I came out to San Francisco on Sunday morning, in time for the UNOLS Langseth Oversight Committee meeting in the afternoon, and have been essentially bouncing from one meeting room to another since then. AGU claims approximately 19000 attendees this year - and it feels like it. There is clearly a lot of great Lamont science here - with Kevin Krajick and David Funkhouser both working hard to get it recognized and reported upon in the public media. And of course a particular highlight for us is the awarding of the highly prestigious Harry Hess AGU Medal to our own Dave Walker. Congratulations, David.
I seriously warped my schedule at the beginning of the week to get to see John Holdren's (Obama science advisor) very well attended speech - but oh, what a disappointment it was. It was a list of the Administration's accomplishments and a rallying cry to support President's Obama's policies - just not the right pitch to a room full of PhD earth scientists. He should have done the vision thing...
Lamont's Alumni Board meeting, Association Meeting and reception on Tuesday night was as always very well attended and I was especially pleased to see, as is the case each year, a few new ex-Lamonters from the San Francisco area turning up and saying hello to old friends. Stephen Lewis and Virginia Oversby turned up this year. Each year we
attract a few more - it is a slow and steady process, but a very satisfying one.
Wednesday was a particularly hectic day that was built around two important (and successful) donor visits to Palo Alto with Barb Charbonnet; and two somewhat intense meetings about the future of the Ocean Drilling Program (that is up for renewal in 2013); not to mention yet another alcohol-rich reception in the evening.
I will get home late today (Friday) after what will be my 35th (almost) consecutive San Fran AGU meeting - I do not understand it - every year all my colleagues seem to get older...
And next week I shall have to think about Christmas...
Have a great weekend,
- Mike