UAH Department of Space Science & CSPAR

09/10/2026

🚀 Buckle up, we’re launching into a new colloquium season!

Join us for an exciting talk by Dr. Greg Howes (Professor, Departmental Executive Officer, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa)

🗓️Friday, September 18th
⏰10:30am
📍CRH 4078

Title: Exploiting Velocity Space to Understand Plasma Heating and Non-thermal Particle Acceleration in Space Plasma Turbulence and Collisionless Shocks

What’s it about? The recent development of innovative velocity-space diagnostics that resolve the energization of particles as a function of their position in three-dimensional velocity space has opened up a new avenue for the identification of proposed kinetic particle energization mechanisms and the quantification of the resulting energization rate using single-point spacecraft measurements. The kinetic theory underlying three of these techniques: the field-particle correlation technique, subpopulation analysis of collisionless shocks, and kinetic pressure strain, will be briefly reviewed and examples will be presented of how the application of these techniques illuminates the mechanisms governing plasma heating and particle acceleration in space plasmas and provides a framework for the development of a predictive capability for the partitioning of dissipated energy among the plasma species.

🔬 Don’t miss this fascinating look into exciting emerging technologies!

💻 Zoom Link in Comments

09/03/2026

We had a great time at the UAH Career Fair yesterday! 🎓

CSPAR and FTPP enjoyed connecting with students and sharing opportunities to get involved within our department.

We were especially excited to highlight internship opportunities available to students, including:

📍International Space Weather Camp (ISWC)
📍Regional Introduction to Plasma Physics (RIPP)
📍Corporate Internship Plasma Training in Alabama (CIPTA)

These programs provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience, explore plasma physics and related research, and connect with researchers and industry professionals across the state. 🔬⚡

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat with us! We hope to see many of you getting involved with CSPAR and FTPP in the future. 🚀

08/31/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first student seminar of the new school year! We appreciate everyone who took time out of their day to attend, engage with the discussion, and make the event a success!

We were excited to hear from Prashrit Baruwal (Ph.D. Student, Space Science, UAH) 🎤, who shared his work on “Turbulent Modes in Slow, Alfvénic Slow, and Fast Solar Wind at 1 au.”

Of course, no seminar is complete without good food and great company! We hope everyone enjoyed the pizza and refreshments while taking the opportunity to connect with fellow Space Science students and colleagues. We look forward to seeing you at our next student seminar! 🚀✨

08/31/2026

🎉 Congratulations, Dr. Zank! 🎉

We are incredibly fortunate to have you as part of our department and are so grateful for your leadership, dedication, and contributions to our community. Your hard work and commitment continue to make a meaningful impact, and we are lucky to have you leading the way!

Congratulations again, Dr. Zank! We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition!

The stars are the limit for UAH’s Dr. Gary Zank!🌟🚀 Director of the UAH Department of Space Science & CSPAR, Zank has received the 2026 COSPAR Space Science Award, honoring his decades of groundbreaking contributions to space science.

And there’s more: Minor Planet 21039 has officially been designated 21039 Zank in his honor.🪐

Congratulations, Dr. Zank, on this extraordinary recognition and a truly out-of-this-world legacy!

Read the full story here: https://ow.ly/xJvP50ZGgHC

08/27/2026

☕ Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Tea Time, both in person and virtually via Zoom. It was a special opportunity not only to reconnect with one another, but, most importantly, to remember Dr. Gary Webb, a valued member of our department who recently passed away.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the afternoon so special, especially those who took the time to prepare and share their stories and memories of Dr. Webb. His presence will be deeply missed, and his contributions and memory will remain a meaningful part of our community.

Thank you all for coming together and helping us honor Dr. Webb’s life and legacy.It was a beautiful reminder of the connections that bring our department together and the lasting impact one person can have on a community.🕊️

08/24/2026

Join us for the first Tea Time of the New School Year!

📅 Wednesday, August 26, 2026
⏰ 3:30 – 4:30 PM
📍 CRH Room 4078

The beginning of a new school year is a wonderful time to reconnect with colleagues, welcome new faces, and come together as a community.
This gathering will also provide an opportunity to remember Dr. Gary Webb, our colleague who passed away this past summer. There will be space for anyone who would like to share a favorite memory or kind words in his honor.
We hope you’ll be able to join us as we welcome the new year together, reconnect with one another, and take time to remember Dr. Webb. If you are unable to attend in person, there will also be an opportunity to participate in this event via a Zoom meeting.

Details for the Zoom Meeting can be found in the comments of this post.

08/21/2026

From Parker Solar Probe models to a cryptex challenge, Week of Welcome was a great opportunity to introduce new and returning students at The University of Alabama in Huntsville to the exciting work happening at CSPAR in the Space Science Department! ☀️🚀

Current students and staff shared what it’s like to be part of the department, from investigating the dynamic role of plasmas in the universe, to pioneering the development of instruments for space-based observations. We also highlighted study abroad and internship opportunities, including the International Space Weather Camp, giving students a look at the many ways they can gain hands-on experience and connect with the global space science community. 🌎🛰️

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to learn, chat, and take on the cryptex challenge! We’re excited to welcome another year of students who are ready to explore the science of space. 🚀✨

07/31/2026

Dr. Sujan Gautam, a former Ph.D. student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, recently published research exploring how interplanetary shocks transform turbulence as they travel through the solar system. ☀️

Using advanced simulations and spacecraft observations, his newly published study provides valuable insight into how turbulence evolves around interplanetary shocks, improving our understanding of the solar wind, space weather, and the dynamic processes that shape our heliosphere. 🌌🚀

07/06/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our student researcher, Syed Ayaz, on the publication of his latest research in The Astrophysical Journal!

His paper, "Parker Solar Probe Observations of Dust Mass and Charge Densities and Their Impact on Kinetic Alfvén Wave Dynamics in Solar Coronal Heating," explores how dust particles observed by NASA's Parker Solar Probe influence the behavior of plasma waves in the Sun's corona. This work contributes to our understanding of one of solar physics' biggest mysteries—why the Sun's outer atmosphere is millions of degrees hotter than its surface.

We're incredibly proud of Syed's dedication and this outstanding accomplishment. Congratulations on this exciting milestone, and we look forward to seeing the impact of your continued research!

Read the publication here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae77f7

06/29/2026

Last week, Chali Idosa, a PhD student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, received the CEDAR Student Poster Honorable Mention Award at the CEDAR conference in Des Moines, Iowa for his poster titled "Turbulence-Coupled Electrodynamics of MY 34 Global Dust Storm on Mars".

We are so proud of Chali for this accomplishment, and we look forward to seeing his research grow!