^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ AWG E-MAIL NEWS 2003-6 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CONTENTS 1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW: FEBRUARY 2003 2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM SPECIAL UPDATE: 3-3-03 3) PREPARING FOR AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN THE GEOSCIENCES: A WORKSHOP FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS 4) RAPID IN-CLASS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES FOR INTRODUCTORY COURSES. 200 CONCEPTESTS QUESTIONS IN FIVE DAYS: A WORKSHOP FOR THE GEOSCIENCES 5) PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS ANNOUNCES VICKI COWART, FORMER STATE GEOLOGIST, AS NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO 6) CAREER PROFILE -AUTOBIOGRAPHY LESSON PLAN REQUEST 7) REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS 8) ROOMIE WANTED 9) CONTACT INFORMATION ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of E-mail News ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW: FEBRUARY 2003 * President Bush Releases Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Request * FY 2003 Appropriations Process Finally Over! * Comprehensive Energy Bill Rides Again * Bush Climate Plan Gets National Academies Review * Forum and Briefing Address Federal Earthquake Program * New Reports Address Health Effects of Mercury * Staged Approach to Repository Design Endorsed * Congressional Visits Day Participants Wanted, April 2-3 * AGI/AIPG Summer Internship Applications Welcomed * List of Key Federal Register Notices * New Material on Web Site *** President Bush Releases Fiscal Year 2004 Budget Request *** As reported in a series of special updates (with more to come), President Bush released his fiscal year (FY) 2004 budget request on February 4th. Overall, the FY 2004 request looks a lot like the president's FY 2003 request for geoscience-related programs.The U.S. Geological Survey would receive $896 million, more than the president proposed a year ago but 2.5% below the FY 2003 level signed into law later in February (see below). Where last year's proposed cuts focused on water programs, this year the focus was on mineral resource assessments, seismic networks, mapping research and geospatial data collection. The National Science Foundation proposes a $5.48 billion budget, up 9% from the previous year's request but just over 3% more than FY 2003. Within that total, the Geosciences Directorate would receive $688 million, almost identical to the FY 2003 level. The EarthScope project would receive $45 million from NSF's Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account, up 50% from the project's first installment in FY 2003. Similar to last year's request, the most dramatic cuts proposed for the Department of Energy's research and development (R&D) budget involve the oil and natural gas programs. The president requested $15 million for oil R&D, down 65% from FY 2003. The budget would effectively eliminate all upstream exploration and production research, cutting that account to $2 million, down from $23 million provided in FY 2003. The cuts to natural gas R&D are less than proposed last year but still would represent a 43% cut from FY 2003 appropriated levels, down to $27 million. Elsewhere in the department, funding for basic geoscience research within the Office of Science is essentially flat and geothermal funding is down 15% from FY 2003. The request for Yucca Mountain is up 37% from FY 2003. The special updates are available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap. A final update that includes the request for NOAA, NASA, the Smithsonian, and other geoscience programs is forthcoming. *** FY 2003 Appropriations Process Finally Over! *** As reported in a special update, two weeks after the president released his FY 2004 budget request, Congress and the White House finally agreed upon funding levels for federal non-defense programs for FY 2003.The 3,000-page bill weighed in at $398 billion, putting the total FY 2003 discretionary spending level, including defense, at $792 billion -- well above the White House endorsed ceiling of $750 million. To aid in bringing the total closer to the spending cap, Congress agreed to a 0.65% across-the-board cut for most programs -- some social programs and the Space Shuttle program are exempt. Proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Geological Survey were largely restored with the Survey receiving $919 million. At the National Science Foundation, the Geosciences Directorate received $685 million, up 12.3% over FY 2002. In addition, the EarthScope initiative is funded at just under $30 million. Within the Department of Energy, basic research funding is flat, while funding is up for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project to $457 million. Although Congress has restored proposed cuts to the natural gas research and development (R&D) program, providing $47 million (up 4%), the petroleum R&D account receives a 25% cut to $42 million. Funding for NOAA programs totaled $3.1 billion, a 4% cut. At NASA, earth science funding is up 8.5% to $1.7 billion. The AGI Special Update on the FY 2003 bill is available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis108/final_fy2 003update0303.html *** Comprehensive Energy Bill Rides Again *** On February 28th, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unveiled a draft of comprehensive energy legislation, including provisions for clean coal technology, automobile efficiency, and an increase to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Described by E&E Daily as "bare bones," the draft does not include more controversial provisions such as drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), ethanol mandates, and renewable portfolio standards. It is expected, however, that those and many other provisions would be added