CAREER: Inter-Hemispheric Magnetic Conjugacy of Ionospheric Convection

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This is a five year Faculty Early Career Development project to carry out integrated research and education activities under the theme of inter-hemispheric space weather connections. An overarching science objective for the research efforts to be undertaken is the investigation of the inter-hemispheric magnetic conjugacy of ionospheric irregularities and convection on closed magnetic field lines. This will be done based mainly on simultaneous measurements from the NSF-supported SuperDARN network of radars in the northern and southern hemispheres. Statistical and case study analysis of more than 20 years of existing SuperDARN radar data from northern and southern hemisphere sites in the auroral and mid-latitude regions will be conducted. A particular emphasis will be to compare the degree of conjugacy between the auroral zone and the subauroral ionosphere. The recent expansion of SuperDARN to middle latitudes provides new capabilities to investigate inter-hemispheric conjugacy in the subauroral ionosphere, including a unique 20 month-long dataset of combined measurements from the Falkland Islands and Wallops radars. The research effort will form the basis for a graduate degree as well as various self-contained research projects for undergraduate students. Significant additional education and outreach activities in the project are designed to enhance the exposure of students to space science research and associated engineering in undergraduate education and pre-college summer camps at Virginia Tech. The central concept of inter-hemispheric space weather connections will be integrated into the undergraduate curriculum and summer camp activities. Pre-college and undergraduate students will use newly purchased hand-held radio receiver equipment to search for natural VLF signals (such as sferics, tweeks and whistlers) and learn about inter-hemispheric space weather phenomena. Undergraduate students will be employed as teaching assistants for the summer camp activities. The acquisition of a research grade ELF/VLF receiver will broaden the radio science activities at Virginia Tech and operation of the instrument will become a student-led research effort. The project will provide full tuition and stipend support for a graduate student to pursue Ph.D. research on inter-hemispheric conjugacy of ionospheric convection. Travel funds will be provided for the graduate student to attend yearly scientific meetings in the US, and to visit twice with SuperDARN partner organizations in the UK for extensive collaboration. All education and outreach components include appropriate and significant measures of evaluation and assessment that will be conducted in collaboration with the Office of Academic Assessment at Virginia Tech.