[DIALOGnews] DIALOG and DISCCRS News 07/07/2006

Susan Bennett bennetsk at whitman.edu
Fri Jul 7 13:39:58 CDT 2006


DIALOG and DISCCRS News
07/07/2006
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES
Addressing the Challenges of Graduate and Post-Graduate Training in  
the Geosciences: PowerPoint presentation by NSF Assistant Geoscience  
Director Margaret Leinen
    http://marcus.whitman.edu/~weilercs/resources/OceanSciences2006/ 
index.html
    This site archives titles and Powerpoint files for presentations  
given at the 2006 AGU/ASLO/TOS Ocean Sciences Meeting held 20-24  
February, 2006 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Please note that Margaret  
Leinen's presentation has just been added to this site.
US NSF International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)
    http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06582

SCIENCE NEWS
Articles on Carbon Dioxide and Ocean Acidification:
    NSF Press Release 06-100: Report warns of Rising Carbon Dioxide  
Threats to Marine Life. http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp? 
cntn_id=107060
    Workshop Report, Impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs  
and marine calcifers: A guide for future research. J.A. Kleypas, R.A.  
Feely, V.J. Fabry, C. Langdon, C.L. Sabine and L.L.Robbins. http:// 
www.ucar.edu/communications/Final_acidification.pdf See also a recent  
Scientific American article, The dangers of ocean acidification. S.C.  
Doney, Scienfific American March, 2006 294(3):58-65.
Greenhouse Gas Turning Oceans Acidic
    (see below)
Climate change could cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,  
scientists say
    Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press - Published: Monday, July 03, 2006
    http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html? 
id=0447a0d1-63be-4f15-8992-96131e57853c&k=42084
Bush the Environmentalist?  Editorial by Jane Lubchenco
    http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20060627-090829-7599r.htm
Death By A Thousand Coasts: The Ethics Of Climate Change: World  
Experts Gather In DC To Address Imminent Threat
    (see below)
NOAA Budget Slashed by $500 Million in House Bill
    (see below)

SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS, OPPORTUNITIES
The Third International Conference on Environmental, Cultural,  
Economic & Social Sustainability ~ University of Madras, Chennai,  
India, 4-7 January, 2007
    http://www.SustainabilityConference.com
A Joint Inter-American Institute (IAI) - NCAR Advanced Study Program  
(ASP) Colloquium - “Policy planning and Decision making involving  
Climate Change and Variability” - Sept. 11 – 22, 2006. National  
Center for Atmospheric Research - Boulder, Colorado  USA
    (see below)

JOBS
Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies/International  
Intercultural Studies - Pitzer College - California
    http://chronicle.com/jobs/id.php?id=0000464483-01
2006 Request For Applications - Calfed Science Fellows Program
    (see below)
Biology Faculty Positions: University of Oregon
    (see below)
Post-Doc Program: IIASA Postdoctoral Program 2006
    (see below)
  ***************************************************
Science News
Greenhouse Gas Turning Oceans Acidic
    from the San Francisco Chronicle
    The major greenhouse gas that drives global warming also is  
rapidly raising the acidity of the world's oceans, threatening  
widespread destruction of the tiny shell-building organisms that form  
the base of the entire marine food web and create corral reefs, a  
team of government-sponsored scientists said Wednesday.
    The culprit is carbon dioxide. As billions of tons of the carbon  
in the gas pour from industrial emissions into the ocean, it is  
causing "the most dramatic changes in marine chemistry in the past  
650,000 years," said Richard Feely, a federal oceanographer in  
Seattle and one of the team's leaders.
    The landmark report by the research group, sponsored by the  
National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  
Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey, was released  
Wednesday, and the findings are indisputable, said one lead scientist.
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/06/ 
MNGSPJQ8221.DTL
    http://tinyurl.com/jvlld
********************
Death By A Thousand Coasts: The Ethics Of Climate Change: World  
Experts Gather In DC To Address Imminent Threat
    Oldendorf, Germany, 5 July 2006 – Al Gore’s docu-drama “An  
Inconvenient Truth” presents countless disturbing scenarios about our  
planet’s ultimate threat: self-destruction by its dominant species,  
Homo sapiens. As Gore points out, this is not just a political issue.  
