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AWG E-MAIL NEWS 2002-4
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CONTENTS
1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW JANUARY 2002
2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SPECIAL UPDATE: 2-6-02
3) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SPECIAL UPDATE: 2-7-02
4) SLOSS AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE MARCH 1
5) CONFERENCE NOTICES
     * AAAS ANNUAL MEETING: Events for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
                                                              AWIS Networking Luncheon and Workshop
     * INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOIL AND GROUNDWATER 
        CONTAMINATION AND CLEANUP IN ARID COUNTRIES 20-23 January 2003:
        Announcement and call for papers
    * "RETAINING WOMEN IN EARLY ACADEMIC CAREERS"
6) FROM AWIS MEMBER SERVICES: WASHINGTON WIRE 
7) POSITION OPENING
    2002-010 Texas A&M University - Tenure Track Faculty Position: Seismology
8) CONTACT INFORMATION

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Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of E-mail News
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1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW 
JANUARY 2002
* Congress Back in Action for Second Session 
* State of the Union Address Previews Budget Priorities 
* Energy Secretary to Recommend Yucca Mountain for Nuclear Waste 
* Enron Dominates Energy Debate 
* Effort Underway to Stop California from Marginalizing Earth Science 
* Evolution At Issue in Washington, Ohio; Biologists To Hold Conference 
* AGI's Government Affairs Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary 
* Geoscientists Urged to Attend Congressional Visits Day, March 5-6 
* AGI Co-Sponsors Capitol Hill Briefing on Measuring Science Results 
* Semester Intern Welcomed, Summer Internship Applications Accepted 
* New National Academy Geotechnical Committee Holds First Meeting 
* DOE Bids to Replenish Strategic Oil Reserve 
* New Material on Web Site
*** Congress Back in Action for Second Session ***
After an abbreviated break, senators and representatives came back to 
Capitol Hill on January 23rd to begin the second session of the 107th 
Congress and to pick up several issues that were forced to the back 
burner in order to pass the compulsory appropriations bills and 
high-profile education reform legislation. Those back-burner issues 
include national energy policy, the economic stimulus package, a 
multi-pollutant bill to revise the Clean Air Act, and the farm bill. 
President Bush's State of the Union address on January 29th focused 
congressional action on defense and the new budget cycle, but he also 
specifically referred to the stimulus package and Senate delays in 
passing an energy bill. The stimulus package also has been stalled in 
the Senate -- where the latest attempt to pass the package is to attach 
it to an adoption tax credit bill -- but movement in the last days of 
the month gives hope to passage in the coming weeks. In addition to the 
high priority of the farm bill and a multi-pollutant bill, Congress will 
contend with the rippling effects of Enron's collapse and the upcoming 
budget cycle (more on that below). And don't forget: it is an election 
year. 
*** State of the Union Address Previews Budget Priorities ***
In President Bush's first State of the Union Address on January 29th, he 
highlighted what we will likely see in his budget that comes out on 
February 4th. Defense, homeland security, and economic renewal will be 
the over-riding themes, with defense spending marked for the largest 
increase in twenty years. Bush stated: "to achieve these great national 
objectives -- to win the war, protect the homeland and revitalize our 
economy -- our budget will run a deficit that will be small and short 
term as long as Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally 
responsible way." Exactly how science funding in general, and the 
geosciences in specific, fare in a war budget will be known after 
February 4th, when the budget proposal will be released. An AGI special 
update will go out within a day or two of the budget release. President 
Bush's complete State of the Union Address is available at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/.
*** Energy Secretary to Recommend Yucca Mountain for Nuclear Waste ***
On January 10th, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham informed Nevada 
Governor Kenny Guinn (R) and the Nevada Legislature of his intent "to 
recommend to the President that Yucca Mountain be approved as the site 
for the Nation's first geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and 
high-level radioactive waste." Governor Guinn's initial response to the 
Secretary's letter was succinct: "This decision stinks." Reflecting the 
times, the Secretary's letter argues that the consolidation of nuclear 
waste will "enhance protection against terrorist attacks," while also 
asserting that the chosen site is "scientifically sound and suitable." 
This action, which is mandated by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, signals 
that the Secretary's recommendation will be forwarded to the President 
in at least 30 days. If the President accepts the recommendation -- 
there is no time limit set for his decision -- then the governor will 
have 60 days to issue a "Notice of Disapproval", essentially a veto. It 
will then fall to Congress to vote within 90 days of continuous session 
(an important qualifier) on whether to sustain the governor's 
disapproval. Unlike a presidential veto, however, only a simple majority 
of both houses is required to override the veto. Overriding the 
disapproval is virtually assured in the House but is less certain in the 
Senate, where the Democratic leadership -- most notably Assistant 
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) -- is strongly opposed to the site's 
selection. Assuming that President Bush does not delay his decision, 
congressional action could take place as early as this fall, although 
election-year politics may encourage a delay until 2003. More at 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/yucca.html.
