Features
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
by Wendell D. Weart, Norbert T. Rempe, and Dennis W. Powers
Forty years ago, when deep geologic isolation -- preferably in salt
-- was first recommended as the safest way to store radioactive waste,
geoscientists began searching for a suitable U.S. site for such a repository.
By the late 1970s, a sequence of salt beds in southeastern New Mexico had
been selected. After two decades of drilling and geophysical exploration,
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) stands ready to receive its first
shipment of defense-transuranic waste.
Lifetime Decisions: The Sloan Career Cornerstone Series
by A. Frank Mayadas
For many students, "science at work" means observing their teachers
and professors. But a rich diversity of career opportunities in industry
-- far from the classroom and campus lab -- exist for students who are
interested in science, math, and engineering. This fall, the Sloan
Career Cornerstone Series, guided and supported by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, introduces a series of videotapes and CD-ROMs,
linked to Web sites, to introduce young people to career choices they never
dreamed of.
World Data Centers: Gateways to Geoscience Data
by Frederick W. Stoss
Operating under the auspices of the International Council of Scientific
Unions, the World Data Centers have been the formal mechanism for the international
exchange
of data about Earth, its environment, and the sun for four decades.
Today, the centers provide comprehensive services to a worldwide community
of scientists,
policy-makers, and other users. |