Media advisory 5: AGU 2001 Fall Meeting press conferences and other press events

1. Revised complete press conference schedule
2. Attention PIOs: Sending press releases to Fall Meeting
3. New! Lautenbacher to Address Fall Meeting
4. New! Preview of IMAX film on deep ocean exploration
5. Press reception, book and author program
6. Monterey Bay Aquarium field trip update
7. Sullivan and Perlman Award ceremony
8. Who's coming
9. Press registration information

Important notes:

This message should be read in conjunction with Media Advisory 3 of November 16, as it does not repeat important information in that message. See: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0129.html

1. Revised complete press conference schedule

The following press conferences are planned, as of the date of this advisory. Please note that any of them may be rescheduled to a different time or day or may be cancelled. Other press conferences may be added. Any changes subsequent to this message will be announced in the Press Room. All press conferences take place in Room 112 Moscone.

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Topic: Overview of Fall Meeting
Description: Fall Meeting offers an exceptionally rich mix of special sessions, tutorials, lectures, and other events of interest to the media, in addition to press conferences. Prof. Duce, the person who has the best grasp of this broad array, will offer suggestions that will help you plan your days.
Participant: Robert A. Duce, Chair, Fall Meeting Program Committee, and Professor, Department of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas.

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Topic: Inside the Sun: What Goes on in a Giant Active Region and a Sunspot
Description: Using an instrument on the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), helioseismologists studied the changing structure underlying the largest active region of the current solar cycle and found that the manner in which it formed and grew was contrary to expectations. And, investigators have discovered that the area beneath a sunspot is spinning, and are trying to understand what that means.
Participants: Dr. Alexander G. Kosovichev, Senior Research Scientist, W.W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California;
Dr. Philip H. Scherrer, Principal Investigator, SOHO Michelson Doppler Imager, and Professor of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California;
Junwei Zhao, Graduate Student, Physics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
Relates to Session: SH11B/C

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Topic: The Cryosphere: Early Signals of Climate Change
Description: Earth's ice and snow exist relatively close to their melting points, responding to temperature fluctuations with phase changes from solid to liquid and back again. Therefore, the cryosphere, regions where water is found in solid form, represents an important early, and visually dramatic, indicator of global climate change. Over the past quarter-century, escalating climate feedbacks in the cryospheric regions have been observed. Armstrong will describe the major parameters in the world of snow and ice, the trends they reflect, and their interactions with related phenomenon, such as sea level. Cases in point include important new findings regarding Antarctic ice mass changes to be addressed by Shepherd and Rignot, while Tucker will describe decreases in Arctic mean ice draft and its relationship to circulation dynamics.
Participants: Richard L. Armstrong, National Snow and Ice Data Center/CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado;
Walter B. Tucker; U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire;
Andrew Shepherd, Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, University College London, London, United Kingdom;
Eric Rignot, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Relates to Session: IP22B

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Galileo's Recent Polar Flybys of Io
Description: New observations of Io acquired by the Galileo spacecraft during two close polar flybys in August and October, 2001 will be presented. These results include new constraints on an Ionian magnetosphere and on plasma acceleration near Io. New high-resolution images of territory not previously seen close-up by Galileo, including Loki and a brand new eruption at a site where volcanic activity had been observed previously, and NIMS observations will also be presented.
Participants: Margaret Kivelson, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, California;
Donald A. Gurnett, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa;
Elizabeth P. Turtle, Research Associate, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona;
Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Relates to Session: P11A

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Topic: Cluster Tunes in Radio Earth and Observes Invisible Auroras
Description: Researchers have known for three decades that the Earth is a tremendous radio transmitter, but they were never able to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. Using the quartet of spacecraft from the Cluster mission, scientists have been able to precisely locate the source of that radio noise along magnetic field lines several thousand miles above bright regions in the aurora. In another finding, researchers using instruments on Cluster have made the first close-up measurements of the formation of electrical structures known as the "black aurora," comparable to a photographic negative of the aurora. Researchers have also found evidence of electrons being accelerated away from the upper atmosphere into space, creating holes in the ionosphere.
Participants: C. Philippe Escoubet, Project Scientist, Cluster mission, European Space Agency/European Space Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC), Noordwijk, Netherlands;
Robert L. Mutel, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa;
Goran T. Marklund, Professor in Space Physics, Alfven Laboratory, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden;
Melvyn Goldstein, NASA Project Scientist for Cluster, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Relates to Session: SM21B

