[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 12/01/2005

Susan Bennett bennetsk at whitman.edu
Fri Dec 2 14:17:00 CST 2005


DIALOG and DISCCRS News
12/01/2005
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS

****HOT PICK****
The Nov 17 issue of Rolling Stone features a great piece on "Warriors  
& Heroes Against Global Warming" including a  few paragraphs on  
people like Al Gore, James Hansen, Amory Lovins, Raul Estrada  
Oyuela.   http://tinyurl.com/do3ja


RESOURCES
Warriors and Heroes Against Global Warming (Rolling Stone)
    http://tinyurl.com/do3ja
AIMES Young Scientist Network
    http://www.asp.ucar.edu/ess/
PYRN (Permafrost Young Researchers Network)
    http://www.awi-potsdam.de/pyrn

SCIENCE NEWS
Permanent solution to Carbon Storage?
    (see below)
Science In The News-US Resists Climate Change Pressure at UN  
Conference from the Guardian (UK)
    (see below)
Analyses Of Trapped Air Show Current CO2 At Highest Level In 650,000  
Years
    (see below)
2004 Doctorate Awards Increase in Science and Engineering Fields for  
the Second Year in a Row
    http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06301
New World Wildlife Federation Warns Fish at Risk from Climate Change
    http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=897&p=health&a=3

FORUM
Please Be A Mentor For Minority Students At Fall AGU Meeting
    (see below)
Personal Impact Factors: Be Sure To Document Your Own
    (see below)

SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS
Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research
    (see below)
17th Global Warming International Conference and Expo (GW17)
    http://globalwarming.net/

JOBS
3 New Jobs At Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences
    (see below)
Michigan State University - Regional Climate Modeler, Assistant  
Professor
    (see below)
Department of Economics, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Assistant  
Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
    (see below)
5 Postdoctoral Positions at ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef  
Studies, Australia
    (see below)
Virginia Tech Faculty Positions (2)
    (see below)
Univ of British Columbia (Canada) - Assistant Professor, Climatologist
    http://www.geog.ubc.ca/department/recruitment.html
Duke University, Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions
     -- 3 positions: 1) Economist, 2) Ocean and coastal policy  
position & 3) Water management and policy position (upcoming)
    http://www.env.duke.edu/institute/about.html