It is a moral issue; an ethically based tipping point of gargantuan  
proportions. As the leaders, researchers, teachers, city planners and  
parents of the generations who will be most drastically affected by  
these dangers, we are compelled to take action against this global  
destruction.
    An interdisciplinary team of renowned earth and social scientists  
will gather in Washington, DC this autumn to discuss local, regional  
and international responses to the imminent threats of climate change  
and the ethics surrounding these issues. Designed for academic  
researchers, city government leaders, planners and emergency  
managers, the symposium Death by a Thousand Coasts: The Ethics of  
Climate Change (www.ir-symposia.com) is sponsored by the  
international e-journal Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics  
(www.esep.de), its parent organization, the Eco-Ethics International  
Union (www.eeiu.org), and the Inter-Research Science Centre (www.int- 
res.com).
    While the scientific aspects of climate change have received  
significant attention, little focus has been placed on the underlying  
themes of this change: humankind and its relationship to the  
environment. The symposium aims to promote public dialogue about the  
science, history, ecology, economics, politics and ethics of climate  
change.
    In opening discussions, climatologists will highlight the newest  
data available on atmospheric and ocean systems and rates of climate  
change. For instance, a recent report from the United States National  
Academy of Sciences, entitled, Surface Temperature Reconstructions  
for the Last 2,000 Years, states that  ‘Based on current estimates,  
variations in natural climate forcings over the last 2,000 years were  
much less than the increase in current greenhouse forcing due to  
human activities.' (pg 102, http://fermat.nap.edu/catalog/ 
11676.html). Thus, the most recent evidence indicates that climate  
change - driven by human activity - is upon us: ice sheets are  
melting, oceans are warming, sea levels are rising, deserts are  
expanding, and hurricanes are intensifying.
    The symposium will bring together social scientists, who will  
demonstrate the fates of past civilizations that failed to cope with  
climate changes, with ecologists who will outline impacts on  
endangered habitats and species. Economists will detail the financial  
strains of adapting to the increased dimensions and rates of climate  
change. Municipalities and regions must act now to protect lives and  
property and to assure future economic sustainability and growth.  
Will their actions be ethical? How many times can a port be rebuilt  
before the economy collapses? Is it ethical to try? Is it ethical to  
put taxpayer money at risk in government-guaranteed insurance pools?  
Is it ethical to invest retirees’ money in property that is  
threatened by rising sea levels and increased storm surges or that  
lays below the 1000-year flood plane? What about the politics of  
climate change? Have Republicans’, Democrats’ and conservatives’  
actions and inactions put Americans at risk? What of the politics of  
climate change elsewhere in the world, including the developing world?
    We invite you to join world-renowned experts to discuss these  
issues: November 24-27, 2006 at the Melrose Hotel, 2430 Pennsylvania  
Avenue, NW, Washington DC, 20037 (www.ir-symposia.com).
    Founded in 1998, the Eco-Ethics International Union is a  
worldwide network of concerned scientists, decision makers,  
educators, community leaders and affiliate organizations committed to  
making a difference in the way our societies relates to and interacts  
with our environment. With affiliates in 80+ countries, the Union  
provides a global forum for developing a new scientifically based  
ethical construct – eco-ethics – its bearing on science and politics,  
and its significance for our future. The EEIU collaborates with like- 
minded constituents around the world in a three-prong approach of  
research, education and grassroots advocacy to influence society’s  
current paradigm and to help shape the paradigm of the decision  
makers of the future.
  ********************
NOAA Budget Slashed by $500 Million in House Bill
    June 29, 2006 -- The U.S. House of Representatives passed an  
appropriations bill today that would cut approximately $500 million  
from the budget of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  
Administration (NOAA) in fiscal year 2007.
    The massive budget cut passed the House of Representatives less  
than one year after NOAA was widely praised for its success in  
forecasting hurricane Katrina and protecting thousands of people from  
death or injury.  According to NOAA, the House bill would fail to  
fund day-to-day operations of the agency's aircraft, which are the  
nation's first line of defense for monitoring and forecasting  
hurricanes and tropical storms.
    The House appropriations bill would provide $3.4 billion for NOAA  
in FY 2007, a decrease of approximately $500 million or 13 percent  
below its current funding level of $3.9 billion.  The President  
proposed cutting NOAA's budget to $3.7 billion in FY 2007,  
eliminating numerous congressional earmarks and increasing the  
budgets of some core research programs.
