Highlights for June 4, 1999
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• USGS-APHIS Cooperate on Invasive Species Issues. On May 27, Kenneth Lakin of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Center for Plant Health Science and Technology visited the USGS Center for Biological Informatics to discuss collaboration on data and information management activities related to invasive species. Several activities will be developed in the future. (Mark Fornwall, Denver, 303-202-4215)
  
  

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• CBI Director Addresses American Society for Information Science. On May 24, Mark Fornwall, Director of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics, participated on the American Society for Information Science panel discussion "Networked Resources for Environmental Decision Making: Part 1, Evaluating Information for Policy Decisions." He also presented a paper discussing National Biological Information Infrastructure activities supporting decision making and suggested directions for the future. (Mark Fornwall, Denver, 303-202-4215)
  
  
• May Metadata Workshops. Three NBII Metadata Workshops were held in May. Two-day workshops were given at the USGS Midcontinent Ecological Science Center's Greater Yellowstone Field Station in Bozeman, Montana, and at the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center in Bellevue, Washington. A total of 25 participants attended from BRD, the National Park Service, and Oklahoma State University. An American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing conference held in Portland, Oregon, was the site of a one-day workshop for eight participants representing the USDA Forest Service, the Department of Energy, the Nez Perce Tribe, Oregon State University, and private industry. A conference attendee from the United Kingdom also participated in the workshop. (Sharon Shin, Denver, 303-202-4230)
  
  

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.