User:Talfuin/Lucie Green

Lucie Green
Green talking at Bright Club in London, November 2011
Born	Lucie M. Green c.1975 Bedfordshire, England, UK
Education	Dame Alice Harpur School
Alma mater	University of Sussex University College London
Occupation(s)	Astrophysicist, Astronomer, Science Communicator
Employer	Mullard Space Science Laboratory
Television	Presenter, The Sky at Night
Board member of	European Solar Physics Division of the European Physical Society Science Museum
Awards	Kohn Award (2009)
Website	Personal website @ MSSL

Lucie Green (born c.1975) is a British astrophysicist, solar researcher, astronomer and science communicator. Since 2005 Green has been a Royal Society University Research Fellow (previously the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow) at Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) of the University College London (UCL). Green also runs MSSL's public engagement programme and sits on the board of the European Solar Physics Division (ESPD) of the European Physical Society and the advisory board of the Science Museum.

An award winning science writer, television and radio presenter and science communicator, Green has a passion for engaging the public with space science and astronomy. Perhaps best known for her work on The Sky at Night, in 2013 Green became the shows first ever female presenter following the death of Sir Patrick Moore.

Green's research focuses primarily on the atmospheric activities of the Sun, particularly coronal mass ejections and the changes in the Sun's magnetic field which triggers them.

Early life and education

After an early interest in the care of animals, Green studied at Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedfordshire gaining 9 GCSEs and 4 A-levels and 1 AS, including art and physics.

She has frequently returned to her old school to discuss her research. Fiona Clements, Green's Physics teacher at the school, has said, “She is a great advocate for young women in science and we are proud that she continues to remember the school by returning to talk about her research to pupils."

"I always liked physics from an early age while I was at school. That was my passion: problem solving or asking questions and then finding out ways of answering those questions. But I never had a burning ambition of being a space scientist, and I wasn’t even into amateur astronomy [at that time]".

After completing her A-levels, Green took a year out during which time she studied art. Then after deciding to pursue physics, Green completed her undergraduate Master of Physics degree in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Sussex, graduating with a 2:1. Whilst there, encouraged by visits to the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Green decided to do a PhD in solar physics at MSSL which she completed in 2002.

"I read Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Sussex and whilst there made a couple of trips to observe the Sun at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, close to the Black Sea. It was this solar observing that sparked my interest in solar physics. I discovered that the Sun isn’t a bland and quiet object but rather it has an active and extended atmosphere which affects us."

"I think I saw the light whilst I was sunbathing on the beach, if you'll pardon the pun! Then I joined the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, in Surrey, and started studying coronal mass ejections."

Career

Images captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory showing a solar eclipse followed by a M6.6 solar flare.

After gaining her PhD in solar physics, Green moved to Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy. Green became the Project Co-ordinator of the Faulkes Telescope Project, a project which enables schools to have remote use of two 2-metre class telescopes located in Hawaii (Faulkes Telescope North in Hawaii) and Australia (Faulkes Telescope South in Australia).

Since 2005 Green has been a Leverhulme Research Fellow (previously the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow), at MSSL. Her current work focuses on the pattern of magnetic fields in the Sun's atmosphere, which sporadically erupt to form a coronal mass ejections; how these relate to geomagnetic activity and what this means for those living on the Earth.

"In particular, I am interested in coronal mass ejections, huge eruptions of magnetic field and hot gases that somehow break free from the Sun and speed into the Solar System at 100's km/s... I study the magnetic source regions of coronal mass ejections with a view to understanding the changes in the Sun's magnetic field which trigger them."

She is a member of UCL’s Steering Committee for the Beacon for Public Engagement and she runs MSSL’s public engagement programme.

From 2006-2012 Green was a member of the Royal Society's Education Committee and was part of their State of the Nation reports Working Group during 2007-2009.

Green sits on the board of the European Solar Physics Division (ESPD), the European Physical Society and the advisory board of the Science Museum.

Green regularly works with the major space agencies, including the European Space Agency (ESA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), where she was the Chief Observer on the Hinode mission. She is also helping to design future missions, such as the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter programme.

Green makes regular appearences on TV and radio and frequently give talks about the UK's current research in solar system science. In April of 2015 she will be speaking at QED 2015.

