UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICAL SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics
Abstract
Within this proposal we aim to study various aspects related to dynamical processes that frequently occur in the solar atmosphere, and that are still not understood.
Solar physics is now experiencing a golden age in terms of observations of the outer atmosphere of our star.
In the past few years, a suite of space missions has been launched to observe the solar atmosphere in great detail.
An upcoming mission, Solar Orbiter, is a major ESA satellite to be launched in 2018 and devoted to the study of the inner parts of the heliosphere, the bubble where our solar system resides that is constantly modified by events on the Sun. Some of these events have relevance to space weather, i.e. affect significantly the outer layers of the Earth atmosphere, causing significant effects on satellites, human space flight and communication, for example.
Solar flares are massive releases of energy into the heliosphere in a short period of time. It is thought that magnetic reconnection is the main physical effect. We aim to measure, using current satellites, the observational signatures of the flare supra-arcade, a region where strong heating (to more than ten million degrees) occurs. We will investigate the physical processes at play in this region with large-scale 3-D numerical simulations. We will study how instabilities in the solar-flare reconnection region can produce supra-arcade downflows, and compare the results of the simulations with observations.
We also aim to study the solar transition region, a thin layer of the atmosphere between the photosphere and corona of the Sun. This region is very dynamic, and we aim to study, with improvements in the models, if non-equilibrium effects can explain the strong emission that is coming from this layer and is observed by current missions. We will also study the importance of non-equilibrium effects in interpreting the observations of one of the Solar Orbiter instruments (SPICE), that will observe the solar transition region.
We shall also study the dynamics of the high-temperature emission in solar active regions with a new-generation X-ray instrument, MaGIXS, which will be flown in 2018 on a sounding rocket. MaGIXS will provide novel measurements that will help us to understand which physical processes are responsible in heating the active region plasma to 3 million degrees, an issue that has been much debated over the past 40 years.
We also aim to continue to provide the most fundamental atomic data for the interpretation of the observations of current and future solar missions. Our group has been leading this field by continuously updating the CHIANTI atomic database, now also widely used for astrophysical applications.
Finally, we shall communicate our work to the public and to schools, in particular through the Sun|trek project.
Solar physics is now experiencing a golden age in terms of observations of the outer atmosphere of our star.
In the past few years, a suite of space missions has been launched to observe the solar atmosphere in great detail.
An upcoming mission, Solar Orbiter, is a major ESA satellite to be launched in 2018 and devoted to the study of the inner parts of the heliosphere, the bubble where our solar system resides that is constantly modified by events on the Sun. Some of these events have relevance to space weather, i.e. affect significantly the outer layers of the Earth atmosphere, causing significant effects on satellites, human space flight and communication, for example.
Solar flares are massive releases of energy into the heliosphere in a short period of time. It is thought that magnetic reconnection is the main physical effect. We aim to measure, using current satellites, the observational signatures of the flare supra-arcade, a region where strong heating (to more than ten million degrees) occurs. We will investigate the physical processes at play in this region with large-scale 3-D numerical simulations. We will study how instabilities in the solar-flare reconnection region can produce supra-arcade downflows, and compare the results of the simulations with observations.
We also aim to study the solar transition region, a thin layer of the atmosphere between the photosphere and corona of the Sun. This region is very dynamic, and we aim to study, with improvements in the models, if non-equilibrium effects can explain the strong emission that is coming from this layer and is observed by current missions. We will also study the importance of non-equilibrium effects in interpreting the observations of one of the Solar Orbiter instruments (SPICE), that will observe the solar transition region.
We shall also study the dynamics of the high-temperature emission in solar active regions with a new-generation X-ray instrument, MaGIXS, which will be flown in 2018 on a sounding rocket. MaGIXS will provide novel measurements that will help us to understand which physical processes are responsible in heating the active region plasma to 3 million degrees, an issue that has been much debated over the past 40 years.
We also aim to continue to provide the most fundamental atomic data for the interpretation of the observations of current and future solar missions. Our group has been leading this field by continuously updating the CHIANTI atomic database, now also widely used for astrophysical applications.
Finally, we shall communicate our work to the public and to schools, in particular through the Sun|trek project.
Planned Impact
The potential impact of this proposal can be divided into two sections: Societal and Economic.
On the societal side, the extensive public engagement program that the investigators propose through the Sun|trek project (a key part of our Outreach proposal) and the public lectures that the investigators are involved in, the importance of understanding solar flares and space weather, and the role of future solar missions (e.g. Solar Orbiter) in understanding the plasma properties of the Sun could reach a general audience of thousands. Through the activities of the investigators at open days and in local schools, we will explain to young students how mathematics and physics can be used to understand space weather and its relation to space travel, helping to make the next generation more scientifically aware and potentially inspiring future scientists.
