Many from Lamont joined the annual migration this week to the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. With nearly 24,000 attendees this year, the meeting has once again drawn complaints from many that it has become far too large. Most of those complaining this week, however, are at the meeting.
Leading off the week on Saturday and Sunday was a meeting of the Marcus Langseth Science Oversight Committee (MLSOC), chaired by Dale Sawyer of Rice University. The first afternoon featured a Young Career Scientists Workshop, an introduction to the Langseth and its capabilities and a forum for young-career scientists to describe their scientific interests. The business portion of the meeting on Sunday morning included reports from representatives of the National Science Foundation and the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, as well as an operator’s report by Sean Higgins. The highlight of Sunday’s meeting was a series of presentations that afternoon on the science that has been and will be accomplished during Langseth cruises.
Lamont’s Alumni Board met on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting began with discussions led by Board chair Greg Mountain on the preservation of historical materials at Lamont, alumni and student collaboration, and upcoming events. The Board will again this year recruit a “superstar” from among our alumni to visit Lamont and offer a seminar. Stacey Vassallo presented a draft of a short survey to be sent to all alumni designed to improve two-way communication and canvass for individuals interested in greater involvement in alumni activities. The Board then heard a report on development and external relations from Pete Sobel and an update from me on faculty appointments and promotions and scientific highlights over the past year.
The Alumni Board adjourned their meeting in time to join the annual reception, hosted jointly by Lamont and Columbia’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The reception was well attended by staff, students, alumni, and friends of the Observatory and DEES, and feedback on the larger room selected for the event this year was positive (even as many missed the views of the city our previous venue had afforded, however crowded that space had become). For another year, all in attendance owe thanks to Stacey for her considerable planning efforts.
On Wednesday, Pete Sobel and I paid a visit to Oleg Jardetzky, son of former Lamont geophysicist Wenceslas Jardetzky and Director Emeritus of Stanford’s Magnetic Resonance Laboratory. It is through Oleg’s generosity that the annual Jardetzky Lecture in geophysics was established in 1992 and continues to draw prominent geoscientists to the Observatory (http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/about-ldeo/office-director/internal-awards/jardetzky-lecturer). For those who like to plan ahead, the 2015 Jardetzky Lecturer will be former Lamont staff member Roger Bilham, now at the University of Colorado, Boulder (http://cires.colorado.edu/people/bilham/). Roger will visit Lamont in February.
At the AGU Honors Ceremony on Wednesday evening, several individuals with Columbia and Lamont connections were honored. AGU’s Bucher Medal was given to alumnus Bryan Isacks, Macelwane Medals were given to former Lamont Postdoctoral Fellows Rajdeep Dasgupta and Jessica Tierney, and the Union’s Flinn Award was given to alumnus Dan Fornari. Among the AGU Fellows elected this year are alumni Chris Marone, Jim Mori, and Delia Oppo; former Lamont postdoctoral fellow (and my former student) Anne Sheehan; and longtime GISS colleague Drew Shindell. In addition, Jeff Sachs delivered AGU’s Frontiers of Geophysics Lecture on Monday, and Peter deMenocal gave the Emiliani Lecture on Wednesday.
Adam Sobel and Richard Seager coauthored an op-ed piece in The Los Angeles Times today on the need to plan for such environmental risks as floods and water shortages, with Superstorm Sandy and the current California drought as poster-child examples. It’s a good read (http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1219-sobel-calif-drought-hurricane-sandy-20141219-story.html).
For those flying back to New York this weekend, safe travels. For the entire Lamont community, may the near-term deadlines at work and the preparations needed for the holidays ahead be met with ease and cheer.
Sean