[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 6/18/04

[Susan Weiler]

DIALOG and Disccrs News

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Resources

****DIALOG WEBPAGE CHANGES***
  I'm in the process of reorganizing the 
http://aslo.org/phd.html webpage. One big 
difference is that all the resources developed 
for and from the DIALOG symposia are now on a 
separate "resources" page--you can get to it from 
the main phd page above, or go directly to:
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/DIALOGresourcepage/
   Resources are now in the form of an annotated list.
   -- Be sure to check out the new resource 
developed from DIALOG V for teaching slides--itis 
on the resource page, or you can go directly to:
  http://www.dialog.741.com/  Stacey Etheridge 
took the lead on putting this together, and it 
will be an ongoing project--see message directly 
below:
   --DISCCRS group: It would be *great* to have a 
similar resource for climate change--Please let 
me know if you would be interested in developing 
such a resource. :)
cheers, sue,
weiler at whitman.edu

Aquatic Science Teaching Slides:
  http://www.dialog.741.com/ This webpage was 
developed by DIALOG V participant Stacey 
Etheridge, to make slides developed by the DIALOG 
V symposium participants available to a larger 
audience. DIALOG symposium participants are each 
required to develop a 10-minute oral presentation 
in plenary format, to make their work 
understandable to scientists outside their own 
discipline. So many of the DIALOG V participants 
were requesting slides from each other's 
presentations for teaching purposes that Stacey 
kindly volunteered to put the slides together as 
an electronic resource. This page will be 
expanded with each symposia.
Etheridge, S. et al. 2004. DIALOG V educational 
slides: Interdisciplinary topics in aquatic 
science. http://www.dialog.741.com/

Rethinking the Science of Politics - Multiple 
Methods Strengthen Scientific Inference
http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?pr04080


Qs and AAAs About Global Climate Change
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0603climate.shtml
AAAS held a conference on climate change
June 15, 2004, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
in Washington, DC. Hopefully they will be 
publishing the talks on the above website. I'm 
sending it to you just in case. :) Here is the 
press release describing the conference:
      AAAS is pleased to invite you to an important conference on the science of
climate change: "Qs And AAAs About Global Climate Change." The meeting,
co-sponsored by the Conference Board, will feature 11 of the nation's
leading climate scientists discussing what is known and what is not known
about global climate change in a series of objective, nonpartisan
presentations..... The conference,
planned and presented by the journal Science and the AAAS Directorate for
Science and Policy Programs, responds to the Washington policy community's
need for unbiased, clear-eyed analysis by scientific experts of what is
known, what is likely but unproven, and what is a plausible but untested
prospect. The introductory presentation by Professor Sherwood Rowland of
the University of California, Irvine, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, will be
followed by panels of specialists covering a wide range of climate change
topics: history, role of greenhouse gases, models and their limitations,
the fates of glaciers, and more. The agenda and the full meeting
announcement is available on the AAAS web site at
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2004/0603climate.shtml


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Science News
Check out this section both for news tidbits, and for
examples of how to communicate science to a non-scientist audience

UNITED STATES ADOPTS ECOSYSTEM VIEW OF OCEANS MANAGEMENT
    U.S. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans says that 
the Bush administration is ready to endorse some 
recommendations made in a recent report issued by 
the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. The 
congressionally appointed panel released a draft 
set of recommendations in April after three years 
of study and public hearings. In remarks he made 
at the Oceans Week Conference on Capitol Hill, 
Evans said, "We're committed to developing new 
approaches and partnerships to build on our 
successes, and restore and sustain healthy 
oceans." Addressing delegates from business, 
non-governmental organizations, and government 
agencies, Evans continued: "Ecosystems are highly 
complex. A better understanding of species, 
habitat, and their interactions is central to our 
efforts to protect and manage the nation's ocean 
and coastal resources."
---SOURCE: AmeriScan, Environment News Service, 
June 11, 2003. Copyright Environment News Service 
(ENS) 2003. Republished with permission from ENS 
online at:
http://ens-news.com


