http://gsahist.org

Julie's Friendly Advice on Applying for an NSF Grant . . .

(Note: This piece was written for the Forum for the History of Science in America newsletter, News and Views and appeared in the Summer 2004 issue. The focus here is on funding for history of science (rather than scientific research), and the program officer is Ronald RaingerC to whom everything I said about program officers seems to apply quite accurately!--Julie Newell)

I should start with a comment on context, more specifically, my context. I teach at one of the campuses in the State University System of Georgia. We offer bachelor's and master's degrees in science, technology, and related fields. Southern Polytechnic State University is the kind of place at which I always wanted to work: it focuses on and values teaching. But we're also going through a culture change, with increasing expectations for research. This change was well timed for me. After a decade in the classroom, I was increasingly anxious to try to get back to the research I love (history of American geology). Like all state university systems, Georgia faces financial challenges so resources (both time and money) are extremely tight. And the Georgia system has no sabbaticals, no paid time off or release time for research. Three campuses in the system are designated as "research institutions" and they have slightly different rules, but if I wanted time out of the classroom for research I was going to have to find a way to finance it. Part of the culture change we were (and are) undergoing included increasing encouragement for faculty members to seek grants, but there was at that time (2001) no institutional help for grant writing.

What follows are the really important lessons I learned.

(1) Look at the Science and Technology Studies page. It includes the program announcement, target dates, contact info, and more. Be sure to dig around in the grants made by the Science and Technology Studies program in the last few years. I was much encouraged to see things that looked sort-of-like but not just-like what I wanted to do.

Go to SRS Grants and Fellowships and just look around a little. Don't let the FastLane submission thing scare you--I'm not a techie and I've never had a major problem. It's very user-friendly (it even automatically converts your files into PDFs for you) and lets you work on things multiple times. You don't submit anything until you're ready.

(2) Find out who on your campus handles NSF grant applications and visit with them. (Technically, the application comes from and the grant is awarded to your institution). I prepared my own grant proposal--twice--but we have a person now who will help. In any event, you need to know what your campus procedure is because you'll be dependant on it at critical points.

(3) Remember to be specific but think big . . . some of the best advice I got was:

(4) Pick people's brains! I found important mentors among my friends and made new friends while looking for experienced mentors--it's amazing what I learned just talking to people who had previously applied for or held grants! (I'd give credit were credit is due, but I don't want the people who helped me to be overwhelmed with requests for advice. Mentors are everywhere, and I've never asked for advice and not gotten a warm response.)

The current Science and Technology Studies Program officer at NSF, Keith Benson, is a historian of science. I worked with his predecessors Mike Sokal, before I applied, and Bruce Seely, when I applied and when I re-applied. It's a two-year term--I don't know who is up next or exactly when, but if immediate past history is any guide you'll find an invaluable source of information, advice, and encouragement in the Program Officer. And watch for workshops at professional meetings and articles in professional society newsletters-they've really been encouraging us to apply.

(5) Once you've got a grant, keep good records! The person who knows the most about your budget, your expenses, what home-institution resources you've used and how much, is you. My assumption was that a grant comes with serious stewardship responsibilities, but it was also in my best interest to take those responsibilities seriously.

I made the money go further than I ever expected, and I knew if a bookkeeping error had charged something to "my" grant that didn't belong there. I managed stretch my original budget to cover extra archive time by tracking my spending and keeping my expenses low whenever possible.

(6) Learn how to say "no" and pretend to be invisible. One of the best things about my NSF year was that, even though I was actually on my home campus a good deal of the time, people perceived that I was "gone". I didn't go to meetings, I didn't serve on committees, and when somebody did track me down, I practiced saying "I'm sorry, I can't do that, I'm on research leave." In the year and half since them, it's been much easier (although it's still not easy) to carve out bits of time for research in an environment rich in teaching and service obligations. This is a special challenge for me because I'm both gregarious and service-oriented. But I'm getting there, and a whole year of practice helped in more ways than I could possibly count.

[Editor’s Note: We are indebted to our new Second Vice-Chair, Julie Newell, for providing us with this article. I hope that others find it as interesting and useful as I did. Thanks, Julie, for sharing it with us. Bill.]

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REPEATED FROM THE DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

SPECIAL REPORT - DIVISION AWARDS

History of Geology Division: Awards, Past, Present and Future

In 1981, the division established its History of Geology Award, which has been given every year since 1982. This year, the award went to Stephen G. Brush, a distinguished historian who has made major contributions to the history of geophysics, modern physics, and other fields. He has been especially interested in the history of our understanding of the Earth's internal heat, as it relates to thermodynamics and the nature of irreversible processes. His scholarly work in this area and on the history of attempts to determine the age of the Earth has been very influential.