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Topic: Pinatubo: Ten Years of Scientific Advances
Description: Remarkable changes have occurred since the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo Volcano, both locally in the Philippines and globally, in the earth's atmosphere and climate. Researchers in many disciplines seized ephemeral opportunities to capture lessons from this once-in-a-lifetime volcanic event. Among their discoveries: magma ascent, magma mixing, and groundwater foretold Pinatubo's eruption; winter warming follows large, sulfate-rich tropical explosive eruptions; production of world-record sediment yields; and discovery of controls and key indicators of watershed recovery after such a massive disturbance.
Participants: Alan Robock, Director, Center for Environmental Prediction, Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey;
Christopher G. Newhall, Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, and Affiliate Professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington;
John A. Power, Geophysicist, Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska.
Relates to Session: U31A

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Topic: The ACE-Asia Project: Better Understanding of Aerosols
Description: Aerosol Characterization Experiments (ACE) are designed to increase our understanding of how atmospheric aerosol particles affect the Earth's climate system. The ACE-Asia region includes many types of particles derived from one of the largest aerosol source regions on Earth, emitted by human activities, industrial sources, and wind-blown dust. Results from ACE-Asia (Spring-Summer 2001) are improving our understanding of how atmospheric aerosols influence the chemical and radiative properties of the Earth's atmosphere and will have enormous scientific impact and help shape the global climate debate for many years.
Participants: Thomas A. Cahill, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Departments of Applied Sciences/Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, California;
Barry J. Huebert, Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii;
Young J. Kim, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and Director, Advanced Environmental Monitoring Research Center (ADEMRC), Kwangju, Republic of Korea.
Relates to Session: A32D

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Topic: Arctic Oscillation: Milder and Wetter Winters
Description: A recent shift toward the positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation has been associated with milder winters in Siberia and the Eastern U.S., increased rainfall over Northern Europe and Alaska, and a thinning of Arctic sea ice. Research suggests that this change is not due to natural variability, but may be due to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases. New results indicate that warming tropical oceans may play an important role in this long-term change, but that interactions with the stratosphere may be important on shorter timescales, raising the possibility of improved long-range weather forecasts.
Participants: Nathan Gillett, PhD student, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom;
James W. Hurrell, Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado;
Mark P. Baldwin, Senior Research Scientist, Northwest Research Associates, Inc., Bellevue, Washington.
Relates to Session: A32A

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Topic: First Maps From the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM)
Description: Scientists are taking their first look at new data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM): the most complete, highest resolution, digital topographic map of the Earth. These 3-dimensional data will, for example, allow studies of landscape evolution through landsliding and erosion in coastal Oregon, and determination of hazards due to volcanic mudflows at Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines. New topographic maps will be displayed for Oregon and Mt. Pinatubo , as well as for the entire state of California. [Note: Currently, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency of the Department of Defense has requested that no SRTM data be released. The presenters hope that this restriction will be lifted by the time of Fall Meeting, but if it is not, the scientists will have no data on which to report. In that event, the press conference will be cancelled.]
Participants: William Dietrich, Professor and Chair, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California;
Peter Mouginis-Mark, Professor, Hawaii Institute Geophysics and Planetology, and Chief Scientist, Pacific Disaster Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii;
Tom G. Farr, Deputy Project Scientist, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
Relates to Session: G22B

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Fractals in the Earth Sciences
Description: Fractal methods reveal repetition of patterns hidden within complex systems. The timing, size, and location of natural events, such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, hurricanes, and shoreline position, are found by fractal methods to have levels of order not found by conventional mathematical approaches. The order within these systems is used by scientists to make probability forecasts of the size, number and timing of future events. Fractal mathematics provides a key to describing the scaling (how the system changes with time, size, or location), which is fundamental for understanding and forecasting the behavior of natural systems. This press conference will include Benoit B. Mandelbrot, the "father of Fractals," and leading scientists in the application of Fractals to natural hazards. Participants: Benoit B. Mandelbrot, Sterling Professor of Mathematics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut;
Donald L. Turcotte, Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Engineering, Department of Geological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York;
Bruce D. Malamud, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, King's College London, London, United Kingdom;
Christopher C. Barton, Senior Research Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida;
John Rundle, Professor of Geological Sciences and Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
Relates to Session: NG31B

