Confirmation of Suzette Kimball as U.S. Geological Survey director might happen this time. In 2014, a Senate committee approved her nomination, but Congress adjourned before voting on confirmation.
Randy Showstack
Randy Showstack, senior news writer for Eos.org, reports on policy, politics, and discovery in the areas of Earth and space science and the environment. His coverage ranges from climate change and frontiers of ocean and space research to actions by federal and international agencies, the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
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White House Science Adviser Blasts Congress at NSF Meeting
John Holdren, science adviser to President Obama, critiqued geoscience budget cuts passed by the House of Representatives and Congress members equating geosciences with climate change research.
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Climate Woes Real, Say Most in U.S., Canada, but Differ on Cause
Two new surveys find that although large majorities of Americans and Canadians think that global warming is happening, relatively few of them think humans are causing it.
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NASA Selects Launch Vehicles for Small Satellites
Miniature satellites offer new opportunities for science, commerce, and education. With new launch vehicles, these satellites will fly as primary payloads rather than hitchhiking on bigger missions.
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U.S. Launches 13 New Minisatellites
Tiny CubeSat satellites made of one or more cube-like modules roughly the size of coffee mugs offer a compact and inexpensive way to conduct research and other activities in space.
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Astrobiology Hearing Ranges Beyond Life as We Know It
Space research has made strides identifying where extraterrestrial life might reside but not what kind of life, if any, it could be, scientists told Congress last week.
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Geoscientists: Focus More on Societal Concerns
The unprecedented toll from a powerful tsunami shocked a theoretical geophysicist, now an international geoscience organization leader, into action and advocacy to use science to aid society.
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Hearing Sparks Concerns About Planetary Science Funding
Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle questioned the administration's proposed cuts and whether support for future missions would be adequate.
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Leading Companies Take White House Climate Pledge
Alcoa, Cargill, General Motors, Microsoft, and nine other major U.S. companies have committed to cut greenhouse gases as part of a new White House program.
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Pluto Image Shows First Picture of Its Atmosphere
Scientists are amazed by new images that show Pluto's atmosphere and diverse geology.