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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
394
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
HARLAN E. SPENCE, see committee entry above.
RICHARD M. THORNE is a professor of atmospheric physics in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA. He was a member of the Galileo Energetic Particle Detector team and chair of
the GEM working group on energetic electron variability. He is currently chair of the GEM focus group on
diffuse auroral precipitation, co-investigator and chair of the Radiation Working Group on the NASA New
Frontiers JUNO mission, and co-investigator and lead theorist on the NASA Living With a Star RBSP-ECT
and EMFISIS teams. His principal research involves theoretical studies of the interactions between waves
and particles in geophysical plasmas, including the origin of many different classes of plasma waves found
in the highly tenuous solar system plasmas, the role of wave-particle scattering on the dynamics of the
energetic radiation belts, and the effects of particle precipitation on the upper atmosphere. Dr. Thorne is a
fellow of the AGU. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from MIT. Dr. Thorne has served on numerous NASA
panels, including the Geosciences Mission Definition Team for NASA’s Living With a Star Program, the
CASSINI Extended Mission Senior Review Board, and the JUNO project Radiation Advisory Board.
PANEL ON SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC PHYSICS
RICHARD A. MEWALDT, Chair, is a senior research associate in the Space Radiation Laboratory at Caltech.
Dr. Mewaldt’s research interests cover spacecraft and balloon-borne measurements of energetic nuclei and
electrons accelerated in solar energetic particle events, galactic cosmic rays, the heliosphere, and Earth’s
magnetosphere. His work has focused specifically on studies of elemental and isotopic composition and
the implications of these measurements for energetic particle origin, acceleration, and transport; on solar
particle and cosmic-ray impacts on space weather; and on the development of high-resolution instrumentation to extend these measurements. Dr. Mewaldt has been a co-investigator on the NASA missions
IMP-7, IMP-8, and ISEE-3 and a guest investigator on HEAO-3, and he is currently a co-investigator on the
NASA Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Explorer (SAMPEX) and on STEREO, and mission scientist
for the Advanced Composition Explorer. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Washington University. Dr.
Mewaldt’s NRC membership includes the Committee on Cosmic-Ray Physics and the Panel on Particle,
Nuclear, and Gravitational-wave Astrophysics.
SPIRO K. ANTIOCHOS, Vice Chair, is a research astrophysicist in the Heliophysics Division of NASA
GSFC. Dr. Antiochos is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space
Sciences at the University of Michigan. His fields of expertise include theoretical solar physics and plasma
physics. Dr. Antiochos’s work consists primarily of developing theoretical models to explain observations
from NASA space missions. During his career he has worked on a number of problems related to the Sun
and heliosphere, in particular, the physics of magnetic-driven activity and the structure of the Sun’s corona.
Dr. Antiochos previously served as the head of the Solar Theory Section in the Space Science Division at
NRL. He also served as a postdoctoral fellow at the NCAR and as a research associate at Stanford University. Dr. Antiochos is a co-investigator on NASA’s STEREO mission, part of the Solar-Terrestrial Probes
program. He served as chair of the Solar Physics Division for AAS. Dr. Antiochos has authored or coauthored more than 100 refereed papers in archival journals. He is a fellow of the AGU, a recipient of the
AAS George Ellery Hale Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of solar astronomy, and a recipient
of the National Research Laboratory’s E.O. Hulburt Award, the NRL’s highest honor for scientific achievement. Dr. Antiochos received his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University. He served previously
on the NRC’s Panel on Theory, Computation, and Data Exploration and the Committee on an Assessment
of Balance in NASA’s Science Programs.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
394
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
HARLAN E. SPENCE, see committee entry above.
RICHARD M. THORNE is a professor of atmospheric physics in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA. He was a member of the Galileo Energetic Particle Detector team and chair of
the GEM working group on energetic electron variability. He is currently chair of the GEM focus group on
diffuse auroral precipitation, co-investigator and chair of the Radiation Working Group on the NASA New
Frontiers JUNO mission, and co-investigator and lead theorist on the NASA Living With a Star RBSP-ECT
and EMFISIS teams. His principal research involves theoretical studies of the interactions between waves
and particles in geophysical plasmas, including the origin of many different classes of plasma waves found
in the highly tenuous solar system plasmas, the role of wave-particle scattering on the dynamics of the
energetic radiation belts, and the effects of particle precipitation on the upper atmosphere. Dr. Thorne is a
fellow of the AGU. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from MIT. Dr. Thorne has served on numerous NASA
panels, including the Geosciences Mission Definition Team for NASA’s Living With a Star Program, the
CASSINI Extended Mission Senior Review Board, and the JUNO project Radiation Advisory Board.
PANEL ON SOLAR AND HELIOSPHERIC PHYSICS
RICHARD A. MEWALDT, Chair, is a senior research associate in the Space Radiation Laboratory at Caltech.
Dr. Mewaldt’s research interests cover spacecraft and balloon-borne measurements of energetic nuclei and
electrons accelerated in solar energetic particle events, galactic cosmic rays, the heliosphere, and Earth’s
magnetosphere. His work has focused specifically on studies of elemental and isotopic composition and
the implications of these measurements for energetic particle origin, acceleration, and transport; on solar
particle and cosmic-ray impacts on space weather; and on the development of high-resolution instrumentation to extend these measurements. Dr. Mewaldt has been a co-investigator on the NASA missions
IMP-7, IMP-8, and ISEE-3 and a guest investigator on HEAO-3, and he is currently a co-investigator on the
NASA Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Explorer (SAMPEX) and on STEREO, and mission scientist
for the Advanced Composition Explorer. He earned his Ph.D. in physics from Washington University. Dr.
Mewaldt’s NRC membership includes the Committee on Cosmic-Ray Physics and the Panel on Particle,
Nuclear, and Gravitational-wave Astrophysics.
SPIRO K. ANTIOCHOS, Vice Chair, is a research astrophysicist in the Heliophysics Division of NASA
GSFC. Dr. Antiochos is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space
Sciences at the University of Michigan. His fields of expertise include theoretical solar physics and plasma
physics. Dr. Antiochos’s work consists primarily of developing theoretical models to explain observations
from NASA space missions. During his career he has worked on a number of problems related to the Sun
and heliosphere, in particular, the physics of magnetic-driven activity and the structure of the Sun’s corona.
Dr. Antiochos previously served as the head of the Solar Theory Section in the Space Science Division at
NRL. He also served as a postdoctoral fellow at the NCAR and as a research associate at Stanford University. Dr. Antiochos is a co-investigator on NASA’s STEREO mission, part of the Solar-Terrestrial Probes
program. He served as chair of the Solar Physics Division for AAS. Dr. Antiochos has authored or coauthored more than 100 refereed papers in archival journals. He is a fellow of the AGU, a recipient of the
AAS George Ellery Hale Prize for outstanding contributions to the field of solar astronomy, and a recipient
of the National Research Laboratory’s E.O. Hulburt Award, the NRL’s highest honor for scientific achievement. Dr. Antiochos received his Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University. He served previously
on the NRC’s Panel on Theory, Computation, and Data Exploration and the Committee on an Assessment
of Balance in NASA’s Science Programs.