A NEW ICE AGE? NONE SOON, SNOW 2 MILES DEEP IMPLIES
from The New York Times (Registration Required) 
from Sigma Xi Science iin the News
      Despite the recent trend toward global warming, scientists have long
wondered whether the earth is nearing another ice age, an end to the 12,000-
year temperate spell in which modern civilizations arose. Some have said
such a transition is overdue, given that each of the three temperate
intervals that immediately preceded the current one lasted only about
10,000 years.
      But now, in an eagerly awaited study, a group of climate and ice experts
say they have new evidence that earth is not even halfway through the
current warm era. The evidence comes from the oldest layers of Antarctic
ice ever sampled.
      Some scientists earlier proposed similar hypotheses, basing them on the
current configuration of earth's orbit, which seems to set the metronome
that ice ages dance to. Temperature patterns deciphered in sea-bottom
sediments in recent years supported the theory.
http://snipurl.com/6z7y

COALITION SEEKS HALT TO DEEP SEA DESTRUCTION
From Pew SeaSpan
    A broad international coalition of 
environmentalists, The Deep Sea Conservation 
Coalition, has called on the United Nations to 
declare an immediate moratorium on bottom-trawl 
fishing to protect the world?s underwater 
mountains, or seamounts, and their vulnerable 
inhabitants. In parallel with the United Nations 
Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on 
Oceans and the Law of the Sea, experts of the 
coalition spoke on the conservation and 
management of sea beds in areas outside 
international jurisdiction, and specifically on 
the threat of deep-sea trawling on seamounts and 
their rich sea life. The press conference 
participants were Daniel Pauly, director of the 
Fisheries Centre, University of British Colombia; 
Elliot Norse (PF '97), president of the Marine 
Conservation Biology Institute; and Matthew 
Gianni, former fisherman turned international 
fisheries expert. Coalition members include 
Conservation International, Greenpeace 
International, World Conservation, the Marine 
Conservation Biology Institute, the Natural 
Resources Defense Council, and the New England 
Aquarium, among others. To read the press 
briefing, go to:
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2004/deepseapc.doc.htm
---SOURCE: http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0406/S00067.htm
      Norse 's Pew Fellowship supported national 
and international outreach, education, and policy 
development for marine stewardship and 
initiatives that advance the field of marine 
conservation biology. For more on Norse, go to:
http://www.pewmarine.org/pewFellowsDirectoryTemplate.php?PEWSerialInt=3669

SEA CHANGE SINCE ERA OF STEINBECK
from The Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)
      ISLA CORONADO, Mexico — As warm salt water lapped against his legs, Chuck
Baxter took delight in the creatures clinging to rocks and skittering
around the tidal shallows. His sunburned hands dipped beneath the
shimmering surface for a closer examination of starfish, crabs and sponges
forming a palette of red, orange, yellow and brown.
      Out of this bustling seascape surfaced a 
question: Why does the marine life
look so rich here, when 64 years earlier author John Steinbeck considered
this same spot so devoid of life that it appeared "burned," as if exposed
to mild "radio-activity"?
      That question also rolled around the rear deck of the Gus D., a shrimp
trawler jury-rigged into a marine lab. Baxter, a retired Stanford
University marine biology professor, and his mates from Monterey, were
retracing the 1940 voyage of Steinbeck and his pal, marine biologist Edward
F. Ricketts. Steinbeck made the 4,000-mile trip famous in his nonfiction
book, "The Log From the Sea of Cortez."
http://snipurl.com/74i0

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS BLOCK INTERNATIONAL SEA TREATY
Taken from SeaSpan 6/16/04
    The United Nations' Convention on the Law of 
the Sea--a comprehensive international accord 
governing the use of oceans for shipping, 
fishing, mining, and naval operations--has been 
signed by the United States and unanimously 
approved by the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, but it languishes in the Senate 
nonetheless, awaiting a final vote. Environmental 
groups have supported the treaty for years, 
saying it provides important tools to protect 
ocean ecosystems. A thwarted treaty supported by 
environmentalists is not big news, but this 
treaty is also supported by oil and mining 
companies, as well as the Defense and State 
departments. So what's the holdup? A vocal 
coalition of far-right groups objects to the 
multinational agreement because ... well, because 
it's multinational. "All these U.N. treaties are 
invasions of our sovereignty," said Phyllis 
Schlafly of the conservative Eagle Forum. An aide 
to Richard Lugar, the treaty's main Senate 
advocate, said the conservative objections were 
expected, but "what did surprise us is that the 
administration kowtowed to them so quickly." To 
read the full story, go to:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-sea1jun01,1,2319383.story
---SOURCE: Grist Magazine, June 1, 2003. To 
subscribe to Grist Magazine's free daily 
environmental news email, go to:
http://www.gristmagazine.com/signup/subgrist.asp

ALARM SOUNDED ON GLOBAL WARMING
from The Washington Post (Registration Required)

Ten of the nation's top climate researchers warned yesterday that
policymakers must act soon to address the dangers associated with global
warming, which they described as a looming threat that will hit hardest and
soonest at the world's poor and at farmers.

