Geoscience Currents #20 reports on geoscience and and science and engineering employment at the state level. Science and engineering employment comprises a small percentage (~2%) of every state’s total employment. Geoscience employment comprise an average of 12% of the total state science and engineering employment. Read more in Geoscience Currents # 20: Geoscience and Science & Engineering Employment by State.
Posts Tagged ‘News’
Geoscience Currents #20: Geoscience and Science & Engineering Employment by State
Monday, June 15th, 2009Geoscience Currents 21: Percentage of Bachelor Degree Recipients with Disabilities
Friday, June 5th, 2009Geoscience Currents 21: Percentage of Bachelor Degree Recipients with Disabilities examines the percentage of geoscience bachelor degree recipients with physical disabilities as compared to other STEM fields. On average percentage of geoscience bachelor degree recipients with physical disabilities (6.45%) is on par with other STEM disciplines. Within the sub-disciplines of the geosciences there is some variation, with four sub-disciplines having higher percentages of bachelor degree recipients with physical disabilities than other STEM fields. Read more in Geoscience Currents 21: Percentage of Bachelor Degree Recipients with Disabilities.
Donation from Houston Couple Establishes Departmental Chair in Iowa State University’s Geology Department
Monday, May 4th, 2009AMES, Iowa—A new gift from Tom and Evonne Smith has the opportunity to transform the department of geological and atmospheric sciences in Iowa State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS).
The Houston couple has established the Smith Family Foundation Departmental Chair in Geology to further enhance the mission of the department through a $2 million endowment.
“This gift will provide us with unprecedented opportunities to advance the teaching and research missions of the department,” said Carl Jacobson, professor and chair of the department of geological and atmospheric sciences. Jacobson will serve as the Smith Family Foundation Departmental Chair in Geology.
The endowed department chair will provide annual earnings that will be used by the chair to support activities within the department. The Smith Family Foundation Departmental Chair in Geology is just the second such endowed position at Iowa State. The funds will be used for such items as supporting cutting-edge research, recruitment of world-renowned faculty and attracting top students.
“During my years at Iowa State I formed life-long friendships and to be in close proximity to outstanding faculty members was a wonderful, unique opportunity,” said Tom Smith. “Evonne and I hope that this gift will help establish the department as a world-class center of learning in the geological sciences.”
“We’re extremely grateful for Tom and Evonne’s commitment to create this first endowed department chair position in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said LAS Dean Michael Whiteford. “Their appreciation for the education Tom received as a student at Iowa State speaks highly of the quality instruction offered then and today.”
Tom Smith holds both bachelor’s (1968) and master’s (1971) degrees in geology from Iowa State. The Smiths were the founders and former owners of Seismic Micro-Technology in Houston. The couple has previously provided $370,000 for improvements at the Carl F. Vondra Geology Field Camp near Shell, Wyo. Tom Smith is also a member of the LAS Dean’s Advisory Council and a past recipient of the Citation of Merit Award, the college’s top alumni honor.
The Smith gift will generate additional funding for items the department was unable to fund in previous years.
“One of the great benefits of the new gift from the Smiths is that the distributions can be used broadly for faculty and student support,” Jacobson said. “We should be able to bring in distinguished scientists as part of our seminar series and expose them to our outstanding department.
Jacobson has worked with the department’s faculty members to outline additional opportunities including lab equipment, graduate student scholarships and matching funds for national research grants.
The gift creating the Smith Family Foundation Departmental Chair in Geology is part of Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, the university’s $800 million fundraising effort. More than $670 million in gifts and future commitments for facilities and student, faculty and programmatic support have been made to Campaign Iowa State.
UConn adding Geoscience Major
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Beginning with the fall 2009 semester, the University of Connecticut will be adding a major in geology to the Bachelor of Science degree. The Department of Geology and Geophysics had been dissolved in 2004. Since that time students were only able to receive a geology degree through the Individulaized Major Program.
The Center for Integrative Geosciences at UConn was formed in 2005. It consisted of classes and professors from many disciplines that overlapped with the geosciences. Many students continued to take geology courses and wanted to pursue a geology degree through the Individulaized Major Program and the Center for Integrative Geosciences, thus it was deemed it necessary to reinstate geology as an official major.
With this change, it will be easier for students to declare a geosciences major and the department will be able to actively recruit students.
To learn more about geosciences at the University of Connecticut please visit http://www.geosciences.uconn.edu/.
Geotimes Online: Now with Video
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the first Geotimes videocast, available both through http://www.geotimes.org and YouTube. The premiere videocast takes a look at the current developments related to the Chaitén eruption in Chile.
Geotimes Online is now producing original videocasts of Earth-related news. The videocasts will cover current geologic news, including natural disasters, current research and public policy affecting the geosciences. Anchored by staff writers of the magazine, the videocasts supplement Geotimes’ regular earth science news items throughout the month.
To view the latest posting as well as to read features from the magazine and view other Web Extras, please visit 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.
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.