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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
380
F
Committee, Panels, and Staff
Biographical Information
COMMITTEE
DANIEL N. BAKER, Chair, is director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the
University of Colorado, Boulder, where he also holds appointments as a professor of astrophysical and
planetary sciences and as a professor of physics. His primary research interest is the study of plasma physical and energetic particle phenomena in planetary magnetospheres and in Earth’s vicinity. He conducts
research in space instrument design, space physics data analysis, and magnetospheric modeling. He currently is an investigator on several NASA space missions, including the MESSENGER mission to Mercury,
the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, and the Canadian ORBITALS mission. Dr. Baker has published more than 700 papers in the refereed literature and has edited six
books on topics in space physics. In 2010, Dr. Baker was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
(NAE) for leadership in studies, measurements, and predictive tools for Earth’s radiation environment and
its impact on U.S. security. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the International
Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Among his other awards are the 2007 University of Colorado’s Robert L. Stearns Award for outstanding
research, service, and teaching; the 2010 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA) James
A. Van Allen Space Environments Award for excellence and leadership in space research; and his selection in 2004 as a national associate of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). He earned his Ph.D. in
physics from the University of Iowa. Dr. Baker served as president of the Space Physics and Aeronomy
section of the AGU (2002-2004), and he currently serves on advisory panels of the U.S. Air Force (USAF)
and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He served as chair of the National Research Council (NRC)
Committee on Solar and Space Physics and the Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe
Space Weather Events Workshop and as the co-chair of the Committee on Assessment of Impediments to
Interagency Cooperation on Space and Earth Science Missions. He also served as a member of the Space
Studies Board (SSB), the NRC’s 2003 decadal survey Committee on Solar and Space Physics: A Community
Assessment and Strategy for the Future, and the 2006 Committee on an Assessment of Balance in NASA’s
Science Programs.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
380
F
Committee, Panels, and Staff
Biographical Information
COMMITTEE
DANIEL N. BAKER, Chair, is director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the
University of Colorado, Boulder, where he also holds appointments as a professor of astrophysical and
planetary sciences and as a professor of physics. His primary research interest is the study of plasma physical and energetic particle phenomena in planetary magnetospheres and in Earth’s vicinity. He conducts
research in space instrument design, space physics data analysis, and magnetospheric modeling. He currently is an investigator on several NASA space missions, including the MESSENGER mission to Mercury,
the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, the Radiation Belt Storm Probes mission, and the Canadian ORBITALS mission. Dr. Baker has published more than 700 papers in the refereed literature and has edited six
books on topics in space physics. In 2010, Dr. Baker was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
(NAE) for leadership in studies, measurements, and predictive tools for Earth’s radiation environment and
its impact on U.S. security. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the International
Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Among his other awards are the 2007 University of Colorado’s Robert L. Stearns Award for outstanding
research, service, and teaching; the 2010 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ (AIAA) James
A. Van Allen Space Environments Award for excellence and leadership in space research; and his selection in 2004 as a national associate of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). He earned his Ph.D. in
physics from the University of Iowa. Dr. Baker served as president of the Space Physics and Aeronomy
section of the AGU (2002-2004), and he currently serves on advisory panels of the U.S. Air Force (USAF)
and the National Science Foundation (NSF). He served as chair of the National Research Council (NRC)
Committee on Solar and Space Physics and the Committee on the Societal and Economic Impacts of Severe
Space Weather Events Workshop and as the co-chair of the Committee on Assessment of Impediments to
Interagency Cooperation on Space and Earth Science Missions. He also served as a member of the Space
Studies Board (SSB), the NRC’s 2003 decadal survey Committee on Solar and Space Physics: A Community
Assessment and Strategy for the Future, and the 2006 Committee on an Assessment of Balance in NASA’s
Science Programs.