"During my PhD I started to become interested in discussing space science with people outside of my immediate research area. This has led me to organise local science festivals, hold open days, work with school students and adult learners and work in TV and radio."

Solar Orbiter

Green is also involved in the development of the 'Solar Orbiter', a Sun-observing Satellite under development by the ESA. The aim of the mission is to perform close-up, high-resolution studies of the Sun for a better understanding of the sun's behaviour, heliosphere, solar winds and coronal magnetic field.

"So the Sun has this outflow of magnetic fields and charged particles and we can look at the Sun remotely and see what’s happening, and [detect] the material when it gets to Earth, however there is a 150-million-kilometre gap in between where we can’t do anything. So the Solar Orbiter will get very close to the Sun – inside the orbit of Mercury – and measure the material coming off it, before it has altered. This will provide us with the missing link: we’ll see what’s happening at the Sun, record what’s happening on Earth and also measure what’s happening in between."

"My role on the programme has been to decide what science we can do with the Solar Orbiter. You always have to justify the mission by [setting out] the big questions you want to explore or answer. My interest, personally, is in the Sun’s coronal mass ejections. I’ve been studying how they happen and why in some cases they come and hit our planet, however we want to be able to predict which CMEs (coronal mass ejections) will strike the Earth and which ones won’t. The Solar Orbiter should go a long way in helping us achieve just that."

A project Green has been involved with for over nine years, the Solar Orbiter is set to be launched in 2018.

Media appearances

As a television presenter, science expert and science communicator Green regularly appears on television and radio. Green's list of TV and media appearances is extensive, but most notably she has appeared on many television programmes, including The Sky at Night and Stargazing Live, Stardate, Horizon, Xchange and The One Show.

Green is also a regular on several radio programmes and podcasts including: The Infinite Monkey Cage, Saturday Live and PM (BBC Radio 4), Material World, Slooh Radio (USA), 4 News hour (BBC World Service), 5Live Drive and Bacon’s Theory (BBC 5 Live), The Butcher’s Apron and Nick Ferrari (LBC).

Between 2004-2005 Green co-presented several programmes in the BBC/Open University series, Stardate. Some notable episodes include: Stardate: Mission To Titan which she co-presented with Adam Hart-Davis, covering the European Space Agency successfully landing the Huygens probe on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. And Stardate: Deep Impact which she co-presented with Brian Cox, covering NASA successfully colliding a probe into the side of comet Tempel 1 in an effort to learn more about the origins of the Solar System.

Since 2010 Green has also appeared on and co-presented several episodes of Stargazing Live.

In 2013 Green became the first ever female presenter of The Sky at Night after the death of Sir Patrick Moore. From February to December of 2013 Green co-presented the show with Chris Lintott.

Green has also appeared on several episodes of the BBC Radio 4 show The Infinite Monkey Cage, discussing topics ranging from the end of the world to parallel universes and appearing alongside such personalities as Andy Hamilton and Stephen Fry.

In 2013 Green hosted her own radio program 'Solar Max' on BBC Radio 4 on the topic of space weather. Specifically addressing how emissions from the sun can cause changes in the Earth's magnetic field and upper atmosphere, and the implications this has for the UK.

Personal Life

I'm a great believer in enjoying life

— Lucie Green,

When asked where her love of space science came from, Green has said: "As a child, I remember hearing my parents say that they thought I was going to be an astrophysicist when I grew up. Not actually knowing what an astro-thinga-me-wotsit was, I agreed with them because I thought it sounded impressive. Really at that time I wanted to look after animals. People used to bring me injured birds and I would stay up all night feeding them worms!"

In her spare time Green is a lover of games of all kinds: "I carry a frisbee whenever I'm near a large space and the 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' board game whenever I'm going to be with more than 3 people. I love games of any kind, especially the ones I can win."

She is also a big fan of dancing, especially Modern Jive, as well as playing tennis and going out with family and friends.

Awards and honours

In 2005, Green was a member of a team that won a Royal Television Society's Life Long Learning and Multimedia Award for a television show covering the transit of Venus, that enabled viewers to make their own Sun-Earth distance measurements using observations of the transit that year.

