You know who you are: get your field trip/ UA garage requests in early (to Denise) and send your course syllabi and office hour information (now) to Enedina.

I’m pleased to announce another major donation: Joellen Russell has donated her consulting fee from the Salt River Project to the Geosciences Colloquium Cookie Fund. Be sure to thank Joellen directly as you munch, but don’t talk with your mouth full.

Please set aside lunchtime, Monday, Jan 28 to join us to thank Susan Beck for her major contributions to Geosciences as Department Head. The lunch will be in the Student Union Rincon Room, starting at noon. Please RSVP to Lauren (lauren52@email.arizona.edu) by Tuesday, Jan 22.
[top]

Department Congratulations

Bob Downs received initial funding to examine the possibility of putting a X-ray diffractometer on Venus: Hybrid powder-single crystal X-ray diffraction instrument for planetary mineralogical analysis of unprepared samples. (2008)
[top]

Motor Pool Requests for Spring and Summer 2008

If you are planning any trips for the spring or summer, please send those requests to me. You must submit a complete Motor pool request form. The forms can be found on the Geosciences web page under forms. The earlier you submit your request the better your chance are to get the vehicles you need.

Please keep in mind that if you ever need to cancel any vehicles the cancellation needs to be made 24 hours before the trip to avoid any fees. Thanks, Denise

Denise Carrillo
Accountant
Gould-Simpson Bldg., Rm. 208
520-621-4700 [top]

Publication Highlights

Thompson R M, Downs R T (2008) The crystal structure of diopside at pressure to 10 GPa, American Mineralogist 93, 177-186 (pdf file).

McCarthy A C, Downs R T, Thompson R M (2008) Compressibility trends of the clinopyroxenes, and in-situ high-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction study of jadeite, American Mineralogist 93, 198-209 (pdf file).

J. R. Toggweiler & Joellen Russell, 2008. Ocean circulation in a warming climate. Nature 451: 286-288 (Year of the Planet Earth Supplement) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7176/full/nature06590.html. [top]

Profile of Joellen Russell on ISPE Website

Joellen Russell: Master Climate Modeler

Joellen Russell’s tool of the trade is a crystal ball of sorts. A master climate modeler at The University of Arizona (UA), the assistant professor of geosciences plugs differing climate change scenarios into a supercomputer and draws on observational records to simulate future conditions on Earth, from Arizona and the Amazon to Australia and the Antarctic.

To read the article, visit http://www.ispe.arizona.edu/news/articles/faculty/russell.html. [top]

Casa de los Ninos Thanks You

Thank you everyone who donated to the Casa de los Ninos "fund" this year. We received a heartfelt thanks for the thoughtful gifts of clothing and $235.00 that we donated. I have posted their thank you letter on our board. Hope we can do this once again next year.

Thank you once again.

Enedina Cervantes [top]

Geos 496E/596E: Preview of Field Trip

To Geosciences Faculty and Students:

Under the banner Geos 496e/596e (2 units), I am leading a Structure Field Trip to southern Utah over Spring Break.

On Wednesday, January 23rd from 12pm to 1pm, in GS201, I plan to give a “PREVIEW OF THE UTAH STRUCTURES TRIP.”

Purpose is to three-fold: 1/ give students who have signed up a description of what we will do; 2/ give students who are thinking of signing up a basis for making an informed decision; and 3/ to provide to anyone who wants to show up a glimpse of the active faulting and land sliding that impacts this region.

Main focus is on the Hurricane fault and the contemporary land sliding around St. George.

G. Davis

gdavis@u.arizona.edu [top]

UPCOMING TALKS (GEOS)

Colloquium - Joellen Russell

Thursdays 4:00 - 5:00 PM, Koffler Building (CBS), Room 216

January 24 - Joellen Russell: “Climate Model Projections for the Southwest: The Impact of Shifts in the Westerly Jet.”

Schedule is subject to change: check weekly updates, http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/weekahead.htm, or call 621-6000. [top]

UPCOMING TALKS (UA)

Distinguished Lecture Series - Malcolm K. Hughes

Jan 23

Malcolm K. Hughes

Regents’ Professor of Dendochronology

Laboratory Tree-Ring Research

“The Drying of the West - Our Future?”

Recent and projected droughts will be discussed in the context of what is known from the last few thousand years on the nature and causes of natural climate variability on timescales of years to centuries. Hughes has conducted research projects and given lectures all over the world and is the author of more than 125 scientific publications. Formerly the Director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Hughes is a Fellow of the Galileo Circle and was named a Regents’ Professor in 2007.

