[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 9/16/04

[Susan Weiler]

DIALOG and Disccrs News
9/16/04

GLOBAL CHANGE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROPOSALS

U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY TO RELEASE FINAL REPORT

BLAIR CALLS FOR UK TO LEAD ON CLIMATE CHANGE

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM TO GET $60 MILLION EXHIBIT

FUEL SUSPECTED DEEP INSIDE EARTH

President Bush Nominates Ardent Bement as NSF Director

Mathematical Statistician position - Seattle, WA

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Resources

GLOBAL CHANGE COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROPOSALS
On behalf of the IAI, we are pleased to announce the 2nd round of the
IAI Collaborative Research Network (CRN II) program.
     Building upon the successes of the first round of IAI CRNs, the program
is expected to provide a second major thrust to global change research
in the Americas within the framework of the IAI Science Agenda. It is
designed to create networks of scientists throughout the region who will
synergistically work on global change problems of importance to the
Americas. The individual projects are expected to significantly
contribute to the development and strengthening of the regional capacity
to deal with global environmental change issues and their socio-economic
impacts in the region. The approach will be integrative - involving the
natural and social sciences in a collaborative way - and the program
seeks to provide sound scientific understanding in support of
sustainable development in the region.
      The program is intended to support 10-12 global change research 
networks selected on a competitive basis. Projects must be 
collaborative efforts with Principal Investigators (PIs) and 
Co-Principal Investigators
(Co-PIs) representing institutions from at least four IAI member
countries. Under this program, proposals may be submitted for support
for a period of five years, with annual budgets up to US$ 200K, however,
we also encourage smaller projects to be presented.
      The application process for CRN II consists of two phases. This letter
is inviting submission of pre-proposals and comprises Phase 1. After
evaluation of Phase 1, the IAI will invite 25-30 selected pre-proposals
to develop full proposals in Phase 2. Submission of a pre-proposal in
Phase 1 is prerequisite to be eligible for submission of a full proposal
in Phase 2.
      A detailed description of this announcement and all other necessary
documents to prepare and submit a pre-proposal can be found on
"http://www.iai.int/CRN2" Please download the 'CRNII Pre-proposal
General Guidelines' and other documents and strictly follow the
instructions given.
      Pre-proposals must be in English language and must be RECEIVED by the
IAI Directorate no later than midnight (24:00) - Sao Paulo (Brazil) time
- on Wednesday, 20 October 2004.
     Please note that you will be required to submit your pre-proposal
electronically via "http://www.iai.int/CRN2" and that the submission
process will require a valid Account & Password. To obtain a valid
Account & Password please contact iaiweb at dir.iai.int.
      WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU OBTAIN YOUR ACCOUNT & PASSWORD WELL IN
ADVANCE TO DEADLINE FOR PRE-PROPOSAL SUBMISSION.
If you have any questions regarding pre-proposals for IAI CRN II, please
contact Dr. Gerhard Breulmann, IAI Scientific Officer, phone
55-12-3945.6865, fax (55-12-3941.4410) or e-mail gerhard at dir.iai.int
Gustavo V. Necco
Director


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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

U.S. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY TO RELEASE FINAL REPORT
Source: SeaSpan. The Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, a 
program of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science. 
http://www.pewoceanscience.org
    As mandated by the Oceans Act of 2000, the U.S. Commission on 
Ocean Policy will submit its final report, "An Ocean Blueprint for 
the 21st Century," to the President and Congress on September 20. 
Under the Act, the President must then submit his statement of 
proposals to implement or respond to the Commission's findings and 
recommendations to Congress within 90 days. The "Summary of Changes 
to the Preliminary Report," which is available on the website, is a 
selective summary of significant changes proposed by Governors and 
Tribal Leaders, non-gubernatorial stakeholders, and other experts and 
advisers, as well as technical corrections provided from federal 
agencies, that have been incorporated in the Commission's final 
report. The final report will also be posted on the website after 
September 20. http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/welcome.html


BLAIR CALLS FOR UK TO LEAD ON CLIMATE CHANGE
from The Guardian (UK)
      Tony Blair has called a world scientific conference for next February to
decide an upper limit on how much the temperature can rise before the 
world faces the "catastrophic consequences of climate change".
      He said the idea was to put pressure on the US administration to take
action and to include China and India in a programme of cutting 
greenhouse gas emissions.
      Speaking last night in London to an audience mainly of business 
people but including the Prince of Wales and environmental groups, he 
said global
warming "has become alarming and was simply unsustainable in the long
term". It was not just a question of adjustment. "I mean a challenge so far-
reaching in its impact and irreversible in its destructive power, that it
alters radically human existence."
      He said it was not some distant threat centuries ahead. "I mean in the
lifetime of my children certainly; and possibly within my own."
http://snipurl.com/9364

SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM TO GET $60 MILLION EXHIBIT
from The Washington Post (Registration Required)
      The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History plans to 
announce today the largest renovation in its nearly 95-year history, 
creating Ocean Hall, an unusual hybrid of public display and research.
      Ocean Hall will cost $60 million and cover 28,000 square feet -- 
3,000 more than the successful makeover of the Hall of Mammals last 
year. It will
bring together for the first time all 50 of the museum's marine scientists
and government specialists in what's being called the Smithsonian Ocean
Science Initiative.
      "Oceans are going to be the most important topic for the public 
in the next decade. They will be the rainforest issue," says Robert 
Sullivan, the
museum's associate director for public programs. "The hall will be a
provocative starting point for those discussions. We are going to do what
has been impossible for a natural history museum. We are going to do what
is current."
http://snipurl.com/940x

