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Given below are excerpts of HONOR CEREMONY speeches. a) Read the passages and answer the questions that follow.FOR SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO … BY A YOUNG SCIENTIST 1. (A). Citation for Amy C. Clement (presented by Mark A. Cane) I am pleased and honored to cite Amy Clemet for the 2007 James B. Macelwane Medal. Amy’s work has introduced new ways of thinking that altered research strategies; that is, she is an intellectual leader. Not everyone agrees with her ideas, but no paleoclimate scientist ignores them. Amy’s work has been instrumental in changing the way paleoclimatologists think about the tropics and their influence on global climate. The concepts that she introduced are now widely used. Her work, which is based on solid understanding of modern climate dynamics, complements her willingness to work with a broad variety of archives and the scientists who produce them. The breadth of her scientific understanding is an essential ingredient in her ability to be scientifically persuasive in challenging old paradigms. In her publications Amy has extended many existing concepts and also addressed a number of other questions, including … When things go wrong, the ordinary scientist retreats to safe ground; the excellent one turns the problem into unexpectedly deep results. Amy has, time and again, turned an apparent dead end into something of value. Amy has consistently worked on problems that matter, proving her intellectual maturity and scientific judgement. This Macelwane Medal is a fitting recognition of a splendid beginning; I am sure there is much more to come. Questions: 1. What is Amy’s contribution? 2. Name her most distinctive features as a scientist/person? 3. What do we lean bout her intellectual abilities? 4. What are her ways (likes/preferences) in doing research? 5. How does Amy differ from ordinary scientists?
1. (B). Response Thank you, Mark. There is a lot of talk these days about mentoring, and I have not seen a finer example than Mark’s. He has figured out the perfect balance between being ‘hands-off’ and coming in at key moments to say when ‘just fine’ is not good enough. Thank you! I’ve been fortunate to be inspired by great minds in two different disciplines: modern climate dynamics and geochemistry. This interaction is almost impossible to avoid at Lamont, where Mark and the Lamont community have created an academic culture that is truly cross-disciplinary. I want to thank my colleagues and friends who have influenced me through their own accomplishments: (names). I think of my days at Lamont working with these people as some of the most exciting of my career. My colleagues at the Rosenstiel School have provided an environment in which I am surrounded by a rich diversity of research on many aspects of climate change. I have benefited greatly from exposure to these different areas and look forward to learning more from my colleagues in the future. The support I have received there is unlike any other. The people at the School have provided intellectual and personal mentoring for which I am extremely grateful. Finally I want to thank my family. My parents, (names), have encouraged my various scientific inquiries from a very young age. I want to thank my mother-in-law, (name), for helping to make it possible for me to be a scientist and a mother. And I thank my husband, (name), for always reminding me of what I should (and should not) take seriously, and for our two sons, Jasper and Lincoln. I know my work is appreciated by them at home because Jasper tells me that in addition to this medal, I will also be receiving one toy from his room for being a good scientist. It is wonderful that the issue of climate change has gotten so much attention lately. I am thrilled to be a part of this field at such an exciting time. To be plainly honest, though, what mainly motivates me is simply that I find this work so much fun. I am honored to receive this medal, and especially for doing something that I enjoy so much. Thank you. Questions: 1. How does Amy show appreciation of her teacher’s (mentor’s) effort in her scientific career? 2. Has anybody else, besides Mark, played a part in her scientific life? 3. What different areas has Amy been interested in? How did it affect her imagination as a scientist? 4. How did Amy express her gratitude to the family? 5 Why does Amy like doing science? Find the clues in the text. 6. What can you say about the atmosphere in the lab? Do people tend to be official and distant, or there is a friendly all-supportive climate? Find the clues in the text.
