Outreach & Student Opportunities

EPO Committee

The Education and Public Outreach Committee of the SPD Supports SPD members in becoming involved in effective EPO efforts, enables student access to careers and opportunities and in solar physics, and provides resources to facilitate engagement in solar physics topics

EPO Committee membership list.

Below we provide useful resources for Solar Physics & Heliophysics. This is not an exhaustive list. Please contact us to add to this list or to report broken links. 

Contact: spd.epo@aas.org

Higher Education    |   Helio Scientists    |    K-12 & the General Public 

Higher Educaton

Graduate Students

• Solar Physics Graduate Programs. For any additions, corrections, or additional information, please contact Bin Chen and Adam Kobelski.
• SPD Student Awards: Travel funding and Poster Awards for the annual SPD meeting.
• Astrobites, a daily astrophysical literature journal written by graduate students in astronomy since 2010.
• Professional Organizations relevant to solar physics & heliophysics: AAS and AAS/SPD, AGU, AAAS, SPIE 
• List of solar workshops, meetings, and conferences.
• Summer Schools & Courses
  • Heliophysics Summer School
  • Space Weather Summer School
  • Hale COLLAGE Graduate Courses, virtual courses
• Jobs Announcements
  • SolarNews
  • AAS Job Center
  • APS Job Center
  • AGU Job Center
  • AAAS Job Center
• Funding opportunities for Grad school and beyond
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program 
  • NSF Special Programs for Postdoctoral Fellows 
  • NASA NSPIRES  - some of these grants are geared towards grad students.
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program
  • NASA STEM Fellowship 
  • HAO/NCAR Postdoctoral Fellowships 
  • Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowships 

Undergraduate

• Solar Physics Overview web pages from NASA/MSFC
• Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) summer opportunities in solar
  • Huntsville, AL, (UAH)
  • Boulder, CO (LASP, NSO, HAO, SwRI, NOAA, NWRA, SSI, JIRA)
  • Boseman, MT, (MSU)
  • Boston, MA, (SAO)
  • Greenbank, WV (NRAO)
• NASA High School & Ungergraduate Internships and Fellowships
• Textbooks for teaching Solar Physics
  • Heliophysics IV: “Heliophysics: Active Stars, their Astrospheres, and Impacts on Planetary Environments” Edited by C.J. Schrijver, F. Bagenal, and J.J. Sojka, 2016, Cambridge University Press (ISBN: 9781107090477)
  • Heliophysics III: "Heliophysics: Evolving Solar Activity and the Climates of Space and Earth", Edited by C.J. Schrijver and G. L. Siscoe, 2010, Cambridge University Press (ISBN: 9780521112949)
  • Heliophysics II: "Heliophysics: Space Storms and Radiation: Causes and Effects", Edited by C.J. Schrijver and G. L. Siscoe, 2010, Cambridge University Press (ISBN: 9780521760515)
  • Heliophysics I: "Heliophysics: Plasma Physics of the Local Cosmos", Edited by C.J. Schrijver and G. L. Siscoe, 2009, Cambridge University Press (ISBN-13: 9780521110617)
  • “Magnetic Hydrodynamics of the Sun”. Eric Priest, 2014, Cambridge University Press (ISBN: 9780521854719)
  • "Physics of the Solar Corona", Markus J. Aschwanden, 2004, Praxis Publishing (ISBN: 3-540-30765-6)
  • "The Solar Corona", Leon Golub and Jay Pasachoff, 2nd edition, 2008, Cambridge University Press (ISBN 978-0-521-88201-9)
  • "An Introduction to Plasmas and Particles in the Heliosphere and Magnetospheres", May-Britt Kallenrode, 2004, Springer (ISBN: 3-540-20617-0)
  • "Magnetic Reconnection: MHD Theory and Applications", Eric Priest & Terry Forbes, 2000, Cambridge University Press (ISBN 0-521-481-79-1)
  • "Solar and Stellar Magnetic Activity", Carolus J. Schrijver and Cornelis Zwann, 2000, Cambridge University Press (ISBN: 0-521-58286-5)
  • "Introduction to Space Environment", Thomas F. Tascione, 1994, Krieger Publishing Company (ISBN: 0-89464-044-5)
  • "Plasma Physics: An Introduction to the Theory of Astrophysical, Geophysical and Laboratory Plasmas", Peter A. Sturrock, 1994, Cambridge University Press (ISBN-10: 0521443504)
  • "Solar Magnetohydrodynamics", Eric R. Priest, 1984, Springer Publishing (ISBN-10: 9027718334)

Helio Scientists

• How to/training for EPO
  • How to Get Involved: Ever wanted to get involved to help spread the word and excited the public about all the cool science going on within our community? Well... this is your chance!
  • CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research, also lists some conferences for astronomy educators
  • You and the Media PDF (1999, Herbert O. Funsten), a researcher's guide for dealing successfully with the news media
• Resource letter PDF (2010, Jay M. Pasachoff): relevant journals, proceedings, and other published sources. 
• EPO Mini grants program ADD LINK! 
  • Future opportunities
  • Past winners 
• External EPO resources
  • The AAS Press Services
  • The AGU News Room
  • The APS Office of Public Affairs

K-12 & the General Public

• K-12 students and educators 
  • NASA Wavelength activities for learners 
  • Space Science Institute Space Weather Education
  • NASA/GSFC Space Math @ NASA
  • Heliophysics visualizations from NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
  • National Solar Observatory educators portal
  • Exploratorium STEM education resources
  • Solar Week Twice yearly Q&A with solar scientists
  • NOAA Solar Physics and Terrestrial Effects - A Curriculum Guide for Teachers (Grades 7-12)
  • Sun|Trek: A journey into space
  • Stanford Solar Center activity resources of educators
  • NASA High School & Ungergraduate Internships and Fellowships
• General Public
  • Helioviewer solar and heliospheric viewer tool
  • Zooniverse astronomy citizen science projects
  • Solar Monitor daily sun observations
  • Curated Material & Exhibits
    • Adler Planetarium Google Arts and Cultures exhibit about The Sun