later as the bill makes its way to the floor combined with legislation produced by other committees -- particularly the House Resources, Science, and Ways and Means Committees. The draft's oil and gas related provisions include permanent authorization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, enabling legislation for a natural gas pipeline from Alaska's North Slope to the state's southern coast, and one calling for an EPA study of its regulation of hydraulic fracturing associated with coalbed methane extraction. Energy legislation is on a fast track and could make it to the House floor for a vote later this spring. On the other side of Capitol Hill, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is also making headway towards its own comprehensive energy legislation through a series of recent hearings addressing oil and natural gas prices, supply, and potential on federal lands.The testimony focused on the need for a globally diverse oil supply and new domestic natural gas sources.Energy production on federal lands, such as ANWR and areas of the Rocky Mountains, continued to arouse debate with conflicting viewpoints on the quantity of oil and gas they contain, and the amount of land that is actually off-limits to exploration. Additional information is available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis108/energy.ht ml. *** Bush Climate Plan Gets National Research Council Review *** As reported in the December 2002 Monthly Review, the Bush administration has been soliciting a broad range of input on its draft strategic plan for the nation's climate change research initiatives, particularly the administration's new U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). In addition to holding a three-day stakeholder conference in December, the White House sought a formal review of the draft from the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academies. One of the major stated goals of the draft plan is to provide better scientific information to decision-makers in both the public and private sectors. But when a Research Council committee released its review on February 25th, the conclusion was that the plan "lacks a clean guiding vision and does not sufficiently meet the needs of decision- makers who must deal with the effects of climate change." They also expressed concern that the president's fiscal year (FY) 2004 budget request did not include additional funding for climate research despite proposing a number of new initiatives. According to a National Academies press release, the committee did commend the program for providing "a solid foundation for future research by identifying some exciting new initiatives that build on the success of the Global Change Research Program, which has been funding valuable research for more than a decade." The committee gave CCSP high marks for emphasizing science that addresses national needs, and they identified important initiatives including "models that can offer trusted projections, or forecasts, of climate change, and cutting- edge research into aerosols and the carbon cycle that is needed to improve our understanding of climate change and variability."Nevertheless, the committee concluded that the draft strategic document "needs to be revised substantially" before it is finalized. This same committee will review the revised CCSP plan later in the year. The full report is available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10635.html?onpi_n ewsdoc022403. For more on climate policy issues, see http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis108/climate.h tml. *** Forum and Briefing Address Federal Earthquake Program *** On February 20th, the National Research Council's Natural Disasters Roundtable held a forum marking the 25th anniversary of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP). This interagency collaboration is led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (now part of the Department of Homeland Security) and includes USGS, NSF and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The USGS has produced a fact sheet on its role in NEHRP, available on the web at http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/fact-sheet/fs017- 03/. More on the forum at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ndr/. The following week, AGI and the Seismological Society of America co-hosted a congressional briefing entitled "Earthquake Monitoring for a Safer America." Part of a series organized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the briefing was sponsored by House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and House Research Subcommittee Chair Nick Smith (R-MI). Speakers included Lucy Jones, scientist-in- charge for the USGS earthquake program in southern California; Bruce Clark, chairman of the California Seismic Safety Council; and Richard Howe, a structural engineer expert in seismic design from Memphis TN. With NEHRP due for reauthorization this year, the House Science Committee has tentative plans to hold a hearing in May and produce legislation shortly thereafter. The March 2003 issue of Geotimes contains a Comment written by Bob Hamilton in which he discusses the events that led up to the formation of NEHRP. It can be read online at http://www.geotimes.org/mar03/comment.html. *** New Reports Address Health Effects of Mercury *** Mercury contamination recently re-emerged as an issue on Capitol Hill after the release of two reports indicating mercury levels are higher -- and the resulting health effects more severe -- than previously thought. The first report, released by the Environmental Protection Agency, finds that 1 in 12 women had mercury levels at the upper limit of what is considered safe, placing 300,000 children at risk for brain damage. Another report by the United Nations Environmental Program calls for significant and rapid cuts to mercury emissions after