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American plasma physicist (1958–2023)

Craig A. Kletzing
Born	(1958-02-03)3 February 1958 Sacramento, California
Died	10 August 2023(2023-08-10) (aged 65)
Education	University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Diego
Known for	NASA Van Allen Probes mission - EMFISIS, NASA TRACERS mission
Spouse	Jeanette Welch
Awards	American Physical Society Fellow
Scientific career
Fields	Physics
Thesis	Auroral electron time dispersion (1989)
Academic advisors	Carl E. McIlwain and Roy B. Torbert

Craig Allen Kletzing (February 3, 1958 – August 10, 2023) was an American plasma physicist and professor at the University of Iowa, known for his work in space plasmas and laboratory plasmas. He conducted pioneering work in kinetic Alfvén waves,^[1] developed instruments for various NASA missions, and taught college level physics.

Kletzing was Principal Investigator of the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS)^[2] unit aboard NASA's Van Allen Probes, and Co-Investigator of the electric and magnetic Fields Suite^[3] aboard NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. In 2019, NASA selected to fund Kletzing's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission proposal as part of the agency's Small Explorer Program.

Early life and education

Kletzing was born in Sacramento, CA in 1958.^[4]

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in physics at the University of California, Berkeley in 1981. In 1983, he earned his Masters degree in physics and in 1989 he received his PhD degree in physics, both from the University of California, San Diego. His PhD thesis, entitled "Auroral electron time dispersion",^[5] which examined precipitating electron data in the Earth's ionosphere using a sounding rocket mission.

Career

After receiving his PhD, he briefly worked as a research assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Huntsville before moving that same year to an assistant research-track professor position at the University of New Hampshire in 1989. He was promoted to Associate Research Professor in 1995. During his time at UNH, he also held a Visiting Scientist appointment at the Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik from 1993-1994. In 1996, he moved to the University of Iowa and started as a tenure-track associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. He was promoted to full professor in 2005. From 2011-2019, he held the title of F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor.^[6] In 2019, he was named the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair,^[7] an honor he held until his death.

Kletzing's research was focused on space plasma (a rarefied form of ionized gas that makes up a majority of the matter in the universe), the physics of auroras or Northern/Southern lights, and the dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth.^[8] While at the University of Iowa, he was Co-Investigator and led hardware contributions on NASA's Van Allen Probes and Magnetospheric Multiscale satellite missions.^[9] Kletzing also led multiple NASA sounding rocket missions. In all, he was involved in over 30 space missions throughout his career^[8] and authored or co-authored over 300 publications.^[10] His instrument specialty was measuring magnetic and electric fields and waves in space above active aurora and within the radiation belts.^{[5][9][8][11]}

From 2001-2006, Kletzing served as the Associate Chair for the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Iowa.^[12] He also served on multiple committees, review panels, and organizing bodies within the Heliophysics community.^[13]

Kletzing thoroughly enjoyed teaching^[14] and public outreach, exemplified by his many media interviews including on the high-profile Science Friday show on National Public Radio.^[15]

In 2019, Kletzing won the single largest research grant in University of Iowa's history,^[16] a $115 million award from NASA to lead the TRACERS spacecraft mission.^[17] TRACERS will be launched in 2024^[18] and will study how the solar wind and Earth's magnetic fields interact in a particular spot called the cusp region, dynamically driven by a process called magnetic reconnection.

Personal life

Kletzing was married to Jeanette Welch,^[8] whom he met in California. Together, they played in many Iowa City bands throughout his life including Hold My Llama, Bipolar, Brace for Blast,^[19] House of Escher, Truffle Pig^[20] and, most recently, Fork in the Road.^[21]

Kletzing died on August 10, 2023, at the age of 65.^[8][22]

Awards and honors

In 2006, Kletzing was awarded the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Teaching Award^[23] and in 2007 he won the President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence.^[12] In 2008, the university honored him with the Regent's Award for Faculty Excellence.^[24]

From 2011 to 2019, Kletzing held the title of F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor,^[6] and in 2019 was named as the Donald A. and Marie B. Gurnett Chair.^[7] In 2022, he delivered the 39th Annual Presidential Lecture at the University of Iowa.^[11][25]

In 2016, Kletzing was invited as a Distinguished Lecturer in the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics^[26] and in 2022, Kletzing was named as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.^[27]

References

External links

• Official website