April 2005
Media advisory 4 - Joint Assembly in New Orleans
Flood control field trip; Press conference update
Contents of this message
1. March 2005 earthquake session added
2. Field trip to study flood control measures
3. Press conferences taking shape
4. Press room update
5. Sullivan and Perlman Awards to be presented
6. News Media registration eligibility information
7. News Media Registration Form
8. Who's coming
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Note: This advisory does not repeat important information in Media Advisories 1, 2, and 3.
Media Advisory 1:
The four sponsoring organizations of Joint Assembly; important visa regulations for non-U.S. journalists covering the meeting. See http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0503.html
Media Advisory 2:
Hotel rooms at special Joint Assembly rates are now available; Press field trip planned. See http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0508.html
Media Advisory 3:
Abstracts and sessions online; Press conferences planned. See
http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0510.html
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1. March 2005 earthquake session planned
On 28 March 2005, the Indonesian plate boundary experienced an earthquake with estimated magnitude of 8.7, scarcely three months after the 26 December Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (estimated magnitude 9.0 or greater). Their juxtaposition in both space and time could suggest a pointed example of the initiation of fault rupture via stress triggering, and raises an urgent question about the likelihood of future megathrust earthquakes along other portions of the Indonesian subduction zone. A late-breaking poster session has been scheduled, to report early findings about the new quake. The session will likely be held on Friday afternoon, 27 May, but has not yet been officially scheduled.
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2. Field trip to study flood control measures
The Press field trip will take place on Sunday morning, 22 May. We will be the guests of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, the lead agency for flood control in the New Orleans area, and the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board . The tour will begin with a briefing on hurricane protection and the Mississippi River levee system. Then, we will travel to Lake Pontchartrain to view its gates and control systems, as well as levees and floodwalls along the New Orleans lakefront. We will then visit a sewage pumping station, for a discussion and tour, focused on how the levee system is intertwined with the city, including the flood proofing of canals and accommodation of urban drainage. The tour will end in early afternoon.
A complete itinerary will be provided to participants prior to the meeting.
You may sign up for this field trip when you submit your New Media Registration Form (it is on the last line). If you have already registered and would like to participate in the field trip, just send a message to Harvey Leifert [[email protected]].
Those already signed up have an asterisk (*) before their names in the Who's Coming list at the end of this advisory.
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3. Press conferences taking shape
We are in the process of setting up press conferences on some of the newsworthy sessions at Joint Assembly. The final pre-meeting advisory will provide the latest available information, including an explanatory paragraph about each press conference and names and affiliations of participants. The following list is tentative: press conferences may be added or dropped, dates and emphases may change.
Monday, 23 May
Overview of Joint Assembly
Saturn's Magnetosphere: Is it Like Earth's or Jupiter's or Like it Was 25 Years Ago?
Human Activities Damaging Aquatic Habitats and Their Ability to Process Pollutants
Tuesday, 24 May
Probing the Outer Limits of the Solar System
Activity, Unrest, and Hazard Evaluation at Stratovolcanoes and Calderas
Mars Exploration Rovers: Latest News
Wednesday, 25 May
Regional and Coastal Ocean Observing Systems Along the U.S. Southern Border
The International Polar Year Takes Shape
Thursday, 26 May The 26 December 2004 Earthquake and Tsunami: Science Results
The Indian Ocean Tsunami and its Policy Implications Worldwide
Air Pollution in a Future Climate Mitigation Agreement
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4. Press Room update
The Press Room is Room 235 in the Morial Convention Center. Press conferences will take place next door, in Room 236. This is a correction from Media Advisory 3, which carried incorrect room numbers, due to a typographical error.
The telephone number for the Press Room (Room 235) is: 1-504-670-7040. Please provide this number to anyone who may have to call you in the Press Room.
The Press Room will be equipped for wi-fi.
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5. Sullivan and Perlman Awards to be presented
The 2005 Sullivan and Perlman Awards for Excellence in Science Journalism will be presented as part of AGU's Honors Evening, starting at 1730h on Wednesday, 25 May, at the Marriott Hotel (headquarters hotel) on Canal Street.
As previously announced, the Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism - Features was won by Tim Appenzeller of National Geographic, and the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism - News was won by Jeffrey Kluger of Time. See http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0507.html
The awards ceremony is open to all Joint Assembly registrants, and journalists are encouraged to attend.
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6. News Media registration eligibility information
News Media registrants receive a badge that provides access to any of the scientific sessions of the meeting, as well as to the Press Room and Briefing Room. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.
Eligibility for press registration is limited to the following persons:
- Working press employed by bona fide news media: must present a press card, business card, or letter of introduction from an editor of a recognized publication.
- Freelance science writers: must present a current membership card from NASW, a regional affiliate of NASW, CSWA, ISWA, or SEJ; or evidence of by-lined work pertaining to science intended for the general public and published in 2004 or 2005; or a letter from the editor of a recognized publication assigning you to cover Joint Assembly.
- Public information officers of scientific societies, educational institutions, and government agencies: must present a business card.
Note: Representatives of publishing houses, for-profit corporations, and the business side of news media must register at the main registration desk at the meeting and pay the appropriate fees, regardless of possession of any of the above documents. They are not accredited as News Media at Joint Assembly.
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7. News Media Registration Form
The News Media Registration Form is set up for online submission, but includes a link to a version that can be printed out and faxed or mailed. Go to: http://www.agu.org/meetings/sm05/review/?content=media&show=press_reg
You may also sign up for the planned 22 May News Media field trip on the form.
The last day for advance press registration is 13 May. If you register in advance, your badge will be waiting when you arrive. You may also register onsite in the Press Room, Room 235.
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8. Who's coming
The following have submitted News Media Registration forms, as of the date of this message. An asterisk (*) indicates participation in the 22 May field trip. If you have submitted the form, but your name does not appear here, or if you wish to participate in the field trip and it is not so indicated, please resubmit the form (Part 5, above).
Anatta, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Tim Appenzeller, National Geographic Magazine
Molly Bentley, BBC World Service
Cindy Clark, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Jana Goldman, NOAA
Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard
Amy Hansen, Freelance
Jeffrey Kluger, Time
*Rick Lovett, Freelance
Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press
*Sid Perkins, Science News
*Christina Reed, Freelance
*Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
John VanDecar, Nature
Joe Verrengia, Associated Press
Megan Watzke, Chandra X-ray Center