    The House bill would protect the budgets of National Weather  
Service and NOAA's weather and climate satellite programs.  Other  
NOAA programs would suffer enormous losses in order to absorb the  
entire $500 million budget cut.
    Funding for the National Ocean Service would be slashed by  
approximately by 46 percent or $277 million below the FY 2006 funding  
level. NOAA said this cut would reduce funding for basic mapping and  
charting activities needed to ensure safe marine transportation  
within U.S. ports and marine transportation routes.
    Funding for the National Marine Fisheries Service would decline  
by approximately 28 percent or $156 million below the current funding  
level.  This cut would "force NOAA to close critical fisheries,  
terminate protected species programs and terminate the Seafood  
Quality and Safety Program, costing billions in economic losses and  
increasing the cost of seafood to US consumers," according to NOAA's  
impact statement.
    Funding for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research would  
decline by about 11 percent or $40 million to $328 million.  The  
budget for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research includes $130 million for  
a "consolidated competitive climate research program for the Climate  
Program Office."  Within this amount, the House encourages NOAA to  
implement a new competitive national program for partnerships in  
coastal and ocean observing.
***************************************************
Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings, Opportunities
A Joint Inter-American Institute (IAI) - NCAR Advanced Study Program  
(ASP) Colloquium - “Policy planning and Decision making involving  
Climate Change and Variability” - Sept. 11 – 22, 2006. National  
Center for Atmospheric Research - Boulder, Colorado  USA
    Overall Objective: The objective of the Colloquium is to  
introduce participants to the use of climate information in decision  
making, learning from experts in the physical, social and policy  
arenas from the Americas. Over a two week period, the colloquium will  
address issues of measurement, data, statistics, synthesis and  
modelling on the science side and of communication, negotiation and  
implementation on the policy interface.  Through lectures, panel  
discussions and hands-on exercises, we will explore case studies from  
different regions, and the policy process under different modes of  
governance and legislation in local, national and international  
contexts. We plan a fairly diffuse boundary between presenters and  
students hoping for a mutually beneficial learning experience to  
explore topics which are important to the role of science in society.  
We would also like to see the event lead to more permanent engagement  
of participants in future networking and funding opportunities.
    Application Process:  The Colloquium is designed to engage  
graduate students, practitioners and early career professionals (e.g.  
post-doctoral fellows) interested in policy and decision planning  
dealing with climate change and variability from the Americas.   
Applicants should be enrolled in, or a recent graduate of, an  
advanced degree program in the physical, social, or policy sciences;  
or hold an early career position working in one or more of these areas.
    All applicants should provide:
    A curriculum vitae (CV can be in native language)
    A written letter of intent, in English, describing the motivation  
for participation in the, Colloquium and its connection to the  
applicant’s area of study or work.
    A letter of recommendation is strongly encouraged, but is not  
required.
    Applications must be submitted on line at the website: http:// 
www.iai.int/TrainingOpportunities/IAI_NCAR_Colloquium2006
    Applications are due July 10, 2006.
    Language Requirement:  All sessions of the colloquium will be  
conducted in English and participants should have proficiency in this  
language.
    Travel Support and Visas:  Funds are available for travel  
support, including airfare, lodging and per diem.  Travel  
arrangements will be made for all successful applicants through the  
NCAR Advanced Study Program.  Participants should not make separate  
travel arrangements as there is no guarantee these can be reimbursed.
    B-1 Visas are required for entry into the U.S. and are the  
responsibility of the participants to secure, although the cost of  
the visa will be reimbursed.  Information on the visa process can be  
found at:  http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/obtainingvisa/index.html.
    Colloquium Organizers:  Holm Tiessen, IAI, Gerhard Breulmann,  
IAI, Marcella Ohira, IAI  Rebecca Morss,  NCAR, David Yates, NCAR,  
David Gochis, NCAR.
    For further information please contact Ms. Dale Kellogg,  
dkellogg at ucar.edu.
