Thursday, October 30, 2008

AEG is Looking for Members with Intersting Hobbies


Announcement:



Nominate yourself, or someone you know to be featured in the Member Profile column in the AEG NEWS.

The NEWS is looking for members with unique and interesting hobbies outside the field of Geology. Past profiles have included a competitive surfer, professional magician, stone sculptor, competitive figure skater, singer/songwriter... you get the idea. The hobby should be something that the member is passionate about and devotes time to.

Send your ideas to AEG NEWS Managing Editor Andrea Ptak at
aptak5118@aol.com.



Before I moved up to Flagstaff I was a member of the Coyotes Curling Club, but it's not a hobby and could keep up after the move. But I'm sure people are still up to interesting things.




Friday, October 24, 2008

Journalist review of 'dancing dino' story


Here is another story of interest that I saw on Arizona Geology:

The dancing dinosaurs of Arizona have struck a chord with the news media not only in Arizona, but also nationally and internationally. There's a web site for science journalists that analyzes selected science stories of the day as a peer review service - Knight Science Journalism Tracker.

They review the press release and subsequent press coverage for the dino story and offer links to a number of sources that handled the story in different ways. It ranges from humorous to scholarly to skeptical.

Fascinating to get an somewhat deeper look at how science is reported, using a local story.

Donation for Havasupai flood damage; Web site of flood videos


I saw this on Arizona Geology, but figured others would fine it of interest as well.
The Havasupai Tribe announced a $1 million donation that will allow them to build an early warning system for floods and repair damage from the August flood that devastated their Grand Canyon home.
The donation is from the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians which is based in San Bernardino County, California.The funds will be used to:
  • Rebuild infrastructure, including bridges and trails
  • Install early warning system
  • Update emergency response plan
  • Provide emergency assistance to Tribe members who lost their jobs as a result of the flood
  • Prepare tourism materials to revive their economy
There is a Web site I just found that has compiled 11 videos of the flood, plus links to numerous first-person accounts, photo albums, and news stories. There are lots here that I haven't seen before - http://www.havasupaiflood.com/

New Journal of Geomechanics and Engineering


From the email:

Dear Colleagues:

I would like to request your special attention to the new journal;

"Geomechanics and Engineering (GAE),"

An International Journal of Computational and Theoretical Geomechanics, Foundations, Tunneling, Site Characterization, and Soil-Structure Interactions. The journal will provide an excellent publication channel for the global research community in geomechanics and its applications.

The editorial body of the new journal will be constituted with two Editors-in-Chief (Professors. Poul V. Lade (Columbia U, USA) and Jong-ho Shin (Konkuk U, Korea), and 40 editorial board members. I myself will serve as a managing editor for the journal who will handle mostly administrative matters.

The journal will be published quarterly in the first year by Techno-Press, which is one of the successful international journal publishing houses outside USA and Europe. The inaugural issue of the GAE is expected to be published in January 2009. For more information, please visit;

http://technopress.kaist.ac.kr/samplejournal/gae/gae01.jsp

Considering your global reputation in the field of Geomechanics and Engineering, I have the pleasure to invite you to contribute a paper to the new journal. We will make every effort to expedite the review process for the invited papers for possible inclusion in the first few issue of the journal. For "Instructions to Prepare Manuscrpt", you are referred to the flyer whch is attached to this e-mail.

We will also greatly appreciate if you can recommend the journal to your library for possible subscription. The journal is priced as low as possible and no other journals of similar quality can match. You may also personally subscribe to the journal at the personal subscription rate (
http://technopress.kaist.ac.kr/samplejournal/gae/gae05.jsp).

Looking forward to your enjoyable association with the new journal in the future, I remain,

C.K. Choi
Managing Editor,
Geomechanics and Engineering, An Int’ Journal

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Presidential Candidates Respond to Science Survey

AEG, through its membership with American Geological Institute, participated in the Scientists & Engineers for America Coalition (SEA). SEA submitted a series of questions to the candidates specific to science and technology. Click the link below to see each candidate's response. If the link does not work, copy and paste it in your browser.

And a bit more information at Arizona Geology.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Innovative Remediation Technology Conference


Information on the Innovative Remediation Technology Conference is found here. It's sponsored by AIPG, will be held in Denver, CO, and is next month from November 6-7.

Next Meeting - October 30th, 2008


Dear AEG Members, Professional Colleagues, Students, and Friends:

The Arizona Section of AEG is pleased to announce that our next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at Pizzeria Uno in Tempe. The hosted social hour begins at 6 PM and is sponsored by Boart Longyear. Dinner is usually served around 7 PM and the talk will begin shortly after dinner. The presentation topic is: "Field Applications of Mobile GIS," presented by Will Horton, GIS Specialist in HDR's Phoenix office. Please see below for the abstract and bio and I have also attached a meeting flyer with all of the pertinent information. Hope to see you all there!

