This award supports an experimental study of space-like plasmas in a laboratory setting. Space plasma phenomena impact human infrastructure in space, such as satellites and manned space vehicles, and technological systems on Earth, such as power grids, global positioning systems (GPS), and long-distance radio communication. One of the challenges in understanding naturally occurring phenomena in outer space is the difficulty and the expense of performing scientific measurements in space. Another challenge is that nature rarely produces the exact same event multiple times to allow for distinguishing random measurement fluctuations from the phenomena of interest. Yet, the characteristics of the plasma in the space environment are key to understanding and predicting such space plasma phenomena. This project will study how energy is transferred from waves to particles in space-like plasmas contained in the PHASMA facility at West Virginia University. The broader impacts of the project include training of graduate students in a research environment that emphasizes the synergy between basic and applied plasma physics; recruiting and retaining undergraduates into physics through involvement in cutting-edge research activities; and support of an educational initiative that provides hands-on STEM activities to K-12 students. The in-situ measurement of ion and electron velocity distribution functions in space has revolutionized the field of space physics by providing the space physic