At the annual meeting in Denver, it was proposed that the division's existing award should finally acquire a name. For historical background on this matter, take a look at the division's website, at http://gsahist.org/HoGaward/award.htm . A motion was put forward to name this award the Mary C. Rabbitt Award. The proposal was unanimously adopted. There was universal agreement that this is very appropriate. Mary Rabbitt recently left a most generous bequest to the division. Moreover, she made important contributions to our knowledge of the history of geology. Mary Rabbitt was an authority on the history of the U.S. Geological Survey, in particular. She was herself the third recipient, in 1984, of the award that will henceforth bear her name.

Proposal to Establish a Distinguished Service Award

It has been the division's practice, since its Award was first established, to bestow this honor on a person who has made notably important contributions to scholarship in the history of geology. This is consistent with the terms that currently define the Award, which read as follows:

Criteria toward the end of the list refer to professional activities which serve scholarship indirectly, including service to the Division itself. However, the overwhelming emphasis on original scholarship has properly made this the governing criterion in most, if not all, the awards that have so far been given.

It has been proposed more than once that the Division should establish an additional and separate award to recognize distinguished service to and for the history of geology. A proposal to this effect was introduced at the Annual Meeting, in Denver, this year. After some discussion, the motion was tabled to allow for development of a properly reasoned proposal, with specified criteria, that could be reviewed and decided upon by the Division's membership at large.

The Distinguished Service Award of the Geological Society of America's History of Geology Division may be given from time to time to an individual or individuals, for exceptional service to the advancement of our knowledge of the history of the geological sciences.

Contributions deserving of this award may include but are not limited to the discovery, management and making available of rare source materials; promotion of meetings, symposia and scholarly organizations devoted to the history of geology; establishment and editing of scholarly journals in this field; and exceptional service to the Division or other organizations related to the history of geology.

This new award may be given annually, but it is not the intent of this proposal that it should necessarily be given every year. Consequently, no regular committee will be established to review nominations for the award. The availability of the award will be announced annually in the Division's newsletter. Nominations will be sent to the Secretary/Treasurer. The determination to make one award (or none) in any given year will be made by the current officers of the Division.

If this proposal is accepted by the membership, it is further proposed that the criteria defining the Mary C. Rabbitt Award be amended to read as follows:

Thus if the new Distinguished Service award is approved, the Division will have one annual award, the Mary Rabbitt award for scholarship, and another award, the Distinguished Service award, which may or may not be given on an annual basis, to recognize service rather than just scholarship.

R. D. K. Thomas (Past-Chair, HoGD) 14th November, 2004

The above item was included in the December issue of our Newsletter for the members to read and consider, with the promise that it would be repeated in the next issue (this one), along with a ballot to vote on the proposals. That ballot is included in this issue.

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SALT LAKE CITY GSA - OCTOBER 16-19, 2005

Title: Thinking About Fossils: The Emergence and Development of Paleontological Thought in North America from Native American Customs to the End of the Great Western Surveys (1900) Ed Rogers, Presiding

Scientific Categories: History of Geology, Paleontology/Paleobotany

Sponsors: GSA History of Geology Division; HESS, GSA Archaeological Geology Division, Paleontological Society, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

Colleagues within the paleontological community have expressed a need for a session devoted to the history of paleontological thought and development of the major collections which resulted from the early scientific expeditions. The subject is broad and for this topical session will be restricted to North America. Papers will cover paleobotany, invertebrate paleontology and vertebrate paleontology. Much of the knowledge accumulated was during the great surveys of the central and western United States (beginning with Lewis & Clark) and the Palisser Survey and early GSC surveys in Canada. The Salt Lake City meeting will be the last GSA Annual Mtg. in the west for several years and an excellent opportunity to address this topic. Paleontological discoveries from surveys to be discussed will include the: Lewis & Clark expedition which was initiated by Thomas Jefferson, early state surveys, the Pacific Railroad Survey, the Hayden, King, Wheeler, Powell and Emory surveys as well as the early museum expeditions in the United States. Canadian surveys will include the Palliser survey (equivalent to the Pacific Railroad Survey), the early GSC surveys and museum expeditions. These studies formed the basis of the major paleontological collections which now or once resided in colleges, universities and museums in both the United States and Canada. Today those collections (if still preserved) form the foundation of a data base of continued research in the paleontological sciences.

