Abstract: Over the next decade, neutrino astronomy will probe the rich astrophysics of neutrino production in the sky, including neutrinos from the Sun, core-collapse supernova (e.g., SN 1987A), and relativistic jets (e.g., blazar TXS 0506+056). On the observational side of this new era, the Super-Kamiokande with Gadolinium, Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, XENON, and future liquid scintillator neutrino experiments usher in a new generation of multi-purpose neutrino detectors designed to open new avenues for potentially observing currently undetected neutrinos.

The 8th annual MSU Science Festival will take place April 1-30, 2020. Presenters are getting ready to dazzle, delight, educate, and inform, reaching beyond science to include technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and the important role they play shaping our future and everyday lives. The April 4 expo will feature dozens of booths, and JINA will be on hand to demonstrate nuclear astrophysics with hands-on activities!

Presented by Ermal Rrapaj from the University of Minnesota

Abstract: I study the flavor evolution of a dense neutrino gas by considering vacuum contributions, mat-ter effects and neutrino self-interactions. Assuming a system of two flavors in a uniform matter background, the time evolution of the many-body system in discretized momentum space is com-puted. The multi-angle neutrino-neutrino interactions are treated exactly and compared to both the single-angle approximation and mean field calculations.  I study various configurations of up to twenty neutrinos.

Of Equal Place: Isotopes in Motion will present an exhilarating performance that combines dance, video, and physics while featuring professional dancers and guest performances by local youth. The show highlights the wonders of science and illuminates the research at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and was inspired by Dance Exchange’s critically acclaimed work The Matter of Origins. Following the performance, audience members are invited to participate in a series of activities which explore dance, physics, and FRIB. 

We announce that the 17th Russbach School on Nuclear Astrophysics will again take place at the village of Rußbach am Paß Gschütt, southeast of Salzburg, Austria. The school dates will be from March 15 (arrival and registration) to March 21 (departure) 2020. This school belongs to the European Network of Nuclear Astrophysics Schools (ENNAS). We shall limit the number of participants to about 60 to ensure a convivial atmosphere, and the possibility to share dinners between all participants.

The radioisotope 26Al is a key observable for providing information on the role of massive stars in the Galaxy as well as on the conditions in the early Solar System. It is produced in a number of astrophysical sites, from AGB stars and Wolf-Rayet winds through to novae and supernovae. To properly interpret the observational data, it is therefore crucial to understand to the production of 26Al in these different environments. There are a number of reactions which affect the final abundance of 26Al, including (but not limited to) 25Mg(p,g)26Al, 26Al(p,g)27Si, and 26Al(n,p/a).

In this talk, “Leadership in an Engineering Environment”, Trudy Kortes, a 30 year NASA veteran and STEM speaker and consultant, will describe the typical characteristics of an industrial engineering organization, the typical characteristics of engineers, and typical situations you might find yourself in within an engineering organization. She will discuss the hard realities you will face as well as manifestations of each of these topics, and the you will learn strategies, approaches, and coping mechanisms to successfully maneuver yourself through your career.

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg

Title TBA

The goal of this 3-day workshop is to launch the data interpretation phase of the RPA with selected experts in observational, theoretical and experimental r-process work.

The meeting will bring together experts from various fields to discuss the role played by lithium in several astrophysical contexts and to highlight the extraordinary character of this chemical species, as a tracer of the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies and the Universe.

The main topics of the meeting will be:

 * Big Bang nucleosynthesis

 * Nuclear reaction rates involving lithium and beryllium

 * Physical processes in stellar interiors as traced by Li, Be, and B

 * Hot bottom burning in massive AGB stars

Alexander Ji. Carnegie Science Observatories

The lanthanide fraction distribution in r-process metal-poor stars

Abstract:

Join the MSU Science Communication organization (MSU SciComm) with the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) in their first live Science-Art show. There will be live science demos and discussions. This event features guest speaker Patrick Morgan, and Keynote Speaker Dianna Cowern aka Physics Girl. 

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Topics

Beyond iron, a small fraction of the total abundances in the Solar System is made of proton-rich isotopes, the p-nuclei. The clear understanding of their production is a fundamental challenge for nuclear astrophysics but still remains to be clarified.

Nuclear physics is the necessary link between astronomical observations, stellar models and galactic chemical evolution. The impressive progress in astrophysics during the last decades explaining and predicting astronomical scenarios was only possible because of the fruitful interplay between all disciplines. New insights in one field triggered new developments in the other fields. New experimental techniques are typically the response to new predictions and observations.

The beginning of the stellar era in the Universe is a singularly fascinating phase in the history of the Cosmos. The baryonic material filling the Universe at that time, having a composition inherited from Big Bang nucleosynthesis, has its physical characteristics modified by the very first stars. Indeed, the first stars will change the degree of ionized material in their vicinity, and, through their winds and/or supernova explosion, will inject energy, momentum, and newly-synthesized elements.

MICRA, which stands for Microphysics In Computational Relativistic Astrophysics, is a biennial workshop focused on improving, discussing, and addressing the microphysics needs of relativistic simulations of astrophysical systems, core-collapse supernovae, compact object mergers, and gamma-ray bursts by bringing together nuclear and neutrino theorists and astrophysicists and computational modelers. This year marks the 5th installment and the 10th anniversary of MICRA, and the first since the revolutionary gravitational wave event GW170817.

Currently enrolled high school students participate in a week-long nuclear astrophysics "boot camp" filled with lectures, experiments, and social activities.