University of Michigan - Climate & Space

06/02/2026

"Scientific fields advance by connecting pieces that are often studied separately—stars and their activity, planets and their atmospheres and magnetospheres—and those connections are hard to establish from individual papers alone. A good book synthesizes what we know across those interfaces, makes assumptions and terminology explicit, and highlights where knowledge gaps exist." — U-M Professor Xianzhe Jia

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the AGU Books Program, Eos interviewed three members who have served on the Books Board since its founding in 2020, including Dr. Xianzhe Jia, who is a space physicist and professor at University of Michigan Climate and Space. The Editorial Board members discussed their favorite projects and why books remain important within the scientific literature which is dominated by journals.

Read the article in Eos: https://eos.org/editors-vox/the-editorial-board-marks-the-latest-chapter-in-agu-books

Michigan Engineering

In honor of the AGU Book Program’s 70th anniversary, Editorial Board members reflect on their involvement over recent years and the importance of books in scholarly literature.

06/01/2026

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected doctoral candidate Owen Hughes, who is studying at University of Michigan Climate & Space, for the prestigious Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. SCGSR prepares doctoral candidates for careers of critical importance to the Office of Science’s mission of transforming our understanding of nature and advancing the energy, economic, and national security of the U.S.

Read more: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2026/06/01/u-s-department-of-energy-selects-u-m-doctoral-candidate-for-office-of-science-program/
Michigan Engineering

Owen Hughes, who is studying at University of Michigan Climate and Space, has been selected for the prestigious DOE Office of Science research program.

05/21/2026

Many of our graduate students at U-M Climate and Space are receiving the NASA FINESST grant, a prestigious award for Future Investigators of NASA Earth and Space Science Technology! Alexandra Roosnovo has been selected with her project “Comparative Magnetospheres: Modeling Observed Plasma Interchange at the Gas Giants.”

Congratulations, Alexandra!

Read more: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2026/05/12/roosnovo-receives-nasa-finesst-grant-to-study-gas-giants-and-their-magnetospheres/

05/20/2026

Students! Did you know you could become a U-M student delegate to COP31, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference? Applications are now open. Apply to attend COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9-20, 2026, with the University of Michigan student delegation!

The deadline to apply is May 31st. For more details and eligibility, visit Climate Blue: https://climateblue.org/
Direct link to the application: https://myumi.ch/pgDyJ

05/20/2026

Meet our students who have been selected to receive NASA’s prestigious FINESST award! Dinan Bai, a graduate student in the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, has been selected to receive the NASA FINESST grant (Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science Technology) for his project “Calibration and Field Deployment of a Polarimetric GNSS-R Microwave Sensor on a Drone Platform for Earth Land Remote Sensing.”

Read more: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2026/05/12/bai-selected-for-nasa-finesst-grant-to-study-field-deployment-of-gnss-r-sensors-on-a-drone-platform-for-remote-sensing/

05/18/2026

Could you survive inside a tornado? One professor who worked at University of Michigan Climate and Space — and studies tornados — experienced this natural disaster and lived to tell the tale. Professor Emeritus Perry Samson has been featured in The Conversation, and was also recently interviewed on NPR's "Here & Now." Read the story or visit our website to see more interviews and headlines!

"Can You Survive Inside a Tornado?" by The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/can-you-survive-inside-a-tornado-this-scientist-did-by-accident-hes-lucky-to-be-alive-278648

In the media: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/category/in-the-media/

When you’re inside a vortex, your body experiences things the news cameras can’t capture.

05/14/2026

CLASP will host a special seminar at 3:30pm, Thursday, May 21st, and we hope you can attend! We are proud to welcome Dr. Robert Lysak, who will present "Auroral Particle Acceleration in Jupiter's Polar Regions." Please note the new time.

Dr. Lysak works as a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota. He specializes in the theory and modeling of auroral acceleration processes, and is an internationally recognized expert in the field.

You're welcome to join us in the CSRB Auditorium, Room 2246. Viewing will also be available via Zoom. For more information, visit the CLASP Seminar Series website: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/seminars/

05/13/2026

🚨 Our partners at the GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute are a NOAA Research Assistant! Please SHARE!

This full-time, CIGLR-funded position is open through June 2, 2026, and requires a B.S. in a related field along with strong lab skills, data management experience, and a willingness to work in dynamic field conditions (more below). For more information and how to apply, follow this link: https://gvsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careers/details/NOAA-Research-Assistant---AWRI--Adjunct-Salaried-_R104412-1

The Annis Water Resources Institute and Grand Valley State University are seeking a Research Scientist to support ecology-focused projects on Lake Michigan, working closely with the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory staff at the Lake Michigan Field Station. This position will contribute to long-term monitoring efforts through both field and laboratory work, including vessel- and shore-based sampling, biological and chemical analyses, and data management. The role involves a full range of Great Lakes field activities during the ice-free season, as well as lab-based processing of samples such as chlorophyll, zooplankton, and zoobenthos.



cc: University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center Great Lakes Observing System The Nature Conservancy in Michigan Fondriest Environmental, Inc. LSSU Center for Freshwater Research and Education MSU College of Natural Science Michigan Sea Grant Ohio Sea Grant Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant University of Michigan - Climate & Space GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute UWM School of Freshwater Sciences UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering Cornell Biological Field Station University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) Cornell University Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition Great Lakes Commission Great Lakes Fishery Commission

05/12/2026

Many of our graduate students at U-M Climate and Space are receiving the NASA FINESST grant, a prestigious award for Future Investigators of NASA Earth and Space Science Technology! Yulu Peng has been selected with her project “Unraveling the Ionospheric Storm-Enhanced Density Formation, Interhemispheric Asymmetry and Role in Plasmaspheric Refilling Using GITM-SAMI3.”

Congratulations, Yulu!

Read more: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/2026/05/11/peng-selected-for-nasa-finesst-grant-to-study-changes-in-the-ionosphere/

05/11/2026

“Are we heading towards a Maunder-like solar minimum?” On Wednesday, Dr. Janardhan “Jerry” Padmanabhan will visit from the “cradle of space science” at the Physical Research Laboratory in India to present a special seminar on this unique solar cycle at 11:00am, May 13th, in the CSRB Auditorium (Room 2246).

Dr. Padmanabhan is an eminent solar and space scientist who works as an INSA Senior Scientist at the Physical Research Laboratory. He served as the P.I. of the Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) onboard Aditya, the Indian first L1 mission, which launched in 2023. His research spans solar physics, solar wind, space weather, solar magnetic fields, radio astronomy, comets, astrochemistry, and exoplanets. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in international journals.

We hope you can join us for this special seminar on Wednesday morning! For more information, visit: https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/seminars/