Earlier this month, many of us were treated to an epic display of the aurora borealis. It brought back memories of the tail end of a long drive from my parents’ home in Michigan to graduate school at the University of Minnesota.
A few of us, curious about the green, unmoving glow in the distance, stopped at a dark field in western Wisconsin. We watched the show grow ever more captivating as ribbons of color spectacularly danced and rose from the northern horizon. I have seen them cover more of the sky, but never were they more colorful than that night!
We all know the northern lights are the result of the natural process of energized particles ejected from the sun spiraling down magnetic field lines and energizing gases in our upper atmosphere. It’s science, but … wow!
Today, as I look out my office window in Maryland, I see nature’s beauty on a much smaller scale—a mother woodchuck is tending her kits (or “chuckles” as we call them). They are keeping busy in the lawn and shrubs, engaging in all manner of cuteness.
This underscores that we were all drawn to a career in science for a reason—the quest for understanding, to make the world a better place, or to revel in the beauty of the natural world.
I consider myself very fortunate to work with ASR scientists—a community that not only appreciates the beautiful natural processes of nature but a community that supports its colleagues.
Indeed, when we put out the call for volunteers to review applications to the ASR Funding Opportunity Announcement, the DOE Early Career Research Program, and DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, over 90 of you said yes.
Thank you!
Documenting Our Science
Shifting gears a bit, I would like to briefly touch on publications and research highlights.
Each month, you submit 25 to 30 ASR-supported publications, which we publish on our website and share with DOE’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). While this is terrific, each month, our average number of submitted research highlights is less than 4.
Research highlights are one of the best ways to share the significance of your work beyond your peers. Clear and concise highlights are read by DOE management, the DOE Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC), and we even share them with members of Congress and their staff.
We must communicate the significance of your work and the value of your science garnered through public investment. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to redouble your research highlight efforts moving forward (submit highlights here). Recently, our upper management could share highlights with folks very highly placed in the Department of Energy only because we had your highlights on hand.
We want to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to contact Shaima and me with questions, concerns, or ideas.
# # #Author: Jeff Stehr, ASR Program Manager, U.S. Department of Energy
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, through the Biological and Environmental Research program as part of the Atmospheric System Research program.