"By mid-century, millions more poor children around the world are likely to
face displacement, malnourishment, disease and even starvation unless all
countries take action now to slow global warming" and sea-level rises that
will follow, Michael Oppenheimer, who teaches geosciences and international
affairs at Princeton University, said at a conference. "Imagine the
difficulties faced by families in Bangladesh. An area where about 8 million
people now live would be underwater if global sea level were to rise half a
meter. Where are they going to go?"
http://snipurl.com/74f7

Associated Press version (No registration required)
http://snipurl.com/74i3


SUMMERTIME, WHEN PEOPLE AND PARASITES HEAD FOR THE WATER
from The New York Times (Registration Required)

The more you know about microbiology, the harder it is to go swimming. The
ocean not only has the odd macrobiotic sting ray and shark but various
sorts of bacteria, dinoflagellates and viruses. That's in a healthy ocean.

As Dr. Michael Beach (his real name), an epidemiologist in the parasitic
disease section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, said, "A lot of these bugs just live in the wild and we get in
their way."

Dr. Beach is involved in the healthy swimming campaign for the agency. The
seashore and rivers, ponds and lakes are part of its concern, because they
can certainly contain health hazards, even if they are not polluted. But
the current focus is on pools and a parasite called cryptosporidium.
http://snipurl.com/6xh3

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Forum

Support Basic Research in Europe
Sugmitted by Konstantinor Kormos
>Dear Colleague,
>  Sign for a petition for European support to basic research.
>  http://fer.apinc.org

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Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings

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ASLA 04-08: New Jefferson Science Fellowship at U.S. State Department
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"Now, more than ever, American science must enlighten American
statecraft."  - Secretary of State Colin Powell

A new program will help the State Department tap into the scientific
expertise of senior faculty at the nation's universities.  U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell spoke to members of the scientific, philanthropic, and
diplomatic communities on 26 May about how scientists and the State
Department can work together for the benefit of the nation and the world.
"Just as in the days of Franklin and Jefferson, American scientists and
diplomats share a common goal today: They both seek to apply the best
knowledge we have to the most significant challenges we face," Powell said
at an event celebrating a new program to bring scientific expertise into the
State Department.

The new Jefferson Science Fellowship program is based upon existing
fellowship programs at the State Department, initiated by the American
Institute of Physics (AIP) and by the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS).  AIP's first State Department Science
Fellow, George Atkinson, who was named the Science and Technology
Advisor to Secretary Powell after serving his AIP fellowship, was the
driving force behind establishment of the Jefferson Fellowship. 

This new program, a partnership between the State Department, U.S.
institutions of higher education, and several philanthropic foundations, will
bring tenured science and engineering faculty members from participating
universities to the State Department.  They will join the fellows from AIP,
AAAS, and several other professional science and engineering societies,
working in various bureaus throughout the Department, and contributing
their expertise to the scientific and technological aspects of foreign policy
issues.  As Powell remarked, "They will observe and participate in the
day-to-day working of American foreign policy.  They'll see how science
and statecraft work together to improve the lives of people around the
world.  They'll gain an appreciation for the daily challenges confronting the
men and women of the State Department...[and] take their experiences with
them back into our nation's classrooms and laboratories."  A key element of
the Jefferson Fellowship is that fellows, once they return to their
universities, will remain available as consultants to the Department for
several years.

Powell concluded, "I look to our new Jefferson Fellows and to all the men
and women of America's scientific community to help us in government
build a safer, healthier and better world.  We have unprecedented
opportunities before us, and, with imagination, with compassion, and in
partnership, we can seize these opportunities."


The various fellowship programs at the State Department provide
opportunities for many in the science community to contribute their
know-how to America's foreign policy.  Qualified members of any of the 10
AIP Member Societies are eligible to apply for the AIP State Department
Science Fellowship; see www.aip.org/gov/sdf.html for details on the AIP
program.  Applications for the AIP Fellowship are due by 1 November
2004 for the Fellowship selection in early 2005.

