Lamont Weekly Report, December 7, 2012

       For those of us at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, the week has been a whirlwind patchwork of oral and poster presentations, program planning discussions, earnest conversations, and renewed connections, in part a multi-dimensional signpost of scientific progress across the Earth and space sciences and in part the tribal ritual of an enlarging and ever broadening community. 

The week was launched with a meeting of the Marcus Langseth Scientific Oversight Committee on Sunday. The business portion of the meeting included reports from representatives of the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, and University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, as well as Lamont’s operator’s report. The highlight of the meeting was a set of presentations on the science that has been accomplished during the cruises of the Langseth, including keynote talks by Nathan Bangs and Steve Holbrook.
 
On Monday, at the invitation of Ajit Subramaniam, I visited the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto to give a lunchtime science seminar. Over lunch I met Steve McCormick, President of the foundation, and Vicki Chandler, Chief Program Officer for the foundation’s Science Program. As many of you know, Ajit is on leave from Lamont to serve as Program Director for the Moore Foundation’s Marine Microbiology Program.
 
On Tuesday evening, the 30th floor of the San Francisco Marriott Union Square was filled with alumni, staff, and students from Lamont and DEES. Thanks to the organizing skills of Stacey Vassallo and her colleagues, the alumni reception was smoothly executed and well received by all, with many in attendance staying substantially later than the originally appointed ending time.
 
The reception was preceded by a meeting of the Board of Directors of Lamont’s Alumni Association, under the new leadership of Greg Mountain. Steve Cande, the Board’s outgoing chair, was unable to attend, but on behalf of the entire Lamont community the Board extended their appreciation to Steve for his years of leadership.
 
That same evening, Daehyun Kim received the James R. Holton Junior Scientist Award from AGU’s Atmospheric Sciences Section. The award was given at the section’s Fall Meeting banquet.
 
On Wednesday, DEES announced that Sebastian Vivancos and Adam Formica are the 2012 recipients of the department’s Young Investigator Award. The award, made in response to proposals submitted by the students, provides support for research or professional travel. Sebastian will use his share of this year’s $1500 award to perform carbon isotopic analysis of organic matter to reconstruct atmospheric CO2, and Adam will use his share to present results on the physiology of Arctic vegetation.
 
On Wednesday evening, AGU’s Honors Ceremony featured many from the Observatory and the greater Lamont family. Newly honored AGU Fellows included Peter deMenocal, alumni Christina Ravelo and Pål Wessel, and Tony Del Genio from GISS. Lamont alumnus Bob Liebermann received AGU’s Edward A. Flinn Award, and former Lamont scientist David Simpson was given AGU’s Waldo E. Smith Medal. Each of the honorees was toasted at the AGU Banquet held one night later.
 
By tomorrow, most of us at the Fall Meeting will be wiser but wearier than when we arrived and happy to be headed home.
        
       Sean