****************************************************************************** AWG E-MAIL NEWS December,1999 #10 ****************************************************************************** **HAPPY CHANNUKAH**MERRY CHRISTMAS**KWANZA GREETINGS**WINTER SOLSTICE CHEER** **HAPPY HOLIDAYS** CONTENTS: ***HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA ***SOME FEMINIST HOLIDAY HUMOR ***THE MILLENNIUM, WHEN IS IT? ***METAL MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT BOOKLET (AGI) ***AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW * Congress Passes Spending, Tax Bills Before Heading Home * National Academy Takes Issue With Draft EPA Standards for Yucca Mountain * Creationists Score A Victory in Oklahoma * Societies Gauge Congressional Climate Change Attitudes * Draft Report Issued on Public Land Fossil Management * Applications Accepted for Congressional Science Fellowships * Tentative Schedule of Upcoming GAP Activities * New Material on Web Site ***2001 SEPM MEDAL & AWARD NOMINATIONS ***MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS **ACSM **GITA **WRITING THE PAST, CLAIMING THE FUTURE Women and Gender in Science, Medicine, and Technology ***JOB LISTINGS **Hunter College-Environmental Scientist **West Virginia University-Director, Center for Women's Studies ***---Don't forget to check the AWG JobWeb at www.awg.org---*** ***STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES **SEPM-WEIMER STUDENT RESEARCH GRANT ***Thanks to everyone who contributed submissions to this issue of AWG E-Mail News *************************** HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA Consider giving a gift membership in AWG! For someone enduring a long job search, AWG can be a lifeline. Geoscientists who are retired or employed outside the field can stay in touch. Recent or soon-to-be college grads can begin to benefit from the AWG network. Holiday shopping has never been easier! Contact office@awg.org, use the short form membership application on the web page (www.awg.org/member/member.html), or write to AWG, P.O. Box 280, Broomfield CO 80038-0280. *************************** SOME FEMINIST HOLIDAY HUMOR *************************** What would have happened if there had been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men in the biblical story of Christ's birth? They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts. ***************************** THE MILLENNIUM, WHEN IS IT? ***************************** Several sources on the Internet explain the reasoning behind the calculation of the beginning of the third Millennium. In the Gregorian calendar, which is in use today, the years progress from 1 B.C.(Before Christ) to 1 A.D. (Anni Domini Jesu Christ, Year of Our Lord, Jesus Christ). The articles point out that a millennium is an interval of 1000 years and the first Millennium began with the year 1 and ended with the year 1000. A century is an interval of 100 years. The first century ended with the year 100.(Thus the nineteenth century ended with the year 1900 and the twentieth century began in 1901. The twentieth century will end with the year 2000 and the twenty-first century will start in 2001.) The Gregorian calendar was invented by a monk in the 6th century with the intent of converting a calendar based on the Roman era to one that was based on the Christian era. There was no year zero. Roman numerals, in use then, did not have zeros, so ultimately the year before 1 A.D. was 1 B.C. The results are complicated by the fact that the monk, Dionysius Exiguus (Denys the Little) erred slightly in his calculations, and the birth of Christ is now estimated to be somewhere around 4-6 B.C. (Yes, that's Before Christ!). For more information consult the following: Royal Observatory Greenwich, "Special Information Leaflet No.29: The New Millennium" (http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/leaflets/new_mill.html); MillenniumInstitute, "When Does the Millennium Begin?" (http://www.igc.apc.org/millennium/misc/begins.html).Time and Date.com, "The difference between the Millennium and year 2000" (http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/mil2000.html); U.S. Navy, "The 21st Century and the New Millennium: When Will They Begin?" (wysiwyg://9http://aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/faq/docs/millennium.html); Happy holidays. Read "Questioning the Millennium: A Rationalist's Guide to a Precisely Arbitrary Countdown" (1998, Random House) by AWG member Stephen J. Gould. -From Illinois Heritage Association Online ********************************* METAL MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT ********************************* Decisions about the development and use of Earth's metallic resources affect the economic, social, and environmental fabric of societies worldwide. Metal Mining and the Environment, a new release in the American Geological Institute's (AGI) Environmental Awareness series, discusses both the environmental aspects of mining metals and the scientific and technological advances that modern miners use to prevent or reduce potential environmental impacts. The demands for metals and for environmental protection continue to increase, and balanced approaches for mineral supply and environmental protection are complex. The striking photos and illustrations in this colorful 64-page booklet document how metallic resources are connected to our daily lives and the future of society. Each copy of the booklet contains a dramatic poster that relates metals as they occur in the Earth to the ways people use them; the reverse side of the poster contains an ore deposit exploration activity for middle- and high-school students. The authors, Travis L. Hudson, Frederick D. Fox, and Geoffrey S. Plumlee, have a broad range of expertise in the