I am sending an inquiry to the NSF social sciences division to see if I can seek a "Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics" grant (formerly the Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Grant) to see if I can get funds to purchase the hominid fossil casts discovered in the last 10-15 years as well as some forensics casts to redesign and implement a physical anthropology course for my university. I will let you know what I hear from them.
Jennifer M. Trunzo, Ph.D.
Asst. Prof. of Archaeology and Anthropology
Dept. of History, Anthropology, and Philosophy
Augusta State University
2500 Walton Way
Augusta, GA 30904
706-667-4562
________________________________________
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of HISTARCH automatic digest system [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 2:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: HISTARCH Digest - 5 Jul 2011 to 6 Jul 2011 (#2011-92)
There are 4 messages totaling 220 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. FW: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
2. New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted (2)
3. Future of Social Sciences at NSF
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Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 10:27:25 -0400
From: "Evans, Lynn (DNRE)" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FW: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
________________________________
From: Lovis, William [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 8:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
Dear All: I have recently learned that the New York State Education Department and the New York State Museum are effectively gutting their century plus old archaeology program. Christina Rieth, State Archaeologist; Jon Lothrop, curator of archaeology; and Chuck Orser, curator of historic archaeology, were all served layoff notices effective in three weeks unless their union negotiates a contract settlement. I have heard that NY State Museum administration was not consulted on the layoff plan nor were they informed until the layoff notices were served.
This action is not unique but only the most recent incident of many museums being targeted for substantial budget cuts as cultural institutions are viewed as inessential to economic recovery and contribution to future growth. I urge the archaeological community to mobilize in protest of this action, and to inform the New York State governor, commissioner of education, and chancellor of the board of regents of the importance of the New York State Museum and its archaeology programs in particular.
Thanks, and if you share my sentiments over this action I hope you will all join me in writing the appropriate parties with you concerns,
Bill Lovis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 10:14:17 -0700
From: Elizabeth Hoag-Stewart <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
I could probably look it up, but can anyone provide names and addresses to write to in support of the archaeologists and program at the NYSM?
Thanks, Beth Hoag
From: "Evans, Lynn (DNRE)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 10:27 AM
Subject: FW: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
________________________________
From: Lovis, William [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 8:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
Dear All: I have recently learned that the New York State Education Department and the New York State Museum are effectively gutting their century plus old archaeology program. Christina Rieth, State Archaeologist; Jon Lothrop, curator of archaeology; and Chuck Orser, curator of historic archaeology, were all served layoff notices effective in three weeks unless their union negotiates a contract settlement. I have heard that NY State Museum administration was not consulted on the layoff plan nor were they informed until the layoff notices were served.
This action is not unique but only the most recent incident of many museums being targeted for substantial budget cuts as cultural institutions are viewed as inessential to economic recovery and contribution to future growth. I urge the archaeological community to mobilize in protest of this action, and to inform the New York State governor, commissioner of education, and chancellor of the board of regents of the importance of the New York State Museum and its archaeology programs in particular.
Thanks, and if you share my sentiments over this action I hope you will all join me in writing the appropriate parties with you concerns,
Bill Lovis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 13:29:05 -0400
From: Jillian Galle <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Future of Social Sciences at NSF
While we are on the subject of budget cuts that have far-reaching impacts on the social sciences, this just in regarding the National Science Foundation.
********************************
Dear Colleagues,
The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice & Science (CJS) is considering changing the 2012 appropriation to eliminate the Social,
Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) directorate at the NSF, which includes the STS Program. The Consortium of Social Science
Associations (COSSA), a coalition to which the ASA belongs supporting Federal funding for the social sciences, is encouraging its members to write to their House Representatives and Senators, urging the House to continue to support the human sciences at NSF. Having had the privilege of serving recently as one of the Program Officers at the NSF in the SBE directorate, I want to endorse COSSA's request, believing that eliminating SBE would be disastrous for the social sciences in the US and for sociology in particular.
So I encourage you to write to your House Representatives and US Senators, ideally before the CJS Subcommittee meeting on 7 July, or
before the full House Appropriations Committee meeting on 13 July, and at least before the floor discussion scheduled for the week of 25 July.
You may want to copy Subcommittee Chair Frank Wolf R-VA and Ranking Member Chakah Fattah D-PA and perhaps other members of the Subcommittee (http://www.appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/Subcommittee/?IssueID=34794) and Appropriations Committee Chair Harold Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Norm Dicks (D-WA) (http://www.appropriations.house.gov). You can find contact information for your representative using the ?Write Your Representative? feature athttps://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml, and you will find a list of Senators, sortable by state, at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
We all lead busy lives and if you prefer to send something more or less ready made I suggest something along the lines of the letter made available by the previous Assistant Director of SBE (a linguist) athttp://www.lsadc.org/info/NSFSBEletter.pdf. You may copy and paste the text from this letter (make sure the formatting has copied appropriately) and if you have the opportunity, elaborate and tell your representatives something about our field. Furthermore, you might strengthen your argument by pointing to NSF-supported work being conducted at a university in the representative's area.