  ***************************************************
Science News
Check out this section both for news tidbits, and for
examples of how to communicate science to a non-scientist audience.
Permanent solution to Carbon Storage?
    Canadian carbon dioxide storage experiment
    By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press
    WASHINGTON  An experimental project in Canada to inject carbon  
dioxide into oil fields has proven successful, removing 5 million  
tons of the heat-trapping "greenhouse" gas, while enhancing oil  
recovery, the Energy Department said Tuesday. If the methodology  
could be applied worldwide, from one-third to one-half of the carbon  
dioxide emissions that go into the atmosphere could be eliminated  
over the next century and billions of barrels of additional oil could  
be recovered, the department said.  The project is a joint effort by  
the Energy Department, the Canadian government and private industry.  
Carbon dioxide is piped from the Great Plains Synfuels plant in  
Beulah, N.D., where it is a byproduct from coal gasification, to the  
Weyburn oil field in Saskatchewan, Canada.
    "The success of the Weyburn Project could have incredible  
implications on reducing CO2 emissions and increasing America's oil  
production," said Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. Bodman, who is  
visiting the Middle East, said in a statement released by his office  
that if the process were used in all the oil fields of western  
Canada, "we would see billions of additional barrels of oil and a  
reduction of CO2 emissions equivalent to pulling more than 200  
million cars off the road for a year." The completion of the first  
phase of the experimental project gives government officials and  
industry an indication of how carbon sequestration can both reduce  
the risk of climate change and allow enhanced oil recovery, extending  
the oil field's life.
    Carbon dioxide, produced from the burning of fossil fuels, is the  
leading so-called "greenhouse" gas because when released into the  
atmosphere it creates a heat-trapping blanket. Many scientists  
believe the growth of manmade sources of these gases will lead to a  
warming of the earth if the trend is not reversed. In the Weyburn  
project, the carbon dioxide when pumped into the oil reservoir  
increased the pressure and brought more oil to the surface. It  
increased the field's production by 10,000 barrels a day and  
"demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of permanent  
carbon sequestration," the DOE said in a statement.  Such a process  
can enhance oil recovery up to 60%, extend the life of aging oil  
fields by decades, and provide a permanent repository for the carbon  
dioxide in geologic formations, the DOE said. Now that the first  
phase of the Weyburn project is completed, researchers are developing  
a manual on the findings for industry. They also will expand the  
carbon injection process to an adjacent field where the plan to  
develop try to improve injection efficiencies and refine the process,  
according to the DOE statement.
    Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.
********************
Science In The News-US Resists Climate Change Pressure at UN  
Conference from the Guardian (UK)
from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
    Crucial talks aimed at combatting the threat of global warming  
opened in Montreal yesterday with the US government signalling that  
it will resist attempts to be drawn into a new international process  
to cut emissions.
    Delegates at the United Nations climate conference - the first  
since the Kyoto protocol came into force in February - will discuss  
what action to take to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases when the  
Kyoto agreement expires in 2012.
    The US has refused to sign up to Kyoto and sent a clear message  
that it was in no mood to rethink its opposition to binding  
international agreements. The US chief negotiator, Harlan Watson,  
said he would strongly resist Canadian plans to combine the US, other  
developed nations and the developing countries in a joint commitment  
to action. He told the BBC: "We feel very strongly that it is not  
appropriate, that the ground is not there yet; there are many  
different ideas; people are not yet ready to move ahead under the  
convention." Despite not joining the Kyoto process, the US  
participates in the UN framework convention on climate change, which  
gave rise to the protocol. http://tinyurl.com/84fl5
********************
Analyses Of Trapped Air Show Current CO2 At Highest Level In 650,000  
Years
    Chemical and Engineering News, Bette Hileman
    Ice cores drilled at vostok Station in East Antarctica provide  
evidence of Earth's temperatures and greenhouse gases for the past  
440,000 years. Now, data from a new ice core called EPICA Dome C,  
drilled roughly 600 miles from Vostok, extends that record back  
another 210,000 years.
    A study by Thomas F. Stocker of the Physics Institute at the  
University of Bern, in Switzerland, and colleagues describes Dome C  
core data that reveal the relationship between global temperatures  
and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations for the period 390,000  
to 650,000 years before present ( see Science 2005, 310, 1313). The  
data indicate that the current concentration of CO2, at 380 ppm, is  
27% higher than the preindustrial level and higher than any level  
attained during the past 650,000 years.
***************************************************
Forum
Please Be A Mentor For Minority Students At Fall AGU Meeting
    If you plan to attend the fall AGU meeting, Please consider  
serving as a meeting mentor for a student participating in Phase I of  
the 2005-2006 MS PHD'S (Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher  