The economic impacts to industry of space weather should not be underestimated, and we are working with the knowledge transfer officer at DAMTP and with BAS to deepen our connections with potential interested parties. The industrial importance of atomic data, with its role in developing fusion and in the development of new light sources, makes it a key impact area. Through the continued development of free online resources that include the latest atomic calculations, these calculations will be available to all interested parties.
On the societal side, the extensive public engagement program that the investigators propose through the Sun|trek project (a key part of our Outreach proposal) and the public lectures that the investigators are involved in, the importance of understanding solar flares and space weather, and the role of future solar missions (e.g. Solar Orbiter) in understanding the plasma properties of the Sun could reach a general audience of thousands. Through the activities of the investigators at open days and in local schools, we will explain to young students how mathematics and physics can be used to understand space weather and its relation to space travel, helping to make the next generation more scientifically aware and potentially inspiring future scientists.
The economic impacts to industry of space weather should not be underestimated, and we are working with the knowledge transfer officer at DAMTP and with BAS to deepen our connections with potential interested parties. The industrial importance of atomic data, with its role in developing fusion and in the development of new light sources, makes it a key impact area. Through the continued development of free online resources that include the latest atomic calculations, these calculations will be available to all interested parties.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Lead Research Organisation)
- Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) (Collaboration)
- University of Orsay (Collaboration)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Collaboration)
- University College London (Collaboration)
- HARVARD UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- Science Museum Group (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (Collaboration)
- Manchester University (Collaboration)
- Physical Research Laboratory (Collaboration)
- Diocese of Ely (Collaboration)
- Astronomical Institute Czech Republic (Collaboration)
- The Ideas Foundation (Collaboration)
- Spacelink Learning Foundation (Collaboration)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Collaboration)
- UK Space Agency (Collaboration)
- United States Naval Research Laboratory (Collaboration)
- Royal Observatory Greenwich (Collaboration)
- SolarSphere Festival (Collaboration)
- British Antarctic Survey (Collaboration)
Publications
Del Zanna G
(2022)
Helium line emissivities for nebular astrophysics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Del Zanna G
(2019)
Uncertainties on atomic data. A case study: N iv
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Del Zanna G.
(2019)
The EUV spectrum of the Sun: quiet and active Sun irradiances and chemical composition
in arXiv e-prints
Del Zanna G.
(2020)
CHIANTI -- an atomic database for emission lines -- Paper XVI: Version 10, further extensions
in arXiv e-prints
Del Zanna G
(2018)
Solar Coronal Lines in the Visible and Infrared: A Rough Guide
in The Astrophysical Journal
Del Zanna G
(2019)
Hinode EIS line widths in the quiet corona up to 1.5 R ?
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Del Zanna G
(2018)
Solar UV and X-ray spectral diagnostics.
in Living reviews in solar physics
Del Zanna G
(2021)
High Resolution Soft X-ray Spectroscopy and the Quest for the Hot (5-10 MK) Plasma in Solar Active Regions
in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Del Zanna G
(2020)
Helium Line Emissivities in the Solar Corona
in The Astrophysical Journal
Del Zanna G
(2018)
Predicting the COSIE-C Signal from the Outer Corona up to 3 Solar Radii
in The Astrophysical Journal
Del Zanna G
(2019)
The EUV spectrum of the Sun: Quiet- and active-Sun irradiances and chemical composition
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Del Zanna G
(2020)
Benchmarked atomic data for astrophysics
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Del Zanna G
(2021)
CHIANTI-An Atomic Database for Emission Lines. XVI. Version 10, Further Extensions
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cernok A
(2019)
Shock-induced microtextures in lunar apatite and merrillite
in Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Anderson M.
