Other Noteworthy News...

New Assistant Director for Geosciences

On January 10, 2000, Dr. Margaret Leinen was appointed Assistant Director for Geosciences. In addition to her responsibilities as the Assistant Director for Geosciences, Dr. Leinen will be responsible for coordinating environmental science, engineering, and education programs within NSF, and for cooperation and collaborations on environmental issues between NSF and other Federal agencies.

Prior to coming to NSF, Dr. Leinen was Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography and Vice Provost for Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of Rhode Island. She was also interim Dean, College of the Environment and Life Sciences. Dr. Leinen spent her entire academic career at the University of Rhode Island, considered one of the country's top institutions for marine studies. During her tenure, she spearheaded the University's efforts to build a cohesive interdisciplinary marine and environmental focus.

Dr. Leinen is a well-known researcher in paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. Her work focuses on the history of biogenic sedimentation in the oceans and its relationship to global biogeochemical cycles, and the history of eolian sedimentation in the oceans and its relationship to climate.

She is a past president of The Oceanography Society. She served on the Board of Governors of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions and on the National Oceanographic Partnership Program's Ocean Research Advisory Panel. Dr. Leinen also served as Vice Chair of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program and on the Board on Global Change of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Leinen received her B.S. degree (1969) in geology from the University of Illinois; M.S. (1975) in geological oceanography from Oregon State University; and Ph.D. (1980) in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.