Degrees of Success in Earth System Science) Professional Development  
Program during the  2005 Fall AGU meeting.
    As a science meeting mentor, you will interact with an  
undergraduate or graduate student interested in pursuing an earth/ 
ocean science-related career. If you agree to serve as a meeting  
mentor you will be asked to: * Communicate with one student before  
the 2005 Fall AGU meeting (an opportunity to introduce yourselves,  
discover common academic interests, etc.) if possible
    * Participate in a 30 minute orientation on Monday, Dec. 5th from  
12:30PM-1:00PM in the Moscone Center Room 3010 (lunch will be  
provided) and meet with your mentee immediately following the  
orientation
    * Discuss a minimum of four presentations with your assigned  
mentee during the 2005 Fall AGU meeting
    * Facilitate networking (introduce your mentee to other  
scientists with similar interests) during and after the 2005 Fall AGU  
meeting
    * Offer academic and career advice during and after the 2005 Fall  
AGU meeting
    You can learn more about the MS PHD'S Professional Development  
Program at http://www.msphds.usf.edu/ProgramInformation.html
    If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please complete the  
brief on-line survey found at http://www.msphds.usf.edu/survey/ 
mentor_survey.php as soon as possible.
    If you have previously served as a mentor in the MS PHD'S  
Professional Development Program you do not need to complete a new  
survey.  However, you will need to send an email to  
msphds at marine.usf.edu indicating your willingness to serve as a  
mentor during the 2005 Fall AGU Meeting.
    Thanks in advance for considering participating in this  
worthwhile endeavor!
    Dr. Ashanti  "Suné" Johnson Pyrtle, Assistant Professor
    College of Marine Science, University of South Florida,
    140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL  33701
    tel: 727.553.1301, fax: 727.553.1189, E-mail: apyrtle at marine.usf.edu
    http://www.marine.usf.edu/faculty/ashanti-pyrtle.shtml
    http://msphds.usf.edu
********************
  Personal Impact Factors: Be Sure To Document Your Own
    Cynthia Cudeback
    Subject: IMPACT FACTORS: The number that's devouring science
    Just for practice, I looked up the citations for my own papers,  
on web of science. It only took a minute (admittedly I have an  
unusual name, so it would take longer for some). If decisions are  
being based on "impact factors" instead of on personal impact, that's  
a shame. Each scientist approaching tenure and promotion decisions  
should document his/her personal impact, just in case the department  
blows off this basic respoinsibility.
    Impact Factors: The number that's devouring science
    A good article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (52:8, Oct. 
14) on the problems of journal 'impact factors' and its effects on  
research and science publishing.
    The number that's devouring science: http://chronicle.com/free/ 
v52/i08/08a01201.htm
  ***************************************************
Summer Programs, Courses, Internships and Meetings
Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research
    Dear Colleagues,
    Contents:
    A. Thank-you and intro
    B. Availabiliy of power point presentations online
    C. Open Meeting success stories and pictures
    D. Publications coming out of the 6th Open Meeting
    E. Venue announcement for the 7th Open Meeting in 2008
    F. Other announcements
    A.
    Dear Colleagues,
    I would like to thank you for contributing to what was a very  
successful Open Meeting last month here in Bonn. Nearly 1,000  
participants attended from 80 countries over this 4-day event. Please  
continue to check the Open Meeting website, http:// 
openmeeting.homelinux.org, for updates, pictures and power point  
presentations from plenary speakers and session organizers.
    B. I would like to welcome any session organizers who wish to  
send me their power point presentations to please do so. We will then  
make them available to view or download on our website.
    C. We also welcome any Open Meeting success stories or pictures  
for our website and the next IHDP Update Newsletter covering the Open  
Meeting.
    D. We are currently discussing publications coming out of the  
Open Meeting, and I will be in contact with you as more information  
on this arises.
    E. Finally, I am pleased to announce that the next 7th Open  
Meeting will be taking place in 2008 in New Delhi, India. The host  
organizatation will be The Energy and Resources Insitute (TERI):  
http://www.teriin.org/.
    F. Two final announcements: We are now accepting applications for  
our biannual International Human Dimensions Workshop (IHDW) taking  
place in Chiang Mai, Thailand in October 2006. If you are interested,  
please see or forward the attached application and note all  
qualification requirements and deadlines.
    Finally, we would like to bring your attention to a new platform  
on the topics of Environment, Conflict and Cooperation: www.ecc- 
platform.org. We welcome all who are interested to get involved.
    Wishing you all the best from Bonn,
    Elisabeth Mullin, Open Meeting Coordinator   I H D P
    International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental  
Change
    Walter-Flex-Strasse 3   D-53113 Bonn   Germany
    Tel.: +49 (0) 228 73 4957   Fax.: +49 (0) 228 73 9054
    e-mail: emullin.ihdp at uni-bonn.de   website: http://www.ihdp.org
    6th Open Meeting website is now up! http://openmeeting.homelinux.org
  ***************************************************
Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
    To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
    Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on  
'Join this group'

