Nominations Welcome for NASA Science Advisory Subcommittees
Crystal Tinch American Astronomical Society (AAS)
This announcement is posted on behalf of Patricia D. Rausch, NASA's Advisory Committee Management Officer:
NASA announces its annual invitation for public nominations for service on NASA science advisory subcommittees. The five science advisory subcommittees report to the Science Committee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), a federal advisory committee. US citizens may submit self-nominations for consideration to fill unscheduled intermittent vacancies on NASA's science advisory subcommittees. NASA's science advisory subcommittees have member vacancies from time to time throughout the year, and NASA will consider self-nominations to fill such intermittent vacancies. Nominees will only be contacted should a vacancy arise and it is judged that their area(s) of expertise is/are appropriate for that unscheduled vacancy. NASA is committed to selecting members to serve on its science advisory subcommittees based on their individual expertise, knowledge, experience, and current/past contributions to the relevant subject area.
The following qualifications/experience are highly desirable in nominees, and should be clearly presented in their self-nomination letters:
- At least 10 years post-PhD research experience including publications in the scientific field of the subcommittee for which they are nominated, or comparable experience;
- Leadership in scientific and/or education and public outreach fields as evidenced by award of prizes, invitation to national and international meetings as speaker, organizer of scientific meetings/workshops, or comparable experience;
- Participation in NASA programs either as member of NASA mission science team, research & analysis program, membership on an advisory/working group or a review panel, or comparable experience;
- Good knowledge of NASA programs in the scientific field of the subcommittee for which they are applying, including the latest NASA Science Plan, or comparable experience; and,
- Knowledge of the latest decadal survey conducted by the National Research Council or other relevant advisory reports for the scientific field of the subcommittee.
Nominees from any category of organizations or institutions within the US are welcome, including, but not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other government agencies. Nominees need not be presently affiliated with any organization or institution.
These are not full-time positions, and the likelihood that an unscheduled vacancy will occur in the coming year is unknown at this time. Successful nominees will be required to attend meetings of the subcommittee approximately two or three times a year, either in person (NASA covers travel-related expenses for this non-compensated appointment) or via telecon and/or virtual meeting medium. Successful nominees who are not already US government employees will become special government employees (SGEs). All successful nominees will be required to submit a confidential financial disclosure form and undergo a conflict of interest review by the NASA Office of the General Counsel before their appointment is finalized.
The deadline for NASA receipt of all public nominations is 1 October 2014.
Additional information about these science subcommittees may be found at the NAC Science Committee’s subcommittee website, and a fuller version of this announcement is available from NASA.