LAD Newsletter 6

Welcome to the Sixth Newsletter from the AAS Laboratory Astrophysics
Division (LAD).  Here we provide information on:

Upcoming meetings (in chronological order):
* Faraday Discussion Number 168 - Astrochemistry of Dust, Ice and Gas
* Biosignatures Across Space and Time
* 2nd AAS LAD meeting held jointly with 224th AAS meeting
* Joint AAS SPD, AAS LAD, and APS GPAP sessions at 224th AAS meeting
* Nuclear spin effects in Astrochemistry
* 69th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy
* 13th Biennial HITRAN Conference
* 14th AAS HEAD Meeting

For up-to-date information, we encourage you to regularly consult the
LAD web pages at http://lad.aas.org

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Faraday Discussion Number 168 - Astrochemistry of Dust, Ice and Gas
Leiden, The Netherlands
7-9 April 2014

Details about this meeting can be found at
http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/RSCConferences/FD/FD168/.

Since LAD is a cosponsor for this meeting, LAD members can get a
discount of £25 off the student registration fee and £100 off the
standard registration fee.  The discount code is 168coADIG

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Biosignatures Across Space and Time
Bergen, Norway
20-22 May 2014

This meeting will to bring together astronomers, geologists, biologists
and other interested scientists to share interdisciplinary approaches to
detect signs of life on early Earth and other celestial bodies
(including exoplanets) and to elucidate the environmental limits and
origins of life.

Scientific sessions are planned for the following subjects:

   Formation and detection of complex molecules in the interstellar medium
   Organic molecules in planetary and satellite atmospheres
   Remote Sensing of Planetary Surfaces
   Characterisation of exoplanets and their atmospheres
   Meteroite Bombardment and Prebiotic Chemistry on the Hadean Earth
   Early Earth Habitable Environments: Oceans, Atmosphere & Crustal Growth
   Earliest Fingerprints for Life on Earth
   Impacts and their role in the evolution transfer & possible detection of life
   Biomineralisation & life in sediments
   Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents & Biomarkers from Subseafloor Life
   Archea & Biomarkers for Life in Extreme Environments

The meeting is open to all interested scientists. It is co-organised by
the Nordic Network of Astrobiology and the Centre of Geobiology at the
University of Bergen and will take place from 20 to 22 May 2014 at the
Egget Auditorium at the University of Bergen. For further information
about the event, accesss the website of the conference:

http://www.nordicastrobiology.net/Biosignatures2014

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Second Annual Laboratory Astrophysics Division Meeting: LAD 2014
Held jointly with the 224th AAS meeting
Boston, MA
1-5 June 2014

The second LAD meeting devoted to the interplay between laboratory
astrophysics and other fields in astronomy, planetary science and
related sciences will be held jointly with the 224th Meeting of the
American Astronomical Society, June 1-5, 2014, Boston, Massachusetts.

Abstract Submission for oral and poster presentations opens 3 Feb 2014.

Deadline for receipt of abstracts is 9:00 pm ET, Mon 3 Mar 2014.

Late abstracts will be accepted until 9:00 pm ET, Thu 17 Apr 2014.

Detailed Abstract Information and Presentation Instructions can be found
at http://aas.org/meetings/aas224/abstracts_full

For those of you who submitted abstracts previously through the sponsorship
of an AAS member, you are reminded that future submissions, including those
for the upcoming meeting in Boston, require membership at any of the appropriate
levels. These are Full, Associate, and Junior memberships in the AAS, as well as
Affiliate and Junior Affiliate LAD memberships.

Schedule:

Bridging Laboratory & Astrophysics: Atoms
Monday, 2 June 2014: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Randall Smith, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
   Gregory Brown, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Molecules
Monday, 2 June 2014: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Paule Sonnentrucker, Space Telescope Science Institute
   Michael A. Duncan, University of Georgia

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Dust and Ices
Tuesday, 3 June 2014: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Bruce Draine, Princeton University
   Raúl A. Baragiola, University of Virginia

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Planetary
Tuesday, 3 June 2014: 2:00pm - 3:30 pm
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Sara Seager, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
   Larry Nittler, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Plasmas
Wednesday, 4 June 2014: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Chris Niemann, UCLA
   Jim Bailey, Sandia National Laboratories

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics: Nuclear & Particles
Wednesday, 4 June 2014: 2:00pm - 3:30 pm
Confirmed Invited Speakers:

   Arthur Champagne, University of North Carolina
   Johan Frenje, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Posters - Parallel 4-day long poster session

SOC: The Annual LAD Meeting is organized by the LAD Program Committee:
Farid Salama (NASA/Ames Research Center), Chair
John Black (Chalmers University of Technology)
Nancy Chanover (New Mexico State University)
Paul Drake (University of Michigan)
Chikang Li (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Daniel Wolf Savin (Columbia University)
Gianfranco Vidali (Syracuse University)
Steven Federman (University of Toledo), ex-officio

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Joint AAS LAD, AAS SPD, and APS GPAP sessions at the 224th AAS meeting
Boston, MA
1-5 June 2014

In addition to its Annual Meeting, LAD, is also co-hosting a one-day
Meeting jointly with the AAS SPD Division and the APS Topical Group in
Plasma Astrophysics (TGPAP) that will focus on the interplay between
laboratory astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar physics.

