Category: administrator 
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new landmark study published today documents for the first time the process in which increased mercury emissions from human sources across the globe, and in particular from Asia, make their way into the North Pacific Ocean and as a result contaminate tuna and other seafood.
A new paper published in the latest issue of the open access publication Journal of Medical Internet Research evaluates consumers' experiences with the Indivo personally controlled health record (PCHR) system - a system developed by researchers in the Children's Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP) more than a decade ago that has been adapted by PCHR providers including Dossia, Microsoft and
On September 29, 2006, 14 United States Senators cosigned a letter to the NASA Inspector General to request a formal investigation into allegations of "political interference" with the work of scientists at NASA.From: Investigative Summary Regarding Allegations that NASA Suppressed Climate Change Science and Denied Media Access to Dr. James E. Hansen, A NASA Scientist
The man who designed the original spacecraft for Project Mercury and is credited with contributing to the designs of every U.S. human spacecraft from Mercury to the Space Shuttle has died. Dr. Maxime A. Faget, who in 1958 became part of the Space Task Group that would later evolve into the NASA Johnson Space Center, died Saturday at his home in Houston. He was 83 years old. ''Without Max Faget's innovative designs and thoughtful approach to problem solving, America's space program would have had trouble getting off the ground,'' said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. ''He also was an aeronautics pioneer. In fact, it was his work on supersonic flight research that eventually led to his interest in space flight. The thoughts and prayers of the entire agency are with his family.''
Scientists who conducted the preliminary assessment of the Genesis canister are encouraged by what they see. They believe it may be possible to achieve the most important portions of their science objectives. ''We are bouncing back from a hard landing, and spirits are picking up again,'' said Orlando Figueroa, Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. ''This may result in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat,'' added Dr. Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a member of the Genesis science team. ''We are very encouraged.'' Based on initial inspection, it is possible a repository of solar wind materials may have survived that will keep the science community busy for some time.
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today ordered that all Department of Energy (DOE) operations using such controlled removable electronic media (CREM) as classified hard drives or computer discs conduct an immediate stand-down to improve procedures for protecting such media.
As part of a long-term effort to restore the view of scenic vistas in our national parks and wilderness areas, EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt signed a rule that would cut emissions of air pollutants that reduce visibility. The proposal amends EPA's 1999 Regional Haze Rule, which requires the installation of best available retrofit technology (BART) on older facilities emitting pollution that states determine harms visibility in specially protected areas.
NASA officials are set to make a major announcement Tuesday regarding findings on the planet Mars. Speculation is that the agency will reveal that the Mars Rover has found evidence the red planet was once a lush, water-rich world. Dr. Ed Weiler, Associate Administrator, Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters, will make opening remarks. Panelists will include: Professor Steve Squyres, Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Principal Investigator, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.; Professor John Grotzinger, MER science team geologist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.; Dr. Benton C. Clark III, MER science team member and Chief Scientist of Space Exploration, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Astronautics Operations, Denver; Dr. Joy Crisp, MER Project Scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; and
Dr. Jim Garvin, Lead Scientist for Mars and the Moon, NASA Headquarters.
NASA memorialized the Apollo 1 crew -- Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee -- by dedicating the hills surrounding the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's landing site to the astronauts. The crew of Apollo 1 perished in flash fire during a launch pad test of their Apollo spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., 37 years ago today. "Through recorded history explorers have had both the honor and responsibility of naming significant landmarks," said NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe. "Gus, Ed and Roger's contributions, as much as their sacrifice, helped make our giant leap for mankind possible."
The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency today announced a major Clean Air Act settlement with Alcoa, Inc. under which the company will spend an estimated $330 million to install a new coal-fired power plant with state-of-the-art pollution controls to eliminate the vast majority of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from the power plant at Alcoa's aluminum production facility in Rockdale, Texas.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky will be joined by representatives from several invited countries to announce plans for an international forum to advance carbon and storage technologies. In addition, Secretary Abraham will announce a government-sponsored, public-private partnership to create the world's first pollution-free, fossil fuel fired power plant. The announcements follow a briefing to the President by Secretary Abraham, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman.
As my press officer indicated earlier, we will make a statement now and a little later this afternoon, about 3 o'clock eastern time, there will be a full technical briefing conducted from the Johnson Space Center. So at this point, we?re just going to give you the circumstances, as we understand them, leading up to this particular tragedy today. We will not take questions from the media.
University of California President Richard C. Atkinson has named longtime UC senior administrator Bruce B. Darling as interim vice president for laboratory management. Darling, who currently serves as systemwide senior vice president for university affairs, will take on the additional responsibilities of overseeing the university's administration of the national laboratories UC manages for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. "By making this appointment of Bruce Darling, one of my oldest and closest associates, I am sending a very clear signal that the University of California's management of the national laboratories is among my highest priorities," said Atkinson. "Bruce has been intimately involved in getting to the bottom of recent allegations surrounding business practices at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has worked closely with the Department of Energy and the NNSA on these matters, and has proved again and again that he is a trusted and effective manager and problem solver on a wide range of university issues. All these are the attributes I need in the vice president position at this critical time."
