The temperature right now here in Moscow is minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit. It is predicted to rise to 3 degrees in the middle of the day, so folks are generally pleased that the 'cold snap' is coming to an end!! I am here for a three day meeting of the heads of the major ocean institutions around the world, an annual event that rotates around the big ocean centers. (The host here is the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology.) It is a rare opportunity to talk with ocean leadership from everywhere from Australia to South Africa, including Spain, Germany, France, UK, Korea, China, Japan etc. etc. We enjoyed a very grand reception last night at the Russian Academy of Sciences, a huge, magnificent building completed just at the end of the Soviet era - too much caviar, too much sturgeon... Anyway, the really important thing right now is that the weather at JFK is predicted to be good so I should have no problem getting home on schedule over the weekend. It
has been a good and useful meeting - worth the pain of travelling so far - but I shall be glad to return to the winter warmth of New York.
On a completely different topic:
I am very pleased to report that Lamont post doc Esteban Gazel has been informed that his research has been awarded the Costa Rica National Science Award. Esteban tells us that this award is rarely given to a geologist and constitutes a significant national honor, the presentation being made at an official ceremony in April by the President of Costa Rica, Nobel Peace Price winner Oscar Arias. Esteban - many congratulations!
I am also very pleased to report that after months of hard work the Comer Building has been formally granted Silver LEED status as an environmentally sound building - this is truly an accomplishment for an energy-hungry lab building of this type. Thanks to Pat O'Reilly, the architects and CU Facilities for helping make this happen.
Have a great weekend,
Mike
PS I just received the sad news that Lamont legend going back 50
years, Sam Gerard, has passed away. Our hearts go out to his family.