*** Enron Dominates Energy Debate ***
Early in 2001, the energy crunch in California and gasoline price spikes 
helped to motivate the Bush Administration to develop a comprehensive 
energy policy for the nation. Directed by Vice-President Dick Cheney, 
the National Energy Policy (NEP) was released in May of last year. 
Since then, the House passed a comprehensive bill (H.R.4) incorporating 
many of the NEP provisions, but the Senate has been caught up in 
partisan debate sparked by the administration's proposal to open the 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for petroleum development. Although 
Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) has announced that the Senate will 
take up energy legislation this spring, the collapse of Enron now 
appears to be the driving force for interest in energy issues. Several 
committees have held hearings -- and scheduled many more -- regarding 
the energy trading company's downfall and its implications for 
electricity deregulation, pension regulation, and other related issues. 
The General Accounting Office -- the investigative and auditing arm of 
Congress -- has renewed its plans (put on hold after September 11th) to 
sue Cheney in order to gain access to information about meetings that he 
held while developing the NEP, including meetings with Enron executives. 
More on energy policy at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/energy.html.
*** Effort Underway to Stop California from Marginalizing Earth Science 
***
AGI has sent a letter to the California State Board of Education urging 
them not to act on a proposal that would remove Earth science as a core 
credit science course for high school graduation. The board may vote on 
the proposal at its meeting on February 6. AGI also sent letters to 
geoscience department chairs and member society leaders, urging them to 
send letters to Reed Hastings, President of the California State Board 
of Education. The American Geophysical Union sent an alert to all its 
California members (see 
http://www.agu.org/cgi-bin/asla/asla-list?read=2002-03.msg for Hastings' 
contact information). The Seismological Society of America also sent out 
an alert to their members.
The letter from AGI Executive Director and Stanford Dean of Earth 
Sciences Lynn Orr to Board President Hastings sought to convince the 
Board to retain Earth Science as a recommended high school core science 
course for graduation. The proposal under consideration is spelled out 
in the January 25, 2002, "Draft of California Science Framework for K-12 
Public Schools," which can be found on the Web at 
http://www.cde.ca.gov/board/notices/sciencefrmwk (the key passage is on 
page 9, lines 7-10). In order to meet the minimum two-year laboratory 
science requirement for high school graduation, students must take "two 
of the following subjects: biology/life science, chemistry, and 
physics." The draft proposal goes on to point out that "laboratory 
courses in Earth sciences are acceptable if they have as prerequisite 
(or provide basic knowledge in) biology, chemistry, or physics." In 
AGI's opinion, this proposal essentially relegates Earth Science to a 
non-course because there is no incentive for schools to offer it or for 
students to take it. Moreover, the state exit exam -- which takes effect 
with the Class of 2004 -- will only test on material from required 
courses, further marginalizing Earth Science. 
*** Evolution At Issue in Washington, Ohio; Biologists To Hold 
Conference ***
The Ohio State Board of Education is currently considering a 
reevaluation of the state's science curriculum for grades 10 and 12 An 
alternative curriculum draft is being proposed by the Science Excellence 
for All Ohioans (SEAO) group, which advocates the approach of 
intelligent design (ID) creationism. The SEAO curriculum modification 
would add a new discipline, "origin science," defined as "the study of 
the origin and development/diversity of life on earth." In SEAO's draft, 
statements in the existing curriculum that deal with evolution are 
modified to emphasize doubts about the validity of evolutionary theory, 
adding words such as "may" and "might." The Ohio State Board of 
Education will meet in March 2002 for further discussion. SEAO has 
invoked the U.S. Senate-passed Santorum resolution to justify its 
current actions. On January 23, a General Assembly bill (House Bill 481) 
was introduced to require the teaching of "origin science" to encourage 
the teaching of alternate theories to evolution. Another bill (House 
Bill 484) introduced the following day would require that state science 
education standards be approved by both houses of the Ohio legislature, 
a requirement that does not apply to any other state education 
standards. 
A Washington state legislator re-introduced Senate Bill 6058 on January 
14, which proposes that all state-purchased science textbooks contain a 
disclaimer similar to the one used in Alabama that labels evolution as a 
controversial theory and reminds students that nobody was around when 
life began. On January 18th, the same legislator introduced Washington 
Senate Bill 6500, which states: "the legislature finds that the teaching 
of the theory of evolution in the common schools of the state of 
Washington is repugnant to the principles of the Declaration of 
Independence and thereby unconstitutional and unlawful. All textbooks 
and curriculum that teach the theory of evolution shall be removed from 
the public schools forthwith and replaced with textbooks and curriculum 
that teach the self-evident truth of creation." A companion bill was 
introduced in the House (House Bill 2681). More on evolution flare-ups 
around the nation at http://www.ncseweb.org and 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/evolution.html.
The American Institute of Biological Sciences is making evolution the 
subject of its annual meeting to be held in Washington DC on March 
22-24, 2002. For additional information, please visit 
http://www.aibs.org.
*** AGI's Government Affairs Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary ***
The notion of an AGI role in public policy dates back to the institute’s 
inception in 1948. But it took the leadership of two successive AGI 
presidents, Frank Harrison in 1990 and especially Bill Fisher in 1991, 
