Images from the Otago Space Physics Group, at Home and Overseas (2016-2017). Current images are also available

in Boulder! Space Physics MSc student Daniel Mac Manus and PostDocTim Divett standing in front of the NOAA/NWS Space Weather Prediction Center. The big smiles are because Tim and Daniel have just had a tour inside. They were in Boulder to give a seminar to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado at Boulder. After Boulder both Daniel and Tim went to New Orleans to attend and present at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
Craig Rodger standing in the Great Place, the main market square of Brussels. He is front of the city Town Hall. Craig was visiting Belgium to attend the 14th European Space Weather Week workshop, which was held in Oostende. He also briefly visited Reading the UK to give a seminar at the University of Reading [2 December 2017].
Annika Seppälä standing on the edge of the river Seine, with Notre-Dame Cathedral in the background. Annika was in Paris to attend the SOLARIS-HEPPA Working Group Meeting in early November at the University Pierre & Marie Curie [November 2017].
Team shot during a CHAMOS group planning workshop at the Dynamicum which is the main building of the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki. The image includes Craig Rodger and Annika Seppälä from Otago, along with researchers from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, University Centre in Svalbard,British Antarctic Survey, and the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE). CHAMOS stands for “Chemical Aeronomy in the Mesosphere and Ozone in the Stratosphere” [31 October 2017].
Mark Clilverd (British Antarctic Survey)and Craig Rodger beside Sutton Salt Lake in Strath Taieri. Mark returned to Dunedin in October 2017 to continue our long lasting scientfiic collaborations. He gave a seminar, worked on a book chapter, and had discussions with all of the group [12 October 2017].
PhD candidate and Space Physics student Aaron Hendry standing in front of the University of Otago clocktower building. Just after this Aaron headed inside to submit his PhD thesis (“Experimental evidence and properties of EMIC wave driven electron precipitation”) to the team at the Graduate Research School [6 October 2017].
The Space Physics group had our annual updated team photo taken on 22 September 2017. This time stood beside the Physics Department with the clocktower in the background and spring blossoms in the trees.  In the photo from right to left: Nathan Williams, Neil Thomson, Emma Douma, Daniel Mac Manus, Craig Rodger, James Brundell, Tim Divett, Aaron Hendry, and Annika Seppälä.
Craig Rodger on Table Mountain with the city of Cape Town in the background. In the ocean over his shoulder is Robben Island. Craig was in South Africa to attend the IAPSO-IAMAS-IAGA Joint Assembly (27 August – 1 September 2017) where he gave two oral presentations and also acted as the New Zealand representative to IAGA. He stayed for a weekend to see some of the city of Cape Town, when this image was taken [3 September 2017].
At the IAGA Awards Ceremony during the IAPSO-IAMAS-IAGA Joint Assembly (27 August – 1 September 2017) which was held in Cape Town, South Africa. Space Physics PhD student Emma Douma was presented with a an IAGA Young Scientist Award for her outstanding student presentation at an IAGA sponsored meeting (in this case the 7th VERSIM workshop in 2016). The image has in it from left to right: Eduard Petrovsky (IAGA President, Czech), Monika Korte (Vice President, Germany), Emma Douma (New Zealand), Katarzyna Dudzisz (Poland), Federico Gasperini (USA), Jean Rasson (Belgium), Mioara Mandea (Secretary General, France), and Jeffrey Forbes (USA) [31 August 2017]
Space Physics Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Tim Divett mountain biking near the top of Lion’s Head, Cape Town. Tim was in South Africa to attend the IAPSO-IAMAS-IAGA Joint Assembly (27 August – 1 September 2017). But as well as discussing science, he got out and about by foot and wheels [2 September 2017].
Emma Douma, Space Physics PhD student, standing with other URSI Young Scientists after having been awarded their certificates having won URSI Young Scientist Awards. This programme supported a number of young scientists to attend the 32nd URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium held in Montreal, Canada (19-27 August). Those shown from left to right are: Claudia Martinez-Calderon (Japan), Lilla Juhász (Hungary), Masahiro Kitahara (Japan), Yuko Kubota (Japan), and Emma Douma (New Zealand). [22 August 2017]
International team sushi dinner during the Japan Geoscience Union-American Geophysical Union (JpGU-AGU) Joint Meeting 2017. From left to right Claudia Martinez-Calderon (Tohoku U), Esa Turunen (Sodankyla Geophysical Observatory), Craig Rodger (Otago U), Brett Carter (RMIT), and Paul Prikryl (NRCan) [21 May 2017].