Support will be particularly valuable from the Republican party. I wrote to Scott Brown, using the AD's letter as a starting point. My letter is pasted below (unformatted).
Please feel free to forward this request to colleagues, I have taken parts of it from the linguists but obviously it is important for representatives to hear from all of the social sciences.
Laurel Smith-Doerr
July 1, 2011
Scott Brown
US Senator
2400 JFK Federal Building
15 New Sudbury St.
Boston, MA 02203
Dear Senator Brown,
I am alarmed to hear that the House Commerce, Justice & Science Committee is considering eliminating or severely cutting back the directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
In the US, basic research in the social sciences is funded alongside the natural sciences and engineering, through the same agency. This is unusual from an international perspective and means that the social sciences are done better here, by being more closely integrated with work
in the other sciences. Having the full range of basic science funded within one agency has led to more collaborative, interdisciplinary work, with better results on all sides.
One major example of this integration is our study of scientific innovation itself, one of the most important drivers of a strong economy (as acknowledged in the 2007 America COMPETES Act, which was led by the Bush Administration but supported across parties). Somehow basic
science conducted at lab benches and engineering projects started in garages produce new knowledge products that spark new industries like biotechnology and information technology which give the United States a real competitive edge in the global marketplace. This innovation
process is not yet well understood but is a central concern across social sciences including sociology, economics, psychology, and science policy studies. The importance of better understanding the innovation process (in order to facilitate it) has generated the new interdisciplinary area called the science of science and innovation policy (SciSIP). This program at NSF is funding research to scientifically understand the innovation process and which policies are more effective at producing beneficial outcomes in science and technology.
NSF is unique in combining experts from the social sciences with experts in natural sciences and engineering. For example, social scientists and chemists in Massachusetts (and other states) have received grants in a collaborative initiative at NSF between SciSIP (in Social/Behavioral/ Economic Sciences directorate) and Chemistry (in Math/Physical Sciences directorate). An article in this week?s Chemical
and Engineering News ('Measuring Chemistry's Impact') announces the initiative and its importance to understanding the chemical sciences. This initiative 'Pathways to Innovation in the Chemical Sciences' would not have been possible if social sciences were not part of NSF. More
information about this initiative and others in the study of innovation and science policy can be found at the following website: (http://www.scienceofsciencepolicy.net/page/about-sosp).
The integration of all the basic sciences at the NSF represents one of the national treasures of the US, which has yielded much competitive advantage. Massachusetts has been at the forefront of this kind of interdisciplinary research, as it has led innovation and science in general.
I urge you to oppose any efforts to weaken that integration, which will be detrimental to our state
and our nation.
Sincerely,
Laurel Smith-Doerr
Associate Professor of Sociology
Boston University
[log in to unmask]
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Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2011 13:31:28 -0400
From: Michael <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
Here are some names and addresses that have been circulating.
Michael Stewart
Temple University
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Governor’s office phone: (518) 474-8390
Email contact form:
http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php
Merryl H. Tisch, Chancellor
New York State Board of Regents
Regents Office
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, N.Y. 12234
Regents’ office phone: (518) 474-5889
[log in to unmask]
Dr. John B. King, Jr.
Acting Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the
State of New York
[acting appointment effective 6/15/11; final appointment effective 7/15/11]
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Elizabeth Hoag-Stewart
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2011 1:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
I could probably look it up, but can anyone provide names and addresses to
write to in support of the archaeologists and program at the NYSM?
Thanks, Beth Hoag
From: "Evans, Lynn (DNRE)" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 10:27 AM
Subject: FW: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
________________________________
From: Lovis, William [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 8:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New York State Museum Archaeology Programs Targeted
Dear All: I have recently learned that the New York State Education
Department and the New York State Museum are effectively gutting their
century plus old archaeology program. Christina Rieth, State Archaeologist;
Jon Lothrop, curator of archaeology; and Chuck Orser, curator of historic
archaeology, were all served layoff notices effective in three weeks unless
their union negotiates a contract settlement. I have heard that NY State
Museum administration was not consulted on the layoff plan nor were they
informed until the layoff notices were served.
This action is not unique but only the most recent incident of many museums
being targeted for substantial budget cuts as cultural institutions are
viewed as inessential to economic recovery and contribution to future
growth. I urge the archaeological community to mobilize in protest of this
action, and to inform the New York State governor, commissioner of
education, and chancellor of the board of regents of the importance of the
New York State Museum and its archaeology programs in particular.
Thanks, and if you share my sentiments over this action I hope you will all
join me in writing the appropriate parties with you concerns,
Bill Lovis
------------------------------
End of HISTARCH Digest - 5 Jul 2011 to 6 Jul 2011 (#2011-92)
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