^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ AWG E-MAIL NEWS No. 2000-49, December 1, 2000 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ CONTENTS: 1) SPOKANE CHAPTER ANNUAL LUNCHEON INVITATION 2) REQUEST FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO DONATE "USE OR LOSE" ANNUAL LEAVE 3) AWG BECOME AMAZON.COM ASSOCIATE 4) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW-NOVEMBER 2000 5) EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES COMNFERENCE 6) AGI AWARDS MINORITY GEOSCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS 7) CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR NEIL MINER AWARD 8) 2001-2022 CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOW APPLICATION 9) POSITION OPENINGS ***University of Manitoba-Assistant Professsor in Geophysics ***Kean University-Hydrogeologist /Physical Geographer ***Northeastern Illinois University-Clay Mineralogist 10) SUBMISSION, ADVERTISING & MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 11111111111111 1) SPOKANE CHAPTER ANNUAL LUNCHEON INVITATION The Spokane Chapter of AWG would like to invite all AWG members to our annual luncheon. The luncheon will be held at the Azteca Mexican Restaurant, 200 W Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA at 12 noon on FRIDAY December 8, 2000. The cost is about $10 person depending on what you order. The Northwest Mining Convention is being held in Spokane December 6-8, 2000. Please let me know if you plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you there. -Jennifer Leinart Spokane Chapter President jbleinart@earthlink.net 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22222222222222 2) REQUEST FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO DONATE "USE OR LOSE" ANNUAL LEAVE I wonder if there might be an AWG newsletter item on Federal employees and "Use or Lose" annual leave. Federal employees can "carry over" 240 hours of annual leave. Anything over that evaporates at the start of the new Pay Year (Not the same as fiscal year and not exactly the same as calendar year). I have a darling child, so I never have to worry about accumulating unspendable leave. A friend, Christina Lief (former Potomac Chapter president), works for the Department of Agriculture. She had a number of critical personal issues arise in the past couple years, and so really needs donated leave. If AWG members who are Federal employees have leave that they'd like to donate to her, it would be greatly appreciated (even though I didn't ask her permission to write to you). There may also be AWG members who are Federal employees and who need others' use or lose leave. This is a suggestion for working to help one another. Susan M. Marcus American Indian/Alaska Native Liaison U.S. Geological Survey smarcus@usgs.gov 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 33333333333333 3) AWG BECOME AMAZON.COM ASSOCIATE When you visited the AWG website recently, you may have noticed the Amazon.com logo there. The presence of the logo indicates that we are now a registered Amazon.com Associate. This means that each time a visitor clicks from our site to Amazon.com to purchase items, AWG earns generous referral fees. We have joined the ranks of many other non-profit organizaions, such as AWIS, in becoming an Amazon.com Associate. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting recommended books on the AWG website. If you buy one of these specific titles through our link with Amazon.com, AWG will receive a 15% referral fee based on the purchase price of the book. We still earn a 5% referral fee for books that are not specifically recommneded. If you were planning to buy some holiday gifts at Amazon.com, please remember to contact their website through the link on our site by simply clicking on their logo. By doing so, you'll be giving a gift to AWG as well. 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 44444444444444 4 4) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW-NOVEMBER 2000 ***Musical Chairs in the 107th Congress Even though the current 106th Congress will be back in session on Monday to finish up the last appropriations bills, all eyes are on the changing face of the new 107th Congress, elected on November 7th. Republicans have retained control of both chambers but with a narrowed margin in the House and a non-existent margin in the Senate. It remains to be seen whether the even split will produce intensified partisanship or a new bipartisan spirit. Having held on to a slim majority in the House, Republicans must decide whether to honor the 6-year term limits for committee chairs that they instituted in 1995. If they do, Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) will reluctantly step down from the chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) is next in line. If selected, he would give up his position as Science Committee chair, a post he has held since 1997. That chair would go to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). But despite Sensenbrenner's seniority on Judiciary, his unpopularity with some fellow Republicans may derail his ascension. Continuing the term-limit musical chairs, Don Young (R-AK) must give up his chairmanship of the Resources Committee and is likely to be replaced by Jim Hansen (R-UT). In turn, Young may take over from Bud Shuster (R-PA) as chairman of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The retirement of Education and the Workforce Committee chairman Bill Goodling (R- PA) opens the top slot for Tom Petri (R-WI). Retiring Commerce Committee chair Tom Bliley (R-VA) will be replaced by either Billy Tauzin (R-LA) or