So mark your calendars accordingly and please consider sharing your work with your colleagues by submitting an abstract for the General History of Geology session.

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THE HISTORY OF GEOLOGY GROUP - GREAT BRITAIN
A Note From Cherry Lewis

The History of Geology Group (HOGG) was inaugurated in October 1994 to encourage interest in the lives and work of those scientists and philosophers who influenced both the study and the practice of geology. HOGG is open to anyone with an interest in the history of geology and the events and personalities that have shaped the way in which it is studied and practiced today. HOGG is man-aged and run by a committee of its members and the current chair is Dr Cherry Lewis of the University of Bristol. HOGG is affiliated to the Geological Society of London and many of its meetings are held in the Society's apartments at Burlington House in London. However, it is not necessary to be a Fellow of the Society to join HOGG.

Two meetings are generally held each year, together with a field weekend. Many meetings result in well-reviewed books produced as Special Publications by the Geological Society. An ambitious programme of meetings is planned to include History of Speleology and Cave Finds (based in Torquay, Spring 2005); Women in Geology (Autumn 2005); History of Micropalaeontology (2006); and Bicentennial Anniversary of the Geological Society (November 2007). For further details visit our website: www.geolsoc.org.uk/HOGG.

A Newsletter is produced three times a year containing reviews of meetings, announcements of future events, notices, reviews of recent publications, and other items of relevance to the history of geology.

The annual subscription is only $18 (U.S. Dollars). Simply complete the form below and send/email it to: Bill George, HOGG Treasurer, 11 Sterry Road, Barking, Essex, IG11 9SJ, UK; william-george@lineone.net , can provide you with information on other payment options.

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Application to join the History of Geology Group [PRINT FORM pdf]

Name and title____________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Email ___________________________________________________________________

Tel _____________________________________________________________________

Signature _______________________________________ Date ____________________

The information on this form will be held in an electronic database. If you do not wish the data to be disclosed to other members of the Group or to other organizations involved in the history of geology, please tick here______.

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OTHER MEETINGS - FUTURE

PETROLEUM HISTORY INSTITUTE APRIL 6-9, 2005

The PHI will be hosting a symposium and field trips April 6-9, 2005 in Morgantown, West Virginia, relating to the history of the oil and gas industry, both local, nationwide, and world-wide. The meeting is open to members of PHI and non-members alike and should have interest for both professionals and the lay-persons alike. The last PHI meeting was in Shreveport, Louisiana in March 2003, and all who attended were treated to some fine papers and great field trips. The Morgantown meeting is shaping up to be just as exciting. The call for papers has been issued, so please submit an abstract and plan to attend, enjoy the spring in West Virginia. Contact: Larry Woodfork, P.O. Box 4458, Star City, WV 26504-4458; woodfork@earthlink.net . Or Bill Brice - wbrice@pitt.edu . Abstract Deadline: February 15, 2005.

NORTHEASTERN SECTION/GSA
Saratoga Springs, New York March 14-16, 2005
Gerry Friedman is chairing a history of geology session. Be sure to attend and support Gerry and the Division. Check the GSA web site for details.

International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences.
The 2005 INHIGEO meeting will be held 4-11 July 2005, at Prague in the Czech Republic. There will be a pre-conference field excursion in Western Bohemia, 2-3 July, and a post-conference field excursion to visit mid-Bohemian karst localities, 12 July. All persons interested in the history of the geociences are cordially invited to attend, and to present papers (in English) related to the conference themes, either orally or as poster presentations. (One does not need to be a member of INHIGEO to participate.) Conference themes: History of Geophysics; History of Geology and Paleontology in Central Europe; History of Mining.
Abstracts of papers are due 1 March 2005. Fee payment is due 30 April 2005.

For more information contact the conference organizer: Dr. Jan T. Kozák, Geophysical Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Bocní II, c.p. 1401, 14131 Prague 4, Czech Republic. Email: kozak@ig.cas.cz .

JOINT GSA/GSC MEETING:
Slightly more than a year from now, the Geological Society of America and the Geological Association of Canada will host the second Earth System Processes meeting. Chris Beaumont, Don Canfield and I have taken the reins from the Ians (Dalziel and Fairchild) as co-chairs of this meeting, a follow-up to the very successful ESP-1 meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, 2001.

