| The
Ronald H. Brown, and NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration
have teamed with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute scientists
on a two-week mission to the Gulf of Mexico, "bioprospecting"
for more of those sponges and other organisms that might produce
more medicines from the sea. Scientists are especially looking
for organisms that attach themselves to hard bottom areas
because attached organisms are unable to escape predators
but still survive, probably because of protective chemicals.
It's those chemicals that most interest scientists on a deep-sea
search for medicines.
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On
board the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown, Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute scientist Dr. Shirley Pomponi and NOAA's LTJG
Shawn Maddock inspect a discodermia sponge, found by
the institute on a previous expedition, and now in human
trials as a cancer-fighting medicine.
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Nancy Soreide and Mike McPhaden of NOAA's Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, with the Gracie
award given to the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO)
project in December by Government Executive magazine.
The TAO network of moored ocean buoys monitor El Niño
in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and serve as a cornerstone
of NOAA’s mission of improving seasonal to interannual
climate forecasts.
The Grace Hopper Government Technology Award, known
as the Gracie and named for pioneer computer scientist
Grace Murray Hopper, highlights outstanding use of
technology in government by recognizing projects that
make exceptional contributions to mission accomplishment,
cost effectives and service to the public.
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| Employee and Team Member of the Month |
| Employee of Month
Lisa
Taylor
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Team Member of Month
Sharon
Walker
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NESDIS’s
Lisa Taylor and OAR’s Sharon Walker are the Employee
and Team Member of the Month for January. Read about
their accomplishments in this month’s issue of
NOAA Report. |
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Brother
Anselm Allen was presented with the NWS John Campanius Holm
Award at a ceremony at Subiaco Abbey and Academy in Subiaco,
Ark. Br. Anselm is a Benedictine monk at the abbey and has
provided timely and accurate cooperative weather observations
to the NWS for 38 years. He continues a long tradition at
the abbey, where the monks have taken observations for 106
years. The Holm Award is presented to no more than 25 of the
nation’s 11,000 cooperative observers in any year.
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Outside
the Subiaco Abbey and Academy where Brother Anselm
provides his weather observations are (front row,
left to right) Mike Reid, Hydrometeorological Technician
at WFO Little Rock; Jimmy Russell, Data Acquisition
Program Manager, WFO Little Rock; Brother Anselm Allen,
recipient of the John Campanius Holm Award; Abbot
Jerome Kodel, abbot of Subiaco Abbey; John Robinson,
Warning Coordination Meteorologist, WFO Little Rock;
Renee Fair, Meteorologist in Charge, WFO Little Rock;
(back row, left to right) Forrest Johns, Official
in Charge at WSO Fort Smith; Ray Briggler, state Fire
and Field Services Division Manager; John Hicks, office
of Sen. Blanche Lincoln; Thorpe Hamilton, Area 3 Coordinator,
state Emergency Management; Newton Skiles, Senior
Forecaster at WFO Little Rock.
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| NOAA
Ship John N. Cobb participated in Seattle's SeaFair
Special People's holiday cruise last month. This is the 17th
consecutive year the Cobb has sailed as part of this event.
The ship sponsored 70 special needs people, including 35 guests
from the Covenant House, as well as volunteers and guests
from the NOAA Diver Medical Training class. As always, personnel
from the Pacific Marine Operations Center played a huge part
in making the cruise such a success.
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The
NOAA Ship John N. Cobb shines at night in Seattle harbor.
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| Representatives
from three NOAA line offices collaborated at the Humboldt
State University 40th annual Natural Resources and Sciences
Career Day last month. John Clancy
of NOAA Fisheries in Arcata, Calif., Kurt Dreflak,
Lt. JG of NOAA Corps in Santa Rosa, Calif., and Nancy
Dean and Troy Nicolini
of the National Weather Service in Eureka, Calif., all represented
NOAA at the day long career fair and provided one stop shopping
for new potential NOAA employees.
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(Left
to right) Lt. Dreflak, Nancy Dean, and John Clancy.
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At
accessNOAA, we’re always looking for interesting stories
about NOAA people just like you. Whether your office has received
an award, or your collection of Elvis memorabilia is tops
in its class, if it makes a fellow NOAA reader take a second
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and photos to accessnoaa@accessnoaa.noaa.gov, and you may
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