3 New Jobs At Bigelow Laboratory For Ocean Sciences
    Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences http://www.bigelow.org/ 
 >http://www.bigelow.org is beginning a major expansion in ocean  
microbial ecology and invites applications for three positions as  
Senior Research Scientist:
    1) Chemical Ecologist (e.g. chemical signaling, marine toxins, or  
natural products)
    2) Marine Molecular Microbiologist (e.g. bio-informatics, gene  
expression, genome research, or microarray studies; focus on algae,  
bacteria, protozoa or viruses)
    3) Dissolved Organic Matter Chemist (e.g. chemical  
characterization, DOM as a source of nutrition, global carbon  
cycling, or polymer gels).
    Successful candidates will maintain an active, externally-funded  
research program. Bigelow Laboratory provides partial salary support,  
and generous benefits. Send research interests, C.V. and names of  
three references to: Chair, PI Search Committee, Bigelow Laboratory  
for Ocean Sciences, P.O.B. 475, West Boothbay Harbor, ME  04575  
(207-633-9600). Review of applications begins December 15, 2005 and  
continues until positions are filled.  Bigelow Laboratory is an equal  
opportunity employer.
********************
Michigan State University - Regional Climate Modeler, Assistant  
Professor
    The Department of Geography at Michigan State University is  
seeking applications for a tenure track faculty appointment in the  
area of regional climate modeling.  The appointment will be at the  
rank of assistant professor, beginning August, 2006.  A Ph.D. in  
geography, atmospheric science, or closely related field, with  
expertise and interest in modeling weather and climate at regional  
spatial scales is required. The successful candidate will be expected  
to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary environment with  
researchers in the Department of Geography and across the University;  
and to actively contribute to and expand the current climatology and  
meteorology curriculum.  Duties include developing an externally  
funded research program, teaching undergraduate and graduate student  
courses including dynamic meteorology, and mentoring graduate  
students.  International experience or demonstrated interest in  
international regions is an advantage.  Applicants should submit a  
current curriculum vitae, a letter of interest, no more than two  
sample publications, and names of three references. Michigan State  
University in an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution  
and strongly encourages applications from women and minorities.   
Apply:  Dr. Julie Winkler, chair of the search committee, 238  
Geography Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI,  
48823 winkler at msu.edu 517-353-9186.  Review of applications will  
begin January 15 and continue until the position is filled.
  ********************
Department of Economics, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Assistant  
Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
    The Department of Economics invites applications for a position  
at the assistant professor level, full-time, tenure track, beginning  
August 1, 2006.  The candidate should have a primary specialization  
in environmental and natural resources economics.  The individual is  
expected to teach graduate and undergraduate courses in environmental  
and resource economics and in a secondary area such as public  
economics or microeconomics, supervise M.A. and Ph.D. students, and  
conduct high quality research. The appointee would be expected to  
engage in interdisciplinary research and seek extramural funding.   
The candidate must have a Ph.D. in economics or an allied field by  
August 1, 2006.  We expect a firm commitment to teaching and an  
interest in innovative education strategies.  We will begin  
conducting interviews at the Annual Meeting of the Allied Social  
Science Associations in Boston, MA January 5-8, 2006.  The  
application, including vita, 3 reference letters, evidence of  
teaching effectiveness and one recent paper must be received by the  
closing date of January 3, 2006.  No e-mail submissions allowed.  The  
University of Hawaii is an EEO/AA employer. CONTACT: Recruiting  
Chair, Department of Economics, University of Hawaii-Manoa, 2424  
Maile Way, Saunders 542, Honolulu, HI 96822.
********************
5 Postdoctoral Positions at ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef  
Studies, Australia
    The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies is an  
international research centre, administered by James Cook University,  
with strong linkages to the Australian Institute of Marine Science,  
the Australian National University, CSIRO, the University of  
Queensland and 23 other institutions and Industry Partners in 9  
countries.  Applicants must have been awarded or are about to receive  
a relevant PhD, and have an exceptional publication record for their  
stage of career. There is considerable scope for the applicant to  
shape their role as programs develop and mature. Five positions are  
available immediately or by negotiation in the following Programs:
    1. Environmental History of coastal Queensland:  The appointee  
will be based at the Centre's headquarters at JCU in Townsville for 3  
years and will work with a team of ecologists, historians,  
archeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, and end-users.  The  
objective is to reconstruct the environmental, social and economic  
history of the Great Barrier Reef and its catchment. The project will  
build on a planning workshop for participants scheduled for early  
February 2006.  Additional information contact: Professor Terry  
Hughes Terry.Hughes at jcu.edu.au phone 61 (0)7 47816665
    2. Mental Models in Linked Social-Ecological Systems: The  
appointee will investigate how individuals and organisations perceive  
the way in which natural resource systems function and their  
interactions with, and impacts on, natural resource systems. The  