finding that 1,500 tons of mercury are emitted annually from coal-fired power plants (almost 70% of all atmospheric mercury).The majority of these emissions originate in Asia and Africa; however, mercury deposition from the atmosphere occurs globally. The release of the reports prompted a congressional briefing on mercury focusing on recent research in the mercury cycle, specifically on mercury sources, variables involved in methylation (the microbial transformation of mercury into methyl mercury, the most dangerous form of mercury), how mercury is transported through the ecosystem, and how the residence time of mercury in aquatic systems effect biological contamination. On February 28th, legislation to implement the president's Clear Skies initiative was introduced in both houses. The heart of the initiative is a cap-and-trade system to reduce power plant emissions of mercury, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. The EPA report, entitled "America's Children and the Environment", is available at http://www.epa.gov/envirohealth/children/ace _2003.pdf. The UN report is available through http://www.unep.org/documents/default.asp?ar ticleid=3204&documentid=277. *** Staged Approach to Repository Design Endorsed *** In a recently released report, a National Research Council committee recommended a staged approach for the construction, operation, closure, and post-closure of nuclear-waste disposal projects, including Yucca Mountain. Entitled "One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste", the report examined the application of what the committee called "adaptive staging" to geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste. Adaptive staging is a management process that implements a project in stages allowing the flexibility to incorporate operational experience and scientific reevaluations. Such an approach can improve safety, reduce costs and environmental impacts, speed up schedules, and build public support. Specifically addressing the Yucca Mountain repository, the committee concluded that the Department of Energy (DOE) is currently taking a linear approach, setting unrealistic schedules and omitting public involvement in some decision processes. The department should instead switch to a more adaptive approach "to retain the option of reversing a decision or action while moving forward with disposal." The report, which was requested by DOE, can be read online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10611.html. *** Congressional Visits Day Participants Wanted, April 2-3 *** AGI encourages geoscientists to attend the 8th annual Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visits Day (CVD) in Washington on April 2-3, 2003. 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 in an effort to increase federal investment in science. AGI would like to see a strong contingent of geoscientists at this event. We especially encourage Member Society leaders to consider it. Attendees spend the first day receiving briefings from federal agency officials and congressional staff followed by a day of visits. As part of the first day, AGI and the American Geophysical Union are organizing a special briefing specifically on geoscience issues. More at http://www.agiweb.org/cvd. *** AGI/AIPG Summer Internship Applications Welcomed *** AGI is seeking outstanding geoscience students and recent graduates with a strong interest in federal science policy for a twelve-week geoscience and public policy internship in summer 2003. 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 made possible through the generous support of the AIPG Foundation. Applications must be postmarked by March 15, 2003. For more information, please visit http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/intern.html. *** List of Key Federal Register Notices *** A recent feature of the AGI Monthly Review is a summary of Federal Register announcements regarding federal regulations, agency meetings, and other notices of interest to the geoscience community. Entries are listed in chronological order and show the federal agency involved, the title, and the citation.The Federal Register is available online at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frc ont03.html. Information on submitting comments and reading announcements are also available online at http://www.regulation.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Call for applications for representatives and alternates to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Corel Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council.Vol. 68, No. 25 (6 February 2003): p. 6115-6116. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Notice of availability of the Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2001 for public review and comments -- information at http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publication s/emissions/. Vol. 68, No. 26 (7 February 2003): p. 6450-6451. EPA.Notice of availability of information recently posted to the applicability determination index (ADI) database system of agency applicability determinations, alternative monitoring decisions, and regulatory interpretations pertaining to standards of performance for new stationary sources, national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, and the stratospheric ozone protection program.Vol. 68, No. 30 (13 February 2003): p. 7373-7379. EPA. Notice of public meeting on the Office of Water's recently completed assessment of detection and quantitiation concepts and their application under the Clean Water Act program. The meeting will be held on May 1, 2003, in Chicago, IL. Vol. 68, No. 36 (24 February 2003): p.8596-8597. Every month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) releases final rule on Modified Base (1-percent annual- chance) Flood Elevations for several communities that are used to calculate flood insurance premium