Registration and payment ($35 per ticket per date) should be made at least five (5) days before the lecture date to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, PO Box 210028. Please indicate your name and phone number, name of the speaker, and if you would like a vegetarian meal. Seating is limited; reservation with payment will be given priority. All lectures are from 12-1:30, Arizona Inn, Tucson Room, 2200 E. Elm Street. For more info or to register by phone, call Jennifer Rascon, 520-626-3445. [top]

IGERT Seminar in Archaeological Sciences, Spring 2008

This is an open seminar, so any interested persons may attend. The venue is Room 216 in the Emil Haury Anthropology Building, and the time slot is 3.00-5.30 on Fridays. For further information, contact David Killick (killick@email.arizona.edu).

Jan. 18 Michael Barton (Arizona State University). “Landscape dynamics, modeling, and archaeological science around the ancient Mediterranean.”

Jan. 25 Julio Betancourt (US Geological Survey). "Fossil Rodent Midden Analysis in the Americas: Methods and Applications."

Feb. 1 Christian Tryon (Smithsonian Institution). “Volcanic ashes as chronological tools for the archaeologist: examples from Pleistocene sites from Kenya and Turkey.”

Feb. 8 Irina Panyushkina (Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, U of A). "Tree-Ring Dating of Siberian Scythian Antiquities."

Feb. 15 T. Douglas Price (University of Wisconsin). “Isotopes and Past Human Mobility.”

Feb. 22 Christine Hastorf (UC Berkeley). “Cooking and foodways in early settled life: The social life of Formative

communities in the Titicaca Basin, Bolivia.”

Feb. 29 Nearly completed doctoral dissertations:

(1) Chris Roos, “Archaeologically-informed applied historical ecology: fire, climate, and land-use in east-central Arizona”;

(2) Noah Thomas, “Researching Spanish colonial technology: integrating archaeology, ethnohistory and materials science.”

March 7 Richard Terry (Brigham Young University). “Geochemical Analyses of Ancient Maya Activities in the Petexbatun region of Guatemala.”

March 14 No Seminar (Geoarchaeology field trip)

March 21 Spring Break

March 28 No Seminar (Society for American Archaeology Meetings)

April 4 Thilo Rehren (University College London). “Early Islamic technologies of Uzbekistan.”

April 11 Hamdallah Bearat (Arizona State University). “Contribution of Natural Sciences to the Knowledge and Conservation of Archaeological Materials: Approach and Some Case Studies.”

April 18 Fiona Marshall (Washington University in St. Louis). “African pastoral perspectives on animal domestication.”

April 25 Rolfe Mandel (University of Kansas). “Stratigraphy, Paleoenvironments, and Paleoindian Geoarchaeology of Late Quaternary Valley Fills in the Central Plains of North America.”

May 2 Round Table: Beyond IGERT: Future Directions in Archaeological Science. [top]

The Edges of Life

A Series of 6 Lectures Exploring Our World and Ourselves

The University of Arizona College of Science

Spring 2008

Place: Centennial Hall

Time: All lectures begin at 7:00 pm and are free to the public

Wednesday, January 23

LIFE’S DEFINING EDGE: THE ORIGINS OF LIFE

Roy Parker, Regents’ Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Wednesday, January 30

LIFE’S EXTREME EDGE: THE LIMITS OF ORGANIC LIFE ON EARTH AND OTHER PLANETS

Jonathan Lunine, Professor, Planetary Sciences and Physics

Wednesday, February 6

LIFE’S FINAL EDGE? THE ORIGIN AND EXTINCTION OF SPECIES IN A HUMAN-DOMINATED EARTH

Michael Rosenzweig, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Wednesday, February 13

LIFE’S COGNITIVE EDGE: THE ROLE OF THE MIND AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN

Anna Dornhaus, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Wednesday, February 20

LIFE’S HUMAN EDGE: CHANGING PERSPECTIVES ON THE END OF LIFE

Michael Gill, Associate Professor, Philosophy

Wednesday, March 5

LIFE’S TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE: THE SINGULARITY IS NEAR: WHEN HUMANS TRANSCEND BIOLOGY

Ray Kurzweil via Teleportec Teleporter, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Kurzweil Technologies, Inc.

Call 520-621-4090 or go to http://cos.arizona.edu/ for more information. [top]

Water Resources Research Center Seminar Reminder

Please save Friday, January 18, 2008 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am for a special Brown Bag Seminar at the Water Resources Research Center, Sol Resnick Conference Room.

The seminar is scheduled earlier in the day than our usual time so that it can be held in conjunction with the first meeting of my graduate class, Arizona Water Policy.

The topic will be the "East Valley Water Forum Management Plan." The East Valley Water Forum is comprised of public and private water providers, irrigation districts, state regulators, Indian communities, state agencies, and federal agencies. The Forum, after 4 years of work, completed a regional water management plan. The geographic area is the East Salt River Valley (the Eastern portion of the Phoenix Metro area). East Valley water users are pumping about 400,000 af/year.

The Forum's Executive Director, Teresa Makinen, and Doug Toy, one of its members, will share with us information about the planning process and the management plan's findings. All are encouraged to read the management plan at www.evwf.org.

