The COSPAR Space Weather Capacity Building Workshop 2018 (SW-CBW 2018) will introduce the students to a system-wide investigation of Space Weather phenomena, bringing together topics in Space Weather Science and Applications, such as Solar Physics, Interplanetary Medium, Geomagnetic Field and Earth Magnetism, and Ionized and Neutral Earth’s Atmosphere.
This workshop takes place in the facilities of the Brazilian Space Weather Study and Monitoring Program (EMBRACE - “Estudo e Monitoramento Brasileiro do Clima Espacial"). It is located at National Institute for Space Research (INPE - "Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais”) in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Brazil from 17 September 2018 to 28 September 2018.
During the activities, the students will receive an introduction for the analysis of space-based data from the fleet of spacecraft currently providing space weather measurements. Also, an introduction to the INPE’s Space Weather local database offers corresponding data of Space Weather disturbances detected on the ground and in the upper atmosphere. The uses of those kinds of data sets allow the workshop participants to understand what phenomena are occurring in the Sun-Earth environment and what effects should probably develop on Earth for each Space Weather related event. The teaching contemplates an embasing on several methods of system analysis and broadly acquainted with topical issues of Space Weather and associated scientific challenges.
Working together side by side and embracing challenging investigative themes, the students will also develop interdisciplinary skills and new collaborative contacts with scientists from the Space Weather community. The workshop will dedicate two entire days for each one of the four main topics with lectures conducted by renowned scientists in each specialized field. Practical training in data analysis will be made using computers provided by the local host institution. Despite that, attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops to work freely outside EMBRACE facilities. INPE’s specialists will help the workshop participants to install the analysis software on their laptops if necessary. The host institution will provide at least three rooms which will be available during the entire event: a 60 seat auditorium and two computer’s rooms to be used by all the attendees, while the opening ceremony will take place in a large, comfortable auditorium close to the Brazilian laboratory for integration and tests of satellites. As a significant task during the event, the students are invited to develop a group project presented to all participants on the last day. These projects are related to the analysis of selected Space Weather events and tutored by the invited and local scientists.