A subset of the CHAMOS research collaboration met in Cambridge (UK) to talk about improved modelling of Energetic Electron Precipitation (EEP) into the atmosphere. The gathering was hosted by the British Antarctic Survey. During the meeting we took a few hours out to visit central Cambridge and admire the historic buildings. This image is taken from the backs with Kings College Chapel in the background. Shown are: Craig Rodger, Annika Seppälä, Pekka Verronen, Mark Clilverd, and Max van de Kamp. The picture was taken by Niilo Kalakoski [29 March 2017].
Team Physics photo onboard the Monarch near Taiaroa Head. A group of Physics Department postgraduates and early career staff accompanied visitor Prof. Fran Bagenal (University of Colorado, Boulder) on this trip. Fran was in Dunedin to give a public talk and Physics Department colloquium supported by the John Newton Dodd fund. In the photo from left to right: Fran Bagenal, Maddy Cormack, Emma Douma and Daniel Mac Manus. Image taken by Dr. Tim Divett. [22 March 2017]
Craig Rodger in the newly completed conference room in the Innovation Centre of the British Antarctic Survey. Craig was giving an invited Director’s Choice talk in the new centre, and was the first person to speak there. His theme was Space Weather, which seems particularly appropriate given it was in the “Aurora Cambridge Collaboration Space” (built to encourage innovation between BAS and wider industry) [17 February 2017].
Space Physics PhD student Emma Douma during her time working at Scott Base, Antarctica. Emma travelled South as a member of Otago Space Physics Antarctic Expedition 9. As part of the field training the team climbed to the top of Castle Rock and Emma is shown here looking out over the Ross Ice Shelf from the Castle Rock summit [2 February 2017].
James Brundell holds the Ranfurly Shield at Scott Base Antarctica. Dating back to around 1904, the Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o’ Wood, is an iconic trophy of New Zealand’s domestic rugby football competition. The Shield was visiting Scott Base thanks to Julie Patterson, Canterbury Rugby 2016 volunteer of the year & HR manager at Antarctica NZ [February 2017]
James Brundell and Emma Douma standing beside our AARDDVARK antenna in the Arrival Heights Antarctic Specially Protected Area, which is a radio “quiet zone” near McMurdo Station and Scott Base. Emma and James were in Antarctica for Otago Space Physics Antarctic Expedition 9, and went south in in February at the very end of the Antarctic season. Nonetheless, it was still fairly cold! [6 Feb 2017]
In February 2017 Dr. Gemma Kelly came to the Otago Space Physics group to work with us on Geomagnetically Induced Currents. Gemma was supported by our MBIE-funded project. Before Gemma came to Dunedin, she enjoyed a honeymoon in New Zealand with her husband. This picture is from the Bay of Island. Near the start of their holiday they went kayaking up the Waitangi river to the falls and back. Haruru Falls was apparently New Zealand’s first river port [January 2017].
Mark Clilverd (British Antarctic Survey) at Swampy Summit with our new 30MHz riometer in the foreground. Mark came to visit the Otago Space Physics Group again for a couple of weeks in early 2017 to extend our scientific collaborations [26 January 2017].
Space Physics student Daniel Mac Manus and research intern Moritz Wolf at our groups field station at Swampy Summit. Daniel and Moritz are suited up to clean the station before we installed some new instrumentation – they were part of the entire Space Physics research group who went to the station to work [26 January 2017].
In December 2016 Tim Divett joined more than 24,000 Earth and Space Scientists at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco [17 December 2016].
Craig Rodger’s presentation on our MBIE-funded Geomagnetically Induced Current project was well received at the 13th European Space Weather Week conference. One of the session organisers, Shaun Bloomfield, tweeted positive comments about Craig’s research talk. The 13th European Space Weather Week was held in Oostende, Belgium [16 November 2016].
Munich University for Applied Science student Moritz Wolf at Lake Wanaka. Moritz was enjoying a holiday in New Zealand before he joined the space physics group as a research intern (mid-October 2016 to early March 2017). Moritz is working with us on a magnetometer based aurora warning system for the lower South Island [October 2016].