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Topic: Challenges to Climate Observation
Description: There are large uncertainties in predicting future global and regional climate change, which in turn cause large and uncertain societal risks. It is therefore surprising that there is no current or planned global Climate Observing System analogous to the global weather observing system. Panelists will give examples of the economic and technical challenges facing development of such a system. These include major data collection gaps, data storage gaps, and rapidly disappearing paleoclimate data sources. Thomas Karl will present climate data for 2001, for the U.S. and Earth as a whole, putting the year into historical perspective.
Participants: Raymond S. Bradley, Professor and Head of Geosciences Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts;
Mark R. Abbott, Dean and Professor of Biological Oceanography, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon;
Thomas R. Karl, Director, National Climate Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Asheville, North Carolina;
Bruce A. Wielicki, Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy (CERES) Principal Investigator, Senior Scientist for Radiation Sciences, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.
Relates to Session: GC31B

Day: Tuesday, December 11
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Topic: Exploring Extraterrestrial Oceans - and Our Own
Description: It now appears that there are at least four bodies in our solar system that have large accumulations of liquid either on or below the surface: Earth, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Other large, ice-rock bodies may possess, or have possessed, fluid at some time in their evolution, e.g., Mars, Titan, Triton, and Pluto. One of the most compelling reasons for looking outward at water-bearing planets is the potential that we may find recognizable life forms in ecological niches similar to some of the so-called extreme environments found on Earth. Rapid changes are taking place in oceanographic research strategies and tactics. During the next several decades, exploration and discovery within the ocean and planetary sciences will converge to create ingenious, remote controlled electro-mechanical systems that routinely and interactively explore and experiment with ocean environments throughout our solar system.
Participants: Torrance V. Johnson, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California;
Richard E. Thomson, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada;
Relates to Sessions: U12B, OS31D

Day: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Topic: Abrupt Climate Change
Description: Abrupt climate changes affecting large parts of the Earth have occurred frequently in the past, and are likely in the future, with potentially great impact on ecosystems and societies. Climate surprises may well await us, since available models are not fully able to simulate the past. A new study from the National Research Council highlights the emerging field of abrupt climate changes, including work by these panelists. It recommends targeted research before we are surprised, perhaps unpleasantly, by an abrupt climate change.
Participants: Richard B. Alley, Professor, Environment Institute and Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania;
Dorothy M. Peteet, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York;
Wallace S. Broecker, Professor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York;
David Battisti, Professor and Director, JISAO, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Relates to Session: U41B

Day: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Topic: Global Warming Mitigation
Description: The panelists state that scientists are still very far from alternate energy systems that would permit continued economic growth with stabilized carbon dioxide and climate. They say we need massive research and development into radically innovative systems to extract energy from nature. These researchers are doing innovative research on systems that address this issue -- albeit in very different ways, including carbon sequestration, geoengineering, and lunar power systems.
Participants: Ken Caldeira, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California;
Donald Wuebbles, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois;
David R. Criswell, Institute for Space Systems, University of Houston, Houston, Texas;
Martin Hoffert, Professor of Physics, New York University, New York, New York.
Relates to Session: U32B

Day: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Topic: 2001 Mars Odyssey Poised to Begin its Science Mission
Description: The exploration of Mars will enter a new phase in February when the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft completes its orbital adjustments and turns its science instruments toward the surface. Since arriving in Mars orbit in October, it has been guided through dozens of delicate "aerobraking" passes through the upper atmosphere to altitudes as low as 100 kilometers (62 miles). By late January, the final two-hour mapping orbit is expected to be reached. Panelists will provide an update on the aerobraking progress, including science results obtained to date. They will describe how will Odyssey search for water and study the elemental and mineral composition of the Martian surface.
Participants: James Garvin, Mars Program Scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.;
R. Stephen Saunders, 2001 Mars Odyssey Project Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California;
Richard Zurek, Chairman, 2001 Mars Odyssey Atmospheric Advisory Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California;
Philip R. Christensen, Principal Investigator, Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
Relates to Session: P41A

Day: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Topic: SAFARI 2000: Impacts of Increased Southern Africa Rainfall
Description: Results from this South Africa-based mission reveal how above average seasonal rainfall increased the growth of vegetation, providing more fuel for wildfires and agricultural burns for several years following. The fires added more pollution into the atmosphere, when burning occurred during the following dry seasons. The pollution increased ozone in the lower atmosphere, creating health hazards. SAFARI 2000 also captured images of plumes of pollution that traveled one-third of the way around the world to Australia.
Participants: Robert Swap, Dept. of Environmental Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia;
Harold Annegarn, Atmosphere and Energy Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa;
Michael D. King, EOS Senior Project Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland;
Robert Scholes, CSIR - Environmentek, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
Relates to Session: A41C