rates related to the National Flood Insurance Program.This month, these announcements were made in No. 24 (p. 5852- 5854); No. 27 (10 February 2003): p. 6644-6646; and No. 28 (11 February 2003): p. 6823-6832 and 6847-6863. *** 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/gap since the last monthly update: Special Update: Fiscal Year 2003 Appropriations Process Finally Over! (3-3- 03) Special Update: The President's FY 2004 Budget Request: Department of Energy (2-25-03) Special Update: The President's FY 2004 Budget Request: National Science Foundation (2-13-03) Special Update: The President's FY 2004 Budget Request: U.S. Geological Survey (2-13-03) Monthly review prepared by Margaret A. Baker, David Applegate, and AGI/AAPG Geoscience Policy Intern Charna Meth. Sources: E&E Daily, federal agency budget documents, Greenwire, hearing testimony, Library of Congress, National Research Council, U.S. Geological Survey. 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 111111111111111111111111111111111 2) AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM SPECIAL UPDATE: 3-3-03 *** Fiscal Year 2003 Appropriations Process Finally Over! *** IN A NUTSHELL: The fiscal year (FY) 2003 appropriations process finally ended on February 20th, nearly five months after the fiscal year began, when the president signed an omnibus spending bill into law. Proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Geological Survey are largely restored with the Survey receiving $919 million. At the National Science Foundation, the Geosciences Directorate receives $685 million, up 12.3% over FY 2002. In addition, the EarthScope initiative has been funded at just under $30 million. Within the Department of Energy, basic research funding is flat, while funding is up for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository project to $457 million. Although Congress has restored proposed cuts to the natural gas research and development (R&D) program, providing $47 million (up 4%), the petroleum R&D account receives a 25% cut to $42 million. Funding for NOAA programs totals $3.1 billion, a 4% cut. At NASA, earth science funding is up 8.5% to $1.7 billion. ********************** Almost halfway through fiscal year (FY) 2003, the federal government is no longer operating at last year's funding levels. On February 20th, President Bush signed a 3,000-page bill (H.J. Res. 2) combining the 11 remaining non-defense appropriations measures. Passed by both chambers of Congress a week earlier, the new law ends a process that began with the release of the president's budget request in February 2002. The massive bill totals $398 billion and puts the total FY 2003 discretionary spending level of $792 billion, including defense, well above the White House endorsed ceiling of $750 million.To aid in bringing the total closer to the spending cap, Congress agreed to a 0.65% across-the-board cut for most programs some social programs and the Space Shuttle program are exempt. This cut is applied to all the numbers shown in the actual bill, which is itself written largely in terms of two different versions previously passed by the House and Senate. Consequently, it has taken some time to untangle the actual amounts that programs will receive. Indeed, lawmakers are still learning what it was they voted for in the massive bill.The funding levels listed below for geoscience-related programs include the across-the-board cut. Additional information on the omnibus bill and accompanying report will be available online at http://www.agiweb.org/gap. ** U.S. Geological Survey ** The total funding for the USGS is $919 million, essentially flat from the FY 2002 allocation.On the bright side, this funding level is 6% more than president requested and restores funding to several water programs hard hit in the original FY 2003 request. Funding for geological programs will total $233 million.Water programs will receive a total of $207 million.The Ground Water Quality Assessment program will receive $13 million. The stream flow information program is marked for $14 million. The president's recommendation to cut $4 million from the Toxic Substances Hydrology program and transfer the rest to the National Science Foundation was not accepted by Congress.Instead, Congress provided $13 million for the program. Mapping programs will receive a total of $133 million. Report language for the mapping programs focused primarily on Congress's support of The National Map initiative, especially as it relates to urban areas.Funding for the biological research activities totaled just under $170 million. ** National Science Foundation ** Funding for NSF will total $5.3 billion, a 10% increase that will help put the foundation on track to meet the goal of last year's reauthorizing legislation (signed into law by President Bush) to double NSF's funding over the next five years. With respect to that goal, report language accompanying the omnibus bill proposes a study by the National Academy of Public Administration to look at how the agency would handle a budget doubling. The study will review the organizational, programmatic, and personnel structure of the agency to "provide assurance to the public that the agency is positioned to maximize the opportunities which increased funding can create." The omnibus bill provides $4.1 billion (up 12.7%) for the Research and Related Activities account that funds the disciplinary directorates. Within that total, the Geosciences Directorate will receive $685 million (up 12.3%) while polar research and support activities will get $320 million (up 7.5%). Within the separate Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) account, Congress provided just under $30 million as the first installment for the new EarthScope initiative, marking the first time that the solid earth sciences have received funding through this account. In total, this account will