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Table of Contents
============================================================================
1. GEM Mini-workshop: Registration and Schedule
2. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, 
   fields and coupling " Focus Group Session at the GEM 2008 Mini-workshop
============================================================================

			 ***************************
			 **   THE GEM MESSENGER   **
			 ***************************

                                                        Volume 18, Number 30
                                                           November 21, 2008
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1. GEM Mini-workshop: Registration and Schedule
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From: Bob Clauer <rclauer at vt.edu>

A Web site for the GEM mini-workshop has been opened at
http://www.cpe.vt.edu/gem-mini/index.html

It contains the latest schedule of sessions and information about the 
mini-workshop.  There is also a registration button.  There is no fee 
for registering, we are only interested in obtaining information for 
planning purposes -- we need to order enough ice cream bars for the 
break.  Soooo, if you want to be sure to get an ice cream bar at the 
break, please go to the site above and register your planned attendance 
at the GEM mini-workshop on Sunday Dec 14 in San Francisco.

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2. Solicitation of Contributions to the "Near Earth Magnetosphere: Plasma, 
   fields and coupling " Focus Group Session at the GEM 2008 Mini-workshop
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Sorin Zaharia <szaharia at lanl.gov>, Stan Sazykin
      <sazykin at rice.edu> and Benoit Lavraud <lavraud at cesr.fr>,
      Focus Group co-chairs

We would like to invite contributions to the Near Earth Magnetosphere focus 
group session at the upcoming GEM Mini-workshop (2:30 to 4:30 PM  on Sunday 
Dec. 14 at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, Room Nob  Hill A).

An outline of the major topics of interest of the focus group can be found 
on the focus group Wiki at

http://aten.igpp.ucla.edu/gemwiki/index.php/FG8._Near_Earth_Magnetosphere:_plasma%2C_fields%2C_and_coupling

We plan to devote the first part of the session to presentations of 
preliminary results (Phase 0) of the Near-Earth Magnetosphere Challenge that 
we discussed at the Summer GEM Workshop. A description of the Challenge can 
be found at the Wiki address above as well.

Phase 0 of the challenge involves an idealized event, simulated with simple 
inputs/physics, and has the goal setting a baseline for all participating 
models, upon which future phases of the Challenge will be built.

Aside from Challenge results, we are also soliciting very short 
presentations (3 slide max.) on any topic aligned with the 2 research fronts 
the focus group has been operating on:

1. Data-based/empirical models - progress on empirical modeling of fields 
and particles relevant to the inner magnetosphere

2. Improvements in physics-based modeling, including coupling between 
different elements in the models (plasma, electric and magnetic fields)

Please send us the title of your contribution your earliest convenience at 
the email addresses listed above.


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