In 2009 she was awarded the prestigious Royal Society's Kohn Award for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science, for her work engaging a diverse audience with science, and more specifically, for creating a culture of public engagement within her department.

Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director of Public Affairs at the Royal Society said: "We are delighted to be awarding Dr Lucie Green the Royal Society Kohn Award. She is a shining example of how one person's determination can change an entire institution's approach to public engagement. More than ever before, the general public needs to know the importance of science and the solutions it may hold to some of our generation's biggest challenges. Dr Green is a fantastic ambassador for science and her efforts to encourage other scientists to engage with the public make her a very worthy recipient of this award."

Green has said: "As a scientist I feel that public engagement is a vital part of my day-to-day life and fundamental to the role of a university. As well as being an important part of our culture, public engagement with science provides many benefits to the scientist, their host institution and the audience through discussing research in an inclusive way."

In 2010 she was named one the UK top 10 best scientific minds under 40 in The Times October science supplement, Eureka.

In 2015 Green had a bust unveiled at the Royal Society in London, whilst being honoured at an event exploring the history of women and science writing. The bust was created and gifted to the Royal Society by Marcus Cornish.

Works

List of works by Green:

Research publications

A list of Lucie Green's refereed and non-refereed scientific publications:

2014

• "Observations of flux rope formation prior to coronal mass ejections" L.M., Green and Kliem, B., 2014, Proceedings of the IAU symposium no. 300, "Nature of prominences and their role in space weather". arXiv:1312.4388
• "Simulating the formation of a sigmoidal flux rope in AR 10977 from SOHO/MDI magnetograms" Gibb, G.P.S., Mackay, D.H., L.M., Green and Meyer, K.A., 2014, Astrophysical Journal, accepted.

2013

• "Plasma composition in an sigmoidal anemone active region" Baker, D., Brooks, Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L.M., Steed, K., Carlyle, J., 2013, Astrophysical Journal, 778, 69.
• "First observational application of a connectivity-based helicity flux density" Dalmasse, K., Pariat, E., Valori, G., Démoulin, P., Green, L.M., 2013, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 555, 6.
• "Properties of the 15 February 2011 Flare Seismic Sources" Zharkov, S., Green, L.M., Matthews, S. A., Zharkova, V. V., 2013, Solar Physics, 284, 315.
• "On the seismicity of September 7, 2011 X1.8-class flare" Zharkov, S., Green, L.M., Matthews, S. A., Zharkova, V. V., 2013, Proceedings of "Eclipse on the Coral Sea: GONG 2012/LWS/SDO-5/SOHO-27" meeting.

2012

• "Photospheric Flux Cancellation and the Build-up of Sigmoidal Flux Ropes on the Sun" Savcheva, A.A., Green, L.M., van Ballegooijen, A.A., DeLuca, E.E., 2012, Astrophysical Journal., 759, 105.
• "Forecasting a CME by Spectroscopic Precursor" Baker, D., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L.M., 2012, Solar Physics, 276, 219.
• "Nonlinear force-free extrapolations of emerging flux with a global twist and serpentine fine structures" Valori, G., Green, L.M., Démoulin, P., Vargas Dominguez, S., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Wallace, A., Baker, D., Fuhrmann, M., 2012, Solar Physics, 278, 73.
• "On signatures of twisted magnetic flux tube emergence" Vargas Dominguez, S., MacTaggart, D., Green, L.M., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Hood, A.W., 2012, Solar Physics, 278, 33.
• "Hinode observations of an eruption from a sigmoidal active region" Green, L.M., Wallace, A.J., Kliem, B., 2012, ASP Conference Series, 454, 391.
• "Does magnetic helicity effect active region evolution and energetics?" Wallace, A.J., Green, L.M., Mandrini, C., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Matthews, S.A., 2012, ASP Conference Series, 454, 281.
• "Solar Particle Acceleration Radiation and Kinetics (SPARK)" Matthews, S.A., Williams, D.R., Klein, K.L., Kontar, E., Smith, D., Krucker, S., Lagg, A., Hurford, G., Vilmer, N., MacKinnon, A., Zharkova, V., Fletcher, L., Hannah, I., Browning, P., Innes, D., Trottet, G., Foullon, C., Nakariakov, V., Green, L.M., Mathioudakis, M., Gandorfer, A., Martinez-Pillet, V., Limousin, O., Verwichte, E., 2012, Experimental Astronomy, 33, 237.
• "LEMUR: Large European Module for solar Ultraviolet Research" Teriaca, L., Andretta, V., Auchere, F., Brown, M.C., Buchlin, E., Cauzzi, G., Culhane, J.L., Curdt, W., Davila, J.M., Del Zanna, G., Doschek, G.A., Fineschi, S., Fludra, A., Gallagher, P.T., Green, L.M., Harra, L.K., Imada, S., Innes, D., Kliem, B., Korendyke, C., Mariska, J.T., Martinez-Pillet, V., Parenti, S., Patsourakos, S., Peter, H., Poletto, L., Rutten, R., Schuhle, U., Siemer, M., Shimizu, T., Socas-Navarro, H., Solanki, S.K., Spadaro, D., Trujillo-Bueno, J., Tsuneta, S., Vargas Dominguez, S., Vial, J-C., Walsh, R., Warren, H.P., Wiegelmann, T., Winter, B., Young, P., 2012, Experimental Astronomy, 34, 273.