A reminder will be sent prior to the seminar. My class, which starts at 9:00, will take a break a few minutes before 10:00. If you arrive early and the doors are closed, please have a seat in the lobby or small conference room until we open the doors.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our first Brown Bag seminar of 2008!

Happy New Year!

Sharon Megdal
Water Resources Research Center
350 N. Campbell Tucson AZ 85721
520-792-9591 [top]

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Summer Research Opportunities for Undergrads

The National Science Foundation funds several sites that provide research opportunities for undergraduates (REU Sites), usually in the summer. The application season is now. See the list and links at http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.cfm?unitid=5050. [top]

GSA Student Research Grants Reminder

Apply online at www.geosociety.org/grants/gradgrants.htm. Online submission must be completed by Friday, 1 February 2008, at 11:59 p.m. (MST).

The GSA student research grant application process is online only. No paper applications or letters will be accepted. Students must be GSA Members to apply and may only receive a grant once at the master’s level and once at the Ph.D. level. Those who have applied for grant funding but have not received a grant are welcome to apply again. The maximum award per grant is US$4000. [top]

2008-2009 GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellowship

Deadline: 1 February 2008 (Time is Running out!)

Information and Instructions: www.geosociety.org/csf/

Work directly with national leaders, bringing your academic and professional background, experience applying scientific knowledge to societal changes, and passion for shaping the future of the geosciences to bear on Capitol Hill.

Contact Ginger Williams, +1-303-357-1040, gwilliams@geosociety.org, if you have questions. [top]

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Call for Abstracts - AIPG-AHS-3rd IPGC 2008 Symposium

Arizona Hydrological Society

3rd International Professional Geologic Conference

CHANGING WATERSCAPES AND WATER ETHICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Flagstaff, Arizona

Radisson Hotel and the High Country Conference Center,

Northern Arizona University

Technical Sessions - Short Courses - Workshops - Social Events

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Abstract Form

Deadline for Abstracts is April 15, 2008.

Oral Presentations and Poster Sessions

You are invited to participate in the symposium on Changing Waterscapes and Water Ethics for the 21st Century. This milestone event is organized by a committee of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS), and the 3rd International Professional Geology Conference (3rd IPGC). Sponsors include: AAPG-DPA, AHS, AIPG, ASBOG, CCPG, EFG, IYPE, NAU, and USGS.

The symposium will be held in Flagstaff, Arizona from September 20-24, 2008. Presentations and Poster Sessions will be held September 22 and 23, 2008.

The symposium Steering Committee is lead by General Chairperson Barbara Murphy, RG, CPG, Clear Creek Associates and Vice Chairman Dr. Aregai Tecle, Professor of Hydrology, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University and Dr. David Best, Professor of Geology, College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Northern Arizona University.

Location

The symposium itself will take place at the convention center at the Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus in picturesque Flagstaff. Field trips will be offered to the Grand Canyon, the San Francisco volcanic field, the Jerome mining district, to the red rocks of Sedona, Walnut Canyon Anasazi cliff dwellings, and many more exceptional geology and cultural sites.

Symposium Highlights

The symposium includes technical sessions, poster sessions, workshops, welcome reception, technical tours, and field trips.

See, http://www.aipg.org/2008/AIPG-AHS-3IPGC.htm, for more information. [top]

UA ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nominations for Outstanding Senior Awards

Each year we request nominations for senior awards, Freeman, Robie, and Nugent which are the only student awards presented at the May commencement ceremonies. PLEASE SOLICIT NOMINATIONS FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT and ORGANIZATION FOR DESERVING STUDENTS. The awards will be presented to six outstanding graduating seniors, one man and one woman for each award.

The Senior Awards nomination form can be found at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/Assets/pdffiles/seniorawards2008.pdf.

Nominations Deadline:

All nominations must be returned to

The Dean of Students Office

Attn: Claudia Davila

by 12:00 p.m., Monday January 28, 2008 Old Main, Room 203.

Please call 621-2782 with any questions or check the following site: http://uanews.org/node/13020. Thank you. [top]

Crafting a Successful Grant Proposal - ADVANCE

ADVANCE Monthly Career Development Sessions. Each month ADVANCE hosts an informal career development session for graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to discuss strategies for success in academia. For the January 2008 session, Dr. LouAnn Gerken, Director of Cognitive Science & Dr. Neal Armstrong, Professor of Chemistry & Optical Sciences.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

12 - 1:30 pm

Presidio Room, Student Union

These sessions are part of a series featuring senior faculty in STEM fields discussing pathways to leadership, career trajectory, and work/life balance.

Additional topics include presenting scientific research to the media, and developing professional networks within the scientific community.

