^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AWG E-MAIL NEWS No. 2000-04 February 1, 2000 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONTENTS: 1) NAGT EARLY CAREER FACULTY WORSHOP 2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM-Congressional Visits Day 3) CLINTON ASKS CONGRESS TO HELP WOMEN GET EQUAL PAY 4) STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES *Kansas Geological Survey ***Don't forget to check the AWG JobWeb at www.awg.org*** *Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of AWG E-Mail News* For submissions to AWG E-Mail News, contact Editor Joanne Kluessendorf at editor@awg.org. For advertising, contact Ad Editor Kata McCarville at ads@awg.org. PLEASE SEND AD COPY OR OTHER SUBMISSIONS AS RTF FILES OR AS PART OF AN E-MAIL MESSAGE E-mail or address changes? Send to office@awg.org, please. For more information about AWG, contact office@awg.org or visit the AWG website at www.awg.org. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) NAGT EARLY CAREER FACULTY WORKSHOP ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **The National Association of Geoscience Teachers announces a workshop for Early Career Faculty in the Geosciences:Teaching, Research, and Managing Your Career Participants must have a faculty teaching position at a 2-year or 4-year college or university and be in their first four years of full-time teaching. These workshops are supported by an Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement grant from the National Science Foundation. The workshop will be July 25-29 at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. During the workshop, each participant will: *Learn about a variety of active learning strategies, different ways to integrate research into geoscience courses, and various grading and assessment techniques. *Share ideas and strategies for teaching entry-level courses as well as upper-level courses. *Consider successful strategies for advising/supervising undergraduate and graduate research students. *Discuss life as an early-career faculty member and explore various ways to balance teaching, research, and service responsibilities. *Leave with examples of syllabi, assignments, and activities for various courses, strategies for balancing competing demands, and a support network of other early career faculty. Early Career Workshop Project leaders: Heather Macdonald, College of William and Mary Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College Randall Richardson, University of Arizona David Mogk, Montana State University Robert Newton, Smith College Steven Semken, Dine College DATES The workshop will begin on Tuesday evening, July 25, 2000 and will end after dinner on Saturday evening, July 29. Participants must attend all sessions. The June workshop will have an optional field trip to Yellowstone on Sunday, July 30; there will be a modest additional charge to attend the field trip. EXPECTATIONS Within one year of the workshop, each participant will write a progress report and will submit either a short (one to two page) letter of advice for other early career faculty or an assignment or activity developed after the workshop to be posted on a Resource Website. ELIGIBILITY Participants in this workshop must hold a teaching position at a 2- or 4-year college or university and be in their first four years of full-time teaching at the time of application. COST The workshop itself is FREE, thanks to a grant from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education. The grant covers the operational costs of the workshop plus room, board, and workshop materials for the participants. Participants or their home institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop. Limited funds are available to provide some support for participants whose institutions have limited resources for faculty development support. (We have a few stipends of up to $200 each available for participants with limited financial resources. If you wish to apply for one of these stipends, please include a request for such support with your application and provide a budget of anticipated expenses and other support sources.) APPLICATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA The workshop size is limited. The final list of participants will be established with the goal of assembling a group representing a wide range of experiences and educational environments. Application materials must be received by March 3, 2000 Your application should include your name, address, phone number and email address as well a a short c.v. and a short statement indicating why you want to attend the workshop and what you hope to gain from attending to: Heather Macdonald, Department of Geology, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795 If you mail your application, please send two copies. If you fax your application (FAX 757-221-2093), please just send it through once. Or you may send your application electronically to FACILITIES The June workshop will be held at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. Participants will be housed in rooms in the dormitories on campus and will eat meals on campus. GETTING THERE For the workshop, participants will fly in to Bozeman, MT FOR MORE INFORMATION Please contact Heather Macdonald ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ALERT: 1-21-00 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **Participants Needed for Congressional Visits Day, April 4-5 In a speech today at Caltech, President Clinton announced that he will request $4.6 billion for the National Science Foundation, a 17 percent increase. Details of the President's budget will not come out until February 7th, but indications are that geoscience-related agencies could see record increases. The budget request, however, is just that, and it will take a concerted effort from the scientific community to convince Congress to turn the presidential request into bipartisan reality. So mark your calendars and come to Washington for the 5th Annual Science- Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD), taking place on April 4-5, 2000. This annual event brings scientists and