2011

• "February 15, 2011: sun-quakes produced by flux rope eruption" Zharkov, S., Green, L.M., Matthews, S.A., Zharkova, S.S., 2011, Astrophysical Journal Letters, 741, L35.
• "Modeling the dispersal of an active region: quantifying energy input into the corona" Mackay, D.H., Green, L.M., van Ballegooijen, A. , 2011, Astrophysical Journal, 729, 97.
• "Photospheric flux cancellation and associated flux rope formation and eruption" Green, L.M., Kliem, B., Wallace, A.J., 2011, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 526.

2010

• "Pre-flare flows in the corona" Wallace, A.J., Harra, L.K., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L.M. and Matthews, S.A., 2010, Solar Physics, 267, 361.
• "Looking ahead for space science" Green, L.M., Forsyth, C., Wild, J., 2007, Astronomy and Geophysics, 48, 24. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2010.51323.x

2009

• "Flux rope formation preceding coronal mass ejection onset" Green, L.M. and Kliem, B., 2009, Astrophysical Journal Letters, 700, L83.
• "Temperature tomography of a coronal sigmoid supporting the gradual formation of a flux rope" Tripathi, D., Kliem, B., Mason, H. E., Young, P., Green, L. M., 2009, Astrophysical Journal Letters, 698, L27.
• "Intensification of plasma upflows in an active region: a CME precursor" Baker, D., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Murray, M. J., Green, L. M., Török, T., Sun, J., 2009, ASPC, 415, 75.

2008

• "Flux Rope Eruption From the Sun to the Earth: What do Reversals in the Azimuthal Magnetic Field Gradient Tell us About the Evolution of the Magnetic Structure?" Steed, K., Owen, C. J., Harra, L. K., Green, L. M., Dasso, S., Walsh, A. P., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., 2008, AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
• "Locating the solar source of the 13 April 2006 magnetic cloud" Steed, K., Owen, C.J., Harra, L.K., Green, L.M., 2008. Annales Geophysicae, 26, 3159.

2007

• "Transient coronal sigmoids and rotating erupting flux ropes" Green, L.M., Kliem, B., Török, T., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L. and Attrill, G.D.R., Solar Physics, 246, 365.
• "Multi-spacecraft study of the January 21, 2005 ICME: evidence of current sheet substructure near the periphery of a strongly expanding, fast magnetic cloud" Foullon, C., Owen, C.J., Dasso, S., Green, L.M., Dandouras, I., Elliott, H.A., Fazakerley, A.N., Bogdanova, Y.V., Crooker, N.U., 2007, Solar Physics, 244, 139.
• "Reaching out through the heliosphere" Green, L.M., 2007, Astronomy and Geophysics, 48, 24.
• "International Heliophysical Year: International Heliophysical Year is here, Green, L.M." 2007, Astronomy and Geophysics, 48, 21.

