Colin Komar will receive the 2016 Basu United States Early Career Award for Research Excellence in Sun-Earth Systems Science at the 2016 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, to be held 12–16 December in San Francisco, Calif. This award is given annually to one early-career scientist (no more than 3 years post-degree) from the United States in recognition of significant work that shows the focus and promise of making outstanding contributions to research in Sun-Earth systems science that further the understanding of both plasma physical processes and their applications for the benefit of society.
Colin received his B.S. in physics from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2008 and an M.S. in physics from West Virginia University in 2010. He completed his Ph.D. in physics under the supervision of Paul Cassak at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va. His research interests include magnetic reconnection at Earth’s dayside magnetopause, dynamics of Earth’s radiation belts, the ring current, ionospheric outflow, and the feedback mechanisms that exist among these magnetospheric systems.