FDSS Track 1: A New Paradigm for Faculty Development in Geospace Science at Georgia Tech

The Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS) opportunity aims to integrate geospace science--to include solar and space physics and space weather research--into natural sciences, engineering or related departments at U.S. institutions of higher education and stimulate the development of undergraduate or graduate programs or curricula capable of training the next generation of leaders in geospace science. Georgia Tech will create an FDSS tenure-track position jointly in the College of Sciences and College of Engineering, focused on solar-terrestrial and space weather research. Five departments in the university will collaborate on the faculty search process, instead of the traditional hiring model where one university department leads a faculty hiring. The new faculty will be integrated into a major new interdisciplinary space research venture supported by the university, which would accelerate their networking and collaborative opportunities. They will engage a large number of undergraduate students in research, leveraging the institution’s Vertically Integrated Projects that has been demonstrated to have positive impacts on retention and career trajectory. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.