Yihua Zheng
Join us on March 20 at 2:30pm in White Hall G09 for a colloquium presented by Yihua Zheng, Research Astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She will speak on Highlights of Tools and Resources at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center for Space Science Research and Space Weather Applications. Continue reading for her abstract and biography.Abstract
In this talk, I will showcase a diverse array of tools and resources offered by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) to advance space science research and support space weather services. Highlights include the Run-on-Request (RoR) and continuous run simulation services, the multi-purpose integrated Space Weather Analysis (iSWA) system (has been used for space weather monitoring, anomaly resolution, and education), space weather event database DONKI, the validation tool called CAMEL, and various scoreboard activities serving as model validation efforts before a space weather event/condition occurs (this type of pre-event validation enhances the accuracy and credibility of space weather predictions from the community). In addition, CCMC’s is an active participant providing strong support for NASA’s Heliophysics Big Year activities. Above all, our team welcomes collaborations in the broad range of áreas. Through this presentation, we aim to inspire (further and broader) engagement and collaboration among the scientific community of WVU and CCMC.
Biography
Dr. Zheng got her Ph.D. from University of New Hampshire in 2001. Her research experience includes
magnetospheric physics, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, and space weather. Dr. Zheng has
authored/co-authored ~70 journal publications and numerous technical documents.
Beyond her research, Dr. Zheng has demonstrated leadership as the co-lead/lead (from 2010 to 2017) of
the Space Weather Research Center, providing crucial space weather services to NASA missions.
Furthermore, Dr. Zheng led space weather bootcamps and training sessions for a diverse audience,
including high school and college students, engineers, scientists, and professionals, both domestically
and internationally. Active in the international space weather community, she is a vice chair of the
COSPAR Panel on Radiation Belts Environment Modeling and plays a key role in the COSPAR ISWAT
(International Space Weather Action Teams) initiative. She is consulted frequently on many aspects of
space weather and its effects, including spacecraft anomalies, forecasting methods and tools. She has
been actively involved in U.S multiagency and international space weather efforts since 2010. She
served as a GEM Steering Committee member from 2019 to 2023.
Currently serving as the U.S. Project Scientist for the SNIPE mission and leading multipoint data analysis
methods for the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission, Dr. Zheng has been actively involved
in space missions/projects. She previously served as the Project Scientist for LWS/SET (Space
Environment Testbeds) onboard Air Force and NASA’s DSX mission.
Dr. Zheng is dedicated to mentoring the next generation. She has guided many high school and college
students in space weather forecasting and research, with some becoming core staff members of the
Moon-to-Mars Space Weather Analysis Office. Additionally, she has supervised master’s-degree
students and postdocs in space weather research, contributing to the development of future workforce.
Education
- 2001, Ph.D., University of New Hampshire
Positions/Employment
- Research Astrophysicist, NASA/GSFC, Feb 2010 – present
- Staff Scientist, JHU/APL, Aug 2005 – Jan 2010
Honors/Awards
- 2012 NASA Special Act Award – Outstanding Leadership in Space Weather Research
- 2013 Robert H. Goddard Award: Exceptional Achievement for Outreach
- 2014 NASA Group Honor Award - Exceptional Achievement Customer Service Team: Space Weather Research Center
- 2015 NASA Group Achievement Honor Award: Spitzer Space Weather Collaborative Operation Team
- 2015 Heliophysics Science Division Peer Award
- 2018 NASA Group Achievement Award: CCMC team
- 2019 Robert H. Goddard Award: Exceptional Achievement for Science – DREAM2 (Dynamic Response of the Environments at Asteroids, the Moon, and moons of Mars) Center for Space Environments
- 2019 NASA-wide Recognition for Contributions to NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research)/STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Program
- 2023 NASA Special Act Award -- Leadership as the NASA SNIPE Project Scientist