This week and last have been relatively quiet, with two holidays and many taking time off to be with family and friends. Even Nature and Science magazines schedule breaks this time of year from their weekly pace of successive issues.
Those of us in warm and comfortable settings should pause to raise a toast to those from Lamont who are in the field over the holidays, including those featured on The Lamont Log (http://lamontlog.tumblr.com/) exploiting the onset of austral summer to carry out work on and near Antarctica. The expedition of Sid Hemming and Trevor Williams to sample glacial till for records of past climate can be followed on Trevor’s Twitter log (https://twitter.com/Trevor_on_ice). The progress of Sonya Dyhrman and her group on the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer studying phytoplankton off the Antarctic Peninsula can be tracked through the regular postings of #TeamDyhrman on Twitter as well (https://twitter.com/DyhrmanLab).
Lamont scientists received good news last week from the Atmospheric Science Librarians International (ASLI), which announced this year’s winners in three categories of ASLI Choice Awards for outstanding books in the atmospheric sciences (http://www.aslionline.org/wp/2014-asli-choice-awards-winners/). Adam Sobel’s Storm Surge won the award in the Popular Category “for providing its readers with a detailed, clear understanding of the meteorological basis for Hurricane Sandy and the importance of our response to it.” Rosanne D’Arrigo, Nicole Davi, Gordon Jacoby, Rob Wilson, and Greg Wiles received an Honorable Mention in the Main/Science Category for Dendroclimatic Studies: Tree Growth and Climate Change in Northern Forests “for a clear summary of research from a renowned institution on this important topic.” Congratulations to all.
Notwithstanding the slower pace of science during the last two weeks of the year, Lamont scientists have been in the news and featured on our web pages. A story last week by Climate Central on coral records of past changes in the effect of trade wind strength on heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere quoted Brad Linsley (http://www.climatecentral.org/news/corals-secrets-of-warming-18468), and an article on VICE News on the effects of rising sea level on real estate development in Miami includes comments from Klaus Jacob (https://news.vice.com/article/miamis-answer-to-sea-level-rise-is-building-more-condos). The winter 2014-15 issue of Columbia College Today includes a feature on Columbia and Lamont alumna Jessica Cherry (http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/winter14/alumni_profiles12), a Research Associate Professor at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, an expert pilot, and an aspiring astronaut. A Scientific American blog by Kyle Frischkorn last week (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/voices/2014/12/23/you-are-welcome-here-small-stickers-make-a-big-difference-for-lgbtq-scientists/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+all-blogs%2Ffeed+%28Blog%3A+Scientific+American+Blogs+Posts%29) offers a well reasoned and personal perspective on the importance of a diverse scientific workplace that is welcoming to LGBTQ scientists. And those Twitter posts from Antarctica are nicely offset on Lamont’s web pages by a photo essay posted recently on the most recent eruption of the Fogo volcano on the Cape Verde Archipelago and the work of Ricardo Ramalho on the geological evolution of that island group (http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/photo-essay-sleeping-giant-west-africa-awakes).
The end of one year and the beginning of another offers the customary opportunity to set goals for the twelve months ahead. I offer the following New Year’s resolutions, each an update from the resolutions of the past two years:
• To continue the recruitment of the most outstanding candidates for Lamont postdoctoral fellow and Lamont Research Professor positions to work among us as colleagues, particularly in those areas of scientific research identified as most promising in Lamont’s Strategic Plan.
• To continue to ensure that our younger scientists are encouraged and guided in their professional growth and can expect support for their best research ideas and timely opportunities for promotion.
• To continue to provide opportunities for creativity and advancement for our technical and administrative staff.
• To continue to work toward improving the instrumentation, technical support, laboratory and office space, and infrastructure needed for the Observatory to pursue its research and educational missions.
• To continue to strengthen Lamont’s efforts in communication, education, and development designed to enhance the Observatory’s profile and strengthen our ability to raise the resources needed for our programs and operations.
May the coming year again be marked by new discoveries about our planet, new accomplishments in education, and an intellectually stimulating workplace sustained by collegiality and mutual support.
Sean