92-93 March No. 5
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THE ANTARCTICAN SOCIETY 905 NORTH JACKSONVILLE STREET ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22205 HONORARY PRESIDENT — MRS. PAUL A. SIPLE ________________________________________________________ Vol. 92-93 March No. 5 Presidents: Dr. Carl R. Eklund, 1959-61 A Memorial Service for Dr. Benninghoff Dr. Paul A. Siple, 1961-62 will be held at Arlington National Cemetery Mr. Gordon D. Cartwrighl, 1962-63 RADM David M. Tyree (Ret.), 1963-64 Tuesday, March 23, 1993 at 2 PM Mr. George R. Toney, 1964-65 (Meet at the Administration Building at 1:30 PM) Mr. Morton J. Rubin, 1965-66 Dr. Albert P. Crary, 1966-68 * Dr. Henry M. Dater, 1968-70 Mr. George A. Doumani, 1970-71 Dr. William J. L. Sladen, 1971-73 Mr. Peter F. Bermel, 1973-75 Crustal Provinces and Tectonics in the Transantarctic Dr. Kenneth J. Bertrand, 1975-77 Mountains: The View from a Field Geologist Mrs. Paul A. Siple, 1977-78 Dr. Paul C. Dalrymple, 1978-80 Dr. Meredith F. Burrill, 1980- 82 by Dr. Mort D. Turner, 1982-84 Dr. Edward P. Todd, 1984-86 Dr. Scott Borg Program Mr. Robert H. T. Dodson, 1986-8 8 Manager Polar Earth Sciences Dr. Robert H. Rutford, 1988-90 Mr. Guy G. Guthridge, 1990-92 Office of Polar Programs, NSF Dr. Polly A. Penhale, 1992-94 on Honorary Members: Ambassador Paul C. Daniels Dr. Laurence McKinley Gould Monday evening, 29 March 1993 Count Fmilio Pucci Sir Charles S. Wright 8 PM Mr. Hugh Blackwell Evans Dr. Henry M. Dater National Science Foundation Mr. August Howard Mr. Amory H. "Bud" Waite, Jr. 1800 G Street N.W. Paul C. Daniels Room 540 Memorial Lecturers: Dr. William J. L. Sladen, 1964 RADM David M. Tyree (Ret.), 1965 Dr. Roger Tory Peterson, 1966 Dr. Borg graduated from Pomona College in 1977 with a BA in Dr. J. Campbell Craddock, 1967 geology. Attracted by possibilities of working in Mr. James Pranke, 1968 Dr. Henry M. Dater, 1970 Antarctica, he attended Arizona State University, working Sir Peter M. Scott, 1971 with Ed Stump, earning his MS in geology in 1980 and his PhD Dr. Frank Davies, 1972 Mr. Scon McVay, 1973 in geology in 1984. He became a soft-money researcher at Mr. Joseph O. Fletcher, 1974 the University of California, first at Los Angeles, then at Mr. Herman R. Friis, 1975 Dr. Kenneth J. Bertrand, 1976 Berkeley, and continued to work mainly on problems in Dr. William J. L. Sladen, 1977 Antarctic basement geology, with greater emphasis on using Dr. J. Murray Mitchell, Jr., 1978 Dr. Laurence McKinley Gould, 1979 isotopic techniques to characterize continental crustal Dr. Charles R. Bentley, 1980 blocks and terranes in addressing problems in Antarctic Dr. Robert L. Nichols, 1981 Dr. Robert H. Rutford, 1982 tectonics. He spent a short time working for the Department Mr. R. Tucker Scully, 1983 of Energy on the Yucca Mountain Project prior to going to Dr. Richard P. Goldthwai t, 1984 Dr. Mark F. Meier, 1985 NSF as Manager of Polar Earth Sciences. Scott is truly an Dr. Claude Lorius, 1986 Antarctic heavyweight, so be sure to come and hear the Dr. Louis J. Lanzerotti, 1987 Mr. Peter J. Anderson, 1988 newest program manager in the Office of Polar Programs. Dr. Ted E. DeLaca. 1989 Dr. Sayed Z. El-Saved. 1990 Dr. Charles W. Swithinbank, 1991 Dr. Susan Solomon, 1992 Chances are you won't get this in time, but if you do, Gary Kopff and Gary Ball will speak at the Cosmos Club (Powell Auditorium) on Sunday, 7 March at 3 PM on "Everest and Antarctica Past Age 45?" Naturally this doesn't apply to any of us, as we're all 39 or under, but you might want to know what's in your future. BRASH ICE We have been sort of dogging this Newsletter, waiting for the National Science Foundation to announce the new Director of the Office of Polar Programs. Finally, as February came to an end, it was announced that Neil Sullivan was the winner, or, at least, the next ascendant to the throne. I think the scientific community must really be rejoicing over the news, as Neil has been on the forefront of Antarctic science since graduate school days. And he is a nice guy who probably hasn't alienated any people along the way. In a way it is sort of a waste of a top-notch scientist to put him into this administrative position, but, then again, it may give him the lever- age to get some of the things done which he might not have been able to have gotten done otherwise. It had to be a two-sided coin, and we're sure it wasn't an easy decision for Neil to make. Outside of Bob Rutford, there hasn't been a tried and true Antarctic scientist in that position since its inception. As soon as the warranty ran out on our fax machine, it broke down, so that was another excuse to delay this Newsletter. And, after