International Big History Association News

Postdoctoral fellowship for Aarhus University Research on the Anthropocene (AURA)

Lowell Gustafson — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 19:52:15 GMT

Position: Postdoctoral fellowship for Aarhus University Research on the Anthropocene (AURA)

From: H-Net list for Asian History and Culture [[email protected]] on behalf of Frank Conlon [[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, 6 February 2014 4:59 p.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: H-ASIA: Postdoc Postdoctoral fellowship for Aarhus University Research on the Anthropocene (AURA)

H-ASIA
February 6, 2014

Position: Postdoctoral fellowship for Aarhus University Research on the Anthropocene (AURA)

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From: H-Net Job Guide:

JOB GUIDE NO:
https://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=48411

Aarhus University, Department of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts

Postdoctoral fellowship for Aarhus University Research on the
Anthropocene (AURA)

Institution Type: College / University
Location: Denmark
Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow

The AURA project at the Department of Culture and Society, Faculty of
Arts, Aarhus University invites applications for a two-year
postdoctoral fellowship. The appointment begins on 1 September 2014 or
as soon as possible thereafter.

Applications for one-year positions are also accepted.

The position

The position is affiliated with Aarhus University Research on the
Anthropocene (AURA), an interdisciplinary project for the study of
emergent environments on a human-disturbed earth. The project works across the conventional divisions between the humanities and the sciences and so far includes scholars with backgrounds in philosophy, biology and anthropology. Our research objects include multi-species interactions, landscape assemblages, and global movements of species and environmental projects. In this time of rapidly accelerated human disturbance of the Anthropocene, AURA explores unintended consequences and multi-species coordination.

We are looking for an innovative scholar with a background in
anthropology, environmental history or related disciplines who can
contribute to this project and who can demonstrate international
commitment and ability to collaborate with key areas of national and international research within the AURA research area. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to participate in AURA activities such as research, lectures, seminars and workshops, as well as in supervising students.

Research

The successful candidate will have an individual research project
relevant for AURA. The postdoctoral fellow will also be expected to
work collaboratively with the AURA team and engage actively in
interdisciplinary team research. The application should contain a
research proposal for the postdoctoral fellowship, highlighting how
the project will complement the research agenda of AURA.

Education

The position will involve some teaching as agreed upon with the
department head and the director of AURA.

Knowledge exchange

The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to exchange knowledge with various sectors of society and to contribute actively to the general public debate in areas related to the position.

For further information about the position, please contact Professor
MSO Nils Bubandt, tel. +45 87 16 21 16, e-mail [email protected] or
Project Secretary Mia Korsbk, tel. +45 87 16 21 18, e-mail
[email protected].

Qualifications

Eligible candidates for this position hold a PhD degree in
anthropology, environmental history or allied fields.

The successful candidate must document extensive fieldwork and/or archival experience as well as an international research profile.

Candidates should be interested in collaborative, interdisciplinary
work and must formulate a concise description of their proposed
research project (up to 5 double-spaced A4 pages), which should be feasible to be completed in the time frame of the position.

Please upload maximum five samples of your scholarly output.

The application must be submitted in English.

Non-Danish speaking applicants are expected to learn sufficient Danish to participate in the daily business of the department within two years.

For more information about the application and the employment
procedure, please contact HR-partner Louise Sndergaard, e-mail
[email protected].

Work environment

AURA is a Niels Bohr research project, funded by the Danish National
Research Foundation to design and conduct interdisciplinary studies of
co-species landscapes in the Anthropocene (www.anthropocene.au.dk).
The project is headed by Professor Anna Tsing (and
local-researcher-in-charge Professor MSO Nils Bubandt) and runs from
September 2013 to August 2018.

The Department of Culture and Society

AURA is an externally funded research project in the Department of
Culture and Society at Aarhus University. The focus of the teaching
and research activities of the department is the interplay between
culture and society in time and space:

* from the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to
applied social research
* from antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies
* from familiar Danish cultural forms to other and very different
worlds
* from local questions to global challenges.

For a more detailed description of the department, please visit this
website.

Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is one of four main academic areas at Aarhus
University.

