President’s Corner
It has been an unusually cold, snowy winter here in Washington, and we are expecting at least 18-24 inches of additional snow here this weekend! (I thought I left all this behind on Cape Cod.) So, we will probably all be cuddling up close to the fireplace with the newly minted President’s FY11 Budget Request in hand. As you will see in details below, the President’s budget request signals good news for the ocean science community. NSF continues on its doubling funding path, NASA is reinvesting in Earth Science, and while the bulk of NOAA’s 14% increase is dedicated to satellites, there are several new initiatives and expanded resources for marine research. Of course, this is just the beginning of the process that includes months and months of Congressional hearings, markups, conferences all which lately have culminated in massive omnibus measures stuffed into Christmas stockings at the end of the year. And, to add to the drama, this is an election year. However, I can assure you that Ocean Leadership will continue to work diligently with the research community to ensure that the federal government makes adequate investments in the science and infrastructure necessary to address the pressing issues facing our nation.
This week Arden Bement announced that he will be stepping down in June as Director of NSF to lead Purdue University’s new Global Policy Research Institute. During his seven year tenure at the helm of NSF, a number of very important ocean science programs and infrastructure projects were initiated. As you all know, he was extremely successful in acquiring significant stimulus package funds for NSF. I am sure that each one of your institutions has benefited from this infusion of new research dollars. I hope you will all join me in thanking Arden for his efforts at the Foundation and wish him all the best in his new endeavor.
Have an enjoyable weekend.
Bob
