EarthWorks, February 8, 2008
Submit items to Lauren Bivona or Norm Meader at enews@email.arizona.edu preferably by 5:00 pm Wednesday of each week. Please include "EarthWorks" in the subject line.
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EarthWorks, February 8, 2008 Submit items to Lauren Bivona or Norm Meader at enews@email.arizona.edu preferably by 5:00 pm Wednesday of each week. Please include "EarthWorks" in the subject line. |
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In This Issue:
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS From the Head Elsewhere in this week’s EarthWorks is a call for participation in next week’s Junior Education Table at the Gem and Mineral Show. This is the department’s biggest effort at outreach to the public, involving both students and faculty. Please set aside the time and participate. American Geological Institute’s analysis of the budget request for NSF: http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis110/appropsfy2009_nsf.html Karl W. Flessa Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Help Needed The main job of faculty volunteers is to help out with the activities, which means interacting with lots of enthusiastic kids (possible future geologists?). Faculty volunteers also "keep an eye" on the student volunteers and help run interference if there are any issues (with TCC staff, parents, or other potentially bothersome adults). In the past we have had very little (if any) trouble, the booth has run smoothly, and all volunteers had a great time interacting with people from our community. According to our TGMS liaison Pat, the two most common questions folks at the TCC get from incoming patrons are "where are the restrooms" and "where is the Jr. Education booth?" It is really a worth while way to volunteer your time, and you would be helping out all of our SESS students who have put so much time and effort into making Jr. Ed a success. To sign up to volunteer, please see the sign-up sheet in the main office (on the round table - next to the girl scout cookie sign up). We have time slots available on Friday Feb. 15th (1:45 - 6 pm), Saturday Feb. 16th (9:45 am - 2:00 pm and 1:45 pm - 6:00 pm), and Sunday Feb 17th (9:45 am - 2:00 pm). If you can only commit to two hours instead of four, that is still appreciated, and you can indicate that on the sign up sheet. You will get free entry into the show, provided you show up on time and meet our SESS volunteer at our greeting booth in the main lobby - they will escort you down to the show. Once we get our volunteers signed up I will be sending more detailed info to those of you who volunteer. Thanks in advance for all of your help, GEOSCIENCES IN THE NEWS National Geographic Channel with Jon Spencer: Naked Science: Grand Canyon National Geographic Channel: Naked Science: Grand Canyon Monday, February 11: Also - Sunday February 17 I expect it to be light on the science. UA Minerals Study One of Only Three Funded Nationally The Mineral Resource Program’s total FY 2008 funding is $800,000 below FY 2007 and $1.9 million below FY 2006. As a result, the USGS originally proposed to eliminate the external grants funding completely, but has relented and is funding the MRERP at $250,000. In 2006, 15 projects were funded, but in 2007 the program would only commit to continuing funding for 3 of the 2006 projects, including one for Eric Seedorff at UA, Dismembered Laramide Porphyry Deposits in Southern Arizona: Links to Catalina Core Complex. No new projects were funded in 2007. Mt. Lykaion Archaeological Project in Greece Featured in The New York Times UNIVERSITY NEWS Expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act Last week the President signed into law the first expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Under the new law, eligible employees will now be entitled to the following:
These provisions are in effect now for eligible University employees, and we are working to update University policy to accommodate the new provisions. If you need to request this type of leave, please contact Human Resources at 621-3662 and select Option #3 for assistance. Supervisors seeking information about this amended policy may contact their HR Organizational Consultant. Information about existing FML policy provisions is available on the Human Resources website at http://www.hr.arizona.edu in both the "Policies and Procedures" and "Leave Management" sections. [top] Provost’s Bulletins Available The January 30 bulletin contains a draft statement by the Vice President for Research on the role of research in Arizona’s public universities. The February 8 bulletin provides a summary of the University of Arizona Strategic Plan for 2009-2013. OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS Hermosillo Meeting on Geology of Northwest Mexico: Deadline Extended Full information is available at http://www.geologia-son.unam.mx/congreso.htm (with an English translation button in the upper-left corner). Professor Richard Sedlock Girl Scout Cookies! Gayle Zizzo. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES From: Joaquin Ruiz, DEAN Exploratory Research Grants for ISPE Faculty Now Being Accepted The Institute for the Study of Planet Earth announces the continuation of its ISPE Faculty Exploratory Research Grants Program. Three awards of up to $10,000 will be made for FY 2008-2009, on a competitive basis, for projects involving interdisciplinary global change research or related ISPE-related research activity. The program is intended to provide short-term, one-time support to “seed” ISPE-relevant projects and result in development of one or more major interdisciplinary The Exploratory Faculty Research Grants Program is only open to ISPE faculty members. Proposals will be evaluated by a peer-review committee composed of a subset of ISPE faculty. Reviewers’ recommendations will be forwarded to the ISPE Director for final selection of awardees. The Exploratory Faculty Research Grants Program does not fund graduate assistantships, publication costs, travel (unless documented fully as being an integral part of the project objectives), general-purpose equipment, or summer salary. Items such as short-term student wages, travel to collections, general operations, supplies, and specialized research equipment pertaining to the project will be considered. To apply to the program, the ISPE faculty must submit a proposal outlining their research plans. An investigator may submit only one proposal during any review period and is eligible to receive only one award within a five-year period. The proposal deadline for Fiscal Year 2008-2009 is 5:00 PM on Friday, March 14.
Awards will be announced no later than May 1 for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 competition. Project funding will begin July 1, 2008 and terminate June 30, 2009. Final reports are required and are due by August 15, 2009. Submit application packets to: OR electronically to: ISPE@email.arizona.edu [top] Geotimes Internship Opportunity for Students Please contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Post-Doctoral Research Associate Position in EEB/Biosphere 2 David and Lucile Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering - 2008 The nominations will be ranked and forwarded to the office of the VP for Research. If more than two nominations are received University-wide, a committee of peers will be convened to select the University's two candidates. The deadline for submission to Packard is April 21, 2008. Boleyn Baylor UPCOMING TALKS (GEOSCIENCES) Department of Geosciences Colloquium Who: Lee Allison, Arizona State Geologist and Director, Arizona Geological Survey UPCOMING TALKS (UA) Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Colloquium (Tuesday) Who: William Hubbard, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona Semester Calendar : http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/calendar/calendar_plus.php Water Resources Research Center Seminar (Wednesday) Who: Brent Cain, Brown and Caldwell
On-line Abstract: http://cals.arizona.edu/AZWATER/events.php?rcd_id=54 Hydrology and Water Resources Seminar (Wednesday) Who: Lisa Graumlich, Director, School of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Arizona
Semester Schedule: http://aegir.hwr.arizona.edu/calendar/Seminars/Seminars%202008/HWR%20-%20Fall%202007%20Schedule%20-%202.htm College of Science Lecture Series - The Edges of Life (Wednesday) Who: Anna Dornhaus, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona Semester Schedule: http://cos.arizona.edu/edges/ IGERT Seminar in Archaeological Sciences (Friday) Who: T. Douglas Price, University of Wisconsin Semester Schedule: http://datamonster.sbs.arizona.edu/IGERT/sem2008.php Tucson Gem and Mineral Show Talk (Saturday) Who: L. Courtland Lee, UA Economic Geology Alumnus, MS 1967 TGMS Talk Schedule: http://www.tgms.org/2008LectureSch.pdf EarthWorks On-Line Archive: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter |
Tuesday, February 12 is Darwin’s 199th Birthday. Celebrate accordingly! 
The USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program (MRERP) announced that only the top three projects will be funded in FY2008, with one of those being from the University of Arizona. Professors Mark Barton (left) and Eric Seedorff (right) and Program Manager Lukas Zürcher will carry out the project, Comparative Study of Jurassic To Early Tertiary Igneous-Related Metallogeny in the Basin and Range Province.