<> RECENT GRANT AWARDS
For the period 4/1/2003 – 4/30/2003

Bell, R.     Evaluation of acoustic targets for historical significance:  Magnetic signature, NYSDEC.

Goldberg, D.,     Analysis of sonic logging waveforms in gas hydrate-bearing sediments, hydrate ridge cascadia continental margin,  
Texas A & M.

Chillrud, S.,     Request for subcontract:  exposure assessment of WTC emissions using imaging spectroscopy and spatial analysis,  Mt. Sinai.

Anderson, R.F.,     Opal burial in the Pacific sector of the southern ocean:  a test of the “silicic”  acid leakage hypothese,  NSF.

Pekar, S.,     Assessing the natural hazard for lower Hudson River region by estimating climate variability for the past 6,000 years,   
Queens College.

Chen, R.,  CIESIN:  Managing and preserving geospatial electronic records,   National Historical Publications & Records Commission.



<> RECENT PUBLICATIONS

(The following list is derived from the Lamont Publications Database which identifies all publications that hold a Lamont contribution number, thereby qualifying the publications as a Lamont paper).

Anderson, O.R. A model of biocomplexity and its application to the analysis of some terrestrial and marsh eukaryotic microbial communities with an emphasis on amoeboid protists; Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 86-91, March-April, 2003.

Chase, Z. R. F. Anderson M. Q. Fleisher and P. W. Kubik) Accumulation of biogenic and lithogenic material in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean during the past 40,000 years; Deep-Sea Res. II, v. 50, p. 799-832., 2003.

Grousset, F.E., P. Ginoux, A. Bory, P. E  Biscaye. Case study of a Chinese dust plume reaching the French Alps; Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 30, no. 6,  Art. no. 1277, March 19, 2003.

Hohmann, R., P. Schlosser, B. Huber. Helium 3 and dissolved oxygen balances in the upper waters of the Weddell Sea: Implications for oceanic heat fluxes; Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, vol. 108, no. C3, Art. no. 3087, March 18, 2003.

Lanci L. and D.V. Kent. Introduction of thermal activation in forward modeling of hysteresis loops for single-domain magnetic particles and implications for the interpretation of the Day diagram; Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth; vol. 108, no. B3,  Art. no. 2142, March 12, 2003.

Small, C. and L.V. Danyushevsky. Plate-kinematic explanation for mid-oceanic-ridge depth discontinuities; Geology, vol. 31, no. 5, pp.  
399-402, May, 2003.

van Geen, A., Y. Zheng, M. Stute, and K.M. Ahmed. Comment on "Arsenic mobility and groundwater extraction in Bangladesh" (II); Science, vol. 300, no. 5619, pp. 584C-584C, April 25, 2003.



<> RECENT APPOINTMENTS
For the period 5/1/03 – 5/31/03

(Name/Hire Date/Title/Department or Division)

Bray, Jacqueline
05/15/03
Casual
Marine Geology & Geophysics

Cohen, Michael A.
05/29/03
Casual
Geochemistry

Fountain, Kristen
05/16/03
Casual
Marine Biology & Geophysics

Gutman, Robert D.
05/27/03
Casual
CIESIN

Hendy, Erica J.
05/19/03
Staff Associate
Biology & Paleo Env.

Hockert, Geoffrey
05/19/03
Casual
CIESIN

Krogulecki, Mathew J.
05/19/03
Casual
CIESIN

Landrot, Gautier
05/01/03
Staff Associate
Geochemistry

Marx, Sabine
05/16/03
PDRS
IRI

Sprecher, David
05/15/03
Casual
Marine Geology & Geophysics

Sydor, Elisabeth
05/19/03
Casual
Marine Geology & Geophysics

Taylor, Felicia
05/01/03
Administrative Assistant
Oceanography



<> WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

“Lamont’s Future in Cyber Infrastructure”

A Lamont internal workshop to explore opportunities in NSF’s new Cyber Infrastructure program

Date: June 17, 2003,  9 am to 3 pm
Location: Monell Auditorium


Background:

NSF's new Cyber Infrastructure program is an activity of substantial significance. Many research programs are becoming increasingly dependent upon capabilities to access and manipulate large and diverse data sets, and in recognition of this fact NSF is organizing a new and substantial funding program, known as 'Cyber Infrastructure'.  The Observatory must play a leadership role in this program, and given the expertise that exists here, and given our relationship with CIESIN, it is clear that substantial opportunities exist - opportunities to further our research by the design and construction of improved data access and manipulation systems.

A small group of researchers from the Observatory has met over the past few months to discuss ways how Lamont can best prepare for and take advantage of the upcoming opportunities in the Cyber Infrastructure program. As part of these preparations (and also in preparation of the visit of two NSF program directors on July 7th who are involved in the Cyber Infrastructure program), a day-long internal workshop “Lamont’s Future in Cyber Infrastructure” will be held on June 17, 2003, open to the entire campus community.  The goal of this workshop is to develop and define ideas how to advance our science through the integration of diverse data sets.


