Hi Chris,

Your post noted "Scientists have been misunderstood, and indeed mistrusted, by people unfamilar with their work. A National Science Foundation (NSF) survey (Science and Engineering Indicators, 2002) found that 25% of the public think scientists are apt to be "odd and peculiar people." The popular media perpetuate negative streotypes; scientists are often portrayed as "unattractive, reclusive, socially inept....working in dull, unglamorous careers" as noted in the NSF study."

I hate to say this, but all of the above is absolutely true. While the rest of the world understands the meaning of dressing for success, in the world of geo-sciences one's field of endeavor and their accomplishments are supposed to be known, even if you don't know them. I've seen more huffing and puffing of a male nature than one could ordinary stand on a good day. Those, "I am" this, that and fifteen other things are supposed to set them apart from us regular folks and its true turn off.

I have been summarily ignored at times and some of those times came when they were supposed to be working with me and believe me when I say, I have been put to the test. Those Ivory Tower personalities can just shove it where the Sun won't shine for all I care. Thank goodness they are fewer in number.

From worn corduory suits with running shoes to nose picking in public I'd say they need some serious help. Not to mention the language. Ordinary people do not wish to be spoken to condescendingly. It makes one wish to remind them where their funding dollars come from. Chip Groat and I have had some serious discussion over these issues.

And we should talk about food. The AGU has the uncanny ability to find some of the worst food in The City of San Francisco when hosting the AGU. In a place which has thousands of fine places to dine, I don't know where they find the losers, but they do, repeatedly. Don and I have shaken our heads so many times when paying high dollars to sit in on conferences during meals and wondered where in the h.ll they found that crap. Gone are the days of Hawaiian chicken. Then we had one dinner engagement at an Italian restaurant which served miniscule portions at a time and who are we sitting with? Men from Russia who are huge. Don and I had to go out and eat after dinner. No kidding.

Ok, let's turn the table here and mention the best of the best. Dale Kruse from USCB sat with me during my first AGU awards presentation. He was very kind in explaining to me how the entire performance was set and even took time to teach me about fractals at the same sitting. (see there's education everywhere.) Leon Knopoff is my all time favorite scientist ever. No one can move around a room faster than he did at age 73 and showed me how faults break using pastic silverware. He is a marvel of a man and has no attitude problems. The fastest scientist in the mentals has to go to Andy Michael. He thinks like lightning bolts struck him. Very intelligent. But overall, I shall never forget Tom McEvily, UCB, for all of his time when he taught me a lot about earthquake prediction methods. He was kind, patient, caring, marvelously funny and very endearing. There are a lot of good people and they are even better when they are just themselves and not wearing their degrees and accomplishments on their chest, but instead in their heads and their hearts.

Of course the biggest problem is that their are not enough women geo-scientists and when we reach a time when things are more equal, matters of dress and public behavior will no doubt improve dramatically.

Petra (been there, seen that...oh my)