WHEN AND WHERE? Earth System Processes 2, Calgary, Alberta Canada, August 8-11, 2005

As with ESP-1, the upcoming meeting focuses on interactions in the Earth system, addressing problems in Ancient Earth Systems, Modern Earth System Processes, and Earth System Futures. For those of you who did not attend the first Earth Surface Processes meeting, you may wish to visit the following website, http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/edinburgh/index.htm . In particular, follow the Media Coverage link to see how well the meeting was received. And, most importantly, we hope to see you in Calgary in August 2005. There's no more beautiful place to be in the summer than the Canadian Rockies; we give it three thumbs up! Please plan to extend your stay for field trips, field work, or vacation.

Sincerely, Lee Kump for Chris Beaumont and Don Canfield

Friedman Geosciences Conference 2005
The conference, celebrating the retirement of Gerry Friedman, will be held September 11-14, 2005, in Troy, New York at the Northeastern Foundation headquarters building. Consider this a call for papers. For more information please contact: Dr. Arona Diouf, 123 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 2, Jersey City, NJ 07306; (917) 302-2339; Fax (201) 222-1480; adioufnd@yahoo.com .

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A NOTE FROM HUGH RANCE - GEOCLIO WEB SITE
Bill, I have put up a new version of the website: http://geoclio.net/ . members can now inspect and make suggestions. Regards, Hugh Rance

A Note of Explanation - Several years ago, after the Penrose Conference in San Diego, Dean Dunn and others received a grant to create a history of geology web site which was housed at the University of Mississippi. It was to serve as a clearing house for items, meetings, notices, etc. related to the history of the earth sciences, hence the name GeoClio. But Dean is no long at that university, so the web site had to be removed from that server. Hugh Rance, our HoG Division Web Master, has moved it to his server, for the moment, just to preserve the name and to give us, members of HESS, and members of HOGG (Great Britain) a chance to look it over. Then we must collectively decide (1) if we wish to continue keeping it; (2) if so, who will maintain it and keep it up to date, and (3) who will pay the cost of keeping it on a server, or who will volunteer to keep it on their own server. At the moment there is a European group attempting to start a new journal in the history of geology, possibly only "online," at least at first. The name they wish to use - GeoClio, but we have that name already, and, of course, HESS publishes Earth Sciences History, an international journal which now has an Irish Editor, and which is truly international in scope, e.g., the last issue had authors from Australia (2), Great Britain (3), the U. S. (5), and one each from Spain, Venezuela, Canada. So, contrary to the misconception, it is not just a North American journal, even though it is published in English, but so are many other non-North American journals.

So that is a bit of background. Please check the site and contact Hugh and/or me with suggestions, and we would love to have a volunteer or two to help with the site if we decide to keep it. Bill Brice

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NEW BOOKS: Information has been received about the two following books with papers by and/or edited by members of our Division. Ordering information is included. Bill

Museums and Other Institutions of Natural History - Past, Present, Future, Arranged and Edited by Alan E. Leviton and Michele L. Aldrich; California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco), 2004 [ISBN 0-940228-60-2]; $35.00 (includes shipping and handling, but California residents add $2.89 sales tax). A symposium held on the occasion of the 150^th annuversary of the California Academy of Sciences, June 16-17, 2003.

Impact of Travels on Scientific Knowledge, Edited by Michael T. Ghiselin and Alan E. Leviton; California Academy of Science (San Francisco), 2004 [ISBN 0-940228-61-0]; $35.00 (includes shipping and handling, but California residents add $2.89 sales tax). Papers presented at an International Colloquium on the Impact of Travels on Scientific Knowledge, May 31 - June 1, 2002 at the Museo di Storia Naturale Faraggiana Ferrandi, Novara, Italy.

To order either or both of the above, send payment (credit cards accepted) to: Scientific Publications, California Academy of Science, 875 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.

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HISTORY OF GEOLOGY DIVISION AWARDS FOR 2005
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Student Award
GSA's History of Geology Division is soliciting proposals for a student award for the amount of $500 for a paper to be given at the national 2005 GSA meeting. This award, established in 2004, is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Mary Rabbitt. Consideration will be given to both undergraduate and graduate students. While both oral and poster presentations are acceptable, oral presentations are preferred. Faculty advisors may be listed as second author, but not as the lead author of the paper. The proposed paper may be: (1) A paper in the history of geology; or (2) A literature review of ideas for a technical work or thesis/dissertation; or (3) Some imaginative aspect of the history of geology we have not thought of before.