FUEL SUSPECTED DEEP INSIDE EARTH
from The San Francisco Chronicle
      Oceans of fossil fuel-like gases and fluids, enough to support a high-tech
society for many millennia to come, might exist far deeper inside the Earth
than we've ever drilled before, researchers speculate.
      Since the mid-19th century, a small but enthusiastic minority of 
scientists
have argued that petroleum and other fuels are formed by purely chemical,
or abiogenic, processes hundreds of miles inside Earth. An early champion
was the great Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev, pioneer of the periodic
table that hangs on the wall of virtually every high school chemistry
classroom.
      But most experts scoff at the idea. According to traditional 
theory, fossil
fuels -- energy-rich, carbon-based molecules -- are formed over millions of
years by biological processes, the disintegration of primeval plants and
animals into smelly or gunky hydrocarbons like methane and petroleum. Such
biogenic fossil fuels exist fairly close to Earth's surface, in reservoirs
such as the oil fields of the Middle East.
http://snipurl.com/931a

President Bush Nominates Ardent Bement as NSF Director
 From National Council for Science and the Environment
      September 16, 2004 -- President George W. Bush announced his 
nomination of Arden L. Bement, Jr. as Director of the National 
Science Foundation (NSF) at an Oval Office meeting yesterday. 
Bement's nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate just three days 
before the expiration of his 210-day appointment as Acting Director 
of NSF.  If confirmed by the Senate, he will serve for the remainder 
of a six-year term expiring August 2, 2010. 
       In a memorandum to NSF staff, Bement stated, "The Foundation 
has a rich history of strong and independent Directors, and I look 
forward to continuing with that tradition."  He continued, "Although 
NSF faces significant challenges in the near future due to Federal 
budget issues, I am committed to the policies and operations that 
have stood the test of time and have helped make NSF an extraordinary 
agency."  Bement said, "This is an extraordinary and inspiring honor 
for me -- and one that I feel very humble in accepting." 
       Rep. Sherwood Bohlert, Chairman of the House Science Committee, 
said, "I'm delighted that the President has nominated Arden Bement to 
be the Director of the National Science Foundation.  Arden knows the 
agency well and brings a wealth of experience in industry, government 
and academia to the job.  His calm, soft-spoken, steady, open-minded 
and firm leadership has already left its mark on NSF.  With a 
permanent appointment, he will be able to be an even more forceful, 
effective and inventive director.  It would be hard to think of a 
better person for the job." 
       Arden Bement became Acting Director of the National Science 
Foundation on February 22, 2004.  He joined NSF from the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, where he has been Director 
since December 7, 2001.  Prior to his appointment as NIST director, 
Bement served as the David A. Ross Distinguished Professor of Nuclear 
Engineering and head of the School of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue 
University.  He previously held a variety of positions in academia, 
industry and government, including senior positions with the 
Department of Defense.  Bement has served on the National Science 
Board, which is the governing body of NSF.  He earned his bachelor's 
degree from the Colorado School of Mines, his master's degree from 
the University of Idaho, and his Ph.D. from the University of 
Michigan.
       Bement will continue serving as Acting NSF Director while his 
nomination is pending before the Senate.  His nomination ended 
speculation that NSF might be left without a strong leader as 
Congress completes action on its FY 2005 budget and the agency 
prepares its FY 2006 budget request.   
       Bement was appointed Acting Director of NSF when Rita Colwell 
stepped down as Director in February.  Shortly after leaving NSF, 
Rita Colwell rejoined the Board of Directors of the National Council 
for Science and the Environment. 



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Jobs for PhDs

Mathematical Statistician position - Seattle, WA
Sugmitted by Alex De Robertis" <Alex.DeRobertis at noaa.gov>
Alex notes: We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants 
with a background in applied statistics, spatially explicit analyses, 
and quantitative
methods.  Applicants must be US citizens.
see https://www.jobs.doc.gov/cool/doc/APP_VAC_LIST?F_AG_ID=11
      The incumbent will serve in the fisheries acoustics group within the
Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering (MACE) Program, which
is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
National Marine Fisheries Service.  The MACE program is located at the
Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington. The incumbent
carries out assignments in accordance with established fisheries
acoustics research methodology. He/she serves as a member of a team that
applies spatial statistical methods and other statistical analyses to
acoustic-trawl survey data and conducts experiments related to
acoustic-survey research needs. Most research is designed to identify
and quantify sources of uncertainty and bias in acoustic-trawl survey
estimates of fish distribution and abundance. Research and survey
efforts focus on the Alaska fishery resources. Duties include providing
expertise in statistical analysis and mathematical model development to
current and developing fisheries research projects within the MACE
program. Included in these duties, for example, will be collaboration
with other researchers to design and execute a multi-year field research
project to compare the acoustic-trawl survey performance of a new,
large, noise-quieted research vessel with other more conventional
research vessels. The project will 1) develop a standardized field
sampling data collection protocol for inter-vessel comparison studies:
2) develop analytical procedures, including statistical analysis for
processing data from inter-vessel comparison studies; and 3) provide
guidance for the use of the inter-vessel comparison results in stock
assessment efforts to monitor and manage living marine resources.
Research projects are expected to result in publications in the
scientific literature.  For additional information, contact Dr. Chris
Wilson (chris.wilson at noaa.gov, 206-526-6435).

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This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler for the purpose 
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The views and opinions expressed are strictly those of C.S. Weiler or 
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For ease of transmission, please do not send attachments. Send a 
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-- 
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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