(2019)
The Solar Orbiter SPICE instrument -- An extreme UV imaging spectrometer
in arXiv e-prints
Allison Hayley
(2019)
On the effect of the seed population in Earth's Electron Radiation Belts
in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
Allison H
(2018)
Determination of the Equatorial Electron Differential Flux From Observations at Low Earth Orbit
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Allison H
(2017)
The magnetic local time distribution of energetic electrons in the radiation belt region
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Allison H
(2019)
On the Importance of Gradients in the Low-Energy Electron Phase Space Density for Relativistic Electron Acceleration
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
| Title | Creative Reactions |
| Description | Creative Reactions links scientists and artists. HEM was linked with Maria Merridan, a Cambridge based artist, who produced some beautiful artwork based on the science of the Sun. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | Visual representation of solar science, which reached artistic and scientific audiences. |
| URL | https://pintofscience.co.uk/creativereactions/ |
| Title | Sun, Space and Art |
| Description | The SunSpaceArt project runs workshops with scientists and artists in primary schools. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | Beautiful artwork has been produced by the school children. |
| Description | The research output from this award has been exceptionally high, in particular by G. Del Zanna. Collaborations with colleagues in the USA (NASA and the Centre for Astrophysics), Europe and India have been extremely fruitful. We usually assume that the solar corona is optically thin, i.e. the radiation escapes freely, but we have actually discovered that in solar active regions that is not the case for some strong emission lines. We have also revised measurements of the line widths, which provide constraints on the heating mechanism in the corona related to magnetic waves. We have obtained measurements of the solar corona using infrared spectra during the 2017 total eclipse. They are the first of their kind. A large part of the work was to calculate new atomic data and make them available via the CHIANTI database, with version 9. Chianti papers have over 4000 citations. |
| Exploitation Route | Another STFC Research Grant 'Understanding the chromosphere-corona interface in the Solar Orbiter and DKIST era' was awarded to G. Del Zanna with H.E. Mason as a co-investogator. A PDRA post was also awarded. The CHIANTI database is used universally by the solar physics community, and also widely by the astrophysics community. |
| Sectors | Education |
| URL | https://www.chiantidatabase.org/ |
| Description | The outcomes of the research have been shared with the public and schools via talks, media and other activities. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | Commonwealth Rutherford fellowship |
| Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | INRF-2017-136 |
| Organisation | Government of the UK |
| Department | Commonwealth Scholarship Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 09/2018 |
| Description | Consolidated grant |
| Amount | £248,560 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/P000665/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2017 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Description | RS international exchanges |
| Amount | £12,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IES\R2\170199 |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2017 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | SunSpaceArt - 2021 |
| Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/W001896/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2021 |
| End | 02/2023 |
| Description | SunSpaceArt - Phase II |
| Amount | £75,981 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S001042/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2018 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Title | CHIANTI - Atomic Database |
| Description | CHIANTI is an atomic database developed by the Atomic Astrophysics research group at DAMTP, funded by STFC. It is now universally used by the solar physics community for the analysis of solar spectra, and is also widely used in the astrophysical community. Giulio Del Zanna is a key member of the CHIANTI team, and has led several CHIANTI papers and releases. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | CHIANTI has facilitated the analysis of solar spectra leading to over 3350 citations. |
| URL | http://www.chiantidatabase.org/ |
| Title | CHIANTI Atomic Database |
| Description | CHIANTI is an atomic database for the analysis of UV and X-ray spectra from the Sun and other astrophysical objects. First launched in 1996, it is regularly updated by the CHIANTI team, of which Helen Mason and Giulio De Zanna are key members. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The CHIANTI database is universally used for the analysis of solar UV and X-ray spectra from Space Observatories. The number of citations is close to 3000. It has been incorporated into other modelling databases which are used for astrophysics application and fusion research work. |
| URL | http://www.chiantidatabase.org/ |
| Description | Associate Scientist on NASA's IRIS project |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Department | Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This collaboration has resulted in several joint research papers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint research papers. |
| Impact | Research papers |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Associated scientist with CfA on various missions/proposals |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Department | Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Contribute to various proposals for space missions (COSIE, MAGIXS), to the analysis of current missions (IRIS). Also contributed to AIRSPEC, an new infrared spectrometer, and DKIST, a ground-based solar telescope. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provide access to data and resources. |
| Impact | Various research papers. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Co-I of ECCCO proposal led by K. Reeves, CfA, SAO, USA |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Department | Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have provided estimates for the performance of the ECCCO instrument, proposed to NASA as a small explorer mission |
| Collaborator Contribution | This is a large collaboration for a major mission, with several partners |
| Impact | Two papers describing the COSIE performance. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Co-I of Hinode EIS team |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Department of Space and Climate Physics (MSSL) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Over the years we have contributed to the Hinode EIS team in proposing observations, providing atomic data, instrument calibration, and helping young researchers into the use of the instrument. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This is a large international collaboration. MSSL is the leading institute that has provided most of the hardware. |
