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| For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Beth Gaston Contents of this Tipsheet:
Sea Level Controls 'Architecture' of Continental MarginsDeep drilling on the continental margin of the Great Bahama Bank off the Bahamas by NSF-funded Ocean Drilling Program scientists has revealed numerous sea-level changes over the past 25 million years. Fifteen of these sea-level changes resulted in significant erosion in the area's shallow waters. The timing of these fluctuations supports the theory that sea level is the master variable controlling continental margin construction in the Bahamas and in other areas throughout the world. Using the scientific drill ship JOIDES Resolution, scientists from eight countries studied marine calcium carbonate sediments off the Bahamas. By drilling five sites as deep as 4,200 feet below the sea floor, in water depths as great as 2,200 feet, scientists pieced together the geologic history of the shallow Great Bahama Bank and its adjacent seaway. When the shallow platform is flooded, as it is today, sediments made of calcium carbonate accumulate and excess sediment is transported off the bank and onto its slopes. When sea level dropped in the past, calcium carbonate amounts decreased as the platform became exposed, and the platform margin partially eroded. Says Bruce Malfait, director of NSF's ocean drilling program, "This drilling of carbonate sediments on the margin of Great Bahama Bank will help us to understand the timing and magnitude of sea level changes, as well as mechanisms controlling sea level, and effects produced by human activity." [Cheryl Dybas]
NSF Grant Seeks to Identify Core Skills for Two-Year College/Technical GraduatesThe constant change in technology and ever increasing competition are forcing private companies to aggressively seek new employees with high levels of technological literacy, good judgment, communications and team building skills. Industry also says it needs workers educated in science, math, engineering and technology. The question is, which skills are most important? Researchers at Indian River Community College at Fort Pierce, Florida will attempt to find answers with an NSF grant of nearly $1 million. The researchers will survey five technology-based industries to establish a set of core competencies these industries require, so that two-year education systems can adjust their curricula to better prepare graduates for technical jobs in their communities. Investigators at Indian River hope to formulate a national model so that flexible curricula in sciences and math will provide the skills graduates need to take on new responsibilities, and to be immediately productive in a highly technical, problem-solving work environment. Florida is also a preferred study location because state law has established two-year schools the primary entry points for four-year colleges. Fifty percent of the nation's freshmen undergraduates begin their higher education experience at two-year schools. Business leaders emphasized the rapidly changing needs of the nation's information-based work force during NSF's recently completed review of undergraduate education. One of the recommendations in the NSF report, Shaping the Future, published this month, suggests increased partnerships and collaboration between community colleges and industry to find mutually beneficial solutions attuned to the educational needs of both. [Bill Noxon]
President Announces 8 NSB NomineesPresident Clinton last week announced his intention to nominate eight new members to the National Science Board, NSF's governing body. If confirmed by the Senate, the eight will replace members whose terms expired in May 1996. The NSB is made up of 24 members who serve six-year rotating terms; one-third of the board is appointed every two years. For the list of nominees, see the NSF Home Page -- http://www.nsf.gov, under "News of Interest," scroll to "White House Issuances." [Mary Hanson]
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