FDSS: Space Science Faculty Development at Pennsylvania State University

A junior faculty specializing in radar and lidar remote sensing of the upper atmosphere is supported with salary and with a portion of start-up funds from University resources. The new faculty position replaces slight erosion in the Space Science Faculty at Pennsylvania State University during a time when new community initiatives in the Space Weather program and with the AMISR radar require new intellectual capital. This faculty augmentation strengthens the Communication and Space Science Laboratory (CSSL) within the Electrical Engineering Department at Penn State, and solidifies the new University-wide Center For Space Science Research (CSRP). Educational and Public outreach is facilitated by the Pennsylvania State Grant Consortium that organizes outreach in the Space Sciences for grades K-12 through Graduate students. Including curriculum development consistent with the expertise of the faculty candidate, the Pennsylvania State curriculum is expanded to include training of science teachers and proposal preparation training.