environmental aspects of metal mining. Hudson, a geologist, has identified and evaluated new remediation technology for mining-related sites. Fox is the Manager of Health, Safety, and Environment for Kennecott Minerals Company. Plumlee, an economic geologist and environmental geochemist with the U.S. Geological Survey, heads a research team that provides impartial scientific analysis of the environmental impacts of mining. From the Preface, "Society's requirement for metals establishes a strong link between our standard of living, the Earth, and science. Understanding the highly technical process of metal mining can help prepare citizens for the necessary discussions and decisions concerning society's increasing need for metals and the related environmental tradeoffs." AGI produced Metal Mining and the Environment in cooperation with the Society of Economic Geologists, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., and the U.S. Geological Survey. The list price for Metal Mining and the Environment is $15.95. Members of AGI member societies may purchase the book from AGI for $9.95 plus shipping and handling. AGI publications may be ordered from the online Book Center, http://www.agiweb.org, or from AGI headquarters by e-mail, ds@agiweb.org, or by phone, (703) 379-2480, ext. 214. For information on bulk-order discounts, contact Scott Rall at AGI headquarters by e-mail, sgr@inet2.agiweb.org, or by phone, (703) 379-2480, ext. 216. Metal Mining and the Environment was prepared under the sponsorship of AGI's Environmental Geoscience Advisory Committee with support from the AGI Foundation. The objective of the Environmental Awareness series is to promote better understanding of the role of the Earth sciences in all aspects of environmental concerns and issues. Since its appointment in 1993, AGI's Environmental Geoscience Advisory Committee, co- chaired by Dr. Philip E. LaMoreaux and Dr. Stephen H. Stow, has assisted the Institute by identifying projects and activities that will help AGI achieve the following goals: *Increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues and the controls of Earth systems on the environment; *Communicate societal needs for managing resources, protection from Earth hazards, and evaluation of risks associated with human activities related to Earth processes and resources; *Promote appropriate science in public policy through improved communication within and beyond the geoscience community related to environmental policy issues and proposed legislation; *Increase dissemination of information related to environmental programs, projects, research, and professional activities in the geoscience community. For additional information on AGI's environmental geoscience program, contact Travis L. Hudson, AGI Director of Environmental Affairs, by e-mail, ageology@olypen.com, or by phone, (360) 681-5107. ************************************* AGI GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY REVIEW ************************************* *** Congress Passes Spending, Tax Bills Before Heading Home *** As reported in an AGI special update last week, Congress headed home for the holidays after reaching agreement with the White House on all remaining spending bills for fiscal year 2000. They will return to Washington on January 24th to begin the second session of the 106th Congress. Five bills were wrapped into an omnibus package that included funding for the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bill also included $101 million for the purchase of the Baca Ranch in northern New Mexico, site of the world-famous Valles Caldera. The Department of Energy Fossil Energy R&D program was a big winner, receiving a 9 percent increase-not bad considering that the President requested a 11 percent cut, and the House passed a 27 percent cut. All budget numbers remain subject to change, however, thanks to the bill's inclusion of a 0.38 percent across-the-board cut to all federal agencies. Control over specific cuts was left to agency heads. President Clinton signed the bill on November 29th. Congress also passed a last-minute bill (H.R. 1180) extending a number of tax provisions that were set to expire. The bill included a one-year extension of the current suspension of the net income limitation on percentage depletion for marginal oil and gas wells. It also extended the research and experimentation tax credit for five years, allowing companies to offset a portion of their research expenditures. In the final hours before adjournment, many bills were passed that had been stuck behind the appropriations logjam, including H.R. 1528, the National Geologic Mapping Reauthorization Act of 1999, which now awaits the President's signature. The AGI special update is available at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/approps_omnibus1199.html. **National Academy Takes Issue With Draft EPA Standards for Yucca Mountain The National Research Council (NRC) sent a letter report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this month on the agency's proposed site-specific environmental radiation protection standards for the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. When Congress established the requirement for site-specific standards, it also directed EPA to commission a NRC study to guide the standards. The resulting report, "Technical Bases for Yucca Mountain Standards," was released in 1995. This August, EPA finally proposed its site-specific standards for Yucca Mountain. The letter report, issued by the NRC's Board on Radioactive Waste Management, identifies four principal areas where the EPA proposed standards conflict with the earlier Research Council report: (1) EPA proposes dose-based standards whereas the NRC report recommends risk-based standards; (2) EPA bases these