2005

• "The smallest source region of an interplanetary magnetic cloud: A mini-sigmoid" Mandrini, C. H., Pohjolainen, S., Dasso, S., Green, L.M., Démoulin, P., Van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Foley, C., Copperwheat, C., 2005, Advances in Space Research, 36, 1579
• "Interplanetary flux rope ejected from an X-ray bright-point: the smallest magnetic cloud region ever observed" Mandrini, C. H., Pohjolainen, S., Dasso, S., Green, L.M., Démoulin, P., Van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Copperwheat, C., Foley, C 2005, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 434, 725
• "Solar and Interplanetary Magnetic Helicity Balance of Active Regions" Mandrini, C.H., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Dasso, S., Green, L.M., López Fuentes, M., 2005, Highlights of Astronomy, Vol. 13, edited by O. Engvold, p. 122.

2004

• "Linking coronal observations of a 'mini' active region with its interplanetary manifestation" Dasso, S., Mandrini, C. H., Pohjolainen, S., Green, L.M., Démoulin, P., Van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Foley, C., Copperwheat, C., 2004, Boletín de la Asociación Argentina de Astronomía, 47, 18
• "The smallest source region of an interplanetary magnetic cloud: a mini-sigmoid" Mandrini, C. H., Pohjolainen, S., Dasso, S., Green, L.M., Démoulin, P., Van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Foley, C., Copperwheat, C., 2004, Cospar meeting E2.1
• "Magnetic helicity budget of solar active regions from the photosphere to magnetic clouds" Mandrini, C. H., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L. M., López Fuentes, M. C., 2004, Astrophysics and Space Science, 290, 319

2003

• "How are emerging flux, flares and CMEs related to the magnetic polarity imbalance in MDI data?" Green, L.M., Demoulin, P., Mandrini, C.H., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., 2003, Solar Physics, 215, 307
• "The magnetic helicity budget of solar active regions from photosphere to magnetic clouds" Mandrini, C.H., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Green, L.M., López Fuentes, M.C., 2003, Astrophysics and Space Physics, Proceedings of the 11th UN-ESA Workshops
• "The Soft X-ray characteristics of solar flares, both with and without associated CMEs" Kay, H.R.M., Harra, L.K., Matthews, S.A., Culhane, J.L., Green, L.M., 2003, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 400, 779
• "Active region helicity evolution and related coronal mass ejection activity" Green, L.M., López Fuentes, M.C., Mandrini, C.H., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Démoulin, P., 2003, Advances in Space Research, 32, 1959

2002

• "The magnetic helicity budget of a CME-prolific active region" Green, L.M., López Fuentes, M.C., Mandrini, C.H., Démoulin, P., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Culhane, J.L., 2002, Solar Physics, 208, 43
• "Multi-wavelength observations of an X-class flare without a coronal mass ejection" Green, L.M., Matthews, S.A., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Harra, L.K., Culhane, J.L., 2002, Solar Physics, 205, 325
• "Active region helicity evolution and related coronal mass ejection activity" Green, L.M., Mandrini, C., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Démoulin, P., 2002, Cospar meeting E1213G
• "Long-term helicity evolution of NOAA active region 8100" Green, L.M., López Fuentes, M.C., Démoulin, P., Mandrini, C.H., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., 2002, ESA SP-477, 43
• "Flare characteristics and the association with ejective or non-ejective behaviour" Culhane, J.L., Magee, H.R., Green, L.M., Harra, L.K., Foley, C.A., Matthews, S.A., 2002, Multi-wavelength Observations of Coronal Structure and Dynamics, Yohkoh 10th Anniversary Meeting

2001

• "Coronal mass ejections and their association to active region flaring" Green, L.M., Harra, L.K., Matthews, S.A., Culhane, J.L., 2001, Solar Physics, 200, 189
• "Magnetic field configurations and the likelihood of coronal mass ejections" Culhane, J.L., Glover, A., Green, L.M., Harra, L.K., Matthews, S.A., Hori, K, 2001, ESA SP-493, 193

Before 2001

• "Cepheus X-4" Roche, P., Green, L.M., Hoenig, M., 1997, IAU Circ., 6698, 2. Edited by Spahr, T.B.

Books

• Green is currently writing her first book, titled '15 Million Degrees', which is due for release early to mid 2016 and being published by Viking.

External links

• Personal website @ MSSL
• Sue Rider Management
• Blog
• LinkedIn
• Personal Twitter
• Facebook