Our research interests are in the theory and simulation of nonlinear plasma phenomena, with a focus in the area of space-plasma-related research. Studies in terrestrial space plasma physics are concerned with the coupling of the earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere through electrodynamic processes involving waves that propagate between these regions. A primary goal is to understand certain aspects of the phenomenon known as the aurora. I am particularly interested in the electron acceleration process that produces the northern lights, and in the dynamical motion of the magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma that is responsible for the complex space and time structure in auroral displays.