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Chinese Delegation Briefed on USGS Science During a Visit to Menlo Park, California
Among the USGS scientists who briefed the visitors in Menlo Park were Western Coastal and Marine Geology Team Chief Scientist Sam Johnson and oceanographer Jingping Xu. Johnson and Xu presented a half-hour summary of Coastal and Marine Geology Program activities, with a particular focus on sea-floor and benthic-habitat mapping, tsunami hazards, and coastal-change assessments. The Chinese delegation was particularly impressed with the high relevance of the program's activities to societal needs. The delegation also received briefings on the mineral resources of Asia by Warren Nokleberg (leader of the USGS Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project), integrated studies of the San Francisco Bay and Delta by Lisa Lucas, The National Map by Tom Sturm, and USGS geographic research by Susan Benjamin. Along with Minister Sun, the delegation included six additional members of China's Ministry of Land and Resources, which has had agreements with the USGS since the Ministry's creation in 1998, a time of significant reorganization within the Chinese government. Before 1998, the USGS dealt with several of the Ministry's predecessors, going back to 1980, when the USGS signed its first protocols with various Chinese government organizations. Although this trip did not include a visit to the Southeastern United States, USGS coastal scientists in St. Petersburg, Fla., and biologists in Lafayette, La., have been discussing cooperative, integrated studies in both China and the Gulf of Mexico with their counterparts in the China Geological Survey (a bureau within the Ministry of Land and Resources) and hope to craft a formal agreement soon. The delegation's host in Menlo Park was USGS Western Region Deputy Director Brian Cole, who wrote in a thank-you note to the USGS presenters: "Our guests could not help but be impressed with the quality of scientific endeavors you and your colleagues are involved in….As [Minister Sun] said in his closing remarks, clearly our science is of tremendous value to the Nation and our people."
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in this issue:
Submarine Ground-Water Discharge at Dor Beach, Israel Middle-School Students Envision a Future City Assessing Microbes in Ground Water Chinese Delegation Briefed on USGS Science Restore America's Estuaries Conference Scuba Scouts Recognize USGS Employees |