Michael Oxley (R-OH). Stay tuned! If George W. Bush becomes president and Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA) does not overtake his opponent in the ongoing recount, then the Senate will be tied 50- 50 with a Vice President Dick Cheney as the tie-breaker, maintaining Republican control. Although there will be 11 new faces in the Senate, all but one of the committee chairs (the Finance Committee's William Roth, R-DE) return. The biggest change for the geosciences will be Gorton's departure from the chairmanship of the Interior Appropriations subcommittee, where he exercised control over the purse strings of the U.S. Geological Survey and other geoscience-related agencies. ***Transition Teams Up But Not Quite Running With the General Services Administration holding tight to the keys for transition offices at 1800 G Street NW in Washington, Dick Cheney has set up a privately funded transition office across the river in northern Virginia. The Bush transition will be overseen by Cheney but directed by Clay Johnson, Bush's chief of staff in Texas and a close friend of the governor's since they attended preparatory school together at Phillips Andover Academy. Details have yet to emerge on who will be handling science and technology appointments either for the Bush transition or the much lower-profile Gore transition team. At the beginning of November, AGI distributed to member society leadership a list of key geoscience-related presidential appointments and encouraged societies to nominate qualified geoscientists to the presidential transition team. The list and links to additional sources of information on the transition are available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/transition.html. ***Carbon Counting Cause of Collapse at Climate Change Conference During the middle of November, representatives from nations and organizations around the world met at The Hague, Netherlands, to negotiate a new diplomatic agreement on climate change. The purpose of the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP6) was to work on how nations can progress in implementing the Kyoto Protocol and the Climate Change Convention. The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 at the third such conference, has been a topic of great debate between the Clinton Administration and Congress. Its congressional critics see Kyoto as a deeply flawed treaty that fails to hold developing nations, such as China and India, to the same standards as developed nations in greenhouse gas emissions. The conference in The Hague was to work out many of the implementation details for Kyoto. Negotiations ultimately broke down over disagreements between the United States and the European Union on the role of carbon sequestration. Reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can be accomplished either by reducing emissions or by increasing the uptake of carbon in plants, soil, rock formations, and the oceans. Although much of the focus in the Kyoto pact was on reducing emissions, it left the door open for developed countries to receive credit for sequestering carbon in long-term "sinks" such as forests and agricultural soil or by injection into deep wells. The US sought to maximize sequestration credits, but the European Union argued that doing so would short-circuit the treaty's central goal of emissions reduction. Instead of completely closing the negotiations, representatives have suspended the discussion until the COP7 meeting in Morocco in May or June of next year. No matter how the election works out here at home, the debate over carbon sinks is likely to remain heated, initially over whether to accept them and eventually over how to measure them. More information on COP6 is available at http://cop6.unfccc.int/modules/none.asp?pageid=16. ***Forest Service Issues Roadless Alternatives The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has released the final EIS for its regulations to protect certain roadless areas within the National Forest System, a proposal known as the "roadless initiative." USFS presented the EIS, which outlines four alternative plans, to Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, who is expected to make a final decision in early December. The USFS preferred alternative would greatly limit timber harvesting in USFS lands and would "prohibit most road construction and reconstruction on 49.2 million acres of inventoried roadless areas, increasing to 58.5 million acres in April 2004 when the Tongass National Forest would be included." Inventoried roadless areas comprise about 58.5 million acres, nearly a third of the National Forest System lands. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/roadless.html. ***Public Lands See Late-Session Action While the national political scene is on hold waiting for the results of the November 7th election, President Clinton moved ahead on leaving his lasting stamp on the nation's physical landscape. Over the last year, Clinton has been active in setting aside public lands in the western states for preservation and conservation. On November 9th, Clinton established Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona, his eleventh such designation using authority granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906. He also expanded the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. The Vermilion Cliffs National Monument covers nearly 300,000 acres of the Colorado Plateau near the Grand Canyon. Cited as a geologic treasure, the area also contains a number of ancestral human sites. Originally designated in 1924 by President Coolidge, the Craters of the Moon National Monument on the Snake River Plain will be expanded to encompass an additional 661,000 acres, including extensive lava formations. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/natmon.html. Clinton also signed S. 2547, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preservation Act, into law on November 22nd. The bill, introduced by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO), would establish the site as a national park and preserve once "the Secretary [of the Interior] determines that sufficient land having a sufficient diversity of resources has been acquired" and annul the National Monument designation. The bill also establishes the Baca National Wildlife Refuge to help preserve the Colorado section of the Baca ranch - the federal government acquired the ranch's New Mexico section, encompassing the Valles Caldera, earlier this year. On a related note, geologists in New Mexico are working to establish a national monument at Tent Rocks, a geologically unique area located to the south of the Valles Caldera. The planned monument has the support of surrounding counties, Native American tribes, the state's senators, and the Bureau of Land Management. With bipartisan support, the designation may take place by presidential decree or through legislation in the upcoming session of Congress. ***Congress Acts on NASA, Hazard Mitigation Just before heading out of town for the now infamous election, Congress passed several bills to reauthorize and amend existing federal programs. However, Congress did not pass the appropriations bills that they needed to pass in order to adjourn for good. They return on December 4th to complete that work One of the passed bills, the NASA Reauthorization Act, was signed into law by President Clinton on October 30th. The new law authorizes -funding levels for the agency over the next three years: $13.6 billion for the current fiscal year (FY) 2000, $14.2 billion for FY 2001, and $14.6 billion for FY 2002. A majority of the funding increases in the bill are targeted for science, aeronautics, and technology programs. As an authorization bill, this legislation primarily provides guidelines for future appropriations. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/auth99.html. A second bill, the Disaster Mitigation and Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 707), introduced by Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-FL), was also signed into law. The bill would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require that states submit a detailed, comprehensive state program for emergency and disaster mitigation prior to receiving funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It would also require FEMA to hold a public comment period before "adopting new or modified policies that may result in a meaningful change in the amount of assistance a State or local community may receive." More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/mitigation.html. ***Ocean Bills Reauthorize Coastal and Marine Activities President Clinton signed S. 1752, the Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act of 2000, into law on November 13, 2000. The bill helps to preserve coastal barrier environments by prohibiting federal "subsidies for development and disaster relief" on these areas. Currently the act covers over 3 million acres of coastal barrier habitats, and the new act would allow other lands to be voluntarily added to these acres. Also, the revised act would launch a pilot cooperative digital- mapping program. The same day, Clinton signed the National Marine Sanctuaries Amendments Act of 2000 (S. 1482) into law. This bill reauthorizes the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) for five years and would provide scholarships for work in oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archeology as well as protect the coral reefs off the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. More at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/oceans.html. ***New Congressional Fellows Affected by Election Uncertainty On November 29th, Dick Zimmer (R) conceded the race for the 12th District of New Jersey to incumbent Rep. Rush Holt (D) when Holt's lead grew to over 700 votes during a recount. Zimmer's concession meant a sigh of relief for AGI Congressional Science Fellow Katy Makeig, who has been working in Holt's office for the past month. Holt is one of only two physicists in the House and is the first former science fellow to be elected to Congress. He serves on the Budget, Education, and Resources committees. Katy, who ran her own environmental consulting business before taking the fellowship, will be working on energy, science, and international issues. Across the Hill, new AGU fellow Kirsten Cutler still does not know where she will spend the rest of her fellowship year, having chosen to work on environmental issues for Sen. Joe Lieberman. New GSA fellow Rachel Sours-Page is working on water, natural resources, hazard mitigation, and coastal erosion issues for Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who was easily re-elected to a fourth term representing the Portland area. Applications for the 2001-2002 AGI Congressional Science Fellowship are due February 1, 2001. For more information on the AGI fellowship and fellowships offered by AGI member societies, please visit http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/csf.html. -Monthly review prepared by Margaret Baker and David Applegate, AGI Government Affairs Program. 