What's New                                                                                                        

34th International Geological Congress Travel Grant and Mentoring Program
The GSA Foundation, the U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences (of the National Academy of Sciences), Shell, Inc., and the American Geosciences Institute are excited to announce a travel grant and mentoring program for students and early career scientists who are enrolled in, or employed at, U.S. institutions. Early career scientists are defined as those within 7 years of receiving their Ph.D. Each award is anticipated to be a maximum of $3,000. To apply, please submit the following items by 17 February, 2012, to http://rock.geosociety.org/igc/:

• An on-line application/résumé,
• Proof of abstract submission and a copy of the submitted abstract,
• A record of relevant courses and grades (students only),
• Two letters of recommendation, and a
• Cover letter addressing your reasons for attending the meeting and a prioritized budget of expenses.

2012 AAAS Symposium - “Toward Stabilization of Net Global Carbon Dioxide Levels”
Sponsored by the four USNCs for the Earth Sciences and spearheaded by the U.S. National Committees for Soils and for Geodesy and Geophysics, this session aims to provide a clear understanding and comparison of the attributes of the various sequestration strategies, including their capacity, economics, risks, application time-scales, and long-term stability. The symposium will be held February 17, 2012 at the AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Speakers include:

• Isabel Montanez (University of California): Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Climate Sensitivity in a Warmer World
• Sally Benson (Stanford University): Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Deep Sedimentary Formations
• Peter Brewer (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute): Impacts of Stabilizing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels: The Role of the Oceans
• Keith Paustian (Colorado State University): Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Agriculture: Living Up to Potential?
• Karen Haugen-Kozyra (KHK Consulting Ltd.): Carbon Pricing Policies in North America: Past, Present, and Future
• Ben Yamagata (Coal Utilization Research Council): Managing Carbon Dioxide Emissions Today: An Industry Perspective

Organizer: Paul M. Bertsch, University of Kentucky
Co-Organizer: Ester Sztein, The National Academies
Discussants: James E. Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Cesar Izaurralde, Joint Global Change Research Institute

2012 AAAS Symposium - “Causes and Effects of Relative Sea-Level Changes in the Northeast Pacific"
This session, spearheaded by the U.S. National Committee for Geodesy and Geophysics, will first review the various contributing factors to relative sea-level changes in the Northeast Pacific and then examine likely adaptations with an emphasis on shores in British Columbia. The symposium will be held February 19, 2012 at the AAAS meeting in Vancouver, Canada. Speakers include:

• John J. Clague (Simon Fraser University): Impacts of Rising Seas on the British Columbia Coast in the 21st Century
• Denise J. Reed (University of New Orleans): Surviving Sea-Level Rise: What Can Be Done To Maintain Viable Coastal Wetlands?
• David Flanders (University of British Columbia): Flood Adaptation Near Vancouver: A Regional Adaptation Collaborative

Organizer: Brian F. Atwater, U.S. Geological Survey
Co-organizers: C.K. Shum, Ohio State University and Ester Sztein, The National Academies
Moderator: Brian F. Atwater, U.S. Geological Survey
Discussants: Margaret Davidson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center and Philip R. Hill, Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada

Canadian Climate Scientist Elected as Next President of the International Council for Science
Professor Gordon McBean, an internationally recognized meteorologist and climate change expert, has been named as the future President of the International Council for Science (ICSU). An established member of the ICSU community, McBean was elected by representatives from ICSU’s 120 National Members and 30 International Scientific Unions gathered at the 30th ICSU General Assembly in Rome, Italy, on 27–30 September 2011. He is set to succeed the current ICSU President, Yuan Tseh Lee, in October 2014, and will be the first Canadian to take up this office. View press release. (Photo copied from people.uleth.ca)

The Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research Program (PEER)
The PEER program is a competitive grants program that will allow scientists in developing countries to apply for funds to support research and capacity-building activities in partnership with their NSF-funded collaborators on topics of importance to USAID. For more information and to view a list of eligible countries, please visit http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/dsc/peer/index.htm.

IRDR Conference 2011
The 2011 IRDR Conference, "Disaster Risk: Integrating Science & Practice", was held October 31-November 2, 2011 in Beijing, China. The conference focused on topics such as the characterization of hazards, understanding decision-making, reducing risk, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.irdrinternational.org/conference2011.php. 

Indonesia's Muddy Mess
The May 2010 issue of Earth Magazine contains an interesting article on Indonesia's mud volcano which has been erupting for four consecutive years.  Sidoarjo, an agricultural center for Java, rice fields, sugar cane plantations and aquaculture has suffered greatly - the mud has already drowned several villages and displaced more than 50,000 people. How did the eruption originate?  Can anything be done to stop it?
Dr. Thomas Casadevall, Chair of USGS, was interviewed for this article.
Read the full article (40KB PDF).


Facilitating International Cooperation: The IGCP Provides Grants to Scientists
The USNC for Geological Sciences functions as the U.S. focal point for the International Geoscience Program (IGCP), a cooperative enterprise of UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). 

The IGCP is and has been stimulating comparative studies in the Earth Sciences since 1972 and facilitates international cooperation by providing small grants to scientists from developing countries, allowing them to work with colleagues from the United States and other, developed nations.

For more information, consult background materials on the IGCP homepage on the UNESCO Website or send an e-mail to IGCP@usgs.gov.  Download and review Proposal Form Guidelines (79 KB PDF).  The deadline for submission and receipt of new project proposals is now closed. 

First Young Earth-Scientists Congress held in China
The Young Earth-Scientists for Society (YES) network, an association of earth-scientists under the age of 35 years representing geological societies from around the world, in collaboration with the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), held its first world congress October 25-28, 2009 in Beijing, China.  Download congress circular (247KB PDF).  Visit the official YES Congress Website for additional details.