Professional Title/Position

Degrees and Education

• Ph.D., UC Berkeley (2012)

Affiliations

• University of Minnesota

Research Areas, Topics, and Interests

• Solar flares
• Stellar flares
• Coronal heating
• X-rays/gamma rays
• Instrumentation

Services, Roles, and Activities

• AAS/SPD member since 2009

Professional Experience and Positions

• PI, FOXSI-3 sounding rocket
• NASA Sounding Rocket Working Group Committee Member

Candidate Statement

The perspective that I offer to the SPD is that of a midwestern, young, female scientist who works on a combination of hardware and analysis, and who is an educator as well as a researcher. I came to be interested in science relatively later than most future physicists, and as such have a good sense of how solar science can be promoted both to future prospective students and to the public as a whole. As a new faculty member of a joint physics and astronomy department, I am particularly interested in cross-cutting research that overlaps between solar and other astrophysical fields, and in how to foster that research.

The importance of space weather to humanity and the natural interest that everyone has in understanding our own star together place solar physics in a position of high societal relevance. We would be far more relevant, however, were our membership to reflect the ethnic and social diversity of the general population, which it currently doesn't. There are several reasons for this lack of diversity, but a large contributor is the lack of access to resources such as scientific conferences, fellowships, summer schools, and networking centers, both in terms of financial support and in knowing that these resources exist. If elected I would focus on ways for the SPD to strengthen and add to the resources we offer, advertise those resources to those who most need it, and institute mentoring across institutions to support those who will bring much-needed diversity to our fields.

Professional Title/Position

Degrees and Education

• Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of Virginia (2013)
• M.S. in Astrophysics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (2008)
• B.S. in Physics, Peking University (2005)

Affiliations

• New Jersey Institute of Technology

Research Areas, Topics, and Interests

My research is broadly concerned with the physics of the solar atmosphere, and has focused on energetic phenomena on the Sun. I am particularly interested in combining observations from ground-based telescopes with space-borne missions at multiple wavelengths to obtain multi-faceted diagnostics for these phenomena. I have helped the development of the solar observing mode of the Jansky Very Large Array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and have been coordinating multi-instrument observing campaigns that involve VLA, Hinode, IRIS, and NuSTAR. Currently I am working on the expansion project of the Owens Valley Solar Array, a solar-dedicated radio observatory operated by NJIT. Although my primary expertise is in solar radio astronomy, I am also experienced in solar ultraviolet and X-ray studies: I was on the science investigation team of SDO/AIA and Hinode/XRT at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and led a working group at the 14th RHESSI Workshop concerning radio and X-ray flares.

Candidate Statement

This is an exciting time when ground-based and space-borne observing techniques, as well as modeling and theoretic methods are all rapidly advancing. This is also a crucial time to bridge these different approaches to ask and answer important questions. As a member of the SPD committee, I look forward to helping the division enhance existing efforts and explore new ways to facilitate collaborations across multiple observatories/institutions. In addition to contributing to the science, I am also keen to advocate all efforts of helping graduate students, post-docs, and early-career researchers in their career development. Being on the job market myself in the past few years, I have shared the same experience with many of my peers: It seems to be increasingly difficult to secure a professional position in this field. Among others, this is a situation our organization must take a hard look into. I intend to take this opportunity to assist the community tackling on this and other difficult problems.

Professional Title/Position

Degrees and Education

• Ph.D. in Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo (2005)

Affiliations

• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Research Areas, Topics, and Interests

• Solar prominences
  • ion-neutral coupling
  • mass and dynamics
  • energy release
• Oscillations
• Energy transfer and release
• Global chromospheric waves in the solar atmosphere
• Coronal mass ejections

Services, Roles, and Activities

• SPD Committee Member (2008-2010)
• SPD Hale & Harvey Prize Committee Member (2007-2011)

Professional Experience and Positions

• AGU Ambassador Award Committee Member (2014-present)
• AGU Scarf Award Committee Member (2013-2014)
• IAU WG Member: Communicating Heliophysics (2013-2014)
• SHINE Steering Committee Member (2009-2011)
• SHINE Working Group Leader (2005-2008)
• GSFC Education Policy Team Member (2008-2011)
• Science Organizing Committee member for IAU Symposium (2012-1013)
• Science Organizing Committee and Local Organizing Committee Member for the Fourth Solar Orbiter Workshop (2011)
• Science Organizing Committee Member for ATST-EST Workshop (2011)
• HAO Steering Committee Member of the Early Career Scientist Assembly (2000-02)
• UCAR Project and Associate Scientist Review Committee (2001-2002)