Day: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Topic: First Simultaneous Imaging of Both Polar Auroras
Description: For the first time, spacecraft have observed a solar storm over both hemispheres simultaneously. On August 17, 2001, the IMAGE spacecraft was over Earth's north pole while the Polar spacecraft was observing the Southern aurora during an geomagnetic substorm. High latitude polar cap auroras are generally inferred to be "anticonjugate"; that is, if observed on the dawn side of the northern hemisphere, it is generally found on the dusk side of the southern hemisphere. The auroras in this event, were, however, nearly conjugate, appearing on the dusk side of both polar caps. Simultaneous movies of the boreal and austral auroras will displayed and interpreted at this press conference.
Participants: Patricia H. Reiff, Professor, Rice Space Institute, Rice University, Houston, Texas;
Harald U. Frey, Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California;
John B. Sigwarth, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Relates to Session: SM42D

Day: Thursday, December 13
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Topic: Deep Space One's Encounter with Comet Borrelly
Description: In its September 22, 2001, flyby of comet Borrelly, the Deep Space 1 spacecraft obtained the highest resolution images ever obtained of a comet's nucleus. The principal preliminary findings are:1) The reflectance of Borrelly's nucleus is the lowest of any solar system object yet studied; 2) The material ejected by the comet is concentrated in several jet-like features on the sunlit side. Close to the nucleus the material is being ejected generally in the sunward direction. 3) The plasma surrounding the comet is symmetric along the line connecting the Sun and the nucleus, as might be expected from interaction with the solar wind. It is offset.
Participants: Robert M. Nelson, Project Scientist Deep Space 1, Senior Research Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena , California;
Laurence A. Soderblom, Deep Space 1 Imaging team leader, Geophysicist, Astrogeology Team, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona;
David T. Young, In situ measurement team leader, Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences Department, Space Physics Research Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan.
Relates to Session: P52C

Day: Thursday, December 13
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Topic: North American Carbon Sinks
Description: Negotiations of the international climate change treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, have involved intense debates over whether forests and other ecosystems can help meet reduction targets for carbon dioxide emissions by participating nations. Questions remain as to whether science and technology are advanced enough to adequately quantify "forest credits" for carbon sinks on national scales. Participants will review the latest evidence from their research efforts to document the annual North American sink in terrestrial ecosystems. Discussions will include accounting for variations in carbon sinks over time and understanding the remaining uncertainties in their methodologies.
Participants: George C. Hurtt , Assistant Professor, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire Durham, New Hampshire;
Jing Chen, Professor of Geography, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;
Christopher Potter, Research Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California;
Pieter P. Tans, Chief Scientist, Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, Colorado.
Relates to Session: B52B

Day: Thursday, December 13
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Topic: Ancient Earthquakes and Volcanoes and Their Impact on Early Human Societies
Description: The panelists believe that earthquakes/tectonics and archaeology are two disciplines whose time has come to be linked. They discuss the significance of earthquakes in the understanding of archaeological findings and their reinterpretation, as well as the importance of archaeological evidence in revealing earthquake time/space patterns. They describe evidence for the possible role of earthquakes in ushering in past societal collapses. They also discuss migration of early man as controlled by tectonics.
Participants: Amos M. Nur, Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California;
Robert L. Kovach, Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California;
Erhat Altunel, Osmangazi University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Geology, Eskisehir, Turkey;
Iain Stewart, Brunel University, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.
Relates to Session: U52B

2. Attention PIOs: Sending press releases to Fall Meeting

Public Information Officers are invited to send press releases relevant to sessions at Fall Meeting. Please address them to:

Harvey Leifert
AGU Press Room
Moscone Center, Room 111
747 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

(Press Room phone: 415-905-1007)

Packages should be marked "Deliver on Saturday, December 8," but may be shipped to arrive prior to that date. Releases received Monday, December 10, and after will, of course, also be made available to reporters in the Press Room.

3. New! Lautenbacher to Address Fall Meeting

Day: Thursday, December 13
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: Room 134 Moscone

The newly confirmed head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Vice Admiral (Retired) Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., will make his first address to a major science meeting at Fall Meeting. As Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Lautenbacher will lead NOAA, the nation's top science agency for oceans and the atmosphere.

