Nicholas M. Schneider

 

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

and

Dept. of Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences

University of Colorado

Boulder, CO 80309-0392

(303) 492-7672

nick.schneider@lasp.colorado.edu

Personal Data

Born: 17 December, 1956, Appleton, WI

Education

Ph.D. in Planetary Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 1988; advisors D.M. Hunten and R.A. Brown. Dissertation title: "Sodium in Io’s Extended Atmosphere".

B.A. in Physics & Astronomy (with honors), Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1979.

Employment History

1989-present:Assistant, then Associate Professor, Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309. Also Faculty Research Associate, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Position converted in 1995 to half-time tenure-track faculty and half-time faculty research associate.

1995: Visiting Scientist, Astronomy Department, New Mexico State University.

1988-1989: Post-doc with D.E. Shemansky, concentrating on the application of atomic physics to the Io torus and in outer planet atmospheres, and the analysis of the Voyager Ultraviolet Spectrometer data.

Awards & Recognition

Presidential Young Investigator (National Science Foundation), 1991-1996.

Junior Faculty Development Award (University of Colorado), 1991-1992.

Research Interests

My general interests lie in the areas of planetary spectroscopy, origin & evolution of planetary atmospheres, planetary magnetospheres, extra-solar planets, scientific visualization, and instrument & small spacecraft development. My current research is focused on groundbased and spacebased observations of the Jupiter/Io system, especially imaging and spectroscopy of the Io neutral clouds and plasma torus. These observations have provided important insights into Io’s atmosphere, Jupiter’s magnetosphere and the interaction between the two. My contributions to the field have been largely based on innovative observations with groundbased telescopes.

National Service and Memberships

National Service

Member of the DPS Committee, (governing body of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society), 1992-1995. Editor, DPS Electronic Newsletter , 1993-present.

 

NASA/NSF Committees

Planetary Science Data Steering Groups (1992-95).

Planetary Astronomy Committee (‘PAC II’) (1993-94).

Planetary Atmospheres, Planetary Astronomy, Hubble Space Telescope Review Panels.

National Science Foundation Review Panels.

International Jupiter Watch, Discipline Leader for Io Torus, 1989-1993.

Memberships

Division for Planetary Science (American Astronomical Society)

International Astronomical Union

Astronomical Society of the Pacific

American Geophysical Union

Publications: Review Papers and Book Chapters

Strom, R.G. and N.M. Schneider, "Volcanic Eruption Plumes on Io", in Satellites of Jupiter, D. Morrison, Ed., Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 598-633, 1982.

Schneider, N.M., W.H. Smyth and M.A. McGrath, "Io’s Atmosphere and Neutral Clouds", in Time-Variable Phenomena in the Jovian System, M.J.S. Belton et al., eds., NASA SP-494, pp. 75-99, 1989.

Spencer, J.R. and N.M. Schneider, "Io on the Eve of the Galileo Mission", Ann. Rev. Earth Plan. Sci. 24, 125-90, 1996.

Publications: Refereed Papers

Brown, R.A. and N.M. Schneider, "Sodium Remote from Io", Icarus 48, 519-535, 1981.

Strom, R.G., N.M. Schneider, R.J. Terrile, A.F. Cook, C.J. Hansen, "Volcanic Eruptions on Io", J. Geophys. Res. 86, 8593-8620, 1981.

Schneider, N.M., D.M. Hunten. W.K. Wells and L.M. Trafton, "Eclipse Observations of Io’s Sodium Atmosphere", Science 238, 55-58, 1987.

Broadfoot, A.L., et al., "Ultraviolet Spectrometer Observations of Neptune and Triton", Science 246, 1459-63, 1989.

Melosh, H.J., N.M. Schneider, K.J. Zahnle and D. Latham, "Ignition of global wildfires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary", Nature 343, 251-254, 1990.

