6 December, 1996

December 6th, 1996

NSF officials

I got up early this morning to try and finish the picture input. After breakfast I worked until 9:30. At 9:30 I met with some NSF officials. NSF has a distinguished visitor program. This place is so unusual, it is hard for people in Washington to understand why it is important, and why it requires some of the things the Office of Polar Programs request. The DV's as they are referred to, must have some direct involvement in the program. This group of visitors was from NSF. It included Dr. Zaire who is the national science board director, Dr. Feistinbaum (spelling?) who is in charge of the science division of the Air Force and Ms. Moore who is the NSF liaison for congressional affairs.

We had coffee and a group discussion of issues surrounding the OPP. They then took a lab tour. As Dr. Braaten was still flying back from Marilyn AWS, I showed them our project, including the ice cores which we dug. They seemed to enjoy seeing the cores. I then worked until lunch on the project.

Suruj returned just after lunch to the lab and said that things had gone well at the site, but that they hadn't slept at all. Dr. Braaten turned up later and Suruj decided to take a nap. We all were still working after dinner when at 7:00, Mrs. Bennett and I attended an official function at the chalet with the DVs. They served a dinner and everyone talked. I stayed until 10:00 pm at which time I returned to the lab. Dr. Braaten went to bed early and Carole and I were in bed by 1:00am, the earliest in a long time!