55555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 55555555555555 5 5) EARTH SYSTEM PROCESSES COMNFERENCE This global meeting, presented by the Geological Society of America and the Geological Society of London, will be held 24-28 June 2001 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Earth System Processes will focus on two major themes critical to advancing understanding of how our planet works: Earth System Linkages will explore the relationships between the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, atmosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere. Earth System Evolution will examine the way in which processes controlling the nature of the planet have changed since the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Both themes will involve comparison with other planetary systems in the solar system and beyond. Both will also take into account critical extraterrestrial influences. Ian Dalziel and Ian Fairchild, are Co-chairs of the Technical Programme Committee. For further details see the web page at www.geosociety.org/meetings/edinburgh. 66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666 6) AGI AWARDS MINORITY GEOSCIENCE SCHOLARSHIPS For the 2000-2001 academic year, the American Geological Institute (AGI) has awarded $30,000 in academic scholarships to 11 undergraduate students and $235,000 in academic scholarships to 17 graduate students who are pursuing geoscience degrees. The scholarships to these 28 stu-dents are granted through AGI's Minority Participation Program (MPP). The undergraduate scholarships are made possible through the financial support of the National Science Foundation (Grant No. EAR-9812728). This year's undergraduate awardees are Wesley Acosta, Alicia Arroyo, Nalette Hall, Alison Hendricks, Jason Holloman, Jessica Lopez, Jerome Palmer, Rene Perez, Kimberly Robinson, Rhonda Yates, and Richard Younger. The scholarships for advanced-degree students are made possible through the financial support of Mobil Technology, the Seismological Society of America, Vastar Resources Inc., Enron Oil and Gas Company, Exxon Exploration, Mitchell Energy, Chevron, and USX Foundation. Graduate student awardees are Monica Aponte, Soyini Baten, Ryan Birkenfeld, Lorna Jaramillo Nieves, Keena Kareem, Alberto Lopez-Venegas, Andres Marin, Audeliz Matias, Dominike Merle, Amanda Mosola, Shandin Pete, Carl Pierce, Jr., Aisha Ragas, Carlos Ramos, Gwendolyn Rhodes, Lizzette Rodriguez-Iglesias, and Jeri Young. Since its inception in 1971, the AGI Minority Participation Program has provided financial assistance and mentoring to qualified members of under- represented groups. The purpose of the mentoring program is to increase the success rate of scholars in graduate and undergraduate programs at accredited colleges and universities. In ad-dition, mentors guide and introduce scholars to opportunities in the geosciences through internships, participation in symposia and professional society meetings, and direct hire. These efforts help the students find employment in the geosciences by affording them competitive job opportunities in various job markets. The success of the AGI Minority Participation Program is amply demonstrated by the hundreds of previous scholars who are or have been employed by the geoscience community, who have contributed to the enhancement of their discipline, and who, in turn, serve as models for current and future scholars. For more information about MPP, contact Caitlin Callahan, MPP Coordinator at AGI, or visit the scholarship website at www.agiweb.org/education/mpp.html. 77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 7777777777777 7) CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR NEIL MINER AWARD Each year, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) presents the Neil Miner Award to an individual for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the earth sciences. Anyone can make a nomination. Submit only the following: 1) a letter of nomination stating why the nominee is an outstanding geoscience teacher; 2) up to a maximum of 10 letters of support from colleagues and former students (5 must be from former students ); and 3) the nominee's curriculum vitae. Send nominations materials to: Robert Christman, Executive Director, NAGT, Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham. WA 98225 Nomination deadline is March 1, 2001. 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 88888888888888 8) 2001-2022 CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOW APPLICATION Do you have a desire to impact the future of the geoscience profession? Want to help shape science and technology policy on Capitol Hill? Would you like to work directly with national and international leaders? Then apply for the GSA Congressional Science Fellowship. The Geological Society of America (GSA) 2001-2002 Congressional Science Fellow will be selected in early 2001. Successful candidates must be GSA members with a PhD in earth sciences or a related field, or an MS degree in earth sciences or a related field with at least five years of professional experience, and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. Application deadline is 2 February 2001. For application information, visit the GSA website at www.geosociety.org/science/ csf/scifello.htm, or contact Karlon Blythe, Program Officer, at 303.447.2020, ext. 136 or To learn more about the Fellow experience, contact David Verardo, 1997-1998 GSA Congressional Fellow, at 202.314.2234 or dverardo@usgcrp.gov. 99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999 9 9) POSITION OPENINGS ***Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB Canada Assistant Professsor in Geophysics Applications