Lautenbacher attended Harvard University, receiving master's and doctorate degrees in applied mathematics. He was selected as a Navy Federal Executive Fellow and served at the Brookings Institution. Most recently he was the president of CORE, the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education, a Washington, D.C., based association of oceanographic research institutions, universities, laboratories and aquaria.

We are seeking a press briefing prior to the address, if Adm. Lautenbacher's schedule permits. If it can be arranged, it will be announced in the Press Room.

4. New! Preview of IMAX film on deep ocean exploration

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Place: IMAX Theater, Sony Metreon, 101 Fourth Street (at Mission Street)

The press is invited to view a 20-minute selection of the first extensively illuminated super-high fidelity footage of the deep ocean on the largest IMAX screen in the United States. Filmed from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Alvin, the footage includes shots from hydrothermal vent sites in the Atlantic and Pacific at depths of 600 to 4000 meters (2,000 to 13,000 feet). This raw footage will be part of "Voyage into the Abyss" (working title), now in production and scheduled for release September 2002.

Filming for the project brought together the latest advances in submarine imaging and lighting technology, including a new lighting array configured specially for the Alvin submersible and the unique demands of this project. The final film will be the culmination of over six years of development and the first concerted effort to light and capture a diversity of the ocean's extreme environments in a high-definition presentation.

Seating is limited. We will advise at the 8:00 a.m. Overview briefing whether tickets are required and how to obtain one. The Metreon is just a few minutes walk from Moscone, and the screening should be over in time for you to return by 10:00 a.m.

5. Press reception, book and author program

Day: Monday, December 10
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Our annual press reception and program takes place the first afternoon of Fall Meeting, cosponsored by Westview Press. At 5:30, the Press Room is the site of our wine and cheese reception, where we can meet new colleagues and greet old friends. Members of the Northern California Science Writers Association (NCSWA) who are not otherwise covering the meeting have been invited to join us.

At 6:30, we will move into the Briefing Room for a program featuring the authors of two new science books aimed at the general public.

Kevin Krajick, winner of AGU's 1998 Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism, will discuss Barren Lands (Times Books), in which he relates the fascinating story of the quest for diamonds in the most desolate reaches of the Canadian Arctic. Kevin skillfully imparts a great deal of scientific information while spinning a colorful (and true) story.

Naomi Oreskes of the University of California, San Diego, will discuss Plate Tectonics (Westview Press), which she edited, consisting of memoirs by 17 scientists (many of whom will be attending this event). They recount the birth and early years of this young science. (The term, "plate tectonics," is only 35 years old, Oreskes notes.) This book will literally be off the press just days before Fall Meeting, and you will be among the first to see it.

Signed copies of both books will be available for purchase following the program.

6. Monterey Bay Aquarium field trip update

Day: Sunday, December 9
Time: 9:00 a.m. - ~7:00 p.m.

There is still space available. Please send an email message to Harvey Leifert, hleifert@agu.org, if you wish to participate. (Preregistration is required even if you will make your own way to the aquarium).

Important! The bus will leave promptly at 9:00 a.m. Please arrive at the entrance to Moscone between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. Eat breakfast first, and take a snack or coffee along if you wish; no food will be served on the bus. (Lunch will be served upon arrival at MBA.)

Details of the field trip remain as stated in Media Advisory 2 (see http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0126.html), with one exception: The bus will not return to Moscone, but to the San Francisco Hilton Hotel, from where participants can easily walk, or catch a taxi, to other hotels.

If you are confirmed on the field trip, an asterisk (*) appears after your name on the “Who’s Coming” list in Section 7, below.

Lunch will be served, compliments of AGU, upon arrival at MBA.

7. Sullivan and Perlman Award ceremony

Date: Wednesday, December 12
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Place: San Francisco Marriott Hotel, 55 Fourth Street

AGU’s 2001 journalism awards will be presented during Fall Meeting. As previously announced, the winners are:

• Richard Stone - Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism - Features, for “Vostok: Looking for Life Beneath an Antarctic Glacier,” in Smithsonian magazine
• Glennda Chui - David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism - News, for “Acid Mountain,” in San Jose Mercury News.

The awards are presented during Honors Evening in the San Francisco Marriott Hotel, 55 Fourth Street (one block from Moscone). A reception follows, also at the Marriott. The event is open to all, and there is no charge.

8. Who’s coming

Following is the list of press registrants as of the date of this advisory. An asterisk(*) following the surname indicates that the person is confirmed for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Field Trip on Sunday, December 9.