| Impact | A large number of papers and conferences. |
| Start Year | 2007 |
| Description | Co-I of MaGIXS |
| Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| Department | Marshall Space Flight Center |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Co-I of MaGIXS, the first imaging spectrometer in the X-rays, it was flown on a sounding rocket in 2021. The team is led by MSFC (USA). Analysis of the data is ongoing. A further flight is expected in 2023. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The main hardware contribution is from MSFC (USA), led by Dr. A. Winebarger |
| Impact | One paper submitted to ApJ with the first results. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Co-I of SIRIUS proposal, led by M. Barstow, Leicester, UK |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Contributed to the science section of the proposal and discussion with ESA. I did contribute to earlier similar proposal, but this is the first time that SIRIUS has been pre-selected as one of six FAST missions to choose to fly to L2. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The leader of the proposal has put together most of the material concerning the spacecraft and hardware. |
| Impact | not yet. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Co-I of Solar Orbiter instruments |
| Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| Department | RAL Space |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am co-I of the Solar Orbiter SPICE and EUI. I am . associated scientist of the SOlar Orbiter METIS instrument. I am contributing in refining the best science, calibration and operating modes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Building instruments, calibration, on-board software |
| Impact | Most of the outcomes will come in the future. A few papers are in progress. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Co-I of Solar Orbiter instruments |
| Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| Department | Space Science and Technology Department |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been part of the SPICE and EUI consortia since the beginning. |
| Collaborator Contribution | RAL and MSSL have contributed with hardware to the mission. |
| Impact | Not yet. Solar Orbiter has just been launched in Feb 2020. |
| Description | Co-I of Solar Orbiter instruments |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Department of Space and Climate Physics (MSSL) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been part of the SPICE and EUI consortia since the beginning. |
| Collaborator Contribution | RAL and MSSL have contributed with hardware to the mission. |
| Impact | Not yet. Solar Orbiter has just been launched in Feb 2020. |
| Description | Co-I of Solar Orbiter instruments |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Department of Space and Climate Physics (MSSL) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am co-I of the Solar Orbiter SPICE and EUI. I am . associated scientist of the SOlar Orbiter METIS instrument. I am contributing in refining the best science, calibration and operating modes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Building instruments, calibration, on-board software |
| Impact | Most of the outcomes will come in the future. A few papers are in progress. |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Collaboration on CHIANTI atomic database |
| Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| Department | Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | I have provided several major contributions in terms of atomic data software and documentation. The most recent one was CHIANTI version 10. We are now in 2023 preparing an update to the database. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Everyone in the team contributes atomic data |
| Impact | Over 3000 citations. CHIANTI is now the reference atomic database for astrophysics. |
| Description | Collaboration with BAS on space weather |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | From 2014, I have established a collaboration with the BAS group led by Prof. R. Horne on space weather. We have co-supervised one student on interaction of solar events with the electron belt, and now are co-supervising another student on the effects of solar particle storms on the proton belt, and consequences on satellite performance. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partners have contributed with the BAS model of the electron belt and access to satellite data. |
| Impact | Several papers and presentations at conferences. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Collaboration with Dr. Dudik on Non-Maxwellians |
| Organisation | Astronomical Institute Czech Republic |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have an ongoing collaboration with Dr J. Dudik (Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences), a former RS Newton International Fellow at DAMTP (2013--2015), on developing modelling to search for spectroscopic signatures of non-Maxwellian electrons in the solar corona. We have provided the atomic data, mostly from the results of the APAP grants, and knowledge of spectral observations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr. Dudik has contributed in coordinating new observations and writing scientific papers. |
| Impact | Several scientific papers have been published, and others are forthcoming. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Collaboration with IUCAA, Pune |
| Organisation | Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration with Prof Durgesh Tripathi, IUCAA, Pune has resulted in several joint publications on active regions and solar jets. Helen Mason visited IUCAA in November 2014 and November 2015, 2016, 2017. Prof Tripathi visited Cambridge in July 2015. Helen Mason is working on a major outreach project with IUCAA SciPop called 'Surya: Here Comes the Sun'. Project resources for schools, teachers and students have been developed and delivered. She visited India in November 2015, 2016, 2017 and worked with school and university students. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Join research papers. Collaborative educational projects and resources. |
| Impact | Workshops have been delivered to teachers and students in India, in November 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Collaboration with PRL, India |
| Organisation | Physical Research Laboratory |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The contributions will be on the analysis and atomic data for the upcoming Indian space X-ray spectrometer, to be launched in 2018. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provide access to the observations. |
| Impact | not yet. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with SEERIH, University of Manchester |