receive $149 million (up 7%). Report language notes that funds have been provided for a study by the National Academy of Sciences "to develop a process for prioritizing projects" funded through the MREFC account. NSF's Math and Science Partnership program, a keystone to the president's "No Child Left Behind" Act that was signed into law last year, will receive $127 million. ** Department of Energy ** Total funding for the Department of Energy (DOE) comes to $20.7 billion. DOE's Office of Science is essentially flat funded at $3.3 billion, which includes $536 million for Biological and Environmental Research (down 5%) and $1.02 billion for Basic Energy Sciences of which $220 million will go towards the combined chemical sciences, geosciences, and energy biosciences program. Funding for developing Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the nation's permanent repository for nuclear waste totals $457 million, up from $375 million in FY 2002. The Energy Supply account will receive $697 million, including $30 million for geothermal energy programs and $5.2 million for hydropower activities. DOE's Office of Fossil Energy research and development (R&D) account receives $621 million, which restores many of the deep cuts and proposed program eliminations in the president's FY 2003 budget request (cuts that are repeated in the FY 2004 request). R&D is up 8.2% over FY 2002 driven mainly by funding for coal programs, including $149 million for the president's Clean Coal Initiative, which is aimed primarily at downstream technologies for reducing power plant emissions. Carbon Sequestration research, for which a 67% increase was requested, will receive $40 million, up 24%. The biggest proposed cuts were for the natural gas and oil technology programs. Funding for Natural Gas R&D, which was slashed by 50% in the original request, receives $47 million, up 4%. Within that, the Natural Gas Exploration and Production account receives $23 million (up 13.5%), and gas hydrate research will receive $9 million (down 3.7%). The Petroleum/Oil Technology R&D account, also hard hit in the request, receives $42 million, a 25% cut. Within that total, Exploration and Production research is down 28% to $23 million. Also included in the Fossil Energy account is $0.5 million for a National Academy of Sciences study to review the office's programs. ** National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ** Funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) totals $3.1 billion, down nearly 4% from FY 2002. The Oceanic and Atmospheric Research account receives $372 million (up 4%), including $165 million for climate change research and $62 million for the National Sea Grant program. Report language states that Congress does not support the transfer of Sea Grant to NSF as requested by the president. The National Weather Service receives $694 million (up 3%).Funding for the National Ocean Service account totals $415 million (flat), which includes $75 million for Coastal Zone Management activities. ** NASA ** The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) receives $15.3 billion in FY 2003, a 3% increase over FY 2002. The Office of Space Science, which includes unmanned missions to Mars and other planets, receives $3.5 billion, up 23% from FY 2002. The bulk of this increase is for development of next-generation propulsion systems. The Office of Earth Science receives $1.7 billion, an 8.5% increase. Alert prepared by Margaret A. Baker and David Applegate, AGI Government Affairs Program Sources: Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, E&E News, House Appropriations Committee, Library of Congress, Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Geological Survey. 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 2222222222222222222222222222222 3) PREPARING FOR AN ACADEMIC CAREER IN THE GEOSCIENCES: A WORKSHOP FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS August 14-17, 2003, Stanford University, Stanford, CA Application deadline is March 24, 2003 The workshop page has links to the workshop overview and application form http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/caree rprep03/index.html Description and Goals This workshop will bring graduate students and post-doctoral fellows interested in an academic career together with geoscience faculty members from different institutional settings who have a range of expertise and experience. The workshop will provide a stimulating and resource-rich environment in which to explore important facets of an academic career. Three main goals of the workshop are for participants to become more effective teachers, stronger candidates for academic jobs, and better prepared for a quick start to teaching and research in the next stage of their career. During the workshop, each participant will · Learn about roles and responsibilities of faculty members in different educational settings (e.g., two- year colleges, four-year colleges, universities) and positions in other academic institutions (e.g., museums). · Explore aspects of effective and innovative teaching. · Design a research plan suitable for the next career stage. · Learn about strategies for documenting strengths and accomplishments in teaching and research and develop or revise supporting materials. · Learn more about the job-search process. · Meet informally with other participants and with workshop leaders from a range of educational settings. · Share ideas and strategies for stress- and time-management. · Develop a self-inventory of preferred options for the next career stage and a personal action plan. Activities The workshop will include an early-career faculty panel, short presentations on various topics, structured discussions, small-group collaboration, and informal interaction and conversation. Participants will leave with a broad understanding of academic options, specific strategies for developing