GeoSpectrum

ASPRS has approved a proposal to offer complementary membership to members of the Society who have lost their jobs due to the economic recession. In response to an initial proposal from the ASPRS Rocky Mountain Region, ASPRS President Brad Doorn established an ad hoc committee to review the alternatives for providing relief to ASPRS members adversely affected by the economic recession and to make recommendations.

“Recognizing the hardships that some of our members may be experiencing and doing something to show them that their professional society stands behind them, particularly in a time of personal crisis, is the right thing to do,” said Doorn. He also noted that, “One of the most important benefits of ASPRS membership is networking, and staying in contact with the profession is critical in locating employment.”

The recommendation of the ad hoc committee, chaired by ASPRS Vice President Gary Florence, is to offer FREE membership for one year to current ASPRS members located in the U.S. whose membership has lapsed due to unemployment. Funding for this initiative will come from ASPRS long term reserves and ASPRS Regions that have sufficient cash-on-hand to voluntarily contribute funding.

Florence said, “Everyone on the Committee recognized that if we elect to simply do nothing, our Society would still have to absorb the loss in membership. Our members are important to us and we wanted to show them that we would like them to be with us for a long time.” According to Florence, the committee stipulated that the process of acquiring complementary membership due to unemployment should be simplified for all parties concerned. They recommended that members seeking this benefit would simply request complementary membership due to unemployment when their dues are up for renewal and that they would be required to provide documentation of their status, such as an unemployment compensation pay stub or other suitable documentation.

The terms of the complementary membership are as follows:

•    This will apply to unemployed U.S. Active and Associate members only.

•    Complimentary members will receive a full membership, including receipt of PE&RS on a monthly basis.

•     This offer will be made to unemployed membership on their anniversary renewal date.

•     This offer will not be retroactive (i.e. no refunds of previously paid dues) but will apply to members who have become unemployed since October 2008.

To request complimentary membership, contact members@asprs.org.

Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of 6,000 geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) applauds the visionary action taken by Senator Sherrod Brown and his colleagues in the Senate who helped usher in legislation to recognize soils as an “essential” natural resource, placing soil on par with water and air.

To view the full release, visit http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/ssso-srs070808.php

The Fall 2007 AGU meeting in December (during the week of December 10, 2006) will include a special session on advances in climate change and sustainability education. The convenors would like to encourage submissions to the session, with an emphasis on highlighting new or proven, successful programs, as well as lessons learned in sharing these topics with educational audiences. The scope of educational efforts for the session ranges from K-12 through postgraduate education to informal learning. The deadline for online abstract submission at the AGU website (http://www.agu.org) is September 6, 2007 at 2359 UT. If you have any questions about the session, please be in touch with Roberta Johnson at rmjohnsn@ucar.edu. Additional information on the session is provided below:

ED09: Advances in Bringing the Science of Climate Change and Sustainability to the Public, Students, and Educators

Over the past year, the public perception of the reality of climate change and the need to take meaningful steps to address it has experienced a major shift. We are now well posed to share educational programs and resources with consumers around the world in formal and informal educational venues who are eager to learn more, and find out what they can do to protect their future, as well as those of future generations. This session will highlight educational programs and resources that seek to share the science of climate change and the need for sustainability with learners in the US, as well as with international audiences. We are particularly interested in highlighting new or proven, successful programs, as well as lessons learned in sharing these important topics with educational audiences.

Convener:

Roberta Johnson

UCAR Education and Outreach

Boulder, CO, USA 80305

303-530-9795

rmjohnsn@ucar.edu

Co-Conveners:

Mark McCaffery

CIRES Education & Outreach, University of Colorado at Boulder

Campus Box 448, 1540 30th Street

Boulder, CO, USA 80309

303-735-3155

Mark.Mccaffrey@Colorado.EDU

Frank Niepold

Climate Program Office, NOAA

1315 East West Highway, 12727

Silver Spring, MD, USA 20910

301-734-1244

frank.niepold@noaa.gov

Susan Buhr

CIRES Education & Outreach, University of Colorado at Boulder

449 UCB

Boulder, CO, USA 80309

303-492-5670

susan.buhr@colorado.edu