[DIALOGnews] DISCCRS News 12/22/2006
Ruth Ladderud
ladderra at whitman.edu
Fri Dec 22 11:20:12 CST 2006
The next issue of the DISCCRS/DIALOG newsletter will be published on
January 6.
We welcome any suggestions you might have for improving the newsletter.
We hope you all have a happy, productive and peaceful new year.
Best Wishes from the DISCCRS team:
Sue Weiler, Ron Mitchell, Jenn Marlon & Ruth Ladderud
DISCCRS News
12/22/2006
************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS
RESOURCES and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Practical Advice For Writing Your Dissertation, Book, Or Article
Liena Vayzman offers useful advice for PhD students and others
engaged in scholarly writing, focusing not only on such essential
steps as creating a work schedule but also on the less often
discussed need to "fuel your mind with exercise, nutrition,
hydration, and sleep.”
http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2006/0612/0612gra1.cfm
Making the Right Moves: Practical Guide to Scientific Management for
Postdocs and New Faculty
This very useful resource was prepared by the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute (http://www.hhmi.org/). The entire book (13
chapters on topics ranging from negotiating a faculty position to
managing a lab and gettiing funded and published) is available on-
line at no cost.
http://www.hhmi.org/resources/labmanagement/mtrmoves_download.html
"Communicating Dangers and Opportunities in Global Warming" - Jim
Hansen's December 14 talk at the American Geophysical Union is
available as pdf or powerpoint.
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/
US National Science Foundation: New International Polar Year
Solicitation Released "Humans in the Polar Regions" (subtopic of
Human and Biotic Systems in Polar Regions)
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?
pims_id=501036&org=OPP&from=home
(see RESOURCES 1 below)
Travel Grants Available - Antarctic Meteorology Meetings - June-July
2007 - Rome and Perugia (Italy)
http://polarmet.mps.ohio-state.edu
(see MEETING 2 below)
PDF Information Sheets - CIESIN, a center within Columbia University,
has many online educational resources for K-12 teachers and students,
college classrooms, and graduate-level education and research.
(see RESOURCES 2 below)
FORUM
Women in Science: The Battle Moves to the Trenches
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/science/19women.html?
ex=1167195600&en=889fc5363875cee0&ei=5070&emc=eta1
The Climate Project - Information on presentations and presenting Al
Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth”
http://www.theclimateproject.org/
Beauty in Science - A note from Dr. Weiler
(see FORUM 1 below)
SCIENCE NEWS
Gore Tells [AGU] Scientists to be Vocal about Climate Change
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5375
Recalculating the Costs of Global Climate Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/business/14scene.html Or:
http://tinyurl.com/y3pc2d
(see NEWS 1 below)
SUMMER PROGRAMS, COURSES, INTERNSHIPS, MEETINGS, OPPORTUNITIES
PRIME PhD Poster Competition
www.mbs.ac.uk/prime and click on PhD Pathway
(see MEETING 1 below)
Travel Grants Available - Antarctic Meteorology Meetings - June-July
2007 - Rome and Perugia (Italy)
http://polarmet.mps.ohio-state.edu
(see MEETING 2 below)
JOBS
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - 2007 NOAA Climate & Global Change –
(USA)
http://www.earthworks-jobs.com/climate/ucar6091.html
(see JOB 1 below)
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Resources and Funding Opportunities
(RESOURCES 1) US National Science Foundation: New International Polar
Year Solicitation Released "Humans in the Polar Regions" (subtopic
of Human and Biotic Systems in Polar Regions)
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?
pims_id=501036&org=OPP&from=home
Full Proposal Deadline: 16 March 2007; Full Proposal Deadline
for "Humans in the Polar Regions" (subtopic of Human and Biotic
Systems in Polar Regions): 14 September 2007
The International Polar Year 2007-2008 (IPY) will extend from
March 2007 through March 2009. IPY is envisioned as an intense
scientific campaign to explore new frontiers in polar science,
improve our understanding of the critical role of the polar regions
in global processes, and educate the public about the polar regions.
Projects are expected to be interdisciplinary in scope; involve a
pulse of activity during the IPY period; leave a legacy of
infrastructure and data; expand international cooperation; engage the
public in polar discovery; and help attract the next generation of
scientists and engineers. To accomplish these goals, this special
solicitation for IPY proposals will support specific research and
education activities within the following emphasis areas:
Understanding Environmental Change in Polar Regions: This area
will support research that advances the understanding of the
physical, geological, chemical, human, and biological drivers of
environmental change at the poles, their relationship to the climate
system, their impact on ecosystems, and their linkages to global
processes.
Human and Biotic Systems in Polar Regions: This area will provide
opportunities for scientists to address fundamental questions about
social, behavioral, and/or natural systems that will increase our
understanding of how humans and other organisms function in the
extreme environments of the polar regions.