SPD/LAD Joint Session: Bridging Laboratory and Solar Plasma Studies I

Thursday, 5 June 2014: 10:00 am - 11: 30 am

SPD/LAD Joint Session: Bridging Laboratory and Solar Plasma Studies II

Thursday, 5 June 2014: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Posters - Parallel 4-day long poster session

The Abstract Submission for these sessions opens on February 3rd:
http://aas.org/meetings/aas224/abstracts
All abstracts must be complete and submitted by 9 pm ET, Monday, 3 March
2014.  If you would like to be considered specifically for the joint
sessions, please, put in a note that you are submitting to the joint
session on "Bridging Laboratory and Solar Plasma Studies".

Note that to submit an abstract one has to be an AAS Member, an
Affiliate Member of AAS SPD or LAD, or have an AAS Member sponsor.  As
you decide which of these options works best for you, consider that as
members of APS we are all eligible to become Affiliate Members of LAD
and/or SPD.  Instructions for becoming an Affiliate LAD member can be
found here: http://lad.aas.org/members , and for becoming an Affiliate
SPD member can be found here: http://spd.aas.org/navbar_members.html .

Meeting Registration instructions can be found at
http://aas.org/meetings/aas224/registration .  Note that the Early
Registration deadline is Feb 13th and, if you would like to stay only
for the joint oral sessions, one-day registration is available.

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Nuclear spin effects in Astrochemistry
Göteborg, Sweden
9-11 June 2014

Workshop context and aim:
In recent years, detailed experimental work on low-temperature reactions has
highlighted the relevance of spin-type-specific investigations in astrochemistry.
This has prompted the inclusion of spin-type-dependent reaction rates in theoretical
models of interstellar chemistry - unveiling some dramatic effects, for example on
isotope fractionation. At the same time, the amount of observational data on spin-type
ratios in astronomical environments has grown rapidly.

The aim of this focused workshop is to bring together experts from both the experimental,
theoretical and observational (Solar System, galactic, and extragalactic) communities to
present and discuss the current status and challenges of interpreting the growing amount
of data on molecular spin ratios. A few time slots will be open for contributed talks.
More information can soon be found at http://http://www.chalmers.se/rss/oso-en/meetings/
If you have questions, please contact the LOC at NuclearSpinWS2014@chalmers.se

SOC:
Ted Bergin
John Black
Alexandre Faure
Stephan Schlemmer
Geronimo Villanueva

LOC:
John Black
Eva Wirström

The workshop is organized by the research group in Radio astronomy and astrophysics,
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, in cooperation
with Onsala Space Observatory.

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69th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy
Champaign-Urbana, IL
16-20 June 2014

Abstracts may now be submitted for this meeting.  Abstracts will be
accepted (through the website only) until March 1, 2014.  More
information can be found at http://isms.illinois.edu/

The meeting will feature a mini-symposium entitled "Astronomical
Molecular Spectroscopy in the Age of ALMA" and organized by Leslie
Looney (University of Illinois) and Anthony Remijan (NRAO).  This
mini-symposium will present new observational and experimental results
that highlight the improvements in our understanding of molecular
astronomy over the last few years. Invited Speakers: Ted Bergin
(University of Michigan) and Geoff Blake (Caltech)

Please note that significant changes have been made to the Abstract
process this year, and it would be well worth your time to take a minute
and read the Instructions on the website (it will really only take a
minute).  One new change is that you may add abstracts and edit them at
any time, before finally submitting them in advance of the deadline.

It would be especially helpful to your co-authors if you could log into
the website and update your affiliation information if you will be an
author on a talk (this will make the process of adding abstracts
significantly quicker).  If you do not know your Frequency (password),
use the "Lost Frequency?" link on the Login page.

The Abstract submission process is brand new this year, and while it has
been tested thoroughly, there is always the chance that something was
missed.  If you experience any problems or have any questions, please
contact Birgit right away at birgit@isms.illinois.edu.

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The Thirteenth Biennial HITRAN/ASA Conference
Cambridge, MA
23-25 June 2014

The conference will be held at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The meeting will be organized
around the topics:

- Current status of the molecular spectroscopic database
- Relevant new spectroscopic data
- Priorities for incorporation of new parameters
- Laboratory techniques
- User applications
- Characterization of spectroscopic parameters required by
radiative-transfer modeling
- Database archiving, access, and methodology

Confirmed invited Speakers: Andre Butz (Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, GERMANY), Kelly Chance
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge MA, USA), David
Crisp (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, USA), Joseph T. Hodges
(National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD, USA),
Shuiming Hu (University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei,
Anhui, P.R. CHINA), Timothy J. Lee (NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, CA, USA),  Daniel Lisak (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun,
POLAND), Michael Rey (Université de Reims, Reims, FRANCE), Geronimo L.
Villanueva (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD, USA)

The registration will be open in February 2014. The deadline for
submission of abstracts is 12 May, 2014. The website of the conference
is http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/hitran/HITRAN-Conference2014/hitran14.html

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14th High Energy Astrophysics Division meeting
Chicago, IL
17-21 August 2014

The 14th AAS High Energy Astrophysics Division meeting be held at the
beautiful Westin on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, and will cover all
topics relevant to high energy astrophysics, including observational,
theoretical, and instrumental areas of X-rays, gravity waves, cosmic and
gamma-rays, including of course multiwavelength work.  Special topic
seminars will be included on

* Bridging Laboratory and High Energy Astrophysics
* Science and Technology for a Successor to the Chandra X-ray Observatory
* The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR)
* The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER)
* Stellar clusters and star formation
* The Gravitational Universe
as well as a first-ever public session on "The Art in Science".

As always, the main sessions are all plenary, allowing everyone to
attend them, and all posters will remain up for the entire meeting.
There will also be an option to publish your poster on ADS, and to
advertise it electronically on screens placed throughout the meeting.
The meeting website is not yet available, but stay tuned to
http://head.aas.org for updates.

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