The faculty contributes to Aarhus Universitys research, education,
talent development and knowledge exchange activities.

With its 800 academic staff members, 300 PhD students, 13,000 BA and MA students, and 2,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment.

The Faculty of Arts consists of the Department of Aesthetics and
Communication, the Department of Culture and Society, the Department of Education, the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media, and the AU Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Each of these units has strong academic environments that form the basis for interdisciplinary research and education.

The faculty's research and teaching activities take place within the
context of extensive international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in close interaction with society.

Read more at arts.au.dk/en/

Formalities

* The Faculty of Humanities refers to the Ministerial Order on the
Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
* Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour
agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish
Confederation of Professional Associations.
* Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
* Further information on application and relevant enclosures may be found in the Guidelines for applicants for academic positions.
* Teaching portfolio, degree certificate (copy), curriculum vitae,
complete list of publications and verified information on previous
teaching experience must be submitted with the application.
* When you submit your application, please upload a maximum of five samples of your scholarly output.

All interested are urged to apply irrespective of personal background.

Deadline

All applications must be made online and received by 15 April /2014

Please apply online here

https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/ApplicationForm.cfm?PortalID=2140&VacatureID=637836

Aarhus University offers an inspiring education and research
environment for 44,500 students and 11,500 members of staff, ensuring
results of a high international standard. The budgeted turnover for
2014 amounts to DKK 6.2 billion. The university's strategy and
development contract are available at www.au.dk/en.

Contact: For more information about the application and the employment procedure, please contact HR-partner Louise Sndergaard, e-mail
[email protected].

For further information about the position, please contact Professor
MSO Nils Bubandt, tel. +45 87 16 21 16, e-mail [email protected] or
Project Secretary Mia Korsbk, tel. +45 87 16 21 18, e-mail
[email protected].

Paleontologist Discovers New Plant-Eating Dwarf Dinosaur

Lowell Gustafson — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:15:38 GMT

Paleontologist Discovers New Plant-Eating Dwarf Dinosaur http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/article00633.html

Proteins remember the past to predict the future

Lowell Gustafson — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:11:23 GMT

Proteins remember the past to predict the future

Insight into what makes biological machines efficient could improve scientific models.
Philip Ball

04 October 2012
http://www.nature.com/news/proteins-remember-the-past-to-predict-the-future-1.11544

Galaxy formation: The new Milky Way

Lowell Gustafson — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:06:56 GMT

Galaxy formation: The new Milky Way

A fresh look at our Galaxy points to a chaotic past and a violent end.
Ann Finkbeiner

03 October 2012
http://www.nature.com/news/galaxy-formation-the-new-milky-way-1.11517

Tom Gehrels' Many Accomplishments

Donna Tew — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:53:03 GMT

Gehrels, Tom (1961)

Gehrels pioneered the first photometric system of asteroids in the 50s, wavelength dependence of polarization of stars and planets in the 60s, imaging photopolarimetry of Jupiter and Saturn in the 70s; texts at the most advanced level in the Space Science Series, with Mildred Shapley Matthews, in the 80s; electronic surveying for dangerous asteroids, with Bob McMillan, in the 90s, and he studies universal evolution at the present time.

Education:

Special Airborne Services in Europe and Far East, 1944-1948.

B.S. Physics and Astronomy, Leiden University 1951.

Ph.D. Astronomy and Astrophysics, Univ. of Chicago, 1956.

Classes taught:

NATS 102 Universe, Humanity, Origin & Future

Ast 441: Photopolarimetry of Planets and Stars

Positions/Memberships/Awards:

Bataafsch Genootschap der Proefondervinderlijke Wijsbegeerte, the oldest academy in The Netherlands.

Sarabhai Professor - continued as Fellow, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India

Astronomer, Steward Observatory

Member: AAS, IAU, Hiroshima Astronomical Society (Honorary)

Member Sc. Advisory Comm. to President M. S. Gorbachev, 2000-2003.

2007 Harold Masursky Award, Div. Planet. Sc., for developing Space Science Series of textbooks, and being General Editor for 30 of them.

Spacecraft involvement:

Polariscope UV-Polarimetry Balloon Program, at 225 nm from 36.6-km altitude, for Venus, Mars and stars.

