[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 03/03/06
Susan Bennett
bennetsk at whitman.edu
Fri Mar 3 18:17:46 CST 2006
DIALOG and DISCCRS News
03/03/2006
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES
New web resources for Complex Systems
(see below)
FORUM
A Case Study on the perils of Society-relevant Research
(see below)
SCIENCE NEWS
President Bush Proposes to Double the National Science Foundation Budget
(see below)
Ethanol may get a pollution pass
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/03/01/us.ethanol.ap/
Mild winters loose beetle on Canada's forests Insect infestation tied
to warming climate
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11612281/
Global Greenhouse Gas Trade Soared in 2005 - Study says global
trading in greenhouse gas credits grew explosively last year to be
worth more than nine billion euros, 25 times the value of deals
recorded in 2004
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/35363/story.htm
China's waste could be treasure for Kyoto scheme - Hundreds of
rubbish landfill sites across China have vast potential to help
foreign governments and companies meet Kyoto Protocol climate change
targets...
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01266301.htm
The Greenland Ice - new satellite observations of the speed of
glaciers of Greenland find that they are sliding towards the sea
almost twice as fast as previously thought
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=267
JOBS
Visiting Fellowship in International Studies for Scholars and/or
Practioners, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown
University
(see below)
ESRC-SSRC Collaborative Visiting Fellowship
(see below)
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Resources
New web resources for Complex Systems
To enhance communication and dialog and create new resources for
the Complex Systems community we are pleased to announce that NECSI
will host a new web based
- forum : http://www.necsi.org/community/forum and
- wiki: http://www.necsi.org/community/wiki for the complex systems
community. There are initial contributions already there as
"starters." These systems are designed to be largely self-explanatory.
In brief:
The Discussion Forum is an internet message board for questions,
sharing recent research and receiving feedback, finding out about
upcoming conferences and job opportunities, and engaging in general
discussion. To receive forum messages click on "log in," then after
registering and logging in, at the bottom of every thread will appear
the option to "Subscribe to this topic." You can also post new messages.
The Complex Systems Wiki is a collection of webpages that can be
edited by anyone who visits it. Feel free to create new pages, link
to other websites, or upload pictures and other media files. It
works much like other wiki sites, including Wikipedia, the online
encyclopedia. Click on the "edit" tab at the top of a page to edit
the page. Save by clicking on the "save page" button. Add new pages
by inserting [[pagename]] into an existing page, save the page, and
click on the new link.
We look forward to having a rich dialog and information resource
that will reflect the growing activity in our field.
For more information see: http://necsi.org/community/info/
**************************************************
Forum
A Case Study on the perils of Society-relevant Research
Jenn Marlon shared this article with me as an example of: "Be
careful what you wish for: you may end up on the front page of a lot
of papers after being browbeaten at a congressional hearing"
http://tinyurl.com/sxcdb
OR
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/
1140839731241210.xml&coll=7
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Science News
President Bush Proposes to Double the National Science Foundation
Budget
President George Bush is proposing to double the budget of the
National Science Foundation (NSF) over the next ten years. As the
first step in the doubling process, the President's budget request
would increase funding for the National Science Foundation by $439
million or 7.9 percent to $6.02 billion in fiscal year 2007.
"This is a great day for NSF, and that means it's a great day for
the nation," said NSF Director Arden L. Bement, Jr. "There has been
a lot of rhetoric about doubling the NSF budget, but now the
Administration is behind it. The FY 2007 Budget Request is the first
installment. We are grateful to the Administration for its
recognition and leadership," Bement continued.
The proposal to double the NSF budget is part of the American
Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), which President Bush announced in
his State of the Union address and reinforced in his FY 2007 budget
request to Congress. Reflecting its focus on the physical sciences,
the American Competitiveness Initiative would also double the budgets
of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science and the
National Institute for Standards and Technology's (NIST) core
research programs.
Noting that most of the increase in federal funding for research
and development since 2001 has gone toward biomedical research and
advanced security technologies, President Bush wrote, "To ensure our
continued leadership in the world, I am committed to building on our
record of results with new investments - especially in the fields of
physical sciences and engineering."
