USGS science picks(formation the USGS publishes a monthly M...)

The USGS will welcome Marcia McNutt as its new director on Nov. 5. She will also serve as the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar. She is a former USGS scientist who began her career as an earthquake specialist. McNutt most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California. She has also been a member of the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and participated in 15 major oceanographic expeditions. She has published 90 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Her research has ranged from studies of ocean island volcanism in French Polynesia to continental break-up in the Western United States. Details are available in an online press release at http://www.doi.gov/news/09_News_Releases/102209.html. For more information, contact Mike Gauldin at mgauldin@usgs.gov or (703) 648-4054.

Wind energy is a promising source of "green energy." However, unprecedented numbers of certain bat species are consistently dying at wind turbines, and birds are also affected. USGS scientists are investigating what makes bats and birds vulnerable to turbines, as well as the extent to which turbines may be affecting their populations. Scientists are also looking into possible solutions for reducing bat mortality at wind energy facilities. Learn m
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