are invited for a full-time tenure-track position in geophysics at the assistant professor level. This position, which is subject to final budgetary approval, is to commence July 1, 2001. Minimum qualifications are a Ph.D. in Geophysics and evidence of strong teaching and research potential. Candidates with expertise in seismic, near- surface or environmental geophysics are especially encouraged to apply; candidates with a background in other areas of geophysics will be given consideration. The Department currently has 13 full-time tenure-track faculty offering a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs in Geology and geophysics. The successful applicant will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in Geophysics and to develop an independent research program. The Department has a well- established national and international research reputation and is equipped with a range of geophysical, remote sensing and analytical instrumentation. Further information about the Department can be obtained from http://www.umanitoba.ca/geoscience/ Winnipeg is a large, cosmopolitan city with a wide range of cultural and sporting attractions. It has an international airport, a variety of recreational facilities, and good access to beaches and both Provincial and National Parks. Winnipeg (http://www.city.winnipeg.mb.ca/) is an attractive and affordable place to live. The University of Manitoba encourages applicatins from qualified women and men, including members of visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, this advertisement is directed toward Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Applicants should send a curriculum vitae and a summary of teaching research interests, including a brief research proposal, to the address below. Applicants should also arrange to have three letters of reference sent to the same address. Consideration of applications will begin on February 27th, 2001. Dr. Norman M. Halden, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB Canada R3T 2N2 Further information about the position can be obtained from: NM_HALDEN@UMANITOBA.CA or 204-474-8857 ***************************************************************** ************** ***Kean University-Hydrogeologist /Physical Geographer The Department of Geology and Meteorology at Kean University invites applications for a tenure- track position at the rank of assistant professor beginning September 2001. The successful candidate should have a Ph.D. or ABD in groundwater geology, hydrology, or physical geography and is expected to teach courses in groundwater, hydrology, climatology and geography. Additionally the successful candidate is expected to participate in program development, student advisement, and departmental and university governance as well as maintaining an active research program. The Department of Geology and Meteorology offers undergraduate degrees in geology, meteorology, and general earth science as well as a teaching certification degree in earth science. Additionally the department offers a masters degree in earth science education and has a large number of undergraduate education majors taking earth science as their academic major. The department consist of eight full-time faculty and six adjuncts who cover the academic disciplines of meteorology, geology, oceanography and geography. The department web page can be found at http://hurri.kean.edu. Letters of applications and curriculum vitae should be sent to Charles H. Murphy, Chairperson, Department of Geology and Meteorology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave., Union, NJ 07083- 0411 or cmurphy@kean.edu. Kean University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and encourages applications from women and minorities. ***************************************************************** ************** ***Northeastern Illinois University-Clay Mineralogist Northeastern Illinois University seeks to fill a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level for fall, 2001, in the areas of clay mineralogy and glacial geology or soil science. The ideal candidate is student-centered and interested in innovative teaching. The faculty member will teach upper-level courses and direct student research in the areas of clay mineralogy and glacial geology or soil science. He/she will be committed to development and teaching of general education and introductory-level earth science courses and will collaborate with faculty from other departments to develop and teach interdisciplinary courses. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in geological sciences by the time of appointment. Please send a letter of application and resume to: Dr. Laura Sanders, Earth Science, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North Saint Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625. Include a statement of teaching and research interests and three letters of recommendation, at least one of which addresses the candidate's teaching effectiveness. Review of applications will begin December 15, 2000 and will continue until the position is filled. AA/EO Employer. ***************************************************************** ************** 10) SUBMISSION, ADVERTISING & MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION ***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 the Ad Editor at ads@awg.org. PLEASE SEND AD COPY OR OTHER SUBMISSIONS AS RTF FILES OR AS PART OF AN E-MAIL MESSAGE ***For membership information or to join AWG, visit our website at or contact our business office at ***E-mail or address changes? Send to office@awg.org, please.