The workshop will include:

- presentations about the varied “data cultures” in different scientific fields: data policies of funding agencies, access to data, data centers, funding situation for data management projects, etc.

- presentation of examples for on-going data management projects at Lamont and IRI

- overview of the capabilities and activities at CIESIN

- presentation of some ideas for science-driven data integration that were discussed by the Cyber Infrastructure work group at Lamont.

- Discussion of ideas, and definition of strawman proposals.


Workshop Agenda:

I. Introduction:  NSF’s Cyberinfrastructure program (M.Purdy)
(9:00 – 9:05 am)

II. “Data Cultures”:  Data types, agencies’ data policies, data centers, funding for data management
-- Seismology (NN, SGT) (9:05- 9:20 am)
-- MG&G (W.Ryan?) (9:20 – 9:35 am)
-- Physical/Chemical Oceanography (R.Anderson?) (9:35 – 9:50 am)
-- Remote sensing (J.Weissel) (9:50 to 10:05 am)
-- Socio-economic data (C.Lenhardt) (10:05 – 10:20 am)

10:20 – 10:40 am  Break

III. Examples of on-going data management projects at Lamont
-- Overview of data management projects at Lamont (K.Lehnert) (10:40 – 10:45 am)
-- MG&G database projects (S.Carbotte) (10:45 – 11:00 am)
-- PetDB (K.Lehnert) (11:00 – 11:15 am)
-- ODP (NN, Borehole Group) (11:15 – 11:30 am)
-- IRI Data Library (B.Blumenthal) (11:30 – 11:45 am)

IV. The IT Component:  CIESIN (C.Lenhardt): (11:45 – 12:05 pm)
-- Architectures
-- Scientific data management
-- Data integration technologies

12:05 – 1:00 pm  Lunch

V. Science-driven data integration:  Strawman proposals for research projects
-- Bathymetry and Ocean Circulation (M.Visbeck, S.Carbotte, A.Lerner-Lam) (1:00 – 1:15 pm)
-- Hazards and socio-economic data (A.Lerner-Lam, C.Lenhardt) (1:15 – 1:30 pm)
-- Polar Year (R.Bell?, W.Smethie?) (1:30 – 1:45 pm)
-- Bathymetry and geochemistry animation (M.Spiegelman, S.Carbotte, K.Lehnert) (1:45 – 2:00 pm)

VI. Discussion  (ca. 2:00 – 3:00 pm)


If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please RSVP to Kerstin Lehnert (lehnert@ldeo.columbia.edu).
Please, feel free to submit comments and suggestions.

For more information on NSF's Cyber Infrastructure program see:

--Report of the NSF Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure:
http://www.communitytechnology.org/nsf_ci_report/

--National Science Foundation Releases New Report from Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure:
http://www.nsf.gov/search97cgi/vtopic



<> LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

I trust that you understand that under normal circumstances one of the last things that I would do is to recommend to any one that a visit to the Palisades Center Mall would be in their best interest. After having lived with the well-organized and spacious malls of the Tysons complexes in Northern Virginia, I have found the poorly designed and dysfunctional operation of Palisades sufficient to cause me to drive across the Tappan Zee Bridge in order to find the nearest Brooks Brothers (naturally the only store in which I may possibly have interest).  But to most things there are exceptions, and in this case I must recommend to you that you visit the Imax theatre at the Palisades Mall and see James Cameron's latest movie on the Titanic. The use of tiny remotely operated vehicles (in conjunction with the two Russian MIR submersibles) to produce the highest quality stereo video is a stunning testament to the current state-of-the-art in deep ocean floor imagery. It would be wonderful to see technology at this level applied to problems of research significance rather than entertainment, but still it is very impressive. (Please note that the movie would be substantially improved by removal of large pieces of banal dialog, so to complement the stereo glasses you may want to take earplugs----).

It has been an excellent week for good news from funding agencies - good news at a level that will have impact at the institution.  A significant set of database proposals were funded by NSF  -  MG&G along with a major three-dimensional seismic survey of the East Pacific Rise as well as a set of long awaited awards from NASA.  So, for a change, it has been a good week!

Inspired by this recent success, we are planning a daylong internal workshop to talk about database issues - please see details and attend if you have any interest.

Marina Cords, Chairwoman Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology visited on Tuesday to talk with Bob Anderson, John Marra, Jeff Weissel and myself about our plans to substantially expand Biogeoscience research activities here.  The Marine Office successfully completed its first annual external audit of its compliance with man dated Safety Management procedures.  Part of this process is an oral examination of the Associate Director for Marine Affairs (i.e. me) to test his knowledge of what these procedures are.  
I am too old for oral exams - but I guess we passed!!

It's the last Public Lecture on Sunday - Paul Ljunggren and I will be talking about the EWING.

Have a great weekend,

- Mike

______________________________________________________________