Robert Adler, Freelance
Mario Aguilera*, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Andrew Alden, About.com
Anatta, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Oliver Baker, Freelance
Kristina Bartlett*, Geotimes
Kelly Beatty, Sky & Telescope
James Bela*, Freelance
Lou Bergeron, Freelance
Henry Bortman*, Astrobiology News
Andrew Bridges, Associated Press
Koren Capozza, United Press International
Mike Carlowicz*, NASA GSFC/Emergent IT
Kenneth Chang, New York Times
Suzanne Chippindale, Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Glennda Chui, San Jose Mercury News
Tom Clarke, Nature
Phil Cohen, New Scientist
Robert Cowen*, Christian Science Monitor
John Cox, Freelance
Eva Emerson, Freelance
Britt Erickson*, Environmental Science and Technology
Cassie Ferguson, San Diego Supercomputer Center
Timothy Ferris, Triplepoint Films
Stacey Fowler, Environmental News Network
Andrew Fraknoi, Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Geoffrey Garrison, Freelance
Helen Gillespie*, Freelance
Donald Goldsmith*, Interstellar Media
Bonnie Gordon, Astronomy Magazine
Rob Gutro, NASA Earth Science News Team
Carl Hall, San Francisco Chronicle
Linley Erin Hall, Freelance
Brooks Hanson, Science
Mary Hardin*, NASA JPL
Lynley Hargreaves, Freelance
Bob Henson, UCAR
Christian Heuss*, Freelance - UCSC
Tara Hicks, Freelance
Jacqueline Hollister, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Robert Irion, ScienceNOW
Pat Jorgenson, USGS
Dick Kerr, Science
James E. Kloeppel, University of Illinois
Jonathan Knight, Nature
Kevin Krajick, Freelance
Edie Lau, Sacramento Bee
Shelley Lauzon, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Barbara Levi, Physics Today
Dawn Levy*, Stanford University News Service
Emilie Lorditch, Discoveries and Breakthroughs
Rick Lovett, Freelance
Naomi Lubick*, Freelance
Dana Mackenzie, Freelance
Betsy Mason, New Scientist
Barbara McConnell*, National Geographic Magazine
Usha Lee McFarling*, Los Angeles Times
Robin Mejia, Freelance
Debbie Meyer*, MBARI
Ryder Miller, Freelance
Kendall Morgan, Freelance - UCSC
Mary Beth Murrill, NASA Mars Exploration Program
Madeleine Nash*, Time
Robert Naeye, Mercury magazine
Rachel Odell, Bend Bulletin
Larry O’Hanlon, Discovery.com
Sid Perkins*, Science News
David Perlman*, San Francisco Chronicle
Charles Petit, U.S. News & World Report
Kendall Powell*, Freelance - UCSC
Andrew Quinn, Reuters
Horst Rademacher*, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Krishna Ramanujan, NASA Earth Science News Team
Dave Rosenbaum, Engineering News-Record
Anne M. Rosenthal, Freelance
Linda Rowan*, Science
Ned Rozell, University of Alaska
Jim Scanlon*, Coastal Post
Phillip Schewe, Physics News Update
Randy Showstack*, Eos
Mark Shwartz, Stanford University News Service
Sarah Simpson*, Scientific American
Jesse Smith, Science
Peter Spotts*, Christian Science Monitor
Alan Stahler*, KVMR-FM
Michael Starobin, NASA TV
Bill Steigerwald*, NASA GSFC
Rich Stone, Science
Kathy Svitil, Discover
Timothy Tawney, NASA GSFC
John VanDecar, Nature
Annette Varani, National Snow and Ice Data Center
Ray Villard, Space Telescope Science Institute
Lidia Wasowicz, United Press International
Guy Webster, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Krista West*, Scientific American Explorations
Kasey White, Joint Oceanographic Institutions
Andrea Widener*, Contra Costa Newspapers
Alexandra Witze*, Dallas Morning News
David Wolman, ACFnewsource
Kathleen Wong, California Wild
Byron Young*, KVMR-FM
Robert Zimmerman, Freelance

9. Press Registration (This information is repeated from previous advisories.)

Press registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Briefing Room. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.

Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:

• Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of the publication.
• Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, NCSWA (or other regional affiliate of NASW), CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ, or evidence of by-lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2000 or 2001.
• Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.

Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for-profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees.

Press preregistration has closed. You may register onsite in the Press Room (not at the main registration booths).