NASA Heliophysics Summer School
For grad students & early postdocs
The Summer School at a glance
Run by NASA's Living With a Star program and UCAR/CPAESS since 2007, the Heliophysics Summer School focuses on the physics of space weather events that start at the Sun and influence atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres throughout the solar system. The Summer School is comprised of two sections. There will be a remote phase from July 17-21, 2023; and an in-person phase from August 7-11, 2023. We have expanded the summer school to include a remote phase so that more people can participate.
Admission is competitive; up to 50 students are selected to attend each year.
Location: Both a virtual an in-person format in Boulder, Colorado for 2023
Open to: Graduate students, first- and second-year postdoctoral fellows
2023 THEME
Observational Heliophysics: In the last two decades, observations of the space environment and the broader heliosphere environment has grown tremendously with dozens of spacecraft missions, and a full range of ground based efforts. Individual instruments use a variety of fundamental techniques and understanding the details of these measurements are important to interpreting the results and building a model of the space environment. This summer school will review those techniques including: spectroscopy, plasma measurements, magnetometers, radio astronomy and ionosondes, energetic particle detectors, and energetic neutral atoms and others. During the summer school, participants will learn about the fundamental physics of these measurements, how they are implemented in spacecraft and ground based instruments, practice critical analysis of data with an eye towards uncertainties and errors, consider the stakeholders and consumers of the data sources, and discuss the tension between intellectual property and open science with respect to this data.
Applications for the 2023 Summer School have closed. Please check back next fall for the class of 2024 application deadline.
Why attend the Summer School?
- Deepen your understanding of how Sun-Earth processes are connected
- Learn from accomplished faculty using a defined curriculum
- Meet other early-career scientists from all over the globe
- Explore professional development opportunities
- Leave with the resources you need to broaden the scope and impact of your research
Resources from past Summer Schools
The Summer School has produced a definitive textbook series for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students.
When combined with labs, problem sets and other resources from past Summer Schools, these books will facilitate the teaching of heliophysics at universities worldwide.