to get a full-fledged program going in this area. And ten years ago this 
month, Craig Schiffries joined AGI as the program’s first manager, fresh 
from a stint as a GSA congressional fellow. The program's goal then as 
now is to serve AGI's member societies. Then as now, a significant 
percentage of the program’s budget comes from voluntary member society 
contributions. The Political Scene column in the January 2002 issue of 
Geotimes reprints excerpts from an editorial written at the time of the 
program's inception by AGI's then-executive director, Charles G. "Chip" 
Groat, who -- along with current AGI executive director Marcus Milling 
-- was responsible for nurturing the fledgling program. Please take a 
moment to read the column at http://www.geotimes.org/jan02/scene.html.
*** Geoscientists Urged to Attend Congressional Visits Day, March 5-6 
***
In a January 14th alert, AGI asked geoscientists to attend the 7th 
annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD) in 
Washington on March 5-6. This event brings over 200 scientists and 
engineers to Capitol Hill to visit Members of Congress and their staff 
early in the congressional budget cycle. With national security the 
over-riding federal priority, the CVD core message is that broad federal 
funding for research promotes the nation's security, prosperity, and the 
innovation of new ideas. AGI would like to see a strong contingent of 
geoscientists at this event, especially encouraging Member Society 
leaders to attend. More at 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/cvd_alert0102.html.
*** AGI Co-Sponsors Capitol Hill Briefing on Measuring Science Results 
***
The American Geological Institute joined the American Chemical Society 
to co-sponsor a January 15th luncheon briefing entitled "Measuring the 
Return on the Federal Research & Development Investment." The briefing, 
held in a House Science Committee hearing room, drew over 100 
congressional staff. Speakers included Marcus Peacock, Associate 
Director of the White House Office and Management and Budget (OMB) 
Associate Director Marcus Peacock, who discussed the administration's 
plans for the coming fiscal year and OMB's efforts to develop 
performance-based budgets for science programs. Other speakers discussed 
how industry and federal agencies measure science performance as well as 
a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on 
Science, Engineering, and Public Policy on how to implement the 1993 
Government Performance Results Act for science. 
*** Semester Intern Welcomed, Summer Internship Applications Accepted 
***
AGI welcomes University of Georgia geology graduate student Heather 
Golding as the spring semester AGI/AAPG Geoscience and Public Policy 
Intern. She will be spending nearly four months with AGI attending 
congressional hearings, researching policy issues, and writing issue 
updates for the program's website. We gratefully acknowledge stipend 
support for the internship provided by the American Association of 
Petroleum Geologists. Applications for the twelve-week summer geoscience 
policy internships must be postmarked by March 15, 2001. Interns will 
gain a first-hand understanding of the legislative process and the 
operation of executive branch agencies. They will also hone both their 
writing and Web publishing skills. Stipends for the summer interns are 
funded jointly by AGI and the AIPG Foundation. For more information, 
please visit http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/intern.html.
*** DOE Bids to Replenish Strategic Petroleum Reserve ***
According to a January 23rd Greenwire report, the Department of Energy 
opened bidding for 22 million barrels of oil to fill the Strategic 
Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as a result of an executive order issued by 
President Bush. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said the installment 
would not only fill the SPR to its full capacity of 572 million barrels 
but also would carry out President Bush’s efforts to "strength our 
nation’s emergency energy supplies." The oil would be royalty-in-kind 
payment from companies at the price determined between an oil producer 
and a willing buyer. Responses from bidders must be completed by 
February 4 to achieve the initial delivery rate of 60,000 barrels per 
day in April followed by a rate of 130,000 barrels per day later in 
2002. More at http://www.spr.doe.gov. Background on SPR-related issues 
can be found at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/spr.html.
*** New National Academy Geotechnical Committee Holds First Meeting ***
This month, the National Research Council's Committee on Geological and 
Geotechnical Engineering held its first meeting to discuss potential 
research topics. The intent of the committee, which is part of the Board 
on Earth Sciences and Resources, is to identify, investigate, and report 
on issues dealing with geological and geotechnical engineering and act 
as an independent adviser on scientific and technical questions of 
significance. The committee heard from various government agencies such 
as the National Science Foundation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Department of Energy, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in order to 
discuss their role in geological and geotechnical engineering issues. 
As a secondary focal point of the meeting, the committee considered the 
long-term effectiveness of engineered containment systems, in particular 
the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository site. More at 
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/cger/besr.nsf/.
** New Material on Web Site ** 
The following updates and reports were added to the Government Affairs 
portion of AGI's web site http://www.agiweb.org since the last monthly 
update:
High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal (2-2-02) 
Science Education Policy (1-31-02) 
State Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution (1-24-02) 
Federal Challenges to the Teaching of Evolution (1-22-02) 
Energy Policy Overview (1-17-02) 
Action Alert: Come Participate in Congressional Visits Day, March 5-6 
(1-14-02)
_____________ 
Monthly review prepared by Margaret Baker, David Applegate, and AGI/AAPG 
Semester Intern Heather Golding.
 