| Organisation | Manchester University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The SunSpaceArt team ran a Continued Professional Development day at SEERIH for 30 primary school teachers. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SEERIH (Through the Science Window), linked with the University of Manchester, hosted a CPD session for teachers for the Sun|trek: Here Comes the Sun Project, with facilities and administrative support. |
| Impact | Teachers were trained to run STEAM (STEM + Art) activities in their schools. They are engaged with this. many schools (14) requested SunSpaceArt workshops to be hosted by their schools. So far, workshops have been run by helen Mason and Helen Schell at four schools in Srockport, with very positive feedback. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Ely Cathedral - SunSpaceArt workshops |
| Organisation | Diocese of Ely |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Have run SunSpaceArt 'family drop-in' sessions annually at the Ely Cathedral Science Festivals |
| Collaborator Contribution | Providing the venue and facilities. |
| Impact | Reaching approximately 200 family members. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Get Space |
| Organisation | Spacelink Learning Foundation |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Participation in the annual Get Space workshops for school children organised by SpaceLink. Giving talks and running SunSpaceArt workshops. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Facilitating the Get Space Workshops. |
| Impact | Worked with over 200 children and 20 teachers. The feedback has been superb. 'I found the day amazing. I love science even more now', 'I enjoyed it very much and it was inspiring'. We distributed around 50 STFC leaflets. Continued participation. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Great Science Share |
| Organisation | Manchester University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Great Science Share is an annual event involving hundreds of school children. We have participated in this event for several years in collaboration with Lynne Bianchi, Fascinate Science, University of Manchester. We have participated in the event in Manchester several times, and in 2018, joined schools and teachers in London. 2019, in collaboration with the National Botanical Gardens, Wales. In 2020 we joined the on-line sessions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Great Science Share is organised by Lynne Bianchi and colleagues, and has grown each year, until it is now a national event. They provide facilities. Talks and SunSpaceArt workshops in Wales. |
| Impact | We have reached hundreds of primary school students and teachers. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | ISSI team meeting (2015-2018) on uncertainties in atomic data |
| Organisation | United States Naval Research Laboratory |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | This is an international collaboration among different institutes. Del Zanna contributed atomic data and diagnostics, and developed a model to calculate uncertainties for Fe XIII. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Other partners contributed on data analysis and statistical analysis. |
| Impact | A scientific paper is submitted and one is in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | ISSI team meeting (2018-2019) on solar abundances - Solar Orbiter |
| Organisation | University of Orsay |
| Department | Space Astrophysics Institute |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This is an international collaboration with several researchers/institutes, to study how to link in-situ with remote-sensing observations with Solar Orbiter. I contributed in terms of atomic data, diagnostics, and a specific project on active regions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Each partner will contribute on the basis of their expertise. |
| Impact | The collaboration only started. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | NASA - Total Eclipse 2017 |
| Organisation | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | NASA Solar expert at Great Smoky Mountains, Eclipse 2017 |
| Collaborator Contribution | NASA facilitated a visit to the USA and stay at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I participated in the activities giving a presentation to hundreds of people, and was on NASA TV, reaching thousands. |
| Impact | Public lecture about solar physics reached hundreds of people. TV appearances reached thousands. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | RAL Space - school workshops |
| Organisation | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| Department | RAL Space |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The SunSpaceArt team have run workshops for school children and Continued Professional Development sessions for teachers at RAL Space. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Facilitiation of these activities (admin, venue, refreshments) plus participation by Alessandra Giunta, Solar Orbiter team at RAL Space. |
| Impact | Workshops for over 70 primary school children and 10 teachers. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Royal Observatory Greenwich |
| Organisation | Royal Observatory Greenwich |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Participation in a number of activities aimed at the public and school children, talks about the Sun and STFC funded solar research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Facilitating these activities, making a video for social media. |
| Impact | Reaching around 300 members of the public and students. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Science Museum - the Sun |
| Organisation | Science Museum Group |
| Department | The Science Museum |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The SunSpaceArt team have been running many activities associated with 'The Sun - Living with a Star' exhibition at the Science Museum London. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Science Museum have been very keen on our participation and facilitated this, also provided art resources. |
| Impact | We have participated in: Panel discussion associated with the '8 Mins' performance on the opening evening (200 members of the public), running SunSpaceArt activities at the 'Family Sun Festivals' held in Nov 2018 (300 family members) and March 2019 (500 family members), the Lates in November 2018 (300 adults) and the 'Night Owls' (50 families with autistic youths). We have enriched the exhibition with STFC funded solar science information (eg about solar space projects, including Solar Orbiter) and the distribution of 500 STFC leaflets. In total, we have worked with over 1300 children, families and young adults, informing them about the Sun and solar research, making creative art. We have distributed over 500 STFC leaflets on the Sun and Moon. The feedback has been exceptional for all these events. 'Fantastic workshop, very informative' (parent). We have been contacted by people who attended for more information about the STFC funded SunSpaceArt project. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Science and creativity with the Ideas Foundation |
