(ENS, 12 March 2008) -- BRUSSELS, Belgium - Italian researcher Luisa Corrado was among the those honored today at the European Science Awards Ceremony, for her work on whether wealth can bring happiness. Corrado received one of five Marie Curie Excellence Awards, which recognize excellent researchers who have participated in the EU's researcher exchange program. [...]

Other projects honored at the event included the EPICA project, which has extended understanding of the Earth's climate over the last 800,000 years. The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica, EPICA, one of the European Science Foundation's longest running research networking programs, is one of three winners of the Descartes Prize for Research for outstanding transnational projects in natural sciences and humanities. The results have shown that the recent rise in greenhouse gas concentration is beyond any historical comparison, leading to climate change at an unprecedented rate. In addition, the ice cores obtained by the EPICA team have allowed scientists to study in detail the coupling of the northern and southern hemisphere.

"The prize has come at a very important time as we are currently in the International Polar Year, IPY," said Paul Egerton, head of the European Polar Board at the European Science Foundation. "The main aspect of the IPY is to bring science to the public and this prize will help to give more visibility to climate change."

Tagged: News, Public events and conferences

(University of Alaska Fairbanks press release via EurekAlert, 13 March 2008) -- FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- A group of writers, dancers, artists and scientists will blend their knowledge and skills in a performance that they hope will inspire audience members to expand their vision of how to preserve and enhance their community in a changing world. "In a Time of Change" will be Friday, March 21, at the Pioneer Park Civic Center.

"We live in a unique environment where we can see change happening," said Teresa Nettleton Hollingsworth, performer and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service scientist. "Scientists and artists are both observers, but they tell their stories in different ways," said Hollingsworth. "We hope that this performance will educate and teach people about the similarities between art and science, and give the audience an appreciation for the boreal forest, and an awareness of the changes that we are experiencing."

Presentations by University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists Terry Chapin and Roger Ruess will address our local ecosystem and climate change in Alaska. The performance will explore the natural world of Interior Alaska through a variety of media. "It is extremely exciting because rarely do artists and scientists collaborate, and combine their knowledge into an easily accessible format," Hollingsworth said.

Tagged: News, Public events and conferences