38th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) 2010 Call for Abstracts

NASA announces its intent to participate in the 38th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and requests that full-time undergraduate and graduate students attending U.S. universities respond to this “Call for Abstracts”.

The International Astronomical Federation, International Space Education Board (ISEB), which was established in 2005 to: 1.) Increase science, technology, engineering and mathematics literacy achievement in connection with space; and 2.) Support the future workforce needs of space programs, organized a student program for COSPAR. Current membership of the ISEB includes CNES, CSA, ESA, JAXA, NASA, and VSSEC.

This Assembly is an excellent meeting point for all space science experts, providing students the opportunity to create many valuable contacts with professionals and like-minded students, both from the USA and the world. Throughout the Assembly, students will interact with science professionals, learn from their expertise and listen to their views on the future of space science. While a Student Program will be incorporated into the Assembly, student participation is also integrated into the technical portion of the Assembly bringing an appreciated element of youthful insight and energy into workshop and plenary sessions.

The upcoming Scientific Assembly of the COSPAR will be held July 18-25, 2010, in Bremen, Germany. Reflecting NASA’s commitment to encouraging the development of the next generation of space professional, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit an abstract simultaneously to NASA and to the Technical Committee of COSPAR. NASA reviewers will review submitted abstracts. Pending the availability of funding , those selected by NASA that are also selected for oral or poster presentation by the COSPAR Technical Committee will be considerate for subsidy funding from NASA. The deadline for abstracts/applications submitted to NASA has been extended to Feb. 15, 2010, even though the deadline for COSPAR submission is Feb. 19, 2010.

If you have a keen interest in space exploration and would like to take part in this year’s Assembly, then now is the time to start preparing your application. Students must be available to travel to the conference to represent NASA and their universities. Students must be U.S. citizens, attending an accredited U.S. university with aspiration to enter a career in space science or aeronautics.

Many students and professors are currently involved in NASA-related research that could be considered for this submission. Students submitting abstracts are strongly encouraged to seek advice from professors who are conducting NASA research and/or from NASA scientists and engineers. Abstracts must be related to the NASA Vision for Space Exploration and tied to one of the following COSPAR categories:
 
Category A: Space Studies of the Earth’s Surface, Meteorology and Climate
Category B: Space Studies of the Earth-Moon System, Planets and Small Bodies of the Solar System
Category C: Space Studies of the Upper Atmospheres of the Earth and Planets including Reference Atmospheres
Category D: Space Plasmas in the Solar Systems, including Planetary Magnetospheres
Category E: Research in Astrophysics from Space
Category F: Life Sciences as Related to Space
Category G: Materials Sciences in Space
Category H: Fundamental Physics in Space
 
NASA Sponsorship Guidelines ( Due Feb. 15, 2010 ):

To be considered for NASA sponsorship, please contact Dr. Mabel J. Matthews, Higher Education Manager, at mabel.j.matthews@nasa.gov for an application. Student applicants are also required to comply with NASA and COSPAR guidelines (two submissions).

COSPAR Submission Guidelines ( Due Feb. 19, 2010 ):

As a part of the application procedure the abstract must be submitted in one of the COSPAR Technical Sessions. The sessions can be found in the Scientific Program Overview section of the COSPAR 2010 website at http://www.cospar-assembly.org/ . You are encouraged to carefully follow the instructions related to the submission of abstracts. Abstracts may be uploaded as soon as possible.

It is a great pleasure to invite you on behalf of NASA and COSPAR to the 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly. We hope to see many of you in Bremen, Germany next July.

61st International Astronautical Congress: Call for Abstracts

NASA announces its intent to participate in the 61st International Astronautical Congress (IAC), “Space for Human Benefit and Exploration” and requests that full-time graduate students attending U.S. universities respond to this “Call for Abstracts.”

The International Astronautical Federation, or IAF, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law organize the IAC. The IAC is the largest space-related conference in the world and selects an average of 1000 scientific papers every year. The upcoming IAC will be held Sept. 27- Oct. 1, 2010, in Prague, Czech Republic. NASA’s participation in this event is an on-going effort to continue to connect NASA with the international astronautical and space community.

This “Call for Abstracts” is a precursor to a final paper, which may be presented at the 61st IAC. Student authors are invited to submit an abstract regarding an original, unpublished paper that has not been submitted in any other forum. A NASA technical review panel will select abstracts to be considered by the IAF. This opportunity is for graduate students majoring in fields related to the IAF research topics. Students may submit technical (oral) presentations and/or posters. Students may submit abstracts that are co-authored with their Principal Investigators; however, the student must be the “lead author,” and only the student will present at the IAC. Students must be available to travel to the conference to represent NASA and their universities. Students must be U.S. citizens, attending a U.S. university, who plan to enter a career in space science or aeronautics. Pending the availability of funding, graduate students selected by IAC will be considered for subsidy funding from NASA.

Many students and professors are currently involved in NASA-related research that could be considered for this submission. Students submitting abstracts are strongly encouraged to seek advice from professors who are conducting NASA research and/or from NASA scientists and engineers. Abstracts must be related to the Vision for Space Exploration and fit into one of the following IAF Conference themes: Science and Exploration, Applications and Operations, Technology, Infrastructure, and Space and Society.

The following information must be included in the submission: paper title, author’s name and e-mail address, organization/institution, mailing address, phone number, fax number, names of the co-authors, e-mail address of co-authors. Please use the IAF webpage (www.iafastro.org): Unregistered persons should log onto the site for submission of papers.

IAC Paper Selection:

The Session Chairs, on the basis of technical quality and suitability, will evaluate abstracts submitted. Relation to the Congress theme “Space for Human Benefit and Exploration” will also be considered. Abstracts will be selected for presentation and discussion on the basis of potential for discussion but with no distinction in terms of quality threshold. All selected abstracts must reach the same high level of quality and will be accorded the same level of recognition by the Congress. Papers with the potential for extended discussion will be chosen for Interactive Presentations wherever possible. The Session Chairs’ evaluations will be submitted to the responsible Symposium Coordinators, who will make acceptance recommendations to the International Programme Committee, which will take the final decision. Ensuring the high quality of the papers presented at the 61st Congress will be the primary goal of the International Programme Committee.

The criteria for the selection will be defined according to the following specifications:

• Abstracts should specify: purpose, methodology, results, conclusions and areas for discussion.
• Abstracts should indicate that substantive technical and/or programmatic content is included.
• Abstracts should clearly indicate that the material is new and original; explain why and how.
• Prospective author(s) should certify that the paper was not presented at a previous meeting and that financing.

NASA Submission Guidelines:

All abstracts must be submitted electronically to HQ-NASA-Intern1@mail.nasa.gov via email by Feb. 25, 2010 , even though the deadline for IAC submission is March 5, 2010. Submit abstracts in MS Word or Adobe PDF format, as an attachment or as text pasted within the body of the e-mail.

In addition, please include an education/citizenship statement: I verify that I am a U.S. citizen and a full-time graduate student majoring in a field or fields related to the IAF research topics. The abstract submitted is original and has not been presented at another meeting.