standards on a reasonably maximally exposed individual in contrast to the report's recommendation that they be based on a critical group that represents those that have the highest risk of exposure to repository releases; (3) EPA proposes a separate set of groundwater standards going against the report's conclusion that a single individual protection standard is enough to protect both those in the immediate Yucca Mountain Area, as well as the general public and global population; and (4) EPA notes that it would prefer to apply dose limits only up to 10,000 years, whereas the NRC report recommends that the limits be imposed until release and risk has peaked, which is estimated to be well past 10,000 years into the future. Once finalized, the EPA standards will be incorporated into U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing regulations for the repository. The Department of Energy would then be responsible for demonstrating compliance with the standards. The draft standards are available at http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/yucca/. The NRC letter report is available at http://www.nap.edu/books/NI000205/html/. **Creationists Score A Victory in Oklahoma The Oklahoma State Textbook Committee has voted to place a disclaimer in all new biology textbooks, asserting that evolution is a "controversial theory" and an "unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced a world of living things." The disclaimer is identical to one placed in Alabama textbooks. Oklahoma's 540 public school districts may only purchase textbooks approved by the committee, all of whose members were appointed by Gov.Frank Keating (R). At a news conference, Keating defended the board's decision, noting that he did not think he was descended from a baboon. Scientists and civil rights groups in Oklahoma are mounting a campaign to overturn the board's decision, and the governor-a possible Cabinet member were George W. Bush elected president-has stated that the disclaimer may be "too broad." *** Societies Gauge Congressional Climate Change Attitudes AGI joined four other scientific societies to commission a study to determine congressional staff perceptions on the appropriate role of scientists and their organizations in global climate change policy debates. The public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard conducted two focus groups with Democratic and Republican staffers as well as individual interviews with senior staff. Participants responded to a series of questions and statements covering topics from how knowledgeable members of Congress are on the issue to where congressional staff receive their information on climate change. The firm's report compiled the comments and responses from the participants into general conclusions. Two key findings were that congressional staff appreciate communication, clarification and summary of scientific data on climate change by scientists and that "scientists have a role to play as credible, objective communicators and interpreters of data." The complete text of the report is available upon request from the AGI Government Affairs Program. **Draft Report Issued on Public Land Fossil Management The federal land management agencies have issued a draft report to Congress entitled "Assessment of Fossil Management on Federal and Indian Lands." The report was requested by senators whose previous attempts at fossil legislation were rebuffed by the Clinton Administration. The draft states that fossils on federal lands are part of America's heritage and calls for greater efforts to protect and preserve fossils as well as their related data. The draft report is available at http://www.fs.fed.us/geology. The public comment period ended November 29th. For additional information, see the AGI action alert issued early in November at http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/fossil_alert.html. **Applications Accepted for Congressional Science Fellowships AGI and several of its member societies are now accepting applications for next year's congressional science fellowships, providing opportunities for qualified geoscientists to spend a year working as professional staff in congressional committees and the personal offices of representatives and senators. Application deadline for the AGI fellowship is February 1, 2000. Earlier this month, AGI mailed out flyers to 250 geoscience departments in all fifty states announcing fellowship opportunities at AGI, the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. For further information and application deadlines, visit http://www.agiweb.org/gapac/csf.html, which includes links to the other societies. Stipends, application procedures, timetables, and deadlines vary. Geoscientists are encouraged to apply to all societies for which they qualify. *********************************** 2001 SEPM MEDAL & AWARD NOMINATIONS *********************************** Nominations for SEPM (Society for Sedimetary Geology) 2001 awards and medals are due by January 1, 2000. Obtain a nomination form by sending an e-mail to the SEP< buiness office at rcowan@sepm.org or use the on-line form at www.sepm.org/swards/ascii_form.HTML Criteria for the six awards are listed on the form. Membership in the society is not a requirement. Let's nominate some women geoscientists! ********************* MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS ********************* ***AMERICAN CONGRESS ON SURVEYING & MAPPING (ACSM) The 2000 ACSM meeting will be held March 18-23 in Little Rock, AK. Visit ACSM website for details: www.survma.org ***GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION (GITA) The GITA 2000 annual conference will be held March 26-29 in Denver, CO. Find details at www.gita.org ***WRITING THE PAST, CLAIMING THE FUTURE Women