From the President’s Office – 2/20/09
Filed under: About,From The President's Office,News & Resources
While Congress is out of session this week, there is still a great deal of activity here in Washington, DC. We’ve been reaching out to the federal agencies as they begin to develop their spend plans for the stimulus funds signed into law earlier this week by President Obama (Please see below for the details of that bill). The federal agency plans have to be completed in sixty days, so there is a lot of activity. There are a number of programs important to our community in the stimulus package, and we want to maximize the chances for success. You can be assured that we are carefully tracking activities and providing input to the process.
The JOIDES Resolution is undergoing sea trials in route to its first port call in Honolulu. The seven-day sea trial includes drilling, coring, logging and testing of other science systems. An independent team of scientists is onboard assessing the readiness of the ship for its first scientific expedition in March. It is good to see the ship back in action!
This weekend is the second round of regional National Ocean Sciences Bowl Competitions across the nation, including the Chesapeake Bay Bowl locally at American University in Washington. Overall there are twenty five regional competitions with sixteen being held this weekend. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see a competition, I highly recommend you take some time on Saturday to see our next generation of ocean leaders flexing their ocean science knowledge. I can assure you that you will be impressed and really enjoy the competition. (Go to this link and click on your state to see if there is a competition this weekend. http://www.oceanleadership.org/link/nosb/regionalmap)
Finally, Ocean Leadership will be hosting our Annual Public Policy Forum and evening reception in the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on March 5th. The agenda and RSVP information can be found on our web site at http://www.oceanleadership.org/node/2078. I look forward to seeing you all there. It is a unique time in the history of our country and for science, so I strongly encourage you to participate in the forum and not miss the opportunity. We need your thoughts and ideas as we move forward.