as teachers and scholars and for meeting competing demands, and an expanded network of colleagues. Participants will be involved in electronic discussion and preparation prior to the workshop to become familiar with key issues and concepts and will follow-through with post-workshop plans. Dates The workshop will begin at 6:00 pm on Thursday, August 14, and will conclude after dinner on Saturday, August 16. Optional workshops will be offered in the morning of Sunday, August 17. Application Application must be made on-line by March 24. An important part of each application is a statement of endorsement from a faculty member. Therefore, when submitting the on-line application, each applicant must provide contact information for a faculty member who has Agreed to endorse the applicant. We will then ask the faculty member to submit electronically a brief statement regarding the potential of the applicant to benefit from and contribute to the workshop. Successful applicants will be notified by April 15. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/caree rprep03/application.html Selection Criteria The workshop size is limited. The final set of participants will be established with a goal of assembling a diverse and interactive group representing a range of experiences, educational environments, career aspirations, and specialties. Preference will be given to those entering or soon to enter the academic job market. Cost and Facilities The operational costs of the workshop as well as room, board, and workshop materials are covered by a grant from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE-0127310). Participants or their home institutions must provide transportation to and from the workshop. The workshop will be held at Stanford University. Participants will be housed in double rooms in dormitories on campus and will eat meals on campus. For more information, contact Heather Macdonald (rhmacd@wm.edu) or Robyn Wright Dunbar (robyn.dunbar@stanford.edu) for more information. This workshop is part of the On the Cutting Edge professional development program (funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education and offered in association with NAGT and DLESE) http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/index .html 33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 333333333333333333333333333333333 4) RAPID IN-CLASS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES FOR INTRODUCTORY COURSES. 200 CONCEPTESTS QUESTIONS IN FIVE DAYS: A WORKSHOP FOR THE GEOSCIENCES The University of Akron, July 13-18, 2003 Introduction Many geoscientists are interested in restructuring their classes to improve student achievement, raise attendance, reduce student attrition, and produce a more active, student-centered learning environment. With this in mind, we have created a resource development workshop for faculty who wish to produce readily accessible materials that will help promote student learning. Participants will learn proven techniques to create and use conceptests conceptual multiple choice questions to instantly assess student learning in introductory geoscience courses. We invite you to join other motivated instructors in developing conceptest resources to use next semester. What are Conceptests? Conceptests are short conceptual multiple- choice questions generally require qualitative rather than quantitative answers. They have been successfully adopted by science faculty at a range of institutions to assess student understanding of the principal concepts underlying course content. Conceptests generally correspond to the comprehension or application levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Workshop Goals · Learn why and how to use conceptest questions to enhance teaching and learning. · Develop and assess up to 200 conceptest questions. · Create an evaluation plan to test the effectiveness of the learning resources. Workshop Participants You are eligible to attend the workshop if you meet any of the following criteria: · Instructors involved in teaching undergraduate geoscience courses and/or the development of undergraduate science curricula. · Faculty members, instructors, and postdoctoral students with an interest in curriculum reform and a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and learning · Instructors from 2- and 4- year colleges and universities. · Science education faculty interested in geoscience courses taught to undergraduates and preservice teachers. · Middle- or high-school Earth Science teachers (limited number of places available). Participant Responsibilities · Willingness to work in workshop teams of 3-4 persons to develop shared resources. · One-year commitment (2003- 2004) to develop, use, share and assess resources. · Limited pre-workshop readings and activities. · Contribute to project evaluation (via web-based surveys or personal communication). Workshop Outcomes · Receipt of up to 200 conceptest questions that target the principal concepts discussed in most introductory geoscience courses. · A simple assessment instrument that can be used to record student responses and rate the success of individual conceptests. · Access to a workshop website for dissemination of additional conceptest questions developed at participant institutions during the subsequent year. Application Process · A completed application form is required from each participant, forms are available on-line at http://www2.uakron.edu/cci/home/workshopappl ication.pdf. · Application deadline is April 11, 2003. The workshop is limited to 30 participants. We will strive for a balance among faculty interests and types of institutions in making the final selections. Costs and Facilities The NSF and the University of Akron are underwriting all expenses for participants during the workshop, including: room, board, instructional materials, and facilitators. Participants are responsible for providing transportation between their home institution and Akron. The workshop will be held on the campus of the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. Participants will be housed in campus dorms and will eat most of their meals in campus dining facilities. Conveners David McConnell and David Steer, Department of Geology, and Kathie Owens, Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies, University of Akron. These instructors have worked together for several years to develop student-centered active learning environments in introductory geology courses at the University of Akron. This workshop is funded by NSF Grant 0887894, Reinventing Introductory Geology Courses for majors and non-majors using peer instruction and other inquiry-based learning strategies. 