Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Robin Bell's guide to preparing for tenure
Dr. Bell
“Step(ped) through hints on how to be strategic; how to build
the record you need to be an academic scientist.” The time
between post-doc and tenure sets the stage. If you have a
plan, you are likely to do better (measures used: submit
papers and grant applications at a higher rate, be first author
more frequently) and be more satisfied. Productivity is
THE measure of how good you are, with # of pubs is the most
common metric
Be able to say what you
have contributed, and have a “home run”—an important discovery
or advance. There is a hierarchy of value associated with
scientific work: Theoretical>experimental>technological
breakthroughs. Distinguish yourself from your PhD advisor,
but if the relationship
is good, keep working together. Pick projects that can be
published and funded. Collaborate. Travel to
meetings
If you can’t present, see about
running a workshop
there, or at home institution.
Ideal: prestigious PhD program and post-doc, work assignment
with opportunities for research, eminent mentor, early
publishing, no career interruptions (there are some gendered
differences). Align interests with rewards;
make
sure what you do counts.
More comprehensive notes.
Dr. Robin Bell: Ice Dynamics of the Antarctic Environment
The students enrolled in FOR 496/797 Environmental
Career Strategies for Women share the responsibiltiy for reporting on speakers
in the Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series
for our sponsors as well as for submission to the
Knothole. The following was prepared by Rachel Tucker and Johanna Duffy. Also
note: a brief summary of Dr. Bell's advice on how to prepare for tenure has
been posted at http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/Potlucks.htm
Dr. Bell discussed the changes in ice dynamics that are
being observed in Greenland and the Antarctic
environments. She summarized the causes and effects of these changes and also
compared and contrasted the ice dynamics of these two environments.
Dr. Bell first focused on what constitutes ice dynamics.
Overall, the amount of global sea ice has decreased in the past 5-10 years. This
reduction is studied using ice dynamics (i.e., understanding how and why changes
occur in the ice sheets). Dr. Bell explained that the melting of floating ice
has no impact on sea level, but that the melting of ice on the land surface (ice
sheets) can lead to increases in global sea level. The three ice sheets that are
the focus of Dr. Bell's research are the Greenland Ice Sheet, the West Antarctic
Ice Sheet, and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. The melting of any one of these ice
sheets could result in a drastic rise in sea levels, from a minimum of
approximately 19-feet (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) to a maximum of approximately
170-feet (East Antarctic Ice Sheet).
The melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased by
0.7 percent a year. This ice sheet is characterized by outlet glaciers (fast
flowing ice) located around its margin. It was discovered that moulins (glacial
lakes) were conveying surface melt water to the base of the ice sheet,
lubricating the base of the sheet, and forcing the margin areas of the glacier
to break off into the ocean.
Dr. Bell began to focus her research on whether similar
changes were taking place in the polar ice sheets in Antarctica. Her study
determined that the ice dynamics observed at the Greenland Ice Sheet were not
apparent in the Antarctic glacial region. The lakes of Antarctica are buried
under many layers of ice, hence the name sub-glacial lakes. If the lake water
levels drop, then so do the elevations of the glacier. Although her exploration
team is making great strides in understanding the dynamics of the Antarctic
glacial environment, more research is required to firmly grasp the causes and
effects taking place in this region of the world. During the upcoming 2007-2008
International Polar Year, Dr. Bell and more than 5,000 other scientists hope to
devote their time to polar studies and polar education throughout the world in
order to better understand this world-changing topic.
Dr. Bell received her B.A. in Geology from Middlebury
College, and her M.S., M. Phil, and Ph.D. in marine geophysics from Columbia
University. Aside from her research duties, Dr. Bell is also the Chair of
National Academy of the Sciences Polar Research Board and Vice Chair of the
International Planning Group for the International Polar Year. She also directs
Columbia
University's National
Science Foundation-sponsored ADVANCE program, aimed at recruiting and retaining
women in the sciences.
For more information about the Women in Scientific and
Environmental Professions Speaker Series, please visit http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus.
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