[left panel] Prince Philip’s office on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Tim Divett visited this popular Port of Leith tourist attraction while in Edinburgh to work with the British Geological Survey on Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) in New Zealand’s electrical network.  The photo was taken through a glass screen so you might be able to make out his ghostly reflection above the left half of the model ship above Philip’s desk which was his first command as a naval officer. [right panel] The city of Edinburgh has kindly put a beautiful bronze plaque of Maxwell’s equations under his statue in the middle of the road. Very cool to see a physicist honoured like this and to see equations on a proper plaque.  The statue of James Clerk Maxwell and the equations that bear his name are on the east end of George Street near the Royal Society of Edinburgh and St. Andrew Square [October 2016].
Space Physics PhD student Emma Douma feeding two black tufted capuchin monkeys at the Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary. Emma was on holiday in Hartbeesport after the 7th VERSIM workshop held in Hermanus, South Africa. During the scientific committee declared Emma had given the best presentation by a Young Scientist. She will be therefore be nominated for the IAGA Young Scientist Award [September 2016].
Craig J. Rodger standing by the Stony Point Penguin Colony at Betty’s Bay, South Africa. This is a colony of African penguins established in the 1980s due to the decrease in predator numbers on the mainland. Craig was visiting Hermanus, a ~30min drive from the colony, to attend the 7th VERSIM workshop [21 September 2016]. During the meeting Craig gave an opening address on the history of VERSIM, which was videoed to be distributed through the VERSIM website.
Space Physics PhD student Emma Douma and Craig Rodger standing inside the ruined medieval fortifications of Kaliakra on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Craig and Emma were in Bulgaria for the International Symposium on Recent Observations and Simulations of the Sun-Earth System III (ISROSES-III) meeting which was held in Golden Sands, Bulgaria [14 September 2016].
The Space Physics group had an team photo taken on 29 July 2016. This time we had our image taken by the Water of Leith with the clocktower in the background.  In the photo from right to left: James Brundell, Daniel Mac Manus, Tim Divett, Aaron Hendry, Emma Douma, Neil Thomson, and Craig Rodger.
Space Physics PhD student Emma Douma left from Dunedin airport to attend the Geospace Environment Modeling 2016 Summer Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico (19 – 24 June), after which she spent a week travelling around New Mexico. She gave a poster presentation at this meeting.
Craig in the Tytyri Mine Museum, 80m below Lake Lohja. This is a major supplier of limestone in Finland, and the operational part of mine is nearly 400m underground. Craig was in Finland to take part in the 6th international HEPPA-SOLARIS workshop in Helsinki [20 June 2016].
On 25 May 2016 we had the kick-off meeting for our  MBIE-funded Geomagnetically Induced Current research project, hosted at the Otago University Physics Department. The participants were: Mark Clilverd (British Antarctic Survey), Alan Thomson (British Geological Survey), Mike Dalzell (Transpower), Neil Thomson (Otago), Ellen Clarke (British Geological Survey), Craig Rodger (Otago), Daniel Mac Manus (Otago), Malcolm Ingham (VUW), Tim Divett (Otago), James Brundell (Otago).
Alan Thomson and Ellen Carke (British Geological Survey) came to Dunedin for 2 weeks to work with us on our MBIE-funded Geomagnetically Induced Current research project. Alan and Ellen work in the BGS Geomagnetism team based in Edinburgh, Dunedin’s sister city. Both are international leaders in Space Weather work, and we were thrilled to work with them on our new joint New Zealand – United Kingdom project [May 2016].
In May 2016 Mark Clilverd (British Antarctic Survey) came to Dunedin to be part of our MBIE-funded Geomagnetically Induced Current research project.  As part of this effort we installed a wideband VLF instrument to monitor harmonics from a major electrical substation on the edge of Dunedin city. Here Mark stands by the newly installed equipment [18 May 2016].
Once again in 2016 Mark Clilverd (British Antarctic Survey) visited the Otago Space Physics Group. This year Mark and his wife Sal were here for about a month. Here Mark is seen during a long weeknd they took in Central Otago. The image shows Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps in the background, taken from the skyline ridge track of the Grandview Range [March 2016].
On 2 March 2016 Craig Rodger gave one of the two talks at the Royal Society of New Zealand 2016 Speaker’s Science Forum. Prof Rodger gave a talk entitled Space Weather: Hazards to the Electrical Network from Solar Explosions in the Grand Hall, Parliament Buildings. The Speaker’s Science Forum is an opportunity for Members of Parliament and decision makers to hear cutting edge science thinking in a non-partisan setting. This event was hosted by Dr Jian Yang (Chair of the Education and Science Committee) [2 March 2016].

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