Lamont Weekly Report – November 11, 2005

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
P.O. Box 1000, 61 Route 9W Palisades, New York 10964

<> REPORT SUMMARY <>

- Letter from the Director

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<> LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

It is Poppy Day today in England and in most of the British Commonwealth. This simple symbol - the only flower that bloomed on the wasted battlefields of northern France in the years following
1918 - marking the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month upon which the First World war ended. Because it was a normal work day around here today this important annual moment of remembrance has slipped by with too little recognition, I fear.

We are clearly on the downward slope towards the Holidays - one more week before Thanksgiving, then one week before the San Francisco AGU (the Lamont party is on Tuesday 6th ), then one week before our Holiday Party (on the 21st) and then a work week that currently has just one day (28th).

A week today Ellen Smith (CU Director of Government Relations) is coming out to Lamont again to give us a briefing (and answer questions) on the Washington scene and provide an update on what we know about the federal budget process. It will be 230pm in the Monell Auditorium, next Friday - 11/18, just before the regular colloquium - all are welcome.


Del Bohnenstiel and Chris Zappa organized a most useful symposium on Wednesday afternoon, to get folks talking about how best we can, as an Institution, benefit from the NSF ORION program. There will be over $260M of real new money going onto this program over the next several years, so from a strategic point of view it is important that we figure out how we can use it to advance our own research agendas. This first afternoon spent learning about plans and ideas was a very good first step - Chris and Del will be running a monthly seminar series from here on and we will plan another half day activity in the New Year, in preparation for a crucially important national planning meeting in Salt Lake City in March. So you will be hearing much more about this in coming years and months.

I can see the river again from my office - few leaves are left on the trees - winter is coming again.

Have a good weekend,


- Mike

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