Education and Outreach: This area will support standalone
education proposals that specifically invigorate science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the context of the
IPY, including: formal science education projects at the K-12,
undergraduate, or graduate level; informal science education projects
for the broader public; and coordination and communication for IPY
education projects.
Proposed research activities must be integrally related to one or
more of these emphasis areas and adhere to the guidance of the
National Research Council's report "A Vision for the International
Polar Year 2007-2008" (2005), including where appropriate, specific
significant linkages to international activities. These emphasis
areas are intended to advance the frontiers of knowledge and build on
the momentum achieved by NSF IPY investments and activities that are
currently underway in response to an NSF IPY solicitation published
in early 2006.
As was required for the 2006 IPY Solicitation, all proposals must
address the project's relevance to the IPY in a separate statement in
the Project Summary, and as an integral part of the Project
Description. Proposals that fail to address IPY relevance in both
sections of the proposal will be returned without review.
Proposals for IPY projects that are not related to the topics
described in this solicitation should be submitted to other
announcements of opportunity at NSF. These other announcements are
also listed on an IPY web page maintained by NSF's Office of Polar
Programs (http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/ipy/ipyinfo.jsp). These IPY
proposals should meet the goals and priorities of the relevant program.
********************
(RESOURCES 2) PDF Information Sheets - CIESIN, a center within
Columbia University, has many online educational resources for K-12
teachers and students, college classrooms, and graduate-level
education and research. These PDF information sheets provide
overviews and instruction for selected CIESIN online data resources,
including instructions for use:
CIESIN Data and Information Resources - http://
www.ciesin.columbia.edu/documents/DataInfo.pdf
CIESIN Programs and Projects - http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/
documents/progproj.pdf
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI) http://
www.ciesin.columbia.edu/factsheets/ENTRI_20feb03.pdf
Human Footprint and Last of the Wild Data Sets http://
www.ciesin.columbia.edu/factsheets/
HumanFootprint_&_LastOfWild_20feb03.pdf
Population, Climate and Landscape Estimates (PLACE) Data Set
http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/factsheets/PLACE_20feb03.pdf
Ramsar Wetlands Data Gateway http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/
factsheets/RamsarGateway_20feb03.pdf
Thematic Guides to Human Dimensions of Global Environmental
Change http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/factsheets/
ThematicGuides_20feb03.pdf
***************************************************
Forum
(FORUM 1) Beauty in Science - A note from Dr. Weiler
Dear all: The middle of winter is always a good time to be
thinking about beauty in nature, particularly here in Walla Walla
where the fog rolls in for days on end.... Cheers, Sue
My two favorite picks for this year are:
1. My favorite from years past still tops the list: Art Forms in
Nature: The prints of Ernst Haeckel. One hundred color plates with
contributions by Olaf Breidbach and Irenaus Eibl-Eibesfeldt and a
preface by Richard Hartmann. ISBN 3-7913-1990-6 This is a
fabulous collection of reprints from Haeckel's 1904 book.
2. The link below is to an awesome collection of photos of
nudibranchs! http://www.sergeyphoto.com/underwater/nudibranchs.html
********************
(FORUM 2 ) Plant For The Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign
http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/about/index.asp
Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people,
communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society and
governments are being encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree
planting pledges on this web site. The objective is to plant at least
one billion trees worldwide during 2007.
The idea for the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign was
inspired by Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for
2004 and founder of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, which has planted
more than 30 million trees in 12 African countries since 1977. When a
corporate group in the United States told Professor Maathai it was
planning to plant a million trees, her response was: “That’s
great, but what we really need is to plant a billion trees.”
A worldwide effort: Recognizing that there are many tree planting
schemes around the world, UNEP proposes to federate these efforts in
both rural and urban areas. People and entities – individuals,
children and youth groups, schools, community groups, non-
governmental organizations, farmers, private sector organizations,
local authorities and national governments – are encouraged to enter
pledges on the online form. Each pledge can be anything from a single
tree to 10 million trees.
The responsibility will lie with the person/organization making
the pledge via the campaign website to arrange for the tree planting.
All contributing participants will receive a certificate of
involvement. They will be encouraged to follow up via the web site so
UNEP can verify that the trees have survived, in partnership with
certification mechanisms, such as the Forest Stewardship Council. The
website will record the ongoing tally of pledges, and also publish
photos and accounts from registered campaign members of what they
have achieved.
The campaign encourages the planting of indigenous trees and
trees that are appropriate to the local environment. Advice on tree
planting will be made available via the website, as well as
information about reforestation and other tree-related issues,
including links to appropriate partner organizations best equipped to
give locally tailored advice, such as the World Agroforestry Centre
(ICRAF). Because ideal planting conditions vary in different regions,
the campaign will operate throughout the year.