engineers to Capitol Hill to visit their members of Congress and congressional staff. AGI would like to see a strong contingent of geoscientists at this event, voicing their support for increased federal investment in science and technology. We need your help to identify geoscientists who would be interested in participating. We especially encourage the leadership of AGI's Member Societies to attend. Last year, more than 200 scientists and engineers from academia and industry attended, including 20 geoscientists. This year's CVD will consist of an opening day of briefings by key administration and congressional leaders followed by a day of constituent meetings with senators, representatives, and their staff. AGI will join with AGU to hold a pre-briefing for geoscience participants on the 4th, and we can help arrange the constituent visits. Participants in CVD are asked to carry forward two core messages: 1) Federal investment in science and technology is vital to the future of our Nation's people and economy and 2) Science and technology partnerships between government, universities, and industries mean progress, economic growth and jobs. In addition, participants can advance their own messages about programs that they see as valuable examples of the federal science and technology enterprise. It is vital for geoscientists to be represented in science-community efforts if our discipline is to be a recognizable (and valued) element in the congressional view of "science". For anyone interested in science policy, this event should be a good deal of fun and a great opportunity to have your voice heard in Washington. Please pass this message along to anyone you feel might be interested. If this event appeals to you or you know of someone who would be interested in coming to Washington, please contact Margaret Baker by e-mail at mab@agiweb.org or phone at (703) 379-2480 ext. 212. Because the Administration briefing may take place in the White House complex, we will need your name as it appears on your driver's license, social security number, and date of birth. More information is available on the CVD website at http://www.agiweb.org/cvd/, and a summary of the 1999 Congressional Visits Day is available in the July 1999 Geotimes at http://www.geotimes.org/july99/newsnotes.html#note3. CVD is organized by the Science-Engineering-Technology Work Group (of which AGI is a member) and the Coalition for Technology Partnerships. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 3) CLINTON ASKS CONGRESS TO HELP WOMEN GET EQUAL PAY ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ On January 24, 2000, President Clinton suggested that Congress approve his $27 million plan to bolster enforcement of equal-pay laws. "I made this request last year, and Congress failed to pass it," Mr. Clinton. "I hope you will help us do this." The president coupled his appeal with a request that Congress approve a bill proposed by Senator Tom Daschle, Democrat of South Dakota, and Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut, that would direct federal agencies to collect data about wage disparities and increase penalties for violating equal-pay statutes. "Pass it; it's a good bill," Mr. Clinton said. "We need to clearly send the message that wage discrimination against women is just as unacceptable as discrimination based on race or ethnicity." Mr. Clinton was joined by Michelle Akers, a member of the United States World Cup championship soccer team. Ms. Akers and some teammates have been boycotting training because they say they are paid less than members of the men's soccer team. They want to raise their pay to $5,000 a month, from $3,150, plus bonuses of $2,000 a game. "I want to stand here today for the women who have no voice," Ms. Akers said. "Women's sports and the view of women has changed a ton. However, we still have a ways to go. The battle is not over. We are still being discriminated against." Women earn an average of 75 cents for every $1 men are paid, a disparity that Mr. Clinton has noted in the past as evidence of social injustice. For women who are also members of minorities, he said, the disparity is even greater: 64 cents for blacks and 55 cents for Hispanics. "How would you like to show up for work every day, but only get to take home 3 out of every 4 paychecks?" Mr. Clinton asked. "It's not a women's issue. If a woman with a family is being denied equal pay for equal work, then her husband suffers. Her children suffer." Under Mr. Clinton's plan, $10 million would go to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The money would enable the EEOC to train a thousand additional staff members so it could handle wage discrimination cases based on gender, teach businesses how to meet legal requirements, and launch a public education campaign for employers and employees. The agency receives 1,200 gender-based pay discrimination cases a year. An additional $17 million would go to the Labor Department to train women in nontraditional jobs, such as high technology; fund education programs for employers; and strengthen industry partnerships to help women retain jobs and progress in the work force. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 4) STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas TWO APPLIED GEOHYDROLOGY SUMMER RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS: These are 12-week summer positions open to students at any university. The individual will participate in a variety of field activities in support of KGS research programs. The theme of the activities in the summer of 2000 will be hydraulic test methods and direct push technology. Start approx. 5-15-00. Salary $5,500 for 12-week appointment. Required: Relevant coursework in earth sciences or engineering; interest in hydrogeology; and ability to participate in moderate physical activity in mid-summer temperatures in Kansas. First consideration given to applications postmarked by 2-15-00. For complete description, reference #66146 at or contact Annette Delaney at (785) 864-3965. For further information contact Jim Butler at jbutler@kgs.ukans.edu. The University of Kansas is an EO/AA employer.