Candidate Statement

In this thrilling era of solar physics research marked by a wealth of cutting-edge observatories (both space-based and ground-based) and sophisticated models, understanding dynamic processes on the Sun is crucial in the context of space weather forecasting and applications. It is increasingly important to advance solar physics research by coordinating with other scientific fields, effectively communicating with the public through outreach, and supporting current and prospective SPD members. The SPD is well positioned to foster cooperation among heliophysics sub-disciplines by promoting a system science research model, a crucial strategic element given the current challenges of the funding climate. To this end, I would utilize my extensive experience in research, outreach, and leadership in heliophysics if elected as Vice-Chair. I am honored to be nominated and would be proud to serve this prominent organization, of which I've been a member for 20 years.

Professional Title/Position

Degrees and Education

• Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy, University of Sao Paulo (1998)
• B.S. in Physics, University of Sao Paulo (1992)

Affiliations

• Boston University

Research Areas, Topics, and Interests

Dr. Opher's research interests are in how plasma and magnetic effects reveal themselves in astrophysical and space physics environments. She uses state-of the art 3D computational models to investigate these phenomena.

Services, Roles, and Activities

• NSF CAREER award
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
• Kavli Fellow from the National Academy of Science
• NASA Heliophysics Mission Senior Review Panel, 2015
• Member of the Decadal Survey in Space Physics of Solar and Heliospheric Panel Associate Editor of Journal of Geophysics Research (2014-2017)
• Steering Committee for the Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
• SPA AGU Fellow Committee

Professional Experience and Positions

• Director of Center of Space Physics, Boston University
• Director of Graduate Studies, Boston University
• Director of REU Program in Astronomy Department, Boston University

Candidate Statement

Currently I am associate professor and the director of graduate studies of the Astronomy Department at Boston University. In the next couple of years there will be a dramatic change in the solar physics landscape. Recent and upcoming NASA missions (e.g., Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter), exciting ground-based technological advances (Adaptive Optics; infrared array detectors), and the upcoming Advanced Technology Solar Telescope being constructed on Haleakala on Maui in Hawaii will alter the Solar Physics landscape dramatically. The most recent Decadal Surveys for Astrophysics (Astro2010 "New Worlds, New Horizons") and for Solar and Space Physics ("A Science for a Technological Society") have both called out key roles for solar science research over this and the next decade. It's important to help position the solar community and foster collaborations in the next years.

The solar community has been very successful on it own. My goal is help bridge the Solar Physics and SPD community with the Heliosphere and other AGU communities, as well as with the stellar communities from the Astronomy community at large. The astronomy department at Boston University is such a place where we are fostering such collaborations between Space Physics and Astronomy. For example we initiated recently an REU program from which I am a director called "Magnetic Fields on Planetary to Cosmic Scales - a Joint Program in Astronomy and Space Science at Boston University" with such goal.

I will bring my heliospheric expertise both on work of Coronal Mass Ejection evolution in the low corona, to the outer most regions of the heliosphere where its interact with the interstellar medium. Similar plasma processes dominate in these vastly different environments.

SPD could help facilitate such interactions with the heliospheric and heliophysics community at large through, for example, small meetings geared specifically towards common processes that span different environment. Other type of small meetings could be to increase the exchange of ideas between the astronomy and solar community around common physical processes present in both areas.

I bring to this position leadership experience being the Center of Space Physics Director in Boston University.

Finally, I believe that SPD can set an example to other professional societies by helping to decrease the gender gap in space physics. This problem is, of course, not unique to the solar community, however SPD can make recommendations for academia and government agencies on measures that would help minimize this gender gap and ensure an environment that provides equal opportunity for professional development for all SPD members of all genders and races. One example of such a measure is to make an effort to hold SPD meetings in locations that are easily accessible (to minimize travel time) so that members (of both genders) with young families can attend.