Almost six months into the fiscal year, the Federal agencies that support our research finally got their budgets. The president signed HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 on Tuesday. NSF gets 7.6 per cent above 2008 (and is directed among other things to spend $10M on Climate Change education); and NOAA gets an increase of 12
percent and there was this very interesting and important directive to NOAA:
"By not providing enough extramural research funding, NOAA risksg discouraging extramural involvement in NOAA's research programs and the concomitant leveraging of external funds in support of mission-oriented research. Thus, NOAA is encouraged to provide additionalg extramural funding in future budget requests"
This is very good for us! We continue to monitor carefully the development of Federal agency plans for the disbursement of the stimulus funds, and as last week, I refer you to the CU research Admin web site for regular updates on this:
http://evpr.columbia.edu/content/stimulus-arra
I am very pleased to announce that Scott Nooner of the MG&G division has been selected as the next PGI Junior Scientist. This was a very difficult selection to make among a group of excellent candidates - Scott deserves our heartiest congratulations.
After a brief port stop in Fiji, our research vessel Langseth is underway across the broad blue Pacific to Taiwan to begin multiple months of operations mapping the deep earthquake faults in this region. And the drill ship JOIDES Resolution, with Lamont Borehole Group staff on board, sailed from Honolulu on Tuesday, steaming 1000nm to the first drill site in the equatorial Pacific at the beginning of Leg 320 of the IODP.
And finally this week, for the first time in 2009, I get to drive to and from work in the light.
Have a good weekend,
- Mike