Readers interested in learning more about the Jefferson Fellowship should
see www.national-academies.org/jsf.

The full text of Secretary Powell's May 26 speech can be viewed at
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/32864.htm.


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Jobs for PhDs


POST-DOCTORAL POSITION IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION

A post-doctoral position is available in the 
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University 
(http://www.montana.edu/wwwes/) in the field of 
geoscience education. Responsibilities include:
· Development of exemplars in the effective use 
of digital instructional materials at the 
undergraduate level, with emphasis on integrating 
research and education (2-year funding from NSF, 
Digital Library for Earth System Education DLESE 
program).
· Teach one course/semester in the Dept. of Earth Sciences (to be determined)

In addition, there is the opportunity to
· Assist with curriculum development of new 
introductory courses and labs in Earth system 
science, and
· Develop and teach on-line courses in the MSU 
Master's of Science and Science Education program 
(www.montana.edu/msse) and other 
distance-learning courses through the MSU Burns 
Telecommunications Center 
(http://btc.montana.edu; e.g. the Nationals 
Teachers Enhancement Network, 
www.scienceteacher.org)

This is a great opportunity to jump start an 
academic career by building a portfolio of 
teaching experiences such as course and 
curriculum design, instructional materials 
development, and related research on learning 
activities.

A completed PhD in the geosciences, with evidence 
of contributions to geoscience education is 
required. Experience developing digital 
instructional materials and designing curricula 
is preferred. Please send your CV and the names 
of three references and their contact 
information. The position is currently available. 
Review of applications will begin immediately and 
continue until a successful candidate has been 
identified. Please contact:
David Mogk
Dept. Earth Sciences
Montana State University
(406) 994-6916; mogk at montana.edu
MSU is an ADA/EO/AA/Veteran's Preference Employer


GEO EDUCATION POSTDOCS AT CARLETON
Greetings-

I would like to bring to your attention several 
opportunities here at SERC for those interested 
in a sabbatical or postdoctoral position that 
focuses on geoscience education.

For the 2004-2005 academic year, we have two 
positions working on websites and associated 
resource collections addressing on-going issues 
in geoscience education: Teaching Quantitative 
Skills and Preparing Teachers to Teach Earth 
Sciences.   The Quantitative Skills appointment 
can be up to 5 months.  The Preparing Teachers 
appointment can be up to 3 months.

For those of you who would like to plan further 
ahead, we anticipate three openings for the 
2005-2006 academic year.  Positions up to 2.5 
months will be available to add to and develop 
further the Teaching Quantitative Skills and 
Preparing Teachers to Teach Earth Sciences sites. 
In addition, we will have a position for up to 
four months to work on developing web resources 
that bring Cutting Edge workshops to the broader 
community.

For further information, please visit our 
website: 
<http://serc.carleton.edu/serc/jobs.html> or 
contact me.

Cathy Manduca

Dr. Cathryn A. Manduca
Director, Science Education Resource Center
Carleton College
Northfield, MN  55057
507 646-7096
cmanduca at carleton.edu
serc.carleton.edu


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This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan 
Weiler for the purpose of distributing 
information of potential interest to recent PhDs 
engaged in interdisciplinary aquatic science or 
climate change research, and to build an 
international sense of community among recent 
grads. It provides an international forum for the 
exchange of information and opinions regarding 
research, professional and social issues.
The views and opinions expressed are strictly 
those of C.S. Weiler or of the individual who has 
submitted a particular item for distribution. The 
opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect 
those of the funding agencies or sponsoring 
societies. Dr. Weiler serves as producer and 
editor and reserves the right to edit or reject 
material submitted to the list.
Please submit announcements of interest to recent 
PhDs to phd at whitman.edu or weiler at whitman.edu.
For ease of transmission, please do not send 
attachments. Send a short message in the body of 
an e-mail message, and link to any appropriate 
websites.




-- 
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.          
Biology Department                  Tel:   509-527-5948          
Whitman College                       Fax:  509-527-5961
Walla Walla, WA 99362
weiler at whitman.edu    
   Programs for Recent PhDs             http://aslo.org/phd.html
   Minorities in the Aquatic Sciences  http://www.aslo.org/mas.html
   DIALOG poster  http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
   DISCCRS poster       http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
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