The award consists of $500 to be applied to student expenses to attend the national GSA meeting and present a paper in the History of Geology Division disciplinary session. It is open to all students regardless of discipline, provided the proposed paper is related to the history of a geological idea/person/etc. After the applications have been received and reviewed by the Award Committee, the winner will be notified. The winner should then register for the GSA Annual Meeting and present his or her paper at the History of Geology Division disciplinary session. A ticket to the History of Geology luncheon will be provided. The $500 award will be presented at the time the paper is presented, and the student will also be recognized at the annual luncheon. If there are multiple authors, the cash award will be presented to the senior author and further distribution is up to that person.

Proposal guidelines and application forms are available from the Division web site, or if there are any questions about the award, please contact the Division Secretary-Treasurer. All applications and proposed abstracts should be forwarded to the Division Secretary-Treasurer:

Professor William Brice, Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Johnstown PA 15904 wbrice@pitt.edu

Due date for proposals and application is May 1, 2005, so that the proposal content can be reviewed and the selection made for the award in time to meet the official GSA deadline. Also in this way, the GSA abstract, perhaps, can be refined. The Division award committee will make the selection.

Previous Awardees

History of Geology Award NOTE: This description is being reviewed for possible changes. Please refer to earlier pages this Newsletter for that material.

The History of Geology Division makes this award to an individual for contributions of fundamental importance to the understanding of the history of the geological sciences. Achievements deserving of the award include, but are not limited to: publication of papers or books that contribute new and profound insights into the history of geology (based upon original research or synthesis of existing knowledge); discovery of and making available rare source materials; comprehensive bibliographic surveys; editing a thematically integrated collection of articles; organizing meetings and symposia in the history of geology; research into original sources; original interpretations of data; translations of key material; and exceptional service to the Division. The award, established by the History of Geology Division in 1981, consists of an embossed certificate and a pewter Revere bowl. The deadline for receipt of nominations by the selection committee is February 1st each year. Nominations should be sent to Bill Brice, Secretary-Treasurer, address is given below.

FORMER AWARDEES

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2005 Division Officers

CHAIR: Ed Rogers, P. O. Box 455, Poncha Springs, CO 81242 erogers@geology-books.com

FIRST VICE-CHAIR: Gary D. Rosenberg, Department of Geology, Indiana University-Purdue University, 723 W. Michigan Street, SL118, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 274-7468 (Office); (317) 274-7484 (Department); Fax (317) 274-7966); grosenbe@iupui.edu

SECOND VICE-CHAIR: Julie Newell, Social & International Studies, Southern Polytechnic State University, 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060-2896; (678) 915-7481; Fax (678) 915-4949; jnewell@spsu.edu

SECRETARY-TREASURER-EDITOR: William R, Brice, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Geology & Planetary Science, Johnstown, PA 15904. (814) 269-2942; Fax (814) 269-2022 wbrice@pitt.edu

PAST CHAIR: Charles W. Byers, Dept. Geology & Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706-1692; (608) 262-8960 (Dept.); Fax (608) 262-0693). cwbyers@geology.wisc.edu

WEB MASTER: Hugh Rance, 4310 Kissena Blvd, 11 H, Flushing, NY 11355 hughrance@rcn.com

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HISTORY OF GEOLOGY DIVISION BALLOT
ALL BALLOTS MUST BE SUBMITTED BEFORE MARCH 25, 2005   [PRINT BALLOT pdf]

ITEM ONE: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

The criteria proposed for the new award are as follows:

The Distinguished Service Award of the Geological Society of America's History of Geology Division may be given from time to time to an individual or individuals, for exceptional service to the advancement of our knowledge of the history of the geological sciences.

Contributions deserving of this award may include but are not limited to the discovery, management and making available of rare source materials; promotion of meetings, symposia and scholarly organizations devoted to the history of geology; establishment and editing of scholarly journals in this field; and exceptional service to the Division or other organizations related to the history of geology.

This new award may be given annually, but it is not the intent of this proposal that it should necessarily be given every year. Consequently, no regular committee will be established to review nominations for the award. The availability of the award will be announced annually in the Division's newsletter. Nominations will be sent to the Secretary/Treasurer. The determination to make one award (or none) in any given year will be made by the current officers of the Division.

A vote of YES means you support the proposal and are in favor of creating the new award.

FOR ITEM ONE          __________YES               _________NO

______________________________________________________________________________

ITEM TWO: MARY C. RABBITT HISTORY OF GEOLOGY AWARD

If the above proposal is accepted by the membership, it is further proposed that the criteria defining the Mary C. Rabbitt Award be amended to read as follows:

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