In response to a question from NCSE, White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Jack Marburger said
that the National Science Foundation will have considerable latitude
in allocating its new funding across all scientific disciplines,
rather than focusing only on the physical sciences. Moreover, the
definition of "physical sciences" appears to include some geoscience
programs. An OSTP table of "selected civilian physical sciences-
related programs" includes NSF's Geosciences Directorate and NOAA's
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
Even if Congress approves the President's request to increase the
NSF budget by 7.9 percent in FY 2007, the NSF budget would still be
slightly below the FY 2004 funding level in real dollars (after
accounting for inflation), according to the American Association for
the Advancement of Science). However, NSF funding for R&D (excluding
education, training, and overhead costs) would reach a record level
in real dollars after falling in FY 2005 and 2006.
The President's FY 2007 budget request for the National Science
Foundation would boost funding for Research and Related Activities by
7.7 percent or $334.5 million to $4.666 billion. Funding for
Education and Human Resources would increase by 2.5 percent or $19.5
million to $816.2 million. Investments in Major Research Equipment
and Facilities Construction would increase by 26.0 percent or $49.6
million to $240.5 million.
The 7.7 percent increase proposed for NSF's Research and Related
Activities account would benefit all scientific disciplines. Among
the major disciplinary directorates, the Biological Sciences
Directorate would receive the smallest increase (5.4 percent), the
Geosciences Directorate would increase by 6.0 percent, and the
Engineering Directorate would receive the largest increase (8.2
percent). Funding for the U.S. Polar Research Programs would
increase by 12.5 percent reflecting the buildup to the International
Polar Year (2007-2008).
After adjusting for inflation, funding for the Mathematical and
Physical Sciences, Geosciences, Biological Sciences, and Social,
Behavioral and Economic Sciences directorates would remain below
their FY 2004 funding levels even if the FY 2007 increases are
approved by Congress, while the computer sciences, polar, and
engineering directorates would reach record highs in real dollars.
NSF's priority area in Biocomplexity in the Environment is being
phased out, and FY 2007 is the final year of this highly successful
initiative. NSF will continue to support interdisciplinary studies
of this type within the structure of its regular programs. After FY
2007, this research portfolio will be referred to as Complexity in
Environmental Systems. In FY 2007, funding for Biocomplexity in the
Environment will decline to $42.6 million, a cut of $40.8 million or
48.9 percent compared to FY 2006. Three primary areas that will be
supported in FY 2007 are Carbon and Water in Earth Systems; Dynamics
of Coupled Natural and Human Systems; and Materials Use: Science,
Engineering and Society. It is anticipated that these three areas
will continue as independent programs in the future after the BE
priority area ends in FY 2007.
NSF's Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction
(MFEFC) account contains several projects that will advance the
environmental sciences. The FY 2007 budget request contains $12.0
million in the MREFC account for initial implementation of the
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and an additional
$11.9 million in other accounts for NEON concept and development
activities.
The budget request for NSF's Major Research Equipment and
Facilities Construction account also contains $27.4 million for
EarthScope, $42.9 million for the Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel,
and $9.1 million for the South Pole Station Modernization project.
Two new starts in the MREFC account are the Alaska Region Research
Vessel ($56.0 million) and the Ocean Observatories Initiative ($13.5
million), both of which help fulfill the Administration's 2004 U.S.
Ocean Action Plan, developed in response to the U.S. Commission on
Ocean Policy.
The National Science Foundation budget request for FY 2007 has
received praise from members of Congress. Legislation is being
introduced to implement the American Competitiveness Initiative as
well as recommendations in related reports by the National Academy of
Sciences and other organizations.
Optimism about the current proposal to double the NSF budget in
ten years is tempered by the failure of recent legislation to double
the NSF budget in five years. The National Science Authorization Act
of 2002, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by
President Bush, called for a doubling of the NSF budget from FY 2002
to FY 2007. The annual appropriations bills have fallen far short of
the doubling path specified in the NSF Authorization Act. The FY
2007 budget request for NSF is nearly $4 billion below the level
authorized in the last doubling initiative. However, the current
doubling initiative has been given a high priority in the President's
budget request and has strong support from key members of Congress.