Pioneers 10 and 11--P.I. Imaging Photopolarimeter, clouds of Jupiter and Saturn, discovery of F ring.

Selected references:

"Mean Photographic Magnitudes of the Ephemeris Asteroids and Their Weights", T.G. (1958). Trans. Internat. Astron. Union 10, 305-316.

"Wavelength Dependence of the Sunlit Blue Sky", T.G. (1962). J. Opt. Soc. Amer. 52, 1164-1173.

"Ultraviolet polarimetry using high-altitude balloons", T. G. (1967). Applied Optics 6, 231-233.

"The Palomar-Leiden survey of faint minor planets", van Houten, C.J., van Houten-Groeneveld, I., T. G., & Herget, P. (1970). Astron. & Astroph. Suppl. 2, 339-448.

"Physical Studies of Minor Planets,", T. G. (ed.). NASA SP-267, 1971.

"On the Circular Polarization of HD 226868, NGC 1068, NGC 4151, 3C 273, and VY Canis Majoris," T. G. (1972). Astrophys. J. 173, L23-25.

"On the Capabilities of the Spin-Scan Technique," Suomi, V, T.G. & Krauss, R.J. (1972). Space Res. XII, 1765-1769.

"Planets, Stars and Nebulae, studied with Photopolarimetry," T.G. (ed.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1974.

"Jupiter", T.G. (ed.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1976.

"Protostars and Planets", T.G. (ed.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1978.

"Asteroids", T.G. (ed.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1979.

"Optical Polarization Measurements of the Crab Nebula Pulsar," Cocke, W.J., Disney, M.J., Muncaster, G.W. & T.G. (1979). Nature 223, 576-578.

"Saturn", T.G. & Matthews, M.S. (eds). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1984.

"Asteroids II", Binzel, R.P., T.G. & Matthews, M.S. (eds.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1989.

"A new method for making advanced textbooks", T. G. (1991). Publishing Res. Quarterly, Spring, 11-22.

"Scanning with Charge-Coupled Devices", T. G. (1991). Space Sc. Rev. 58, 347-375.

"Hazards due to Comets and Asteroids," T. G. (ed.). Univ. Ariz. Press, 1994.

"Of Truth and Consequences", T.G. (1994). Nature 372, 511-512, (review of a book on Wernher von Braun).

"Outstanding Problems in Planetary Science", T.G. (1994). Bull. Astron. Soc. of India 22, 247-274.

"The Beauty and Danger of Comets and Asteroids", Vainu Bappu Lecture, T.G. (1995). Suppl. J. Astrophys. Astron. (India) 16, 1-34.

"Collisions with Comets and Asteroids", T.G. (2000). Scientific American's Decade Choice, reprinted in "Earth From the Inside Out", New York: Scientific American, 90-95.

"Brains, Courage and Integrity, Gandhi and Sakharov set us an inspiring example for the twenty-first century", T.G. (2000), Nature 404: 335 (Millenium Essay).

"An International Campaign to help the Children of the Slums," T.G. (2003), in "Annual Assembly: the World of XXI Century: New Unities or new Fractures?," (Torino, Italy: World Political Forum), 113-114.

"Universes seen by a Chandrasekhar expression in stellar physics", T.G. (2007), http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0701344.

"The Multiverse and the Origin of our Universe", T.G. (2007), http://arXiv.org/abs/0707.1030.

"On the Glassy Sea, in Search of a Worldview", T.G., Amazon-CreateSpace, 2007; originally published by Am. Inst. Phys., 1988.

"Survival through Evolution, from Multiverse to Modern Society", T.G., Amazon CreateSpace, 2007; Second Edition 2011.

"The Beginning of our Universe", T.G. (2009). Science Journal Indian Planetary Soc. 3, 4-8. http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~tgehrels/Beginning.doc.pdf

"The Cosmological Foundation of Our World, as seen in a Revised History of our Universe", T.G. (2009), http://arXiv.org/abs/0912.5362.

"The Multiverse Origin of our Physics does without Strings, Big Bang, Inflation, or Parallel Universes", T.G. (2009), http://arXiv.org/abs/0912.5367.