focus will be on the diversity and evolution of mental models and  
their role as a determinant of human behaviour in coastal Queensland.  
A background in the behavioural or social-sciences and community- 
based scenario-setting is highly desirable. The applicant will work  
with a team of resource economists, social scientists, ecologists,  
community psychologists, marine scientists, and resource managers.  
The position will be co-funded with CSIRO's Sustainable Ecosystems  
Division. A planning Working Group will meet in March 2006. The  
appointee will be located at JCU and CSIRO's Davies Laboratory, both  
in Townsville.  Additional information contact: Professor Terry  
Hughes Terry.Hughes at jcu.edu.au phone 61 (0)7 47816665.
    3. Institutional analysis and adaptive governance. The appointee  
will contribute to a broad research focus on social-ecological  
systems, their institutional dynamics, with a focus on multi-scale  
adaptive governance of tropical maritime regions in developed and  
developing nations. This is a 3 year position based at JCU in  
Townsville, with the opportunity for extensive fieldwork throughout  
the tropics.  Additional information contact: Professor Terry Hughes  
Terry.Hughes at jcu.edu.au phone 61 (0)7 47816665
    4. Understanding and Managing Coral Reef Biodiversity:  The  
appointee will contribute to improving understanding of mechanisms  
and processes that maintain local and global biodiversity.   
Applicants with an excellent publication record, strong modelling or  
analytical skills and an interest in any scientific area relevant to  
the biodiversity of coral reefs, including biogeography,  
phylogenetics, phylogeography, macroecology, mathematical modelling,  
biodiversity, ecosystem function, or resilience. Considerable scope  
exists for the successful candidate to shape a role that suits their  
particular strengths and interests. This position will be based at  
JCU in Townsville for a period of 1 to 3 years. Additional  
information contact: Professor David Bellwood  
David.Bellwood at jcu.edu.au phone 61 (0)7 47814447.
    5. Landscape ecology of reserves:  regional resilience:  
interlinked systems of people and nature at multiple scales. This  
project examines the role of networks of protected areas in the long- 
term social-ecological resilience of entire regions.  It requires  
analysis of institutional and ecological dynamics across scales.  The  
position will be co-funded with The Resilience Alliance, supported in  
part by grants from the Packard Foundation and the Christiansen fund.  
A workshop for this project will meet in March 2006. We seek an  
analytical modeler with a focus on complex non-linear threshold  
dynamics at multiple scales, who will work in collaboration other  
mathematicians, ecologists and social scientists. This is a 2-year  
position based at JCU in Townsville, with the potential for extension  
to 3 or more years.  Additional information contact: Professor Terry  
Hughes Terry.Hughes at jcu.edu.au phone 61 (0)7 47816665
    Salary range is from AU$52317 to $63260 depending on experience.   
A full statement of the selection criteria is available http:// 
www.jcu.edu.au/app/jobs/... Please forward a CV, statement of  
research interests, pdfs of recent publications, email addresses of  
three potential referees, and a cover letter which addresses the  
selection criteria to the Recruitment Officer. Further general  
information regarding the positions can be obtained by contacting the  
Centre's Chief Operations Officer: Jennifer.lappin at jcu.edu.au
********************
Virginia Tech Faculty Positions (2)
    Academic year, tenure track faculty positions (2) in wildlife and/ 
or fisheries sciences, likely to be filled at the Assistant Professor  
level. Anticipated start date August 10, 2006.  Research focus in  
wildlife and/or fisheries ecology, with applied emphasis.  The  
incumbent will be expected to teach and to conduct research in their  
area of expertise. Evidence of innovative research, grantsmanship,  
teaching experience, and commitment to cultural diversity are  
required. Candidate must have a PhD in wildlife, fisheries,  
conservation biology, or allied field. Applications must be submitted  
electronically through http://jobs.vt.edu, posting numbers 043225  
(wildlife) or 043226 (fisheries).  Application review will begin Jan.  
2, 2006 and must be received by that date for full consideration.  
Full position information is at : http://www.fishwild.vt.edu . Direct  
preliminary inquires to Dr. Dean F. Stauffer, fiwsearch at vt.edu.  
Virginia Tech is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

  **************************************************
This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute  
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 do not necessarily reflect those of the  
funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler reserves the  
right to edit or reject material submitted to the list.
         Please submit announcements of interest to recent PhDs to  
phd at whitman.edu.  Send a short message in the body of an e-mail  
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
         Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or  
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Office for Earth System Studies    Tel:   509-527-5948
Whitman College                          Fax:  509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
    weiler at whitman.edu
    Programs for Recent PhDs                 http://aslo.org/phd.html
    DIALOG poster        http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
    DISCCRS poster       http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
   Workshop Report, Meeting the Needs of
     Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduates in a
          Changing Global Environment
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/

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