Please open link to view informational flyer http://pacs.arizona.edu/docs/GerkenArmstrongF1.pdf [top]

Survival Skills and Ethics - COURSE FOR GRAD STUDENTS AND POSTDOC FELLOWS

There is still time to sign up for Survival Skills and Ethics. Graduate students (and advanced undergraduates), and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to join us (see announcement below).

ATTENTION GRAD STUDENTS AND POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS!!!

************************

Spring 2008 Course

************************

This course is designed for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in all disciplines. Its purpose is to introduce, discuss, and practice the many skills needed to survive successfully during and after graduate school. Ethical issues are explored throughout the course. Topics include:

Effective Speaking and Writing

Authorship, Publication, and Peer Review

Grantspersonship

Mentoring

Teaching

Career Options

Successful Surviving

Compliance Requirements

Intellectual Property

Integrity in Research and Other Creative Activities

Ethical Issues

When/Where: Wednesdays 3:00-5:50 pm; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences 205

Registration: SPH 649 (also BIOC 649 or PSIO 649) - 3 units

Contact: Dr. Jenny Hoit at 621-7064 or hoit@email.arizona.edu [top]

Primary Faculty Election, Spring 2008

Nominating Petitions and Instructions are available just outside my office on the file cabinet, G-S 208, for Faculty Senate College Representative, Vice Chair of the Faculty, Secretary of the Faculty, Committee of Eleven, Committee on Committees, and Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee. The deadline for submitting these petitions to the Faculty Center, 1400 E. Mabel St., is Monday, February 11, 2008. - Lauren Bivona [top]

SEDS General Meeting

SEDS, the Students for the Exploration and the Development of Space, first general meeting is on Wednesday, Jan 23rd at 4 PM. It will be held in the Steward Observatory in room N305. New members will meet the officers and old members as well as hear about the events we plan to have for the rest of the spring and summer, such as trips, projects, fundraising, and out-reaching to the public. There will be free pizza afterwards. [top]

Keck Call for Medical Research Concepts 2008

W.M. Keck Foundation Medical Research Program

UA Call for Concepts

Overview of Opportunity

The W.M. Keck Foundation (www.wmkeck.org), one of the largest foundations in the United States, has supported projects in science, engineering, and medical research for more than 50 years. Its emphasis is on high-risk, high-impact research projects with the potential for significant breakthroughs in the project's field. The UA has a relationship with the Keck Foundation and, in partnership with foundation staff, is vetting concepts to present for the next phase I proposal deadline.

Who: The Office of the Vice President for Research, through a competitive review process, will select a concept to move forward in the next round of the Keck Medical Research Program. The University of Arizona Foundation, as the 501c3 organization supporting the UA's development effort, applies on behalf of the UA and serves as official liaison to Keck.

What: One-paragraph concept summary and single supplemental page described below.

When: Concepts due to jflynn@al.arizona.edu by January 25, 2008. The phase I proposals will be due to Keck on May 1, 2008. The phase II deadline, for phase I concepts that are approved to move forward, is later that summer. Deadlines change from time to time, but last year's phase II proposal deadline for the May phase I round was August 15.

For more information: Carefully review the guidelines on the Keck website. (See http://www.wmkeck.org/programs/medical.html and all related links and downloads.) If there are additional questions, please contact Jenny Flynn, Director, Foundation Development, UA Foundation at 626-6953 or jflynn@al.arizona.edu.

Please note that Keck frequently updates its proposal guidelines and even deadlines. It is imperative to check often and refresh your web link.

Please e-mail your contact information and the one-paragraph concept summary and single supplemental page to jflynn@al.arizona.edu by January 25, 2008. [top]

ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT DON’T FIT IN ANY OTHER CATEGORIES

NSF Day at UNLV

The National Science Foundation and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas will be holding a one-day workshop on Friday, February 8, 2008. We want to extend an invitation to you and to anyone else at your institution who would like to attend this workshop and learn more about the NSF and its programs.

The workshop will provide an overview of the Foundation, its mission, priorities, and budget. It will cover the NSF proposal and merit review process and NSF programs that cut across disciplines. Additionally, representatives from seven NSF directorates and the Office of International Science and Engineering will make presentations on their programs and will also be available individually and in breakout sessions for more specific discussions of potential research proposals.

There is no registration fee for this workshop; however, preregistration is required. Please register by Friday, February 1, 2008. A registration form is available from Lauren. You can register by sending the requested information by email to gwilson@nsf.gov or by faxing or mailing the registration as indicated on the form.

The workshop will be held at the Student Union on the UNLV campus. A map of the campus can be found at http://maps. Unlv.edu/map-main.html. We expect that both those familiar with NSF programs and those who should be will find “NSF Day at UNLV” useful and informative. We hope to see you there. - Jeff Nesbit, Director [top]

EarthWorks On-Line Archive: http://www.geo.arizona.edu/events/enewsletter