Background of the Workshops

The United Nations, in cooperation with national and international space-related agencies and organizations, is organizing annually workshops on basic space science and the International Heliophysical Year 2007, particularly for the benefit of scientists and engineers from developing nations.

With workshops on basic space science and the International Heliophysical Year 2007, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the European Space Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the IHY Secretariat will assist scientists and engineers from all over the world in undertaking research and education in basic space science and participating in the International Heliophysical Year 2007. Information on the International Heliophysical Year 2007 is available at http://ihy2007.org.

This UN/ESA/NASA Workshop has been endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly as part of the 2007 activities of the programme of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.



Key Dates for the Workshop

Deadline for Applications01 May 2007
Notification to Authors01 June 2007
Workshop18-22 June 2007

Venue of the Workshop

The workshop will be held at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Tokyo.

Programme of the Workshop

The workshop will be structured around the following topics:

  1. Participation of nations in project development for international heliospheric space missions and supporting low-cost ground-based instrument array initiatives for world-wide studies in space science.
  2. Studies on the participation of developing nations in IHY.
  3. Access to data of the Sun-Earth system from ground-based and space-borne facilities through data archives and virtual observatories.
  4. Operation of astronomical telescope facilities in developing nations: BSS TRIPOD.
  5. Data analysis and image processing techniques for space science.
  6. Nonextensive statistical mechanics and astrophysics

During the workshop, additional working group sessions will be held to assess past and develop future activities related to the above topics.

The Workshop on Basic Space Science and the International Heliophysical Year 2007 will continue the work initiated during the first workshop in the United Arab Emirates in 2005 (http://www.ihy.uaeu.ac.ae/) and the second workshop in India in 2006 (http://www.iiap.res.in/ihy/) in taking space science instrumentation, observation, and education to the developing nations of the world.

An important feature of the Workshop is introducing data bases and relevant software tools that can promote space science activities. There have been enormous number of space missions that have been accumulating large data bases of scientific data. Similarly, long-term data bases are available from ground based observations. These data can be utilized in ways different from originally intended for understanding the heliophysical processes. One of the goals of the Workshop is to identify such data bases and make them available to the world community with necessary software tools so that scientists from developing countries can benefit from them.

Authors should state clearly for which programme topic the paper is intended. Contributions that highlight interdisciplinary issues are particularly encouraged. Poster sessions will be organized for the duration of the workshop. Authors are also requested to include with their submission a short, not longer than half-a-page, biography. These will serve as the presenter's introduction prior to the session in the workshop.

Abstracts of no more than 600 words must be headed by the (i) Title, (ii) Author(s) Name(s), (iii) Institutional Affiliation (s), and (iv) Email Address(s). Abstracts must be submitted in electronic format to Ms. Ayoni Oyeneyin, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs,
Email Ayoni.Oyeneyinunvienna.org

Selection of Participants

Participants will be selected by the co-sponsors of the Workshop, through the Local Organizing Committee and the International Scientific Organizing Committee, on a competitive basis from those who meet the qualifications provided in the Application Form.

Financial Arrangements

Within the limited funds available to the co-sponsors, a number of selected participants from developing countries and countries with economies in transition will be offered financial support to attend the Workshop. Funded participants will be provided with a round-trip air ticket between their international airport of departure to Tokyo, Japan, and daily subsistence allowance. Any cost associated with en-route expenses or any changes made to the air ticket must be borne by the participants.

Foreign participants who need assistance for their hotel accommodation in Tokyo may contact the organizing secretary.

Language of the Workshop

English will be the working language for the workshop.

Registration Fee

There is no registration fee to participate at and contribute to this workshop.

Visa Application

If you need an invitation letter for applying VISA, please contact Dr. Fumi Yoshida or Mr. Masanori Kakiage at irc@nao.ac.jp. If you feel uncomfortable sending personal information through e-mail, please FAX to us at +81-422-34-3687. The following information is needed to issue the invitation letter:
- Full Name as appear on Your Passport
- Passport Number
- Nationality
- Institute Name
- Job Title
- Postal Address
- Telephone Number
- Sex
- Date of Birth
- Travel Plan (Your arrival and departure date, your flight information are required.)
The same information is necessary for person(s) accompanying with you.
We will send you an official invitation letter as soon as possible after receiving your request. Please apply for VISA at the local Japanese Embassy/Consulate/Visa Office A.S.A.P.! Please check the following websites of Japanese embassy in your country to confirm the paper works necessary to apply for Japanese VISA.

  • http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/02.html
  • http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

Committees

International Scientific Organizing Committee (ISOC)
Al-Naimiy, H., United Arab Emirates University, UAE
Davila, J., IHY/NASA, Washington DC, USA
Eichhorn, G., CfA, Cambridge, USA
Gimenez, A., ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands
Gopalswamy, N., IHY/NASA, Washington DC, USA
Hasan, S.S., IIAP, India
Haubold, H.J., UNOOSA, Vienna, Austria
Kitamura, M., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Rabiu, B., Federal University of Technology, Nigeria
Sakurai, T., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Tsallis, C., CBPF, Brazil
Yumoto, K., Kyushu University, Japan
National Advisory Committee (NAC)
Kaifu, N., Former director general of NAOJ
Kogure, T., Former director of Bisei Observatory
Kozai, Y., Director of Gunma Observatory
Miyama, S., Director general of NAOJ
Local Organizing Committee (LOC)
Agata, H., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Hori, K., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Itoh, S., Suginami Science Museum
Sakurai, T., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Chair)
Sekiguchi, K., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Suematsu, Y., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

Organizing Secretary

  • Prof. Kazuhiro Sekiguchi
  • National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
  • Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
  • Phone: +81-422-34-3955
  • Fax: +81-422-34-3690
  • Email: kaz.sekiguchinao.ac.jp