three mild winters, the month of February was a throwback to what winter months are supposed to be, so we have been enjoying snow and cold, and not writing. As you will see, this Newsletter is less taradiddling by yours truly and more inputting from you members. This issue would never sell at the checkout counter of your local supermarket, but, hopefully, you will like some truthfulness for a change of pace. Our membership is down to 600, where we seem to have stabilized. Our aim is to make the Newsletter of interest to our members, so if you want something you're not getting, let the Nerve Center at 905 North Jacksonville Street know about it. We promise nothing, but at least we will entertain your suggestions. GOOD LUCK, NEIL! NEIL SULLIVAN INCOMING DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF POLAR PROGRAMS. The National Science Foundation (NSF), announced on 25 February that Cornelius W. Sullivan, currently director of the Hancock Institute for Marine Studies and professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California, will be the new Director of the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). Sullivan's appointment begins May 16, 1993, and tie will serve as a consultant to OPP until then. OPP is responsible for the United States' multidisciplinary research programs in both Antarctica and the Arctic, with a budget of more than $243 million for fiscal year 1993. "Cornelius Sullivan is one of the world's leading polar scientists," said Walter Massey, outgoing Director of the National Science Foundation. "He has led many interagency and international expeditions to Antarctica, and has carried out research in the Arctic. As a former member of the National Academy of Sciences' Polar Research Board, he is also a leading voice in polar research policy circles." Sullivan's achievements include chairing the steering committee of the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem Research at the Ice-Edge Zone (AMERIEZ) project, a pioneering multidisciplinary investigation of ecosystem processes affected by pack ice dynamic in the Southern Ocean. The research has made major contributions to confirming the ice edge's critical role in cycles of energy and materials. The new director's own research has focused on microbial processes in the ice-edge - 2 - zone in both polar regions. He has been a recipient of NSF support since 1978 from both OPP and the Ocean Sciences Division. He is a member of the SCAR/SCOR Group of Specialists on Southern Ocean Ecology, which conducts long-range planning of research on the region's ecology. He also serves on the editorial boards of polar and microbiological journals. Sullivan has taken an active part in NSF's Young Scholars Programs, which provides high school and college students with hands-on research experience. He supervised the first female participant, Catherine Blish, in the Young Scholars Program in Antarctica, as well as a second scholar who joined the U.S.-Russian Weddell Sea Ice Camp expedition in 1992. The new OPP director graduated from Penn State University in 1965, and continued at Penn State through his master's. He received his PhD in marine biology from the University of California in San Diego in 1971, and then did a post-doctoral at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, 1971-1974. Since 1974 he has been on the faculty of the University of Southern California. Incidentally, Neil Sullivan was our Society's first lecturer following Peter Wilkniss becoming Director of the Division of Polar Programs, on 17 September 1984. If tradition follows, it means Scott Borg will be Neil's replacement in 2002. Remember, you read it here first! SIPLE RIDGE PUTS RUTH BACK ON THE ANTARCTIC MAP. When the late Paul Siple was on the U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition, he named several features after his family, a coastal mountain for his wife Ruth, something for his sister Carrol Kettering, and they were duly excited and pleased. But then in the late 60's or early 70's, someone in authority, using infinite wisdom, purged Antarctica of all female names not connected with the Byrd and Ronne families, so such features as Mt. Ruth Siple, Mt. Jane Wade, and others had the first names on the features eradicated. We have just heard that the Board which approves the names of Antarctic features has named a ridge for Ruth. We grant you a ridge is no mountain, but at least it puts Ruth back on the Antarctic map. And it gives her bragging rights if she should ever find herself in a cocktail lounge where the subject is Antarctic geography. Congratulations to our Honorary President who does all the work that keeps this Society alive and active.