Archive for April, 2008

Geotimes examines Google’s renewables efforts

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Geotimes magazine examines Google’s efforts to develop affordable renewable energy in the April issue, available online and on newsstands now.

Google, Inc. launched RE<C: Renewable Energy cheaper than Coal in November 2007. The goal is to bring renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal, to prices low enough to compete with coal within the next 10 years.

Energy from coal-fired power plants runs from 2 to 4 cents per kilowatt hour, making it the cheapest energy source worldwide. Its price and availability make it the most used energy source in the world. But while it is affordable, it also accounts for at least 20 percent of the global greenhouse emissions. Currently, wind and geothermal energy cost on average at least 5 cents per kilowatt hour, while solar energy is even more expensive at 10 to 40 cents per kilowatt hour. To make these energy sources widely available and attractive to consumers, prices have to drop. Improved ways to efficiently harness these renewable resources to turn them into power are close at hand, but Google thinks a serious push is needed to develop these technologies to make them more accessible to the general public.

Learn about Google’s investments to improve technology on already existing renewable energy sources in the latest issue of Geotimes magazine, available now on newsstands and on the Web at http://www.geotimes.org.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and environment news by checking out Geotimes online at http://www.geotimes.org. Published by the American Geological Institute, Geotimes is your source for news and perspectives on research, technology and policy that affect you every day. Sign up for E-alerts, our short, weekly e-mails that alert subscribers to new content posted on the Geotimes Web site, and subscribe to the magazine at http://www.geotimes.org.

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AGI Names First Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award Recipient

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

Michelle Brand Buchanan, a teacher at Pineville Junior High in Pineville, Louisiana has been named the first recipient of the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching.

Ms. Buchanan received her Bachelor of Science from the University of North Texas. She has completed postgraduate science and education courses at four additional institutions and is currently a National Board Certified teacher of 7th grade life and environmental science and 8th grade earth, space, and environmental science.

Ms. Buchanan is involved in several organizations that promote science education. She’s a member of the Louisiana Science Teachers Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and is active in the Antarctic Geologic Drilling Program.

Columbus Goodman, Principal of Pineville Junior High says that Ms. Buchanan has a “loyalty and willingness to support new and innovative educational programs in the science field.” She is thorough in personally designing lesson plans that involve multiple hands-on activities that engage the students in learning.

In addition to the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award, she has received several other accolades, including the 2007 National Association of Geoscience Teachers Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year Award for Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Education’s Star Teaching Award, and the 2005 Sam’s Club Regional Teacher of the Year Award.

Given annually, the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award recognizes one classroom teacher from kindergarten to eighth grade for his or her leadership and innovation in earth science education. This award is named in honor of Dr. Edward C. Roy, Jr., who was a strong and dedicated supporter of earth science education. He served as Past President of AGI, chaired the AGI Education Advisory Committee, and received both the Ian Campbell Medal and the Heroy Distinguished Service award. In addition, he served as the Gertrude and Walter Pyron Distinguished Professor of Geology at Trinity University, as Dean of the Division of Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering, and as Vice President for Academic Affairs. Roy was also appointed Chair of the Texas Earth Science Task Force by the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency.

Ms. Buchanan will be presented with the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award at the AGI Past Presidents Dinner, Sunday April 20th 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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AGI Reports on the Price of Oil and the U.S. Dollar

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

The American Geological Institute Workforce Program has released its latest data report, this time looking at the price of crude oil and the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar.

Oil is a global commodity traded in US dollars. As the dollar loses value, the price of oil rises relative to other currencies and value metrics. As this Geoscience Currents shows, a significant proportion of the rise in global oil prices is tied to the drop in the US dollar. To highlight the relationship between commodity pricing and currency, the latest Currents graphed oil costs in both dollars and euros and also compared it to the pricing of another commodity, gold.

To view this graph and for more details on the latest report, please visit http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/.

Geoscience Currents provides data snapshots and short reports to shed light into the issue of the overall health of the geoscience profession and issues within the field. From scholarships to employment opportunities, the effect of retirements, to university enrollment trends, Geoscience Currents provides up to-the-minute glimpses into all areas of the geosciences, from academia, government, and industry to educational opportunities and university demographics.

To automatically receive Currents go to http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/ and click “Register.” Also on the website are previous Geoscience Currents issues and other reports completed by the Workforce Program, as well as additional resources pertaining to geoscience careers.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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AGI Releases Geoscience Enrollment Data

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

The American Geological Institute (AGI) Workforce Program has announced the 2007 enrollment and degrees granted in the geosciences statistics in the latest Geoscience Currents.

Enrollment rates have remained steady for 2007 with 19,216 undergraduate students and 7,944 graduate students enrolled. The geoscience degrees granted in 2007 also remained steady except for doctoral degrees which showed a large 30 percent increase, mirroring a surge in graduate enrollments in 2003 and 2004.

AGI has compiled enrollment data since 1955 and tracked the number of geoscience degrees granted since 1973. You can view the complete data set at http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/.

Geoscience Currents provides data snapshots and short reports to shed light into the issue of the overall health of the geoscience profession. From scholarships to employment opportunities, the effect of retirements, to university enrollment trends, Geoscience Currents provides up to-the-minute glimpses into all areas of the geosciences, from academia, government, and industry to educational opportunities and university demographics.

To subscribe to this free service go to http://www.agiweb.org/workforce/ and click “Register.” Also on the website are previous Geoscience Current issues and other reports completed by the Workforce Program, as well as other resources pertaining to geoscience careers.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society’s use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

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