Russell, C.T., J.J. Caldwell, I. de Pater, J. Goguen, M.J. Klein, B.L. Lutz, N.M. Schneider And R.A. West, "International Jupiter Watch; A program to study time-variability of the Jovian system", Adv. Space Res. 10, 1239-1242, 1990.

Hunten D.M., W.K. Wells, R.A. Brown, N.M. Schneider and R.L. Hilliard, "A Cassegrain Echelle Spectrograph", Pub. Astr. Soc. Pacific 103, 1187-1192, 1991.

Schneider, N.M., D.M. Hunten, W.K. Wells, A.B. Schultz, U. Fink, "The Structure of Io’s Corona", Astrophys. J. 368, 298-315, 1991.

Schneider, N.M., J.T. Trauger, J.K. Wilson, D.I. Brown, R.W. Evans, D.E. Shemansky, "Molecular Origin of Io’s Fast Sodium", Science 253, 1394-1397, 1991.

Clarke, J.T., J.A. Ajello, J. Luhmann, N.M. Schneider, I. Kanik, "HST Observations of Io’s Atmosphere Passing into Eclipse", J. Geophys. Res. Planets 99, 8387-8402, 1994.

Hall, D.T., G.R. Gladstone, W.H. Moos, F. Bagenal, J.T. Clarke, P.D. Feldman, M.A. McGrath, N.M. Schneider, D.E. Shemansky, D.F. Strobel, J.H. Waite, "Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite Observations of the Io Plasma Torus", Astrophys. J. Lett. 426, L51-L54, 1994.

Wilson, J.K., N.M. Schneider, "Io’s Fast Sodium: Implications for Molecular and Atomic Escape", Icarus 111, 31-44, 1994.

McGrath, M.A., et al., "The Io Torus During the SL9 Impacts", Science 267, 1313-1317, 1995.

Schneider, N.M., J.T. Trauger, "The Structure of the Io Torus", Astrophys. J. 450, 450-462, 1995.

Taylor, M.H., N.M. Schneider, F. Bagenal, B.R. Sandel, D.E. Shemansky, "A comparison of the Voyager 1 ultraviolet spectrometer and plasma science measurements of the Io Plasma Torus", J. Geophys. Res. 100, 19541-50, 1995.

Schneider, N. M., M. H. Taylor, F. J. Crary, J. T. Trauger, On the nature of the l III brightness asymmetry in the Io torus, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 19823-19833, 1997.

Bagenal, F., F. J. Crary, A. I. F. Stewart, N.M. Schneider, D. A. Gurnett, W. S. Kurth, L. A. Frank, Paterson, W. R., Galileo measurements of plasma density in the Io torus, Geophys. Res. Lett., 24, 2119, 1997.

Sprague, A. L., R.W.H. Kozlowski, D.M. Hunten, N.M. Schneider, D.L. Domingue, W.K. Wells, W. Schmitt, U. Fink, "Distribution and Abundance of Sodium in Mercury’s Atmosphere, 1986-1988", Icarus 129, p. 506-527, 1997.

Kueppers, M. and N.M. Schneider, "The density of the Io plasma torus ribbon", Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, no. 14, 2757-2760, 1998.

Wilson, J.K. and N.M. Schneider, "Io’s Sodium Directional Feature: Evidence for Ionospheric Escape", J. Geophys. Res., 1999.

Burger, M.H. and N.M Schneider, "Galileo’s Close-up View of Io’s Sodium Jet", Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 3333-3336, 1999.

Kueppers, M.H and N.M. Schneider, "The Discovery of Chlorine in the Io Plasma Torus", accepted for publication in Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 513-516, 2000.

Educational Works

J. Bennett, M. Donahue, N. Schneider, M. Voit, The Cosmic Perspective, an introductory astronomy textbook published December 1998 (Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-87878-X).

J. Bennett, M. Donahue, N. Schneider, M. Voit, The Cosmic Perspective, Brief Edition, a one-semester introductory astronomy textbook published December 1999 (Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-67934-3).

 

11 May 2000