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2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SPECIAL UPDATE: 2-6-02
*** The President's FY 2003 Budget Request: NSF ***
IN A NUTSHELL: For Fiscal Year (FY) 2003, President Bush has requested 
$5.1 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 5 percent 
increase over the current year. But nearly half of the increase is due 
to program transfers from other agencies rather than new funds for 
existing NSF programs. For the Geosciences Directorate, an apparent 
13.4% increase drops to only 1.2% without the transfers, which Congress 
is not likely to approve. The biggest boost for the geosciences is the 
requested $35 million funding of the EarthScope project in the Major 
Research Equipment (MRE) account. In FY 2001, a previous attempt to fund 
the project was derailed when Congress earmarked funding for other 
projects not in the request. That is likely to occur again without 
strong intervention by the geoscience community. This update is the 
first in a series on the president's request. The next update will cover 
the U.S. Geological Survey, and following ones will address the 
Department of Energy, EPA, NASA, and NOAA.
**********************
On February 4th, the president released his FY 2003 budget request to 
Congress. As outlined in Bush's State of the Union address the previous 
week, defense spending would receive the biggest boost. Overall, science 
and technology funding would increase 9% from $52.3 billion in FY 2002 
to $57.0 billion in FY 2003. The bulk of the increase, however, goes to 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is in the fourth year of 
a five-year doubling trajectory. NIH is slated to receive a 17 percent 
increase to $27.3 billion.
Back in December, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
lavished praise on the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its 
efficient management. That praise translated into a requested 5% 
increase to total $5.1 billion -- favored status compared to the cuts or 
flat funding faced by many other science agencies. NSF Director Rita 
Colwell said in her statement at the public budget release that the 
strength of the agency relies on two conditions: aiming research at the 
"leading edge of technology" and awarding grants based on "competitive, 
merit-reviewed, and time-limited" proposals "with clear criteria for 
success." 
NSF's approach of awarding grants rather than hiring its own researchers 
was a major selling point for OMB, and the budget proposes to transfer 
several programs from mission-oriented agencies to NSF. The transfers 
include $10 million from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for its 
Hydrology of Toxic Substances program, $57 million from the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for its Sea Grant program, 
and $9 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its 
environmental education programs. According to NSF budget documents, 
$74 million of that will be awarded as grants through the Geoscience 
Directorate, with the remaining $2 million used for management and 
administration of the transfer. Without the transferred funds, the 
increase for NSF's own programs drops down to 3.4% above last year's 
allocation, just ahead of inflation. For more on the proposed transfer 
of USGS programs, see the Geotimes Web Extra at 
http://www.geotimes.org/feb02/WebExtra0205.html. 
*** Impact of Transfers on Geosciences Directorate ***
The congressional reception to the transfers has been tepid in part 
because they would require shifting funds between appropriations 
subcommittees and moving directed, mission-oriented programs into a 
fundamental science agency. Thus, it seems unlikely that the transfers 
will take place. That poses a significant problem for the Geosciences 
Directorate (GEO) since virtually all of its requested 13.4% increase, 
to $691 million, is due to transferred funds. Within that total, the 
Earth Sciences Division (EAR) would receive a 21.2% increase to $153.1 
million (including $2.5 million of EPA money, $10 million of NOAA money, 
and $9.7 million of USGS money); Atmospheric Sciences Division (ATM) 
would receive an 8.4% increase to $218.9 million (including $3.6 million 
from EPA and $5 million from NOAA); and Ocean Sciences Division (OCE) 
would receive a 13.5% increase to $319 million (including $2.5 million 
from EPA and $40.8 million from NOAA).
Behind that facade of a healthy increase provided by the transfers, 
existing GEO programs would receive a 1.2% increase, providing a 
decrease in funding in real dollars. EAR would increase by 3.6%, ATM's 
increase would be 4%, and OCE would receive a decrease of nearly 2%. 
When NSF Director Colwell was asked how GEO would fare if the transfers 
do not go through, she responded that there was a contingency plan but 
did not provide any more details. At the GEO budget briefing, Assistant 
Director for Geosciences Margaret Leinen seemed much more optimistic 
that the transfers would occur, stating that GEO has been talking with 
people at the affected programs in order to work out a smooth 
transition. More details on the GEO divisions can be found below.
*** EarthScope Included in MRE Request ***
In contrast to the mixed news for the GEO directorate, earth scientists 
will find very good news in the Major Research Equipment (MRE) account 
request: $35 million for EarthScope. Long the exclusive domain of 
physicists and astronomers, the MRE account funds large-scale 
facilities. EarthScope, which comprises four separate projects, is 
unique in that it is not a single facility (like an atom smasher or 
telescope) but rather four separate, broadly distributed projects: the 
United States Seismic Array (USArray), the San Andreas Fault Observatory 
at Depth (SAFOD), the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), and the 
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite (InSAR). 
The $35 million of first-year funding would be divided between USArray, 
SAFOD, and PBO. Although funding for the MRE account is entirely 
separate from funding that goes to the directorates, the fourth 
component of EarthScope -- InSAR -- is listed as a priority within EAR 