| Organisation | The Ideas Foundation |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I have been working together with the Ideas Foundation to develop and provide activities for school students, in particular relating science (Sun, space) with creative activities (art, design). We have engaged with a school in Liverpool and a school in Essex, more recently in Maidstone and Greater Manchester. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Ideas Foundation provide the creative input, and networking opportunities. |
| Impact | Workshops have been run at LiverpoolFACT and Hockerill Anglo-European College, Maidstone Arts Festival and in Greater Manchester. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | SolarSphere Festival |
| Organisation | SolarSphere Festival |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The SolarSphere Festival is an annual Science/Music/Crafts festival held in Builth Wells, Wales. HEM has participated on several occasions, giving talks and running SunSpaceArt workshops. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Providing the venue and facilities. |
| Impact | Reaching about 200 family members. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | UK Space Agency: Space to Earth Challenge |
| Organisation | UK Space Agency |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Participation in UK Space Agengy Educational activities #Principia linked to Tim Peake's flight on the ISS. In particular, member of Space to Earth Challenge team, provided educational resources, visited many schools, gave CPD to teachers |
| Collaborator Contribution | Providing networking opportunities, links to schools etc. |
| Impact | Increased interaction with UK schools, teachers and students. Invitation to give talks. Higher profile nationally. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Association of Science Educators - TeachMeet, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Regular presentation and updates about the SunSpaceArt project at the Association of Science Educators TeachMeets |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.ase.org.uk/ |
| Description | Association of Science Educators Conference - Reading, 9-11 Jan, 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | SunSpaceArt workshop for teachers, and participation in the Pop-Up Primary event. Outcome - to inform primary school teachers about our SunSpaceart project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://aseannualconference2020.sched.com |
| Description | Association of Science Educators, ASE, SunSpaceArt Workshops for teachers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | SunSpaceArt workshops for teachers have been run at several national (ASE conferences, 2019, Birmingham, 2020, Reading) and international (PSEC - Primary Science Educators Conference, 2019) events, reaching many hundreds of teachers. Dedicated SunSpaceArt CPD sessions have also been run at other teachers' events in Manchester and East Anglia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://aseannualconference2020.sched.com/dr_helen_e_mason.1x3s33fx |
| Description | Astronomy and Geophysics - We Love STEAM |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The SunSpaceArt team have written an article about their activities which has been published in Asronomy and Geophysics, February 2021. This is the magazine of the Royal Astronomical Society which has a very large circulation, both in peint and online. The article called 'We Love STEAM' celebrates the achievement of the SunSpaceArt team, and in particular how they have adapted their activities during the COVID19 pandemic over the past year. It contains some beautiful exaples of artwork by children. We are grateful for all the support which STFC has given us. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ras.ac.uk/journals/astronomy-and-geophysics |
| Description | Astronomy talks and participation in Astronomy Festivals |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Members of the SunSpaceArt team (in particular Emma Wride, AstroCymru, and Helen Mason) have participated in several on-line Astronmy Festivals (Elan Dark Valley, SolarSphere, Cardiff Science Festival, ASE StarGazing) and also given talks to astronomy clubs (both in the UK and India). These events have involved workshops about the SunSpaceArt project, and also talks about the Sun and Solar Orbiter. These have have been very well received and have resulted in requests for more talks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://www.elanvalley.org.uk |
| Description | BBC - Radio 4 - In Our Time - Solar Wind, 23 January 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time - Solar Wind, discussion of ESA's Solar Orbiter Mission. Excellent feedback sparking a lot of questions and discussions. Feedback from BBC - R4 ' Thanks so much for all you did to make such a great success of last'weeks programme. Melvyn Bragg was thrilled, and we had lost of enthusiastic messages from listeners who really warmed to the topic, what you said and how you said it. Wonderful.' The reach on the day was 2.5 million, with seveal more million online afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dg9n |
| Description | BBC-R4-In Our Time - Solar Wind |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason participated in 'In Our Time' about 'Solar Wind - Radio4 and on-line. The discussion included recent solar space missions, NASA's Parker Solar Probe and ESA's Solar Orbiter. The morning broadcast had around 2 million listeners and in the evening 450k. The podcast would have been downloaded (and heard) by around 800k people in the first week, |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Blackpool - the Sun - SunSpaceArt workshops in collaboration with Prof Robert Walsh, UCLAN |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Prof Robert Walsh organised a week long activitiy about 'The Sun' with a stunning artwork (which included real data from SDO), in Blackpool in October 2010 (funded by STFC). The SunSpaceArt team participated, running workshops for over 200 school children. Helen Mason also gave a public lecture. The children and general public were very enthusiastic and asked lots of questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/blackpool-light-festival.php |
| Description | Cambridge Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Members of the Atomic Astrophysics Group, in particular Helen Mason and Giulio Del Zanna, with post-docs and graduate students, regularly participate in the Biennial Open Day at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge. They showcase their STFC funded solar research activities and handed out information about STFC science, including around 100 STFC leaflets. This event is always very popular and the number of people reached is thousands. The team engage individuals, both adults and children, with posters, discussions, videos and interactive activities. The people expressed their thanks and appreciation of this outreach activity. The public report an interest in the topic and an increase in their knowledge about solar space research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2017,2019 |