2. (A). Citation for Jeanne L. Hardebeck (presented by Andrew Michael) It is an honor to present the citation for Jeanne L. Hardebeck’s James B. Macelwane Medal, just as it is my privilege to work with her at the US Geological Survey. Jeanne’s success is readily apparent in her research, in the leadership she has displayed after significant earthquakes, in her becoming associate editor of Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America only a year after receiving her Ph.D. and in her garnering the Richter Early Career Award earlier this year. But what is it about her that we can emulate? The efficiency of her computer skills is stunning – it can be baffling to watch over her shoulder as she works. She has immersed herself in major controversial topics since she became a graduate student at Caltech. But taking on major problems is not enough. During a conversation in her office, she said, “I need to be right”. Having worked closely with Jeanne on the stress controversy I was not surprised with these words. Over the years I have never heard Jeanne utter a single biased phrase. Instead, her comments are always tied to data. And her works are mirrored by her research, which builds from the analysis of raw data, to the determination of focal mechanisms, and on to new methods. And she does it with great modesty and an unassuming nature. But do not mistake her gentleness for weakness. In another conversation, I took a misstep and Jeanne quickly and emphatically demonstrated the errors of my ways by presenting several reasons in a logical progression. Modesty and strength coexist because the foundation is the data. Her attitude (“I need to be right”) has allowed Jeanne to be right so many times, makes her a joy to work with, and has certainly made her worthy of this medal. Questions: 1. Does Andrew Michael know personally the recipient of the medal? Find the clues. 2. What is the key to Jeanne’s success in science? 3. How is her motto mirrored by her work? 4. What are her most striking characteristics? 5. Why do you think Jeanne is worthy of this medal? 2. (B). Response Thank you, Andy, for those kind words. They are particularly meaningful coming from you, because of how much I have learned from you about the importance of honoring the data, in particular the value of statistics in separating real patterns in the data from apparent patterns created by the human brain. It is an honor to receive the Macelwane Medal. Many people have contributed to my success, and to my enjoyment of geophysics, through what they have taught me, through their support and guidance, and through their friendship. I have time to thank just a few: (names). That I have a career in geophysics at all is because people believed in me, even when I was far from obvious that I would be successful. I had a bachelor’s degree in computer science and had worked briefly at a start-up, when I decided to make a drastic career change and become a seismologist. My deepest thanks go to my parents, (names), for supporting me through the process of rethinking what I wanted to do with my life. I am also tremendously grateful to the faculty of the Caltech Seismo Lab for taking a chance and admitting a grad student with almost no geophysics background. And I am especially grateful to (name) for taking me on as his student. The Caltech Seismo Lab was an exciting environment to learn all the geophysics I had missed, and also how to think creatively about scientific problems. The twice-daily coffee hours were often lively debates or brainstorming sessions where grad students could jump right in along with some of the biggest names in geophysics. Working on my thesis with (name) and later as a postdoc with (name), I learned that interesting science comes from getting the right balance between creative thinking and thorough analysis of observations. Too far one way and one is writing science fiction; too far the other way and one is no longer moving the field forward. Or, to paraphrase Don Anderson, the value of a project is equal to the importance of the problem multiplied by how much you can actually do about it. Working at the USGS, I have learned that there is another factor in that equation: how valuable your science is to society. It’s a pleasure to work with colleagues who are dedicated to making a positive impact on society through research and public outreach, without forgetting that science serves another important role in society – as a way to try to make sense of our world and our relationship to it. Finally, I wish to thank the entire geophysics community for providing a supportive and cooperative research environment. It is indeed an honor to be recognized by such an outstanding community. Questions: 1. How did Andrew Michael influence Jeanne’s personality as a scientist? 2. Why does Jeanne value so highly the role of her colleagues in her scientific life? 3. How does she describe the atmosphere of the lab she worked at? 4. What important conclusion did Jeanne make as regards her way of doing science? 5. How does she see the place and role of science and scientist in society? b) Present a distinguished colleague /scientist in a similar manner. Use the vocabulary from the text. Date: 2015-12-18; view: 731
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