Please RSVP, Heather Hespeler, by e-mail by Monday, October 27th.

By the way, our final meeting this year will be a special holiday meeting on Thursday, December 11th at the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa. Your meeting dues will allow you access to the museum and we will have a very nice catered dinner. We are encouraging everybody to bring their spouses and children as we are hoping to make this a family event. More information will follow. Mark your calendars!

Heather A. Hespeler, R.G.
Senior Engineering Geologist
Ninyo & Moore

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Early Registration for the International Conference on Rock Joints and Jointed Rock Masses

I got this in the email earlier today:



Dear Geo-Professional,

Please note that the early bird registration deadline for the International Conference on Rock Joints and Jointed Rock masses to be held in Tucson, Arizona, USA is October 31st, 2008. Please visit the conference website given below to obtain details about the conference, short courses, sight-seeing trips and the field trip scheduled for the duration January 4-10, 2009.

Best regards,
Pinnaduwa Kulatilake
Conference Chair
http://www.jointedrock2009.org

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Earth Science Literacy Draft Document

The NSF-supported Earth Science Literacy Initiative has prepared a draft document outlining what every citizen should know about earth science, and we are seeking community input on the draft. We hope that you will take the time to provide your input, because this document will provide a clear and concise summary of the fundamental ideas in earth science for policy makers, educators, students, and the general public.

In order to read and comment on the draft, please go to
http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/ before October 31st, 2008. We will then incorporate community comments, add graphics, and release a revised draft by early December. The final document will be printed toward the end ofJanuary.

This document complements the efforts of the Ocean, Climate and Atmospheric science communities in defining the big ideas and supporting concepts essential for an earth system literate public. The Earth Sciences draft was developed through an NSF-supported, 350-participant online workshop held in May, 2008 and a 35-participant, in-person writing workshop held in July, 2008. These workshops brought together scientists from a broad representation of the geosciences, including mineralogists, petrologists, resource explorationists, sedimentologists and stratigraphers, paleontologists, tectonicists, geophysicists, geomorphologists, low-temperature geochemists and biogeochemists, continental dynamicists, volcanologists, geohazard specialists, and members of the freshwater hydrologic science community.

This is a critical time for our science - the geosciences can play a critical role in helping society meet the challenges of natural hazards and human impacts on the environment. Please help us make this document the best it can be!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Focusing Arizona’s Water Research: A One-Day Workshop


Focusing Arizona’s Water Research: A One-Day Workshop
October 29, 2008 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fiesta Resort, 2100 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ
Jointly sponsored by AZ Water Association (AWPCA) and the Arizona Water Institute

Workshop Agenda

9:00 AM Welcome and Explanation of Workshop Activities
9:10 AM Research Highlights from current Arizona work:
• Soil Aquifer Treatment: The State of the Art
• Update on Detection and Treatment of Emerging Contaminants
• Climate Change Implications for Water Management
• Desalination News, including RO, VESP
• Perspectives on Infrastructure Security
10:45 AM Break
11:00 AM Arizona’s Got Talent: an Advocacy Contest for Water Nerds Advocates for Top 10 Contenders for
Collaborative Research Projects vie for votes!
12:15 PM Attendee Voting for Top 4 Projects
12:30 – 1:30 PM Catered lunch; “Arizona’s Opportunities for Participating in Global Water and Sanitation Solutions”
AZ Water Association Research Contributions Award Presentation
1:30 – 2:30 PM Little-Known Secrets of Successful Grant Writing and Funding
A panel of funding organizations and successful grant writers share their innermost secrets to success!
2:30 – 4:00 Four facilitated breakout groups brainstorm ideas for proposals built around the Top 4 Projects from morning
session, focusing on intended funding sources and responsibilities for next steps
4:00 – 5:00 Plenary discussion of project ideas and next steps
5:00 – 6:30 Adjourn to local watering hole

Fee: Registration Fee is $65 (continental breakfast and lunch included)
Registration: Online Registration Available at http://www.awpca.org/default.aspx (VISA and MasterCard accepted)

Mail in or Fax Registration to:
AZ Water Association (AWPCA)
1042 Willow Creek Rd., A101-510
Prescott, AZ 86301 FAX: 928-717-9910
Questions: Contact Debbie Muse, AZ Water Association, at 928-717-9905 or toll free 888-559-8844.
Payment: Check and Payment of $________________enclosed (payable to AWPCA).
Credit Card: Card Number____________________________________________Exp.Date_____________
Card Holder Name:____________________________________________________________
Signature:___________________________________________________________________
Registrant Name:______________________________________________________________________________
Company:____________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address:_______________________________________________________________________________
Phone:____________________________________Email______________________________________________

Registration Deadline: October 24, 2008 Register Early, Seating is Limited!