(more below). EarthScope is expected to last five years at a total cost 
of $187 million. 
This budget marks the second time that EarthScope has been included in 
the president's request. In FY 2001, it was part of a whopping 17.5% 
increase for NSF requested by President Clinton. Although Congress 
ultimately provided NSF with a healthy 13% increase, EarthScope did not 
make it into the appropriation. Instead, Congress funded the 
High-Performance Instrumental Airborne Platform for Environmental 
Research (HIAPER), a high-altitude aircraft used for atmospheric 
research that had been put in NSF's budget the previous year. The FY2001 
House-Senate Conference Committee report (H.Rpt. 106-998) made clear 
that the lack of funding for EarthScope "does not reflect on the quality 
of research proposed" and was done "without prejudice," leaving the door 
open for its inclusion in future budgets. President Bush's FY 2002 
request contained no new starts in the MRE account.
Now awaiting its final year of funding, HIAPER again is not in the 
president's request. Since it is almost certain that Congress will 
provide the money needed to complete HIAPER, EarthScope faces a tough 
road to stay in the budget. Without a strong effort from the geoscience 
community, EarthScope is in danger of being frozen out for the second 
time. It is not likely that there would be a third chance.
EarthScope is one of three new starts proposed for the MRE account along 
with the National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) -- also in the 
FY 2001 request but not funded -- and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array 
(ALMA II), a follow-up to a previous MRE project.
More information on EarthScope is available at 
http://www.earthscope.org. A new National Research Council study on the 
science plan for EarthScope is available at 
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10271.html.
*** Geosciences Directorate Specifics ***
Returning to the Geosciences Directorate for a closer look at line 
items, the Earth Sciences Division is slated to receive $116.9 million 
for Earth Science Project Support, which funds researchers in the Earth 
Sciences, in multidisciplinary groups, and in outreach activities 
related to the geosciences. Also under EAR is funding for 
Instrumentation and Facilities at $36.2 million. One of the listed 
priorities for this area is the "development of a dedicated InSAR 
satellite mission, carried out jointly with NASA and USGS, to provide 
spatially-continuous strain measurements over wide geographic areas." 
The Atmospheric Sciences Division funding for the Research Support 
account would come to $145.3 million, a 15.9% increase. Funding for the 
National Center for Atmospheric Research would decrease to $73.6 
million, a change of nearly 4% below last year's allocation. Leinen 
noted that a part of this decrease is due to the fact that some projects 
are concluding. In the Ocean Sciences Division, funding for Research 
Support activities would increase by 15.4% to $120 million, the 
Integrative Programs account would increase by 11.1% to $104 million, 
and the Marine Geoscience account would increase by 13.8% to $95 
million. As noted above, all of these increases dominantly reflect 
transfers, not new money for existing programs.
*** NSF Priority Initiatives ***
At the budget rollout, in addition to highlighting several of the 
agency's priorities, NSF Director Colwell also noted that the FY 2003 
budget will increase graduate stipends from $21,500 to $25,000 at a cost 
of close to $37 million. Graduate research fellowships, graduate 
teaching fellowship in K-12 education, and integrative graduate 
education and research traineeships (IGERT) programs will also benefit 
from this stipend increase. She also noted that the agency's 
administrative and management account will receive one the largest 
increases in several years to total $268 million. Staffing at NSF has 
remained essentially the same since 1990, and the $41 million increase 
will be used to recruit more employees and to help the agency continue 
its work on E-Government.
A major winner in the president's budget is the Math and Science 
Partnership program, which is marked to receive an increase of 25% over 
the FY 2002 budget. The $200 million request for the partnership 
program is the second installment of a planned five-year, $1.0 billion 
initiative to improve math and science education at the primary and 
secondary levels. It also was a keystone of the president's education 
reform bill that was signed into law in January 2002. According to 
Colwell, NSF is working closely with the Department of Education to 
develop a connection between the two agencies. 
NSF identified a number of priority areas, all of which would receive 
healthy increases in the budget request. A new priority area of the 
agency is social, behavioral and economic sciences, which would receive 
$10 million in seed money. Other NSF priority areas by the numbers: 
biocomplexity in the environment would receive $79.2 million (a 36% 
increase), information technology research would receive $285.8 million 
(a 3% increase), nanoscale research would receive $221.3 million (an 11% 
increase), Learning for the 21st Century Workforce would receive $184.7 
million (a 27.5% increase), and mathematical sciences would double to 
$60 million.
Now that the budget request is out, it moves on to Congress and the 
appropriations process, where legislators get a chance to rewrite it at 
will. A concerted effort by the geoscience community will be required to 
keep EarthScope in the final budget and ensure that GEO receives real 
increases. The House Appropriations Committee has scheduled its hearing 
for NSF on April 11th, and the Senate Appropriations Committee has not 
yet announced its schedule for hearings on the FY2003 budget.
More information on the NSF budget is available at 
http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/bud/fy2003/start.htm. More information on the 
Geosciences Directorate budget is available at 
http://www.geo.nsf.gov/geo/about/directhome.htm#budget.
____________ 
Special update prepared by Margaret A. Baker and David Applegate, AGI 
Government Affairs Program

