A comprehensive Applied Space Weather Research graduate program for professionals to meet academia and commercial needs for space weather expertise

Space weather is the study of the changes in Earth’s space environment with solar activities that impact technical systems, such as communication, navigation, aviation, satellite command and control, and electric power.  With the increasing human presence in space and blossoming of the New Space industry, understanding the physics of the heliosphere and the ability to accurately predict space weather events became essential to government agencies and private industry. The need for “in-house” professional experts on space weather becomes important for agencies/businesses to understand the potential implications of upcoming space weather events and make informed decisions to protect equipment, infrastructure and ensure health and safety. The Catholic University of America Physics department (CUA-Physics) has developed one of the U.S. first M.S. program in Applied Space Weather Research (ASWR), taught by faculty in the Dept. of Physics, researchers from our NASA/PHaSER cooperative agreement, and NASA civil-servant scientists. The CUA Master’s Degree program in Applied Space Weather Research is designed to provide graduate students the knowledge that will be needed in government and industry to confront the increasing impacts of space weather as human presence in space expands. In addition to core courses in thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and statistical mechanics, the program includes three new courses that cover the fundamental physical processes of space weather from the surface of the Sun to Earth’s atmosphere, in addition to courses in plasma physics and numerical methods for space weather. The technical and health impacts of space weather are integrated into these courses and also taught as part of a space weather seminar series. The program is open to students from any of the sciences, mathematics, and engineering disciplines, and is designed to teach students from diverse backgrounds the fundamentals of space weather. The program makes use of models and data streams available through CUA’s on-going partnership with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. A key goal of the program is to provide our students with ample opportunity to learn both the scientific and practical aspects of space weather that will position them for jobs in academia, government and industry through active mentorship with scientists and researchers at Catholic University, NASA, and university partners. With emphasis on both the applied and research aspects of space weather, the program provides the unique interdisciplinary education needed to address the challenges of understanding, forecasting, and mitigating the threats from space weather.