***************************************************
Science News
(NEWS 1) Recalculating the Costs of Global Climate Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/business/14scene.html Or:
http://tinyurl.com/y3pc2d
New York Times - The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate
Change was released Oct. 30, 2006, and became front-page news because
of its striking conclusion that we should immediately invest 1
percent of world economic activity (referred to as global gross
domestic product in the report) to reduce the impact of global
warming. The British report warned that failing to do so could risk
future economic damages equivalent to a reduction of up to 20 percent
in global G.D.P.
These figures are substantially higher than earlier estimates of
the costs of global warming, and environmental economists have
studied the 700-page report to try to figure out why the numbers are
so large.
Recently two noted economists, William D. Nordhaus of Yale and
Sir Partha Dasgupta of the University of Cambridge, have written
critiques of the Stern report that try to solve this puzzle. ...The
two critiques emphasize different but related aspects of the Stern
Review's economic model.
********************
(NEWS 2) ‘Sustainability’ Gains Status on US Campuses
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1219/p01s03-ussc.html Or: http://
tinyurl.com/yboh5a
Christian Science Monitor - TEMPE, ARIZ. - Somewhere in the
curriculum, most colleges and universities include Henry David
Thoreau. Now, many of them are trying to emulate him. Yes, sweeping
the academic world is Walden Pond 101: the art of living in a
sustainable manner. Think environmental and social responsibility.
One of the best examples of the ivory tower's effort to tread
lightly on the land is at Arizona State University. Next month, ASU
will inaugurate the nation's first School of Sustainability - whose
classes will look at everything from water scarcity to urban air
quality problems.
It is one of many universities putting its intellect and talents
to use in the name of ecology. These institutions are devoting more
research to solving global climate problems, and they're redesigning
their own campuses to be examples of better ways to use and protect
Earth's resources. For some schools, the financial commitment to
these issues has started to run into the millions of dollars, as they
foot salaries for new specialists and pay the costs of creating green
buildings. At the very least, many universities are creating new
courses in response to student interest.
********************************************************
Summer Programs, Courses, Internships, Meetings, Opportunities
(MEETING 1) PRIME PhD Poster Competition
www.mbs.ac.uk/prime and click on PhD Pathway
PRIME is giving PhD students the opportunity to present their
work at the PRIME Annual Conference<http://www.prime-noe.org/> in
Pisa (29 Jan - 1 Feb 2007).
Students at any stage in their PhD (or those who have completed their
PhD within the last 12 months) are invited to submit an electronic
poster which will be displayed in a central location at the
conference, allowing members of the PRIME network to see your work.
There will be a prize for the winning student.
For full details visit www.mbs.ac.uk/prime and click on PhD Pathway
Deadline for poster applications is 12 January. Please submit your
interest to Kathryn Morrison by 22 December.
Kathryn Morrison
PREST
University of Manchester, UK
www.mbs.ac.uk/prime
********************
(MEETING 2) Travel Grants Available - Antarctic Meteorology Meetings
- June-July 2007 - Rome and Perugia (Italy)
http://polarmet.mps.ohio-state.edu
The Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University announces
the availability of travel grants for graduate students and young
investigators at U.S. institutions to attend two Antarctic
meteorology meetings being held in Italy in June-July 2007.
The 2nd Antarctic Meteorological Observation, Modeling, and
Forecasting Workshop (AMOMFW) is being held in Rome, Italy, on 26-28
June 2007. AMOMFW (http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/rt/amps/pages/events.html)
brings together international students and investigators with
interests in Antarctic meteorology and numerical weather prediction.
The workshop is an excellent opportunity to view and discuss the most
recent and important atmospheric research being conducted in Antarctica.
The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General
Assembly (http://www.iugg2007perugia.it) is being held in Perugia,
Italy, on 2-13 July 2007 and includes symposia on Antarctic
meteorology and related sciences.
With funding from the NSF Office of Polar Programs, approximately
ten grants in the range of $3,500 USD will be awarded for travel
support to participate in both Antarctic meteorology meetings.
Applicants must be graduate students or recent PhD recipients (within
the last five years) enrolled at or employed by a U.S. institution.
Qualified candidates from under-represented groups are especially
encouraged to apply. Successful applicants must present a lecture or
poster at one or both of the meetings.