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3) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS SPECIAL UPDATE: 2-7-02
*** The President's FY 2003 Budget Request: USGS ***
IN A NUTSHELL: Water programs take the largest hits in the president's 
fiscal year (FY) 2003 request for the U.S. Geological Survey. Overall, 
the Survey is slated to receive a $47 million, or 5.1%, cut. The Toxic 
Substances Hydrology Program would be eliminated with a portion of its 
funds transferred to the National Science Foundation. The National 
Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program is down nearly $6 million. The 
Water Resources Research Institutes are zeroed out, a $6 million cut. 
The National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program is to be reduced 
by a similar amount, and the federal streamgage program funding would 
drop by $2 million. The larger cuts reflect administration priorities 
favoring activities that support the mission of the Department of the 
Interior over externally focused programs. Smaller cuts remove funds 
provided by Congress for specific projects in the FY 2002 appropriations 
process. This update is the second in a series describing the 
president's request. The first covered NSF, and subsequent ones will 
address the Department of Energy, other Interior agencies, EPA, NASA, 
and NOAA. More information can be found at http://www.agiweb.org/gap.
**********************
For the second year in a row, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) faces 
substantial cuts in the president's request. Last year's proposed cuts 
totaled $70 million, but Congress ultimately restored those funds and 
provided an additional $30 million for the Survey to total $914 million. 
For fiscal year (FY) 2003, the Bush Administration is seeking a $47 
million, or 5.1%, cut to $867.3 million. Geologic programs would be cut 
$8.2 million (-3.5%) to $224.7 million; water programs take the biggest 
hit, down $28 million (-13.6%) to $177.8 million; mapping is down $4 
million (-3.0%) to $129.3 million; and biological programs are down $5.9 
million (-3.5%). In addition, the USGS is expected to save $6 million 
through unspecified management reforms, and $1 million from travel 
reductions. Taking into account the cost-of-living increases, actual 
program funds would fall $55.2 million.
Although some of the requested reductions simply remove congressionally 
added projects (earmarks), others reflect the lower priority assigned 
to, in the words of the Interior Department budget documents, "programs 
that primarily benefit external customers." The document goes on to 
state that "the first and most important customers of USGS science are 
the land and resource management bureaus of the Department of the 
Interior." 
This aversion to funding externally focused programs reflects two 
political realities. First, many USGS programs have a truly national 
mission that extends well beyond the Interior Department's 
responsibility for public lands, creating a mismatch between the bureau 
and its parent department. Second, because externally focused programs 
have the most support in Congress, they are the ones most likely to be 
restored.
Another troubling aspect of the president's request that is not apparent 
from the budget documents is the lack of funding for the USGS activities 
in support of homeland security and the war on terrorism overseas. All 
four disciplines within the Survey have made and continue to make 
significant contributions to these efforts, but neither the emergency 
supplementals nor the FY 2003 request provide any direct funding. 
Instead, those costs must be absorbed in addition to the proposed cuts. 
A final note before addressing some of the specific changes: the 
official budget request number for USGS is $949.9 million, which 
includes a one-time transfer of $35.9 million for the pension system and 
health benefit program for current employees. Under the present system, 
those funds go through the Office of Personnel Management, and OMB is 
seeking to have the funds assigned to individual agencies. Because it 
does not appear that the proposal will make it through Congress, we will 
use the lower number.
*** Water Programs Receive Brunt of Proposed Cuts ***
As was the case a year ago, USGS water programs take the brunt of the 
cuts in the president's request. Several programs are targeted for 
elimination and, in one case, transfer out of Interior. Funding for the 
National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program is to be cut by 9.2% 
to total $63.1 million for collecting data from 42 large river basins 
and aquifers. According to a USGS budget fact sheet on NAWQA, the 
proposed $5.8 million decrease would terminate activities in 6 of the 42 
study units -- with a systematic analysis to determine which specific 
ones to cut. Budget language states that this decrease "reflects a plan 
to obtain cost-sharing funds from NAWQA partners and customers." More 
information on NAWQA is available at http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/.
Two other water programs would be eliminated by the budget request: the 
Toxic Substances Hydrology Program (Toxics) and the Water Resources 
Research Institutes. The Toxics program supports long-term research on 
water resource contamination in both surface and groundwater 
environments. Toxics research is a collaborative effort of USGS 
scientists, university and private-sector researchers, and state, local, 
and federal agency scientists. Research from the program has helped to 
understand the transport of various contaminants, such as MTBE and 
radioactive waste, in ground water. The administration proposal would 
downsize the program from the $13.9 million allocated in FY 2002 to only 
$10 million, which would be transferred to the National Science 
Foundation. Budget language notes that there would be a three-year 
transition period in which the two agencies will work together "for the 
orderly phase-out of USGS long-term research and methods development 
activities." More information on Toxics is available at 
http://toxics.usgs.gov/. For more on the program transfers, see the 
February 6th Special Update on the President's Request for NSF at 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/fy2003budgetupdate_usgs.html.
The Water Resources Research Institutes, also targeted for elimination, 
were established by the Water Resources Research Act of 1984. For 
years, different administrations and Congress have played a funding game 
with this popular program -- administration requests of either no 
funding or nominal funding always countered with congressional 
restoration of funds or increases. Members of Congress are especially 
fond of the institutes because there is one located in all 50 states, 
the District of Columbia, and federal territories. Historically, the 
program has been a cooperative between USGS and states, with states 
matching two dollars for each one from USGS. More information on WRRI 
is available at http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/.
*** Geologic Mapping and Streamgage Programs Cut ***
For the past two years, several USGS cooperative programs have received 
funding through a separate account in the Interior and Related Agencies 
appropriations bill known as the Title VIII Conservation Funding 
category. Originally added in the FY 2001 bill, Title VIII was a 
slimmed-down version of a much broader plan to use funds collected from 
oil and gas royalties to be used for environmental activities at the 
state and local level. (The broader plan, known as the Conservation and 
Reinvestment Act or CARA, is still being considered in Congress; more at 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis107/ocs.html.) Title VIII funding was 
planned as a six-year initiative, but funding is not mandatory and thus 
not guaranteed from year to year. 
Last year, the USGS receive an additional $25 million from Title VIII. 
As was the case last year, those funds are zeroed out in the president's 
request. The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping program is marked for 
a nearly $6 million decrease of which almost $5 million is from the 
Title VIII account; this decrease would return the program close to the 
FY 2000 level. The program funds federal, state, and university geologic 
mapping projects with a significant cost-share in the case of the state 
projects. More on the program at http://ncgmp.usgs.gov. The National 
Streamflow Information Program (NSIP), a network of nearly 7,200 
streamgages, would receive a $2 million cut (14.6%), which would 
eliminate funding for 130 streamgages. Because most streamgages are 
funded by USGS partners on an as-needed basis, the federally funded 
portion provides a backbone with much-needed long-term data continuity. 
More information on NSIP is available at http://water.usgs.giv/nsip/. 
Several other programs are in a similar situation with a decrease in 
funding because of the removal of Title VIII funds in the request.
*** Cuts to Earmarks and Limited Program Increases ***
In all, the budget request cuts 35 separate programs in USGS. More than 
half of these programs are considered by OMB as congressional earmarks, 
and most of those are projects in specific locations. Six programs would 
receive additional funding in areas that are administration priorities, 
supporting the president's National Energy Policy plan, researching 
environmental and human health connections, and implementing the 
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. 
Focused primarily on the Mexico/U.S. border, the environmental health 
project is marked to receive $1 million. USGS would receive a $4 
million from the National Park Service to support multi-agency science 
activities related to the Everglades project. In the energy arena, USGS 
would receive $1.2 million to build upon activities from last fiscal 
year to conduct estimates of undiscovered oil and natural gas resources 
on onshore federal lands. Also included was $1 million to produce 
digital base maps in areas of Alaska with future leasing potential. 
Geothermal energy would receive a small boost of $0.5 million.
The USGS budget documents are available at 
http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2003/. More details on the budget will be 
available in the coming days from the AGI Government Affairs web site at 
http://www.agiweb.org/gap.
____________ 
Alert prepared by Margaret A. Baker and David Applegate, AGI Government 
Affairs Program.

