OSU Prof Lubchenco to head NOAA
From the Washington Post:
President-elect Barack Obama has tapped Oregon State University professor Jane Lubchenco, one of the nation's most prominent marine biologists, to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Lubchenco, a conservationist who has devoted much of her career to encouraging scientists to become more engaged in public policy debates, is also a vocal proponent of curbing greenhouse gases linked to global warming. The transition team could not be reached for comment, but several sources confirmed today that Lubchenco had been picked and was headed to Chicago for the upcoming announcement.
The appointment marks a shift for NOAA, which oversees marine issues as well as much of government's climate work. Lubchenco has criticized the agency in the past for not doing enough to curb overfishing.
Andrew Rosenberg, who served as deputy director of NOAA's Fisheries Service under Clinton and is now University of New Hampshire professor of natural resources and the environment, praised Lubchenco as an "absolutely world class scientist."
"When has NOAA been headed by a member of the National Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society?" he said, referring to America and Britain's most prestigious scientific societies. "That's exactly the right signal. It establishes NOAA as one of those key scientific agencies."
By selecting someone who's both a respected researcher and an active player in national policy discussions, Rosenberg added, "it's saying that science agencies have a role in policy. They need to be tightly connected, and I believe they will be tightly connected under Jane."
Scientists are thrilled by the selection of Dr Lubchenco, the first person with an Oregon connection to be named to President-elect Obama's upcoming administration.
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Dec. 18, 2008
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5:20 p.m.
Dec 18, '08
here is more on Prof Lubchenco:
lots more if you google her
the Big O's website has a more detailed story but totally failed to put a link to it on the front of their website. well done, guys; way to run a website.
Dec 19, '08
Maybe keeping science relatively apolitical is the one campaign promise he's decided to keep. This is an outstanding selection, imo.
One linguistic note. I find it odd that the Brits resist PC correct non-sexist labels, given that they're pushing the nanny state more than we are. I was struck by her being a "Fellow of the Royal Society". I deal all the time with women's cricket teams and they refer to the "opening batsmen". Just an aside. It seems a bit odd.
9:27 a.m.
Dec 19, '08
otoh, the British are also leaders in an area i find outstanding: the elimination of unnecessary punctuation. no period following Mr, Ms, Dr, etc. very sensible.
btw, Z, i lived in England for 5 years and i love cricket. even got to play a bit. is there cricket to watch locally (i'm pretty sure there is)? how about recreational? it's a great game (i'm still a huge Ian Botham fan).
11:03 a.m.
Dec 19, '08
Yes -- hooray for Lubchenco. I'm thrilled; NOAA will be well-served by such a dedicated, smart, professional leader.
And to further spin off topic... T.A. - Hooray! for cricket. I was opening batsmen in college (Haverford had one of the nation's leading teams, which admittedly isn't saying that much), having learned to love the sport when I was in Australia. Few Americans know that cricket was briefly popular in the United States in the 1800s, and is often counted as the world's second most popular sport (after soccer), thanks to the British colonizing India, etc.
According to Google, there's a Portland Cricket Club: "The cricket season in the Portland Metro area is from April to October; however, PCC members meet frequently in the off-season to play indoor cricket. PCC plays on Saturdays on John Deere Field in Gresham, Oregon (intersection of 181st avenue and San Rafael, just off I-84)."
Sadly, there's a trend to make it quicker and shorter, with the 20/20 movement (20 overs), but if you ever head out to a match, please report back.
Dec 19, '08
Almost makes up for the fact that he chose Ken Salazar, a backer of various Bush initiatives (including Gale Norton and Alberto Gonzalez) to head the Interior Department. Instead of change, we get a guy who is being cheered by the mining, agribusiness, and logging lobby...
http://www.counterpunch.org/doe12182008.html
Dec 20, '08
I'm pretty sure I saw Prof Lubchenco at a cricket match in Corvallis, sssttttreeeettttchh, so I'll indulge posting some links for locals. Well, OSU does have a side, and PCC play in Corvallis... Before there was an Ashes, the very first England touring side toured that hotbed of cricket, North America. (The Civil War destroyed the pitches and baseball required less overhead and took over).
Anyway, I couldn't get the links through the spam filter and couldn't cut down the number without gutting the reference, so I posted the info on another blog/thread .
Dec 20, '08
In regard to an earlier post, Dr. Lubchenco is a smart scientist, but she is not "apolitical." Over the years, she may have crossed the line from pure scientist to advocate. In fact, selecting her to head NOAA is likely an acknowledgment of that.
Dec 20, '08
It would appear that Blue Oregon is one of the few sites in the left blogosphere that has pre-empted the all-Rick-Warren-outrage, all-the-time telethon in favor of highlighting a bit of what one might reasonably think is a very important story: Obama's clear message that science will play an important role in his administration. If you doubt me, go to YouTube and watch Obama's weekly address on precisely this matter.
Beginning January 20, 2009, we will have an administration that will NOT make decisions about environmental and energy issues, medical technologies, and other science & technology matters by calling in panels of clergymen, or panels of oil and coal executives.
But yes, I know, science and technology are boring stuff, and getting worked into a lather about Rick Warren is oh so much more satisfying.
Dec 21, '08
Maybe keeping science relatively apolitical is the one campaign promise he's decided to keep. This is an outstanding selection, imo. ... in regard to an earlier post, Dr. Lubchenco is a smart scientist, but she is not "apolitical." .... Maybe keeping science relatively apolitical is the one
I was trying to be positive. I don't get a lot of practice.
Dec 21, '08
Doesn't look like oregon will be very well represented in an Obama admin. The NOAA post is pretty far down the food chain (buried within itty bitty commerce) and easily overshadowed by Gov Richardson at the top.
So what happened to Earl Blumenauer and the DOT slot chatter? Nothing as usual. Underwhelming Earl never seems to rise to the top of any list. Instead, we get a lazy REPUBLICAN Amtrak proponent and member of the house bike caucus.
Check out a little Ray Lahood primer at think progress: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/19/lahood-record/
Earl couldn't even outshine this guy? What a major looser we have for a US Rep.
Dec 22, '08
I play as an opening batsmen and occasional medium-pace bowler (pitcher) for the Northwest Cricket Club in the Oregon Cricket League. We have 5 teams locally and play mostly at a field in Gresham. (Sadly, the OSU and HP teams in Corvallis lost their lovely field on the HP campus last year!)
Dunno what this has to do with NOAA policy, but as an Oregon Dem and an active organizer of cricket in Oregon, I HAD to respond...:)
Dec 24, '08
Cool beans! For anyone that wants to catch some great international action, Australia take on South Africa in the second, five day test and abc grandstand will have commentary live over the internet . The link is a little squirrelly because it only shows the audio link when there's play in session (don't be decoyed by the "tune in" tab). The match starts 3:30 pm our time, xmas day and runs five days. It's the famed "Boxing Day Test".
Throw a prawn on the grill and crack me an oil can! Fair dinkum, mate.
Dec 27, '08
Apologies as the blacked it out this year for the first time. you can see video on ooxtv.com for free though, live.
<h2>And lest you think we're crazy ...</h2>