| Description | Cambridge Science Festival and Festival of Ideas - Public Lectures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason gave Public Lectures on Solar Space Science at the Cambridge Science Festival and the Festival of Ideas |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://queen-ediths.info/event/cambridge-science-festival-2017-dynamic-sun/ |
| Description | Continued Professional Development, CPD, for teachers - SunSpaceArt workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Several Continued Professional Development SunSpaceArt workshops have been run remotely in different regions (STEM NE, Bolton, Techniquest, Wales, ASE) for teachers and trainee teachers. The feedback has been excellent. the workshops involve scientific talks (the Sun, Mars, Moon) and some craft activities which the teacers can then use in the classroom. These have been led by Helen Mason, Helen Schell and Emma Wride (AstroCymru) SunSpaceArt team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://stemfest.org.uk/helen-schell-dr-helen-mason/ |
| Description | Festival of Tomorrow, 2021 and 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Participation in the 'Festival of Tomorrow', online in February 2021 and 'in person' in February 2022. In 2021, we ran a SunSpaceArt workshop in a school, and I gave two lectures, one to the public and one to school children about the latest Solar Science. In 2022, the SunSpaceArt team ran family workshops, which around 400 people (adults and children) participated in. The outcomes were that the participants learnt about the Sun, in particular the UV radiation from the Sun. They also learnt art making techniques and produced some creative artwork. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://www.festivaloftomorrow.com/ |
| Description | Great Science Share _ Botanical Gardens of Wales |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | In June 2019, the Great Science Share, GSS, was held at the National Botanical Gardens of Wales. Over 200 children nd their teachers participated. There was an exhibition of art work produced as a result of SunSpaceArt workshops run by the SunSpaceArt team (Emma Wride and Sarah Bridgland) at around ten different primary schools in Wales. The children responded extremely well to these Scince + Art activities. Helen Mason participated in the GSS, giving a talk to the children and in the evening giving a public lecture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.ase.org.uk/events/great-science-share |
| Description | HEM promoting solar science on social media - twitter and facebook |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | HEM has very active Twitter and Facebook sites reaching thousands. Posts about space science, astronomy, NASA, ESA, STFC, school activities, Women in STEM, science and art etc. People oftne share or retweet posts about solar science or SunSpaceArt workshops. They express interest and share with others. STFC often shares HEM's posts. Connections are made with teachers, who request more information or school workshops. People often express an increase in their knowledge about the Sun and space. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/helen_hm11 |
| Description | IAU - Communicating Astronomy to the Public, May 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Online talk given at the IAU - CAP 2021 meeting about the SunSpaceArt project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.iau.org/science/meetings/past/2563/ |
| Description | Keynote lecture on the SunSpaceArt project at the 5th Asia Pacific Solar Physics Meeting, Pune |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason was invited to give a keynote address on the SunSpace Art project at the 5th Asia Pacific Conference, held at IUCAA, Pune in February 2020. This was very well received. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.iucaa.in/~apspm/ |
| Description | National Astronomy Meeting - July 2021, Sketching the stars |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Organised and participated in a lively session called 'Sketching the star' with astronomers and artists, online at the NAM 2021. We had a very animated session and good feedback about STEAM (STEM + Arts) activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://nam2021.org/ |
| Description | One of NASA's solar experts for the 2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason was NASA's solar expert and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the 2017 Total Eclipse of the Sun. This involved participating in the eclipse activities, giving a talk, running workshops, being on TV - NASA 360, and other TV channels, in the press etc. Through this event, she reached thousands of members of the general public in the USA and beyond. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2017/07/12/astronaut-cambridge-professor-among-s... |
| Description | Online talks to university and school students in India |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talks given to university and school students in India on 7 September 2020 and 1 March 2022, about Solar Research, reaching hundreds of students, and available on YouTube, with very good feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2022 |
| Description | Public lectures and talks at schools by Helen Mason |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason has given many talks to schools and public lectures. These have been to students of all ages, primary, secondary, sixth formers, undergraduates and post-graduates. In addition there have been talks to Astronomy Clubs, branches of the IoP, Women in Science Events, Science Festivals, Solar Sphere Festival, at the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Observatory Greenwich. She has reached thousands of people. The feedback has been very good, leading to further requests for talks. She has distributed information about STFC science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| Description | RAL - 14th Appleton Space Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk about the STFC funded SunSpaceArt project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/14th-Appleton-Space-Conference.aspx |
| Description | Science Museum - The Sun Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The SunSpaceArt team have engaged with several events and activities related to 'the Sun - Living with our Star' exhibition at the Science Museum, London (a Panel discission for 8Mins dance, 5 Oct. 2018, Family Sun Festivals, 3 & 4 Nov., 2018, 2 & 3 March 2019, the Lates, 28 Nov. 2018, the 'Night Owls', 8 Dec. 2018, March 2020. The team engaged with over 1300 people, adults and children, the participants stayed on average 30mins doing SunSpaceArt activities. The team answered many questions about solar research, and gave out over 500 STFC leaflets. The feedback from individuals and the Science museum has been exceptional. The team have been invited back to the Science Museum for other events. They have also subsequently been contacted by school teachers and other individuals seeking further information. The SunSpaceArt team also invited two younger researchers to join them, as a training exercise. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/the-sun-living-with-our-star |