Craig M. Schiffries, Ph.D.
Director of Science Policy
National Council for Science and the Environment
Email: Schiffries at NCSEonline.org
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is a
non-profit organization working to improve the scientific basis for
environmental decisionmaking. NCSE is supported by nearly 500
academic, scientific, environmental, government and business
organizations.
***************************************************
Jobs
Planktonnet: Great listserv for aquatic-science jobs
To subscribe to the list, send an empty email to:
planktonnet-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
Or, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/planktonnet/ and click on
'Join this group'
Visiting Fellowship in International Studies for Scholars and/or
Practioners, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown
University
The Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown
University seeks a scholar and/or practitioner for a visiting
fellowship to be affiliated with an existing research project within
the Institute's Global Environment program, during the 2006/2007
academic year (earliest start date July 1, 2006).
The mission of the Watson Institute is to analyze contemporary
global problems, working at the intersection of academia and
policymaking. We seek individuals with a commitment to multi-
disciplinary collaboration.
Preference will be given to scholars/practitioners who can make
contributions to the Watson Institute - Global Environment Program's
climate change research initiatives. Specifically, candidates are
being sought to complement one or more of the following research
projects:
* Demography, energy-use, and greenhouse gas emissions, with a
focus on urbanization in China
* Integrated assessment modeling with a specific focus on
linking natural and social science components of IA models
* The practice and politics of using "scenarios" as a decision-
making tool in global environmental governance
* The Clean Development Mechanism and environmental
entrepreneurialism in the developing-country private sector
The successful candidate will be expected to teach one
undergraduate course in his or her area of specialty. There is
possibility of a renewal of this fellowship.
The salary and duration of the Visiting Fellowship will vary
depending on the candidate's seniority and experience. Maximum
salary: $40,000, plus the option to purchase insurance at the
universityís group rate, access to research and travel funds, and
support for some relocation expenses.
Closing date for initial review of applications: March 15, 2006.
Brown University is an AA/EEO employer and especially welcomes
applications from women and minority candidates.
All Applications must be submitted online. For further
information and a link to the application form, see http://
www.watsoninstitute.org/visitingfellow/
********************
ESRC-SSRC Collaborative Visiting Fellowship
Deadline: 20th April, 2006 http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/esrc/
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Social
Science Research Council (SSRC) are pleased to announce a fellowship
for U.S. and Canadian scholars to visit and engage in collaborative
activities with members of ESRC-supported projects in Britain, or for
British scholars at ESRC-supported projects to visit collaborators in
the U.S. or Canada, between June 2006 and September 2007.
Approximately ten research fellowships of up to $8,500 (approx.
£5,000) will be awarded.
Goals of the Fellowship
The ESRC and the SSRC have a common mission of promoting, funding,
and disseminating important and socially useful knowledge in the
social sciences. This is the third round of a pilot scheme designed
to encourage communication and cooperation between social scientists
in Great Britain and the United States and Canada, and to explore and
develop possibilities for future exchanges to be organized by the
ESRC and the SSRC. More information about the goals and activities of
the ESRC and the SSRC is available on their respective websites:
* http://www.esrc.ac.uk
* http://www.ssrc.org
Eligibility and Competition Guidelines
Applicants from the U.S. and Canada must be endorsed by the
Director of the ESRC-supported centre, programme, group or network
with which they are interested in collaborating. For a listing, with
web links, click here <http://www.ssrc.org/programs/intmigration/
publications/ESRCprojects.pdf> . Interested scholars may initiate
contact with the relevant Director and propose a collaborative agenda
for their visits. Alternatively, Directors may also approach U.S. or
Canadian scholars with whom they would like to collaborate. All ESRC
Directors have been alerted to this call. As the Directors are
allowed to make only one nomination, they will be responsible for
nominating their preferred visitor in the event that several U.S. or
Canadian scholars approach them. Similarly, scholars at ESRC-funded
investments who wish to visit the U.S. or Canada should seek
endorsement of their application from their ESRC Director.