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4) SLOSS AWARD NOMINATIONS DUE MARCH 1. 
We ask each of you to strongly consider nominating a colleague for the 
Division's 2002 Laurence L. Sloss Award. As you know, this award is 
given annually in memory of Larry Sloss to honor the lifetime 
contributions of an individual to the field of sedimentary geology and 
in service to GSA. Because this award serves not only to recognize the 
awardee and his or her work but also to showcase the relevance and 
impact of sedimentary geology in the broader geoscientific community, 
this award is a special and important honor. We need nominees of the top 
sedimentary geologists of our time. 

In order to make a nomination, please include a cover letter describing 
the nominee's accomplishments in sedimentary geology, contributions to 
GSA, and curriculum vitae. Thus, the nominee will be aware of the 
nomination and agree to go through the process. The Sedimentary Geology 
Division's nominations committee, chaired this year by Bill Dickinson, 
will advance the names of the top two candidates to the Division's 
management board, chaired by Steve Driese, who will then choose the 
award recipient. The award will be presented at the 2002 GSA Annual 
Meeting in Denver in November. 

Send nominations by March 1, 2002, to Paul Link, Secretary, Sedimentary 
Geology Division, at linkpaul@isu.edu or Dept. of Geosciences, Box 8072, 
Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8072. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
5) CONFERENCE NOTICES
     * AAAS ANNUAL MEETING: Events for Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
                                                              AWIS Networking Luncheon

Announcing Upcoming Networking Opportunities for 
Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

The Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR) Programs at the American 
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is pleased to announce several 
events to be held in conjunction with the 2002 AAAS Annual Meeting and Science 
Innovation Exposition.  These events will be held from Friday, February 16, 2002 until Monday, 
February 18, 2002 in Boston, MA and will be free and open to the public.  We invite you to 
take part in these excellent networking opportunities for women and minorities in science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics.

For free registration please register onsite in the concourse outside Exhibit Hall A 
of the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA during the following hours:

Thursday, February 14: 11am-7pm
Friday, February 15: 7am-7pm
Saturday-Monday, February 16-18: 7:30am-5pm
Tuesday, February 19: 7:30am-10am

Women & Minorities Resource Room
        Friday, February 15, 2002 to Monday, February 18, 2002
        9:00 a.m.  5:00 p.m.
        Boston Marriott Copley Place, Tufts Suite

The Women & Minorities Resource Room will provide information on current projects being conducted by the 
Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR) Programs.  EHR staff will be available to answer questions 
and provide information on activities of the Directorate that are geared toward advancing the status of women 
and minorities in science and engineering.  Publications, materials, and project brochures will be available.


Women & Minority in Science Networking Breakfast: RSVP 
        Saturday, February 16, 2002
        7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
        Sheraton Boston Hotel, Constitution Ballroom A

The objectives of this networking breakfast are to identify and share information on resources and programs that could help 
in mentoring young women and minorities interested in science and engineering, and to strengthen communication among 
women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  Information will be available on projects, publications, 
and other relevant data on science and engineering careers.  Also, Next Wave, an online career journal published by Science, and the 
Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs will launch their AAAS Minority Scientists' Network web site.  
This Network will consist of an online journal, numerous online resources such as summer research opportunities and 
annotated bibliographies, as well as outreach activities such as workshops for mentors and students. 