***************************************************
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'
  2006 Request For Applications - Calfed Science Fellows Program
    CALFED Science Program
    California Sea Grant College Program
    The CALFED Science Program, in cooperation with California Sea  
Grant, is seeking applications from highly qualified predoctoral  
students and postdoctoral researchers who are interested in a career  
in multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, field-based research in  
riverine and estuarine systems. For 2006, the Science Program is  
interested in research that addresses the four priority topics as  
outlined in the CALFED Science Program 2006 Proposal Solicitation  
Package (PSP) or specific needs identified by CALFED implementing  
agencies.
    PSP Priority Areas
    *Environmental Water
    *Aquatic Invasive (Exotic) Species
    *Trends and Patterns of Populations and System Response to a
    Changing Environment
    *Habitat Availability and Response to Change
    CALFED Implementing Agency Science Needs
    *Environmental Water Account (EWA)
    *Drinking Water Quality
    *Pelagic Organism Decline (POD)
    ELIGIBILITY - Prospective Predoctoral Science Fellows, at the  
time of application, must be in or have recently been admitted to a  
PhD program in natural resources, environmental sciences, coastal,  
aquatic or related studies at any accredited US institution of higher  
education. Prospective Postdoctoral Science Fellows must hold a PhD  
or complete a PhD before the starting date of the fellowship in a  
doctoral degree program in environmental sciences or in a related  
field appropriate to priority areas. US citizenship or residency is  
required.
    AWARD - The fellowship will provide support for up to three years  
for both predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows in the form of a grant/ 
award that includes funds for a stipend ($45,000/yr-postdoctoral;  
$25,000/yr-predoctoral) and for research-related expenses (up to  
$25,000/yr-postdoctoral; $14,500/yr-predoctoral).
    SELECTION - Selection will be made competitively from  
applications submitted to the California Sea Grant College Program by  
August 31, 2006. In 2006, approximately five postdoctoral and three  
predoctoral fellowships will be awarded to begin approximately by  
November 1, 2006.
    APPLICATION/CONTACT - For complete details and application  
instructions, please refer to the CALFED Science Fellows Program -  
2006 Request for
Applications, on the Sea Grant web site:
    http://www.csgc.ucsd.edu/EDUCATION/CALFED/CBDA_RFA2006.html
    If you have specific questions or require additional information  
contact: CALFEDfellow at seamail.ucsd.edu
********************
Biology Faculty Positions: University of Oregon
    Marine Biology - The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (http:// 
www.uoregon.edu/~oimb/) and the Department of Biology at the  
University of Oregon invite applications for a tenure track  
(Assistant Professor) position in marine biology at OIMB. We wish to  
hire a marine biologist whose research and teaching interests would  
take full advantage of habitats and organisms accessible from the  
coastal marine laboratory. Applications are welcome from any field of  
marine biology, including but not limited to physiological ecology,  
population genetics, marine benthic ecology, molecular physiology,  
ichthyology, evolutionary biology or systematics. Research may be  
focused on invertebrates, vertebrates, algae or microbes. The  
successful candidate will have an outstanding research program and a  
commitment to excellence in teaching. Ph.D. required. Applicants  
should submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests,  
a statement of teaching philosophy, and three letters of  
recommendation to: Marine Biology Search Committee, Department of  
Biology, 1210 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1210. To ensure  
full consideration, applications must be received by September 5, 2006.
********************
Post-Doc Program: IIASA Postdoctoral Program 2006
    IIASA is now accepting applications for our annual postdoctoral  
program. Each year IIASA selects two post-graduate researchers to  
receive full funding for a 12-24 month stay at IIASA. The application  
deadline is 15 August 2006. The goals of the IIASA Postdoctoral  
Program are to encourage and promote the development of young  
researchers and offer them the opportunity to further their careers  
by gaining hands-on professional research experience in a highly  
international scientific environment; and to enrich IIASA's  
intellectual environment and help achieve research program goals. The  
Institute provides full funding for up to two postdoctoral  
researchers per year. IIASA conducts interdisciplinary scientific  
studies on environmental, economic, technological, and social issues  
in the context of human dimensions of global change. The work is  
organized in research programs and special projects. Candidates for  
the IIASA Postdoctoral Program can apply to work with any research  
program or special project. To explore productive synergies,  
candidates are encouraged to discuss, at an early stage of preparing  
their application, their scientific interests and research ideas with  
the intended IIASA hosts. For more information visit http:// 
www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/YSP/pdoc/index.html
**************************************************
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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