and Gender in Science, Medicine, and Technology October 12-15, 2000 Saint Louis University St. Louis, Missouri "Writing the past, claiming the future" is being designed to further conversations begun at previous conferences among historians of science, medicine, and technology. These discussions made explicit how much historians of science, medicine, and technology can learn from each other. It is intended to invite greater interchange among the disciplines while recognizing the uniqueness of each. Conference themes will include, but not be limited to, personal and external factors that empower or inhibit women's participation in the scientific, medical, and technological disciplines; scientific, medical, and technological ideas that have influenced ideas about gender and gender roles in the disciplines and in the wider society; and the relationship between gender and conceptions of knowledge and the practice of science, medicine, and technology. Individual papers and panels are solicited on topics that explore the interdisciplinary relationships of women and gender and science, medicine, and technology. Conference organizers strongly encourage the submission of panels of two or three papers. We are particularly interested in panels that encompass a range of perspectives and stimulate "crosstalk" among scholars of different disciplines. Proposals must include two copies of a one-page abstract and a one-page curriculum vitae. For proposals submitted as a panel, an abstract and vitae are requried for each panel member. Proposals are due by January 1, 2000. If you have any questions or would like to be put on the mailing list to receive the conference brochure, please contact Charlotte G. Borst, Chair, Local Arrangements committee (address below). Conference materials will be available after August 1, 2000. For more information, visit the website at: womeninscience.slu.edu Send proposals to: "Writing the past, Claiming the future," Charlotte G. Borst, Ph.D., Department of History, Saint Louis University, 3800 Lindell Blvd., PO Box 56907, St. Louis, MO 63156 USA ******************** JOB LISTINGS ******************** ***HUNTER COLLEGE-CUNY-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST The Geography Depaartment at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) is seeking to fill a tenure-track Assistant Professor position beginning September 1, 2000. The successful candidate will be an Environmental Scientist with expertise in earth systems science and will exhibit strong potential for research and publication. That person will be prepared to teach large-enrollment courses in basic geology and earth history. The individual will also have the ability to teach geomorphology and/or advanced courses in the earth and environmental sciences (broadly interpretated). Applicants should be prepared to participate in the Department's M.A. program, the Earth and Environmental Sciences Ph.D. program at the CUNY Graduate Center, and act as a mentor to students. The Ph.D. degree is required at the time of appointment. The position will remain open until filled. The review process will begin Jan. 31, 2000. Hunter College is an AA/EEO/ADA employer. Protected group members are encouraged to apply. Please send letter of application, curriculum vitae, a sample of recent publications and the names and addresses of three references to: Dr. Charles Heatwole, Chair, Department of Geography, Hunter College-CUNY, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021. Voice (212) 772-5265. Fax (212) 772-5268. E-mail: cah@everest.hunter.cuny.edu. Web site http://geography.hunter.cuny.edu. ***WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY, EBERY COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES- DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES Preferential consideration will be given to applications received by January 10, 2000. Applicants should provide a letter of application (including a statement of philosophy of Women's Studies), a vita, and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references. Applications, nominations, and inquiries should be sent to Dr. E. Jane Martin, Chair of the Search Committee, West Virginia University, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, 201 Woodburn Hall, P.O. Box 6286, Morgantown, WV 26506-6286. For moreinformation about the Center please visit our website at:www.as.wvu.edu/wmst. ***************************** STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES ***************************** ***SEPM-WEIMER STUDENT RESEARCH GRANT To apply for a Weimer Student Research Grant, submit by January 1, 2000, the following information to Dr. Howard E. Harper, Jr.; President, SEPM Foundation, Inc.; 16746 Cleary Circle; Dallas, TX 75248. 1.a statement (typed, single-spaced; no more than a single page in length) that succinctly summarized the objectives of the student's project 2.a budget that shows each anticipated category of expenditure and justification for it 3.letters of support mailed directly to President Harper from the student's adviser and from one other member of the faculty in the department in which he/she is enrolled. The letter from the adviser must include a statement certifying that the student is in good academic standing at the time of the application and that she/he has completed at least one semester of graduate study. Applications will be evaluated by a committee whose members will select the awardee(s). The successful applicant(s) will be notified of the award no later than March 1, 2000. For submissions, contact Editor Joanne Kluessendorf at editor@awg.org. For advertising, contact Ad Editor Kata McCarville at Kata.McCarville@sdsmt.edu. For more information about AWG, contact office@awg.org or check out the AWG web site at www.awg.org.