"Can we do without the Big Bang?", T.G. Univ. of Ariz. BookStores, 2011; for orders, visit http://www.nothshire.com, USD 16.00.

"Universal Evolution", T.G. (2011), PDF.

Article on Tom Gehrels

Donna Tew — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:47:37 GMT

'They threw away the mold' when they made UA astronomer

Planetary scientist was known as an asteroid expert

July 15, 2011 12:00 am • Jamar Younger Arizona Daily Star

Tom Gehrels, a pioneering astronomer and planetary scientist who was one of the first faculty members to work at the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, died Monday. He was 86.

The award-winning professor worked at the University of Arizona for 50 years and led numerous research efforts that gave new insight into asteroids and comets that pose collision threats with Earth, the polarization of starlight, and images of Jupiter and Saturn.

Gehrels, who was born in the Netherlands, joined the Dutch Resistance after the Nazis invaded the country in 1939.

He fled to England and was later a part of Britain's Special Operations Executive, which sabotaged and spied on the Germans.

"He was one of a kind. They threw away the mold when they made him," said Michael Drake, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.

Gehrels followed astronomer Gerard Kuiper to the UA in 1961 after the men met and worked at the University of Chicago, where Gehrels received his doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics.

In the 1960s he conducted the first surveys of asteroids and eventually earned a reputation as an expert in that field, Drake said.

He also built an instrument that was launched to Jupiter and Saturn to take some of the first up-close pictures of the planets.

By the '80s, Gehrels shifted more of his focus to asteroids.

Gehrels started the Spacewatch Project in 1980, which uses scopes on Kitt Peak to monitor the sky for asteroids, especially potentially dangerous ones. He was currently researching universal evolution.

Gehrels was an active man who still rode his bike to work up until a few weeks ago, Drake said.

"His passing was rather sudden and a bit of a surprise to all of us," he said.

Gehrels is survived by his wife and three children, he said.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_1702e3a9-fc0c-50f0-adf1-f84c5b0abf3b.html#ixzz1SbUvOfE0

Contact reporter Jamar Younger at [email protected]">[email protected] or 573-4115.

Fred Spier's memorium of Tom Gehrels

Donna Tew — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 12:38:45 GMT

Tom Gehrels, renowned Dutch-born US astronomer and big historian, unexpectedly passed away on July 11, 2011 at the age of 86. While several IBHA members knew him personally, through his scholarly work he has influenced all of us. Because there are already several obituaries online that summarize his life and achievements (see below), here I only want to share a few of my personal memories. All of us who knew Tom may have their own personal views of him, which may well differ from mine.

I came to know Tom personally in 2002 when he gave a guest lecture at the University of Amsterdam. Before that time we had communicated regularly by email, while I was getting up in Amsterdam and he was chasing asteroids on Kitt Peak in Arizona. He struck me as a most unusual man. In addition to his many intellectual achievements he was a very energetic, unconventional, person, full of life and initiative, idealistic in the sense of being very concerned about our common future, and, not least, an original thinker who cut out new paths.

But most of all, Tom was a very warm person who loved children. For him, that was a most important aspect of life. During his guest lecture in Amsterdam in 2002, for instance, Tom summarized his concerns by saying that we did not love our children enough, with which he meant that we were not working hard enough to guarantee a sustainable future for them. To me, such a succinct way of summarizing our planetary situation was characteristic of Tom's style: no beating around the bush, but always going for what he saw as the bottom line.

During the years that followed, our family had the privilege of meeting him again several times, mostly when he visited 'Patria', as he called it, on his way to India. Every visit is etched in our memories, because Tom was such a unique, warm, personality who always did unexpected, unforgettable, things. In addition, we had a great many lively, sometimes passionate, exchanges.

The last time that Tom visited Amsterdam, in February of 2010, he gave a most spirited, well-received, guest lecture at Amsterdam University College about his novel theory of the origin of the universe and the existence of the multiverse, which had turned into one of his great passions. We were totally shocked to learn last week that Tom had suddenly passed away. Tom always seemed to be so very much alive, and enjoying life, that it is hard to imagine that he is no longer among us. We miss him deeply.

Fred Spier and family, Beijing, July 19, 2011