Association for Puerto Ricans in Science and Engineering (APRSE) Semi-Annual Meeting
        Saturday, February 16, 2002
        1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
        Boston Marriott Copley Place, Tufts Suite

The Association for Puerto Ricans in Science and Engineering (APRSE) meets twice annually to discuss 
current issues and trends in science and engineering.  Any interested individuals are invited to attend.  
Information will be available on current local and national programs.

IMPORTANT: You will be required to show a photo ID in order to register 
for the meeting. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

For more information please contact: Senayt Assefa, Project Coordinator at 
AAAS/EHR Programs at 1200 New York Ave., NW Washington, DC 20005. 
Tel: (202) 326-7019 or E-mail:  sassefa@aaas.org.

AND:

The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) has traditionally hosted a 
networking luncheon during the American Association for the Advancement 
of Science (AAAS) annual meeting. This year the AAAS meeting is in 
Boston, MA from February 14-19, 2002. The AWIS networking luncheon is 
scheduled for Monday, February 18, 2002 from 12:00 - 2:00 PM. The 
keynote speaker at the luncheon will address topics relevant to 
networking.

Last year, the Association for Women Geoscientists co-hosted the 
luncheon along with us and a few other organizations. Co-hosts 
for this year include AAAS, Minority Women in Science (MWIS) and Women in 
Engineering Programs and Advocate Network (WEPAN).

In the past, this luncheon has attracted a large number of attendees, 
including distinguished science professionals around the nation. The 
event is open to all AAAS meeting participants and to the public. There 
is a $37 cost for the luncheon and RSVP is required.

AWIS is also sponsoring a Women in Leadership workshop to be held on 
the morning of February 18 before the luncheon.

All AWG members are invited to attend both the workshop and the 
luncheon. There is no cost for the workshop, however registration is 
required.

******************************
* INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOIL AND GROUNDWATER 
        CONTAMINATION AND CLEANUP IN ARID COUNTRIES 20-23 January 2003:
        Announcement and call for papers

This conference, sponsored by the International Association of Hydrogeologists and the 
International Union of Soil Sciences, will be held at Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate 
of Oman.  Full details are available in a brochure, to be posted on the university's 
College of Agriculture website at www.squ.edu.om. 

******************************
* "RETAINING WOMEN IN EARLY ACADEMIC CAREERS"

This is a notice of a conference being held in Ames, Iowa this fall, 
sponsored by Iowa State University, October 17-20, 2002. "Retaining Women 
in Early Academic Careers (Science, Math, Engineering and Technology)"

http://www.iastate.edu/~wsprogram/smet/homepage.htm

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6) FROM AWIS MEMBER SERVICES: WASHINGTON WIRE 
The new Washington Wire is now available at <http://www.awis.org/wire.html>. Topics for this week's wire are: 

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 
* Bush's State of the Union Address Highlights International Issues 
* U.S. Congress Increases Funding to UNFPA 
* Women Play Large Role in Mexico's Elections 
* France Promotes Women in Science 

GOVERNMENT 
* Congress Sets Aside Little Money for Math and Science in Schools 
* President Names Members of Bioethics Council 
* Women's Bureau Offices Will Remain Open 

WORKPLACE, CHILDCARE, AND EDUCATION 
* Study Shows Salary Gap Widening Between Genders 
* Study on Generation X in the Workforce 
* Drug and Alcohol Arrests Increase on Campuses 

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 
* Research Experience for Undergraduates 
* Conference on A National Report Card on Women's Issues 
* AAPS Drug Review Workshop 
* Web Site Offers Dietary Supplement Information 

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7) POSITION OPENING
2002-010 Texas A&M University - Tenure Track Faculty Position: Seismology

The Department of Geology and Geophysics at Texas A&M University invites 
applications for a tenure-track faculty position in seismology beginning in 
August 2002. Applicants must have a Ph.D. at the time of appointment. The 
position is offered at the assistant professor level.
The successful applicant will be expected to collaborate with 
existing programs in petroleum geology and geophysics, structural 
geology, and stratigraphy within our department. Furthermore, 
opportunities exist to participate in and build on collaborative 
programs with colleagues in petroleum engineering and 
oceanography, and elsewhere, at Texas A&M University.
The successful applicant will also be expected to teach effectively at the 
undergraduate and graduate levels in geology and geophysics; supervise 
student research at the undergraduate, M.S., and Ph.D. levels; and 
initiate and maintain a vigorous externally funded research program 
related to, but not limited to, topics in petroleum exploration 
and production.
Interested candidates should submit a packet containing a letter of 
application, a curriculum vitae, a statement of teaching and research 
objectives and accomplishments, and the names, addresses, phone numbers, and 
e-mail addresses of three referees. The packet should be sent to: 
Dr. Luc T. Ikelle (Ikelle@tamu.edu), Geophysics Search Committee Chair, 
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, 
TX 77843-3115, USA. Electronic applications are particularly encouraged. 
(Visit http://geoweb.tamu.edu/ and choose "Seismology".)
We will begin reviewing applications on March 25, 2002.
We encourage applications from women, members of ethnic minorities, and 
individuals with disabilities. Texas A&M University offers equal opportunity in employment and education. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8) CONTACT INFORMATION

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To change your address or be removed from the list contact: office@awg.or