44444444444444444444444444444444444444444444 444444444444444444444444444444444 5) PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS ANNOUNCES VICKI COWART, FORMER STATE GEOLOGIST, AS NEW PRESIDENT AND CEO Denver Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) announced today that Vicki Cowart will lead the $19 million, multi-state affiliate. PPRM is the third largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the country, with 32 health centers in six states. Each year PPRM provides 110,000 women and men with reproductive health care. Its educational programs serve 19,000 people. Cowart began on March 1st. She has spent the last ten years serving as the State Geologist and Director of the Colorado Geological Survey. She replaces Sylvia M. Clark, who recently retired after 30 years with Planned Parenthood, sixteen of which were spent as the President and CEO. "Planned Parenthood provides women and men with the fundamental freedoms and individual choices that allowed me to pursue a career and succeed in a non-traditional field for women. When the opportunity to lead this organization presented itself, I couldn’t resist the exciting challenge of blending the next step in my career with a cause about which I am passionate," said Vicki Cowart. With the support of over 5,000 donors and 12,000 activists, PPRM is a leader when it comes to finding innovative ways to promote and protect accessible reproductive health care options. During the past several years, the reproductive health care organization has launched a prenatal program for low-income women, the Teens for Tomorrow education initiative, and has made birth control more accessible to women through a pioneering program that allows women to receive hormonal birth control without a pelvic exam (H.O.P.E). "Keeping our health center doors open for clients has become increasingly difficult during this politically hostile time. Family planning, responsible sex education, and a woman’s right to choose have never been more threatened at both the local and national levels. Vicki Cowart is a strong leader with a clear vision. She will boldly navigate Planned Parenthood through these challenging political times," said Diane Barrett, PPRM Board Chair. Cowart added, "Planned Parenthood has been the cornerstone for reproductive health care in this country for over 85 years. Thousands of women and men rely upon us for services and education. The challenge for us now requires that we successfully defeat current attacks on these services, while we must also find new ways to ensure accessible reproductive health care for future generations. 55555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 555555555555555555555555555555555 6) CAREER PROFILE - AUTOBIOGRAPHY LESSON PLAN REQUEST Eleri Merrikin teaches 9th grade earth science at Brockton High School, Brockton MA. She is planning a student project where the students will profile earth science professionals and then become them in their presentations.She especially likes Massachusetts based persons but is willing to use others. Ms Merrikin will be designing an interview sheet but right now she is hoping to create a list of contacts that the students can use for this assignment. The communication would hopefully be via email but they could do snail mail too. The project will not only include biographical information but things like how earth scientists use technology, writing, mathematics, public speaking and other basic skills. This is a part of the State of Massachusetts’ earth science curriculum and Ms Merrikin would like to involve AWG members. If you are interested or you have professional contacts that would be interested in working with her students please contact Eleri Merrikin at greenforesttree@attbi.com or phone (508) 580 7626. 66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666 666666666666666666666666666666666 7) REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS Susan Keller-Mathers is asking for nominations of mature women who have unique and valuable creative achievements to include in her doctoral study titled, "A Qualitative Study of Women of Extraordinary Creative Accomplishment" at Argosy University/Sarasota. If you know someone you’d like to nominate please contact Susan as soon as possible at kellersm@buffalostate.edu. 77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 777777777777777777777777777777777 8) ROOMIE WANTED Dear Colleagues, I will be attending the GAC/MAC short course on fluid inclusions the weekend of May 23rd-27th, 2003 in Vancouver Canada. If anyone is planning on attending this short course or the annual meeting following, I am looking for someone to share the cost of the room. Elizabeth Haynes Dept. of Geology & Geological Engineering Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO 80401 ehaynes@Mines.edu 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 888888888888888888888888888888888 9) CONTACT INFORMATION To submit an item to E-MAIL NEWS contact: editor@awg.org To submit advertising contact: ads@awg.org To change your address or be removed from the list contact: office@awg.org