| Description | Sun, Space and Art workshops in primary schools |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Sun, Space and Art workshops bring together scientists and artists to work in primary schools. The results have been impressive, beautiful art work and an enrichment of science in the schools, with lots of questions from the children. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| Description | SunSpaceArt STEAM (Arts+STEM) online festival, 15 February 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The SunSpaceArt STEAM (Arts + STEM) festival was held on 15 February 2021. All members of the SunSpaceArt team participated, hosted by Helen Mason and Emma Wride. The STEAM festival (11am-11pm) was facilitated by Pete Williamson (https://www.peterwilliamson.co.uk/), presenters were hosted on Zoom, fed through to YouTube and AstroRadio. The reach on YouTube on the day (was several hundred, and on AstroRadio was thousands. The programme was diverse, targetted at children during the daytime, and adults in the evening. It comprised of science talks, poets, music, crafts and dance. Other prestigious people from the Arts and space science communities participated. It was a very successful event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://sunspaceart.org |
| Description | SunSpaceArt Workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | SunSpaceArt workshops have been run in over 80 schools across the UK. Artists and scientists have been working together with the children and teachers to enhance scientific knowledge and creativity. The workshops have been very successful, with a high demand for more from many teachers and schools across the UK. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| Description | SunSpaceArt workshops in schools (in person and remote) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | SunSpaceArt workshops have been run in over 10 primary schools per annum, 'in person' and 'on-line' (details given on STFC PE spreadsheet). The feedback has been exceptional. 'For the students, it was inspiring to speak with two female scientists (Geraldine Cox and Steph Yardley, SSA team) as role models for working in the scientific field. A wide range of knowledge was provided, but well balanced with questioning and interaction with the class.' the teachers reported an increased interest in science and the creative arts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | http://sunspaceart.org |
| Description | SunSpaceArt.org and associated resources (worksheets and videos) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The SunSpaceArt.org website was released in spring 2020 to assist schools and home learning. In addition, extra resources were provided on the website, including 'Make it..' worksheets and videos, led by Helen Schell in collaboration with Art Matters Now. These have been very successful, with the hit rate for the website averaging 50 hits per day, but sometimes exceeding 100 per day. The videos are held on the SunSpaceArt YouTube site and are also a getting significant number of views. The feedback from teachers has been very good. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| URL | http://sunspaceart.org |
| Description | Talks relating to Women in Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason has given many talks about her own career, relating to careers for Women in Science (some are on-line). She gave a talk at the RAS for International Women's Day, a keynote address for Cambridge AWISE and talks to STEM undergraduates in Bath (Feb. 2019) and UCL (Jan 2019) about her career in solar space science. The young students and postgraduates asked many questions about the science and about careers. She has had several blogs written about her, for example by the European Geophysical Union. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |
| URL | https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/st/2017/12/15/dr-helen-mason-solar-space-missions-a-life-with-the-sun... |
| Description | Talks to Sixth Form students about Solar Space Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason has given talks to many sixth form students at their schools and at school conferences. the students are always eager to learn about solar space science, what we have learnt and future projects, such as ESA's solar Orbiter. They ask some very interesting questions. They are keen to learn more about career opportunities in STEM subjects. As a consequence, HEM has been invited to visit other schools. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
| Description | The Sun, our star, lecture to school children, IUCAA SciPop, Pune, India, February 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason gave a lecture to several hundred school students about the Sun, our star, in Pune, India in February 2020. There were lots of questions from the students, and very good feedback. The talk was also repeated for another group of students by a colleague at IUCAA SciPop in the local dialect. Helen Mason was available to answer questions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://scipop.iucaa.in/ |
| Description | UK Solar Physics - Invited talk - 'Solar Spectroscopic Diagnostics - A Personal Perspective' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A talk about Helen Mason's career in solar physics to inspire younger researchers and tudents. Good feedback. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBgiFrM-eVM |
| Description | Work with schools and teachers in India |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Helen Mason has worked with many teachers and school children in India, during her visits in November 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. This work has been carried out mainly at IUCAA, Pune, India, but also at the Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi and in Tamil Nadu. She has given several public lectures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2020 |
| URL | http://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/cover-story//articleshow/31241616.cms |
| Description | Workshops, training events for teachers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The SunSpaceArt team led by Helen Mason have run many training events for primary school teachers, with ESERO, at the ASE, with SEERIH (University of Manchester), RAL, Space Camps UK, East Anglia and locally. The teachers have expressed a great interest in the SunSpaceArt project, requesting further information and visits to schools. The team have distributed hundreds of STFC leaflets (Sun and Moon) and informed individuals about how to order them online.. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |