[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News December 5, 2003
Susan Weiler
weilercs@whitman.edu
Fri, 5 Dec 2003 09:38:03 -0800
--============_-1141476603==_ma============
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
DIALOG and Disccrs News
December 5, 2003
***************************************************
Resources
US National Science Foundation Budget
December 1, 2003 -- A House-Senate conference committee has reached
agreement on an omnibus appropriations bill that would provide the National
Science Foundation (NSF) with a $5.6 billion budget in FY 2004. This would
increase the NSF's budget by $268 million, or 5 percent, over FY 2003. The
NSF figures in the conference report are subject to a 0.59 percent
rescission, which is reflected in the numbers in this article.
Under the conference agreement, the Biological Sciences Directorate would
receive 3.1 percent more funding than last year, a greater increase than
either the House or Senate versions of the bill. However, all of the other
disciplinary directorates would experience greater budget growth, ranging
from 4.5 to 7.5 percent over FY 2003. Integrative Activities would be the
only category to lose funding relative to last year.
Major Research Equipment
The conference agreement would allocate $155 million for major research
equipment and facilities construction--slightly more than the Senate bill,
but far less than the $192 million provided by the House. The House bill
included $12 million in initial funding for the National Ecological
Observatory Network (NEON) but the Senate bill omitted all funding for this
initiative. The conference agreement would follow the Senate bill and omit
all funding for NEON. The conference agreement omits funding for NEON
"without prejudice," which implies that the project was not rejected on
merit and may be funded in future years. According to the conference
report, "The conferees direct NSF to consider the recommendations in the
National Academy of Sciences report and continue to refine the NEON plan
from funds provided under research and related activities." EarthScope, a
geophysical instrument array designed to investigate the structure and
dynamics of the North American continent, would receive $43.2 million for
FY 2004.
Education and Human Resources
The conference report would provide $139 million for the Presidents Math
and Science Partnership program, which aims to strengthen K-12 math and
science education by linking local schools with colleges and universities.
Undergraduate education would receive $162 million and graduate education
would receive $156 million, which is sufficient to set NSF graduate
stipends at $30,000 per year.
Looking Ahead
Congress failed to pass several of the annual appropriations bills before
the start of FY 2004, which began on October 1, 2003. Many federal
agencies--including NSF--have been operating since October 1 under a series
of continuing resolutions that provide funding at last year's levels.
Congress has combined several remaining appropriations bills into an
omnibus bill that includes funding for NSF and numerous other federal
departments and agencies. The NSF budget for FY 2004 will not be finalized
until the conference report is approved by both the House and Senate and
then signed into law by the President.
An extended version of this article, including a budget table,
is available
online at http://www.NCSEonline.org . The full text of the House-Senate
conference report is available at http://thomas.loc.gov
***************************************************
Science News
A GOOD READ: BAD MILEAGE: 98 TONS OF PLANTS PER GALLON `A staggering
98 tons of prehistoric, buried plant material - that's 196,000 pounds
- is required to produce each gallon of gasoline we burn in our cars,
SUVs, trucks and other vehicles, according to a study conducted at
the University of Utah.`
<http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uou-bm9102603.php>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uou-bm9102603.php
CLIMATE CHANGE 'ENTERING THE UNKNOWN'
from The Baltimore Sun via Sigma Xi Science in the News
Two of the nation's top climate scientists say there's no longer any doubt
that human activities are changing the Earth's atmosphere and its climate,
and that our children and grandchildren will inherit the consequences.
Writing in tomorrow's edition of the journal Science, Thomas R. Karl and
Kevin E. Trenberth say researchers remain uncertain about the precise
course of climate change from here. That change has already "exceeded the
bounds of natural variability. ... We are entering the unknown."
Karl is director of the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
Trenberth heads the climate analysis section of the National Center for
Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Their article in Science is part of
the journal's "State of the Planet" series. A footnote states their
conclusions are their own, and not those of the federal government.
http://snurl.com/38ug
NOAA TO COMMISSION NEW CLIMATE MONITORING NETWORK
From OceanSpace news
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA -- A new, high-tech climate monitoring
network designed by NOAA scientists keep tabs on the nation's
temperature and precipitation trends is set to debut nationwide in
January 2004. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) is expected
to improve the ability of decision-makers to form policies about
programs impacted by climate variability and change. A spokesman
for the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration said the
CRN currently plans to include100 automated observing stations
throughout the United States that will monitor temperature,
precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed. NOAA's geostationary
operational environmental satellites (GOES) will transmit the data
received from these ground based stations in near real time to NOAA's
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina.
NCDC will make the observations available online in near real time to
users around the world. NOAA engineers are currently fine-tuning the
network, softwa
re, and data calibration checks, according to Gregory W. Withee,
assistant administrator for NOAA's National Environmental Satellite,
Data & Information Service (NESDIS).
The basis of the network can be credited to Thomas Karl, NCDC
director, who proposed 10 climate principles that were adopted by the
U.S. National Research Council. These principles include extensive
information on instrument status and health, local conditions around
the station, assessing changes in the network on monitoring climate
variability and change, and freedom of access to the data and
supporting information.
NESDIS, the parent agency to NCDC, operates three data centers that
house global databases in climatology, paleoclimatology,
oceanography, solid earth geophysics, marine geology and geophysics,
and solar-terrestrial physics. For more information on the network
see http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/ or visit
http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/.
***************************************************
Jobs for PhDs
Theoretical Ecosystem Ecology, McGill University, Canada
The Department of Biology at McGill University is seeking candidates for a
tenure-track position in theoretical ecology. We are particularly
interested in individuals who apply mathematical theory to ecosystem
ecology and who integrate empirical approaches into their research. The
appointee will be expected to teach at the undergraduate and graduate
levels, supervise graduate students, and develop a strong, externally
funded research program. Consult http://www.mcgill.ca/biology for
information on staff and facilities associated with this position. Send
curriculum vitae, letter of application, and arrange for three letters of
reference all to be received no later than January 20, 2004 by Louise
Sabaz, Biology Department, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield, Montreal,
Quebec, CANADA H3A 1B1. All qualified applicants are encouraged to
apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements,
Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given
priority. McGill University is committed to equity in employment.
Two assistant professorships, University of Regina, Canada
1. We are seeking a quantitative ecologist, with speciality in aquatic
ecosystems.
2. The second position is for an environmental microbiologist.
The Department of Biology at University of Regina offers exceptional
facilities for young faculty including internationally-competitive start up
funds, reduced teaching for 2 years, a complete aquaculture facility,
state-of-the-art stable isotopes facilities and first-rate molecular biology
and computational facilities.
Further information about the positions and Department can be obtained
from me or from at our website
http://www.uregina.ca/biology/
Peter R. Leavitt
Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change and Society
Professor of Limnology
Department of Biology
University of Regina
Regina, SK
Canada, S4S 0A2
tel 306 585 4253
fax 306 337-2410
Peter.Leavitt@uregina.ca
Ocean/Atmosphere Interaction Biogeochemist. The Department of
Oceanography at Texas A&M University invites applications for a
tenure track assistant professor position with nine months salary
support. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in Oceanography or a
related field and a strong background studying biogeochemical or
chemical processes in the upper ocean that may influence, or be
influenced by, climate change. A broad range of research interests
will be considered that relate to ocean/atmosphere interactions.
These include, but are not restricted to, processes that influence
the production and release of greenhouse and other climatically
significant gasses/particulate matter from the ocean, or their uptake
by the ocean and the influence of climate change on the
biogeochemistry of the upper ocean. Regions of interest can range
from estuarine to coastal or open ocean environments. This new
position is part of a College-wide faculty recruitment effort that
will involve hiring at least 8 new faculty in the field of Climate
Change over the next 4 years, to bring an already strong program in
Climate Change research at Texas A&M University to the national
forefront. This individual will also have the opportunity to develop
strong interactions with the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the
Environment and faculty at Texas A&M University at Galveston. The
position carries teaching duties at the graduate and undergraduate
levels, including the mentoring of M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students.
See www-ocean.tamu.edu for further departmental information.
Interested candidates should send a current curriculum vitae,
statement of research interests, and the names, postal addresses, and
e-mail addresses of three references to Dr. John W. Morse, Search
Committee Chair, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University,
College Station, TX 77843-3146, USA, morse@ocean.tamu.edu. We will
begin reviewing applications on 02/01/04 for a 09/01/04 hire date.
Texas A&M University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity
employer committed to excellence through diversity. Texas A&M
University encourages application from minorities, women, veterans
and persons with disabilities.
***************************************************
This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler for the purpose
of distributing information of potential interest to recent PhDs
engaged in interdisciplinary aquatic science or climate change
research, and to build an international sense of community among
recent grads. It provides an international forum for the exchange of
information and opinions regarding research, professional and social
issues.
The views and opinions expressed are strictly those of C.S. Weiler or
of the individual who has submitted a particular item for
distribution. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those
of the funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler serves as
producer and editor and reserves the right to edit or reject material
submitted to the list.
Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to
phd@whitman.edu or weiler@whitman.edu.
For ease of transmission, please do not send attachments. Send a
short message in the body of an e-mail message, and link to any
appropriate websites.
--
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Biology Department Tel: 509-527-5948
Whitman College Fax: 509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler@whitman.edu
Programs for Recent PhDs http://aslo.org/phd.html
Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences http://www.aslo.org/mas.html
DIALOG and DIACES poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
DISCCRS poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
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<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
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--></style><title>DIALOG and DISCCRS News December 5,
2003</title></head><body>
<div align="center"><font size="+2" color="#0000FF"><b>DIALOG and
Disccrs News</b></font></div>
<div align="center">December 5, 2003</div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font
color="#0000FF"><b>***************************************************</b
></font></div>
<div align="center"><font size="+1"
color="#0000FF"><b>Resources</b></font></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div><b>US National Science Foundation Budget</b></div>
<div>December 1, 2003 -- A House-Senate conference committee has
reached<br>
agreement on an omnibus appropriations bill that would provide the
National<br>
Science Foundation (NSF) with a $5.6 billion budget in FY 2004.
This would<br>
increase the NSF's budget by $268 million, or 5 percent, over FY
2003. The<br>
NSF figures in the conference report are subject to a 0.59
percent</div>
<div>rescission, which is reflected in the numbers in this
article. <br>
Under the conference agreement, the
Biological Sciences Directorate would<br>
receive 3.1 percent more funding than last year, a greater increase
than<br>
either the House or Senate versions of the bill. However, all of
the other<br>
disciplinary directorates would experience greater budget growth,
ranging<br>
from 4.5 to 7.5 percent over FY 2003. Integrative Activities
would be the</div>
<div>only category to lose funding relative to last year.<br>
Major Research Equipment <br>
The conference agreement would allocate $155 million for major
research<br>
equipment and facilities construction--slightly more than the Senate
bill,<br>
but far less than the $192 million provided by the House. The
House bill<br>
included $12 million in initial funding for the National
Ecological<br>
Observatory Network (NEON) but the Senate bill omitted all funding for
this<br>
initiative. The conference agreement would follow the Senate
bill and omit<br>
all funding for NEON. The conference agreement omits funding for
NEON<br>
"without prejudice," which implies that the project was not
rejected on<br>
merit and may be funded in future years. According to the
conference<br>
report, "The conferees direct NSF to consider the recommendations
in the<br>
National Academy of Sciences report and continue to refine the NEON
plan<br>
from funds provided under research and related activities."
EarthScope, a<br>
geophysical instrument array designed to investigate the structure
and<br>
dynamics of the North American continent, would receive $43.2 million
for</div>
<div>FY 2004. <br>
Education and Human Resources<br>
The conference report would provide $139 million for the Presidents
Math<br>
and Science Partnership program, which aims to strengthen K-12 math
and<br>
science education by linking local schools with colleges and
universities.<br>
Undergraduate education would receive $162 million and graduate
education<br>
would receive $156 million, which is sufficient to set NSF
graduate</div>
<div>stipends at $30,000 per year. <br>
Looking Ahead<br>
Congress failed to pass several of the annual appropriations bills
before<br>
the start of FY 2004, which began on October 1, 2003. Many
federal<br>
agencies--including NSF--have been operating since October 1 under a
series<br>
of continuing resolutions that provide funding at last year's
levels.<br>
Congress has combined several remaining appropriations bills into
an<br>
omnibus bill that includes funding for NSF and numerous other
federal<br>
departments and agencies. The NSF budget for FY 2004 will not be
finalized<br>
until the conference report is approved by both the House and Senate
and</div>
<div>then signed into law by the
President. <br>
An extended version of this article,
including a budget table, is available<br>
online at http://www.NCSEonline.org . The full text of the
House-Senate</div>
<div align="center">conference report is available at
http://thomas.loc.gov</div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font
color="#0000FF"><b>***************************************************</b
></font></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font size="+1" color="#0000FF"><b>Science
News</b></font></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div>A GOOD READ:<b> BAD MILEAGE: 98 TONS OF PLANTS PER GALLON</b>
`A staggering 98 tons of prehistoric, buried plant material - that's
196,000 pounds - is required to produce each gallon of gasoline we
burn in our cars, SUVs, trucks and other vehicles, according to a
study conducted at the University of Utah.`</div>
<div align="center"><a
href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uou-bm9102603.php"
>http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-10/uou-bm9102603.php</a></div
>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div><b>CLIMATE CHANGE 'ENTERING THE UNKNOWN'</b></div>
<div>from The Baltimore Sun via Sigma Xi Science in the News</div>
<div> Two of the nation's top climate
scientists say there's no longer any doubt</div>
<div>that human activities are changing the Earth's atmosphere and its
climate,</div>
<div>and that our children and grandchildren will inherit the
consequences.<br>
Writing in tomorrow's edition of the journal
Science, Thomas R. Karl and<br>
Kevin E. Trenberth say researchers remain uncertain about the
precise<br>
course of climate change from here. That change has already
"exceeded the</div>
<div>bounds of natural variability. ... We are entering the
unknown."<br>
Karl is director of the National Climatic
Data Center in Asheville, N.C.<br>
Trenberth heads the climate analysis section of the National Center
for<br>
Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Their article in Science is
part of<br>
the journal's "State of the Planet" series. A footnote
states their<br>
conclusions are their own, and not those of the federal
government.<br>
http://snurl.com/38ug</div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div><b>NOAA TO COMMISSION NEW CLIMATE MONITORING NETWORK</b></div>
<div>From OceanSpace news<br>
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA -- A new, high-tech climate monitoring
network designed by NOAA scientists keep tabs on the nation's
temperature and precipitation trends is set to debut nationwide
in January 2004. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) is
expected to improve the ability of decision-makers to form policies
about programs impacted by climate variability and change.
A spokesman for the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration said the CRN currently plans to include100
automated observing stations throughout the United States that will
monitor temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed.
NOAA's geostationary operational environmental satellites (GOES)
will transmit the data received from these ground based stations in
near real time to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in
Asheville, North Carolina. NCDC will make the observations
available online in near real time to users around the world.
NOAA engineers are currently fine-tuning the network, softwa<br>
re, and data calibration checks, according to Gregory W. Withee,
assistant administrator for NOAA's National Environmental Satellite,
Data & Information Service (NESDIS).<br>
<br>
The basis of the network can be credited to Thomas Karl, NCDC
director, who proposed 10 climate principles that were adopted by the
U.S. National Research Council. These principles include
extensive information on instrument status and health, local
conditions around the station, assessing changes in the network on
monitoring climate variability and change, and freedom of access
to the data and supporting information.<br>
</div>
<div>NESDIS, the parent agency to NCDC, operates three data centers
that house global databases in climatology, paleoclimatology,
oceanography, solid earth geophysics, marine geology and
geophysics, and solar-terrestrial physics. For more information
on the network see http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/ or
visit http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/.</div>
<div> </div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font
color="#0000FF"><b>***************************************************</b
></font></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font size="+1" color="#0000FF"><b>Jobs for
PhDs</b></font></div>
<div align="center"><font color="#0000FF"><b><br></b></font></div>
<div><b>Theoretical Ecosystem Ecology</b>,<b> McGill University,
Canada</b><br>
<br>
The Department of Biology at McGill University is seeking candidates
for a<br>
tenure-track position in theoretical ecology. We are particularly<br>
interested in individuals who apply mathematical theory to
ecosystem<br>
ecology and who integrate empirical approaches into their research.
The<br>
appointee will be expected to teach at the undergraduate and
graduate<br>
levels, supervise graduate students, and develop a strong,
externally<br>
funded research program. Consult http://www.mcgill.ca/biology for<br>
information on staff and facilities associated with this position.
Send<br>
curriculum vitae, letter of application, and arrange for three letters
of<br>
reference all to be received no later than January 20, 2004 by
Louise<br>
Sabaz, Biology Department, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield,
Montreal,<br>
Quebec, CANADA H3A 1B1. All qualified applicants are
encouraged to<br>
apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration
requirements,<br>
Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be
given</div>
<div>priority. McGill University is committed to equity in
employment.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Two assistant professorships, University of Regina,
Canada</b></div>
<div>1. We are seeking a quantitative ecologist, with speciality in
aquatic</div>
<div>ecosystems.</div>
<div>2. The second position is for an environmental
microbiologist.</div>
<div> The Department of Biology at University
of Regina offers exceptional<br>
facilities for young faculty including internationally-competitive
start up<br>
funds, reduced teaching for 2 years, a complete aquaculture
facility,<br>
state-of-the-art stable isotopes facilities and first-rate molecular
biology</div>
<div>and computational facilities. <br>
Further information about the positions and
Department can be obtained<br>
from me or from at our website</div>
<div>http://www.uregina.ca/biology/</div>
<div>Peter R. Leavitt<x-tab>
</x-tab><br>
Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change and
Society<x-tab> </x-tab><br>
Professor of Limnology<br>
Department of Biology<br>
University of Regina<br>
Regina, SK<br>
Canada, S4S 0A2<x-tab>
</x-tab><br>
<br>
tel 306 585 4253<x-tab>
</x-tab><br>
fax 306 337-2410</div>
<div>Peter.Leavitt@uregina.ca</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><b>Ocean/Atmosphere Interaction Biogeochemist.</b> The
Department of Oceanography at<b> Texas A&M University</b> invites
applications for a tenure track assistant professor position with nine
months salary support. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in
Oceanography or a related field and a strong background studying
biogeochemical or chemical processes in the upper ocean that may
influence, or be influenced by, climate change. A broad range of
research interests will be considered that relate to ocean/atmosphere
interactions. These include, but are not restricted to, processes that
influence the production and release of greenhouse and other
climatically significant gasses/particulate matter from the ocean, or
their uptake by the ocean and the influence of climate change on the
biogeochemistry of the upper ocean. Regions of interest can range from
estuarine to coastal or open ocean environments. This new position is
part of a College-wide faculty recruitment effort that will involve
hiring at least 8 new faculty in the field of Climate Change over the
next 4 years, to bring an already strong program in Climate Change
research at Texas A&M University to the national forefront. This
individual will also have the opportunity to develop strong
interactions with the Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and the
Environment and faculty at Texas A&M University at Galveston. The
position carries teaching duties at the graduate and undergraduate
levels, including the mentoring of M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students.
See www-ocean.tamu.edu for further departmental information.
Interested candidates should send a current curriculum vitae,
statement of research interests, and the names, postal addresses, and
e-mail addresses of three references to Dr. John W. Morse, Search
Committee Chair, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University,
College Station, TX 77843-3146, USA, morse@ocean.tamu.edu. We
will begin reviewing applications on 02/01/04 for a 09/01/04 hire
date. Texas A&M University is an affirmative action/equal
opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity. Texas
A&M University encourages application from minorities, women,
veterans and persons with disabilities.</div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div
align="center">***************************************************</div
>
<div align="center"><br></div>
<div align="center"><font size="-1">This newsletter has been developed
by C. Susan Weiler for the purpose of distributing information of
potential interest to recent PhDs engaged in interdisciplinary aquatic
science or climate change research, and to build an international
sense of community among recent grads. It provides an international
forum for the exchange of information and opinions regarding research,
professional and social issues.</font></div>
<div align="center"><font size="-1">The views and opinions expressed
are strictly those of C.S. Weiler or of the individual who has
submitted a particular item for distribution. The opinions expressed
do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agencies or sponsoring
societies. Dr. Weiler serves as producer and editor and reserves the
right to edit or reject material submitted to the list.</font></div>
<div align="center"><font color="#0000FF"><b>Please submit
announcements of interest to recent PhDs to phd@whitman.edu or
weiler@whitman.edu.</b></font></div>
<div align="center">For ease of transmission, please do not send
attachments. Send a short message in the body of an e-mail message,
and link to any appropriate websites.</div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>C. Susan Weiler,
Ph.D. <br>
Biology
Department <span
></span> Tel:
509-527-5948 <br
>
Whitman
College <span
></span
>
Fax: 509-527-5961<br>
Walla Walla, WA 99362<br>
weiler@whitman.edu <br>
Programs for Recent
PhDs <span
></span> http://aslo.org/phd.html<br>
Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences
http://www.aslo.org/mas.html<br>
DIALOG and DIACES poster
http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf<br>
DISCCRS poster
http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf <span
></span> </div>
</body>
</html>
--============_-1141476603==_ma============--