Town Hall Meeting Announcement
Antarctic Research: Impacts of Rising Logistical Costs
on the Research Program
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting
Moscone West, Room 2003, 7:30pm
San Francisco, California
Thursday, 18 December 2008
For further information, please go to:
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm08/index.php/Events/TownHall
Dear Colleagues,
We invite you to attend a town hall meeting, "Antarctic Research:
Impacts of Rising Logistical Costs on the Research Program," to be held
Thursday, 18 December 2008, at 7:30pm, in Moscone West, Room 2003. This
town hall will be held during the fall meeting of the American
Geophysical Union (AGU), being convened 15-19 December 2008, in San
Francisco, California.
With rising costs of fuel and other logistical resources, the U.S.
Antarctic Program faces considerable challenges in supporting research
at current levels. In August, the Directors of the Office of Polar
Program (OPP)'s Division of Antarctic Sciences and Division of Antarctic
Infrastructure and Logistics issued a letter that detailed the
short-term impacts and future challenges to supporting science in
Antarctica. Besides those changes outlined in the August letter, another
consequence of the current budget situation is OPP's recent decision to
cancel procurement of a ship to replace the L.M. Gould, following the
expiration of the current charter.
The upcoming AGU town meeting will offer a brief overview of the current
situation, with most of the time available intended for questions and
answers, or for the community to provide views and feedback to NSF
program representatives.
We encourage all members of the Antarctic science community to attend.
Bring your questions and concerns. The meeting will be an opportunity to
ask the ANT Division Director and OPP/ANT program managers questions and
to offer comments, criticisms, or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Scott Borg
Division Director
Antarctic Sciences Division
Office of Polar Programs
National Science Foundation