I flew into Houston last Sunday night in order to enjoy the two hour drive across the Texas outback to the metropolis of College Station, where I spent Monday in discussions with Texas A&M leadership about the future of the Ocean Drilling Program. It is rare on a one-day visit to any university to be privileged to have separate meetings with the President, the Provost, the VP for Research and the Dean of Geosciences, but that is what happened last Monday. A&M's commitment
to the future of ocean drilling cannot be questioned.
We are entertaining a CU Alumni group for a good part of the day tomorrow - part of our continuing efforts to build visibility for the Observatory - and so increase our base of ambassadors and potential donors. Many thanks to all the folks who gave up their Saturday to help us with this.
A little piece of good news - over the past couple of months we have received over $7M in Federal Stimulus dollars via more than 20 separate projects. It is difficult to be sure about how much of this is 'new' money - but it is money. And that is good. And I hope it continues to flow.
I first met Sallie Chisholm in Woods Hole thirty odd years ago, so was especially pleased when she agreed to be our Jardetzky lecturer this year. She gave a great talk this afternoon that further convinced me of the importance of continuing the growth of our biological oceanography group. I hope everyone was as impressed as I was.
Have a great weekend,
- Mike
Flu - Cold Etiquette -
"Please keep in mind that cold and flu season is here, and we are all particularly concerned about the spread of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. This virus is highly infectious, and can be lethal.
Coming to work when you are sick, or bringing a sick child to work, can be irresponsible. Please keep in mind that a number of your co-workers may have suppressed immune systems or have family members in similar condition. You may not be aware of this, as it is a private matter for our colleagues, but transmitting the flu virus to someone who is not in the best of health can have dire consequences.
So please, stay home if you have flu like symptoms, or if a family member needs care, and see your doctor if you experience persistent fever, combined with muscle aches or fatigue."