Conference Support for the Haleakala Neutron Monitor Workshop; Honolulu, Hawaii; January 2025

The Haleakala Neutron Monitor Workshop will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in January 2025. The workshop will bring together approximately 50 participants from Hawaii, mainland USA, Thailand, Mexico, and other countries to celebrate the installation of two neutron monitors at the Haleakala summit. These monitors provide unique capabilities for observing galactic cosmic rays and solar neutron particles, contributing valuable data for studying cosmic ray physics, atmospheric interactions, and radiation hazards. This workshop will bring together experts, early-career scientists, and engineers to foster collaboration, exchange knowledge, and address key scientific questions about particle propagation, solar events, and nuclear interactions in Earth’s atmosphere. The five-day workshop, to be held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Haleakala, will feature plenary talks, technical sessions, and a site visit to the Haleakala summit for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). The final day will focus on exploring synergies between neutron monitor data and DKIST’s solar science objectives. Early-career participants will have the opportunity to present research in plenary sessions and engage with senior scientists, building connections across neutron monitoring, space weather, and atmospheric science. 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.