Applicants from the U.S. and Canada should have received a PhD in
one of the social sciences (including history) by the time the
proposed visiting fellowship would start. They should have been based
in the U.S. for at least two years before the application deadline of
April 20, 2006. The fellowship scheme is open to scholars from U.S.
and Canadian universities, colleges, independent research
organisations, and public agencies and to scholars at ESRC-supported
centres, programmes, groups and networks in Britain.
Fundable activities include but are not strictly limited to:
* engaging in collaborative or complementary research that
will add a new international comparative focus to existing research
projects;
* engaging with a range of researchers, including younger
scholars, to stimulate international and comparative dimensions to
their thinking;
* writing co-authored papers, articles, and books;
* developing new proposals for joint research.
Preference will be given to applicants:
* whose proposed research offers clear opportunities for
collaboration or comparative development;
* whose research agenda will result in ongoing scholarly
exchange and cooperation;
* whose work has the potential to advance future
cooperation between U.S. or Canadian and British scholars and
research institutions;
* whose visit will be particularly timely given the stage
in the lifecycle of the ESRC project.
Applications will be assessed jointly by ESRC and SSRC; decisions
on awards will be final.
Award and Requirements
The amount of each visiting fellowship award will vary according
to project needs up to a maximum of $8,500 (or roughly £5,000). Funds
may be used for transportation, accommodation, living expenses, and,
exceptionally, to cover salary costs for the duration of the visit (a
strong case will need to be made for this).
Visits may take place at any time of year, starting on or after
June 1, 2006 as long as they are completed by September 1, 2007.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they visit at a time
when productive collaboration with their hosts is most likely, taking
into consideration differences in academic calendars as well as
programme meetings or conferences relevant to the applicant's
research and writing agenda. The length of the visit should reflect
the nature of the project but we anticipate that most visits will
last between 1-3 months. Applicants are encouraged to seek additional
funding for their visits from other sources.
Visiting fellows will be expected to give at least one talk/
seminar to the host department and to other relevant colleagues. On
their return, they will also be asked to write a short report on
their visit, describing their accomplishments, and their plans for on-
going collaboration, and making suggestions for improving upon or
expanding such scholarly exchanges and collaborations.
Awards shall be made to the ESRC Director hosting/nominating the
fellow. Awardees will be informed by the relevant Director how to
claim expenses.
Applications
This call is administered by the SSRC. Applicants should submit
the following materials to the SSRC:
1. Completed application form
2. Curriculum Vitae (2 pages)
3. A description of proposed activities (maximum 5 pages/1250
words, including bibliography and appendices) including the nature
and duration of the work and collaboration to be undertaken and the
expected social science contributions of the project
4. Budget (1 page) detailing expenses for travel, lodging, living
expenses, and (where a strong case can be made) salary costs to be
supported by the award, and also indicating additional sources of
support for these and any other related activities. (The Visiting
Fellowship award may be used to supplement other funding, for which a
full budget is required)
5. A letter of nomination from the Director of the sponsoring
ESRC research centre, programme, group, or network, including a
statement indicating why the visit would benefit the ESRC investment
(2 pages)
When you are ready to apply, click on the link to the online
application portal below.
All other materials (items 2-5 above) can be added as electronic
attachments to the application form. If this is not possible, four
copies of items 2-5 should be sent to:
Samip Mallick
International Migration Program
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
The deadline for applications to arrive at the SSRC is 12 noon,
April 20, 2006 (UK time). Awards will be announced during the first
week of May 2006.
Supported activities can begin on or after June 1, 2006 and
continue until September 1, 2007.
If you have questions about the ESRC/SSRC fellowship, please
contact Samip Mallick at migration at ssrc.org.
**************************************************
This newsletter has been developed by C. Susan Weiler to distribute
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 do not necessarily reflect those of the
funding agencies or sponsoring societies. Dr. Weiler 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. Send a short message in the body of an e-mail
message, and link to any appropriate websites. Do not send attachments.
Moving? Send address changes to dialog at whitman.edu or
disccrs at whitman.edu
**********
C. Susan Weiler, Ph.D.
Office for Earth System Studies 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
DIALOG poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/dialogposter.pdf
DISCCRS poster http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf
Workshop Report, Meeting the Needs of
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduates in a
Changing Global Environment
http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/biocomplexity/
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