Application forms may be downloaded at http://polarmet.mps.ohio-
state.edu/AMM/ and submitted no later than Friday, 12 January 2007,
via e-mail to: David Bromwich, Byrd Polar Research Center E-mail:
bromwich.1 at osu.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'
********************
(JOB 1) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - 2007 NOAA Climate & Global
Change –(USA)
http://www.earthworks-jobs.com/climate/ucar6091.html
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) announces
the continuation of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral
Fellowship Program. UCAR manages this NOAA-sponsored program, which
pairs recently graduated postdoctorates with host scientists at U.S.
institutions to work in an area of mutual interest. The objective of
this program is to help create the next generation of researchers
needed for climate studies. It endeavors to attract recent PhD's in
sciences that address studies of relevance to the NOAA Climate and
Global Change Program (refer to NOAA's Web site at: http://
www.climate.noaa.gov
The NOAA Climate and Global Change Program seeks to provide an
effective national climate service based on the development and
application of global and regional climate forecast information. The
Program focuses on observing, understanding, modeling, and predicting
the climate system on seasonal to centennial time scales and
assessing the regionally specific socioeconomic consequences of
climate variability. Specific research foci include:
* Understanding and predicting both changes in, and regional
manifestations of, large-scale patterns of climate variability such
as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic
Oscillation (NAO), Pacific Decadal Variability (PDV) Tropical
Atlantic Variability (TAV), and global monsoon systems.
* Observing and modeling ocean, atmosphere, land and cryosphere
in order to characterize the coupled processes that give rise to
climate variability.
* Determining the impacts of radiatively important trace gases
and aerosols on global climate change, including the modeling of the
biogeochemical processes that cycle these constituents throughout the
earth system.
* Documenting and analyzing past climate change -- including
abrupt climate change -- in order to understand the full range of
natural variability in the earth system, thus resulting in more
accurate climate predictions.
* Assessing the role of polar regions in global climate
variability and change, with special reference to the International
Polar Year (2007-2009).
* Improving our understanding of how humans adapt to climate,
which includes the societal and economic responses to both current
climate variability and potential long-term changes in climate, as
well as the potential use of climate information to improve human
welfare.
Applications are solicited from qualified postdoctoral
candidates. Preference is given to those who have held a PhD for no
more than five years. Awardees must change institutions in the
absence of compelling circumstances. A clear indication of the
scientific areas to be pursued and goals is particularly important. A
steering committee, broadly representing the skills and interests
covered by this program, selects the fellows and recommends
appointments with U.S. Agencies and institutions. Please refer to the
details on the selection criteria used by the steering committee in
making these awards. The Web site also includes a list of all present
and past appointees to this program.
Advanced contact with a potential host is strongly encouraged.
Searchable database for potential hosts. An applicant may wish to
suggest more than one host institution since the committee takes an
active role in distributing fellowships among institutions. In the
case of specific laboratory needs, a letter should accompany the
application from the specific institution willing to provide the
resources. Interested host scientists are required to submit letters
of intent (two-page limit) and vitae's to help the committee in the
match-making process. They should be from an institution other than
candidate's PhD institution. Hosts are expected to mentor the fellow,
provide a reasonable office environment, a workstation and any other
unique research costs associated with this fellowship.
How to Apply: (Please refer to the details on TIPS FOR APPLYING)
There is no application form. Qualified scientists are encouraged to
apply by sending the following materials to the UCAR / Visiting
Scientist Programs: 1) A cover letter stating the name of this
program. 2) Curriculum vitae with a list of publications. 3) Names
and addresses of at least four professional references. Applicants
are responsible for contacting referees to have letters sent to UCAR/
VSP by the application deadline. One letter must be from thesis
advisor, but not from a potential host, and letters from more than
one institution are encouraged. Referees should be directed to the
online reference requirements. 4) PhD dissertation abstract,
including title of dissertation. 5) Proposed project description.
Description must be titled, not to exceed five pages including
figures and appendices, (minimum 12 pt. type size). Proposals must be
specific and describe an actual research project. Applicants are
encouraged to seek help from mentors in writing the project
description. 6) Statement of relevance to the NOAA Climate and
Global Change Program as defined above (one-page limit).
Interested Hosts should Send: 1) One or two-page letter of
intent to host a specific fellow or describing the type of background
preferred. 2) Curriculum Vitae with a list of publications (two-page
limit). 3) A list of current and pending research support.
The program offers two-year postdoctoral fellowships, reviewed
annually. Fellows receive a fixed annual salary. UCAR benefits
include health and dental insurance, paid time off, paid holidays,
mandatory participation in a retirement fund (TIAA/CREF), and life
insurance. A relocation allowance is provided as well as an allowance
for scientific travel and other support costs.
Application deadline: Friday 12 January 2007
Appointments will be announced in early spring 2007. Applications
must be submitted in electronic form and preferably in portable
document format (pdf), via e-mail attachments send to
vspapply at ucar.edu Reference letters should also be sent
electronically, but we will accept hard copies or faxes. If unable to
send electronically, please mail to address listed below: Meg Austin,
Director, UCAR / Visiting Scientist Programs, P.O. Box 3000,
FL-4 / Suite 2200, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA For further
information please call (303) 497-8649 or send e-mail to
vspapply at ucar.edu
**************************************************
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
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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