality. The Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric Sciences at NSF is acutely aware of this and is a staunch proponent of professional development, including undergraduate and graudate training and early-career development. Their support in this endeavor is greatly appreciated.
