AGI Anniversary Celebrates Many Disciplines Stephenson Inducted as 1999 President Perspective: Earth Science Week — Momentum for the Future Improving Delivery in Geoscience Groat Becomes Director of USGS Introducing AGI's 1999 Executive Committee AGI Working to Create Repository and Research Center Two New Societies Join AGI AIPG Section Creates Slayback Award Visit Geotimes.org on the Web Dragonetti Receives AIPG Award In Brief

Plan now for Earth Science Week  Oct. 10-16, 1999  Pictured: Hamilton College students lounge on a beach near Reykjanestá, Iceland.  Photo by Barbara Tewksbury

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, AGI held a special symposium Nov. 14 at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. The symposium, called "The Future of Earth Sciences: The Challenges and Opportunities of Multiple Disciplines and Diversity," featured speakers from earth-science fields and from fields outside of the earth sciences.

AGI was founded 50 years ago to unite the different geoscience disciplines and organizations in an effort to advance the earth sciences and their applications. It is in this spirit of communication and interconnectedness that the Nov. 14 symposium was designed, says Sam Adams, the chair of AGI's 50th Anniversary Committee. In a column appearing in the November issue of Geotimes, Adams calls the symposium a "day of enlightenment," a day to start afresh in improving relationships within and beyond the earth sciences. "Much of the hope for this effort rests with the American Geological Institute — not as an organization, but as a federation of proud societies that will commit to advancement of the earth sciences and their applications through as much interconnectedness and communication as is required."

Following this goal, the symposium consisted of two sessions: Perspectives from Beyond the Earth Sciences, and Perspectives from the Earth Sciences. Speakers offering a view "beyond the earth sciences" included S. James Adelstein, a professor at the Harvard Medical School; the Right Reverend Craig B. Anderson, President, National Council of Churches; Paul Anderson, Senior Vice President for Chemical and Physical Sciences, DuPont Pharmaceutical Co.; and John B. Vander Sande, Dean of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These speakers, Adams writes in Geotimes, provide views of how other fields address the challenge of achieving interconnectedness and communication among many disciplines.

The symposium also featured 13 leaders from the earth sciences, including Charles G. Groat, new director of the U.S. Geological Survey; J. Freeman Gilbert, professor of geophysics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Rhea L. Graham, former director of the U.S. Bureau of Mines; and Susan M. Landon, a consulting geologist and past president of AGI.

AGI inducted David A. Stephenson as its 1999 president during its reception and awards ceremony on Oct. 27, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. He begins a one-year term.  Stephenson, a consulting hydrologist, has worked in academia, with government agencies, and as a consultant. He is vice president of S.S. Papadopulos & Associates (SSPA), an environmental and water resources consulting firm. Stephenson opened SSPA's Jackson, Wyo., office this year. Before joining SSPA, he was CEO of South Pass Resources Inc., a geology and hydrology consulting firm. For 35 years, Stephenson has been involved in hydrogeologic and water resources management investigations.

Stephenson was the 1994–95 president of GSA and has served as a program advisor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and for several university geoscience programs. He is also a past member of the National Research Council's review committees on mineral resource programs, mining, and water quality.

"A roaring success" is how AGI Past President Susan Landon described the first Earth Science Week. From Oct. 11 to 17, 1998, activities took place in every state and also in Australia, Canada, Germany, and India. Publicly recognizing the importance of the earth sciences, 39 state governors and at least three city mayors signed Earth Science Week proclamations. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden read an Earth Science Week resolution into the Congressional Record in July; and on Oct. 9, President Clinton issued a message urging every citizen to participate in Earth Science Week. In several states, these endorsements were presented at signing ceremonies and public events, bringing local media coverage and attention to the earth sciences.

By promoting Earth Science Week, many AGI member societies, state geological surveys, geoscience organizations, and various publications contributed to its successful launching. In Idaho, the geological survey, Earth Science Teachers Association, and Department of Education worked together to get Earth Science Week posters and bookmarks and the Ideas and Activities booklet (which described student activities for teaching earth-science concepts) into every school. In New Jersey, the geological survey sent postcards promoting Earth Science Week to 3,200 schools. Science Scope, the National Science Teachers Association journal read by about 20,000 middle-school teachers, featured an earth-science issue in October.

Many teachers are still using the Earth Science Week Ideas and Activities booklet in their classrooms.

Week-long celebrations of Earth Science Week included open houses, lecture series, film festivals, demonstrations, and exhibits. Sponsors were the Paleontological Research Institution and Cornell University; Delaware Geological Survey; Department of Geology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; the student Geo Club at George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.; Bob Campbell Geology Museum and Department of Geological Sciences at Clemson University; and the Kentucky Geological Survey.

One-day events also drew crowds. More than 100 participants attended every field trip sponsored by the Nevada Geological Survey. Earth Science Day at Arizona State University, Tempe, attracted more than 800 visitors,  and more than 1,400 people showed up for Western New York Earth Science Day at the Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center near Hamburg. More than 1,000 people spent the afternoon in Highbanks Metro Park in suburban Columbus for the Earth Science Week Expo sponsored by the Ohio Geological Survey, the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, and other agencies. A byproduct of that Earth Science Week event is a new program offering field trips for school groups. And a byproduct of activities at Austin Community College in Texas is a permanent monitoring well on campus that was drilled into the Edwards Aquifer during Earth Science Week.

A geologist from Wolf Point, Mont., visited schools on a nearby Indian reservation during Earth Science Week. Two geologists in Iowa City spent a day teaching 700 students about aquifers. Don Davidson, executive director of the Geological Society of America, gave presentations to 1,000 students at 11 schools in the Boulder, Colo., area; six of the schools have already invited him back.

New Partnerships

Perhaps the most significant byproduct of Earth Science Week is that it has fostered so many new partnerships and communication links. These links unite geoscience organizations, industries and communities, scientists and teachers, and youth leaders and scientists. These and other partnerships will flourish as communities organize to celebrate Earth Science Week every year. In fact, many organizations and individuals are already planning Earth Science Week 1999, Oct. 10–16.

Making the first Earth Science Week part of AGI's 50th anniversary celebration, along with a resolution from the Association of American State Geologists, got the ball rolling. Dedicated volunteers throughout the country created local interest and momentum for Earth Science Week that kept it going and growing. Robert Cowdery, Earth Science Week volunteer and chairman for the Kansas Geological Society's public relations committee, recognizes both the potential and the challenge Earth Science Week offers. "It takes funding, it takes somebody being interested," he says, "and it takes someone in every state."

Charles G. Groat, a former executive director of AGI and current trustee on the AGI Foundation, became the new director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in October. President Clinton nominated Groat for the position in July, and on Oct. 21, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Clinton's nomination. The confirmation came a few days before AGI awarded Groat its most prestigious award, the Ian Campbell Medal, during the Geological Society of America's annual meeting in Toronto.

AGI has signed a letter of intent with Stapleton Development Corp. to convert a Continental Airlines hanger complex at Denver's former Stapleton Airport into the NGDRRC. AGI plans to make the repository and research center fully operational by 2003, creating a center with a staff of 25 that will house a major inventory of geological material, attract thousands of users every year, and provide research facilities for visiting researchers and scientists "in residence."

AGI proposes to establish a non-profit Colorado corporation to operate and manage the NGDRRC. Members of the corporation will come from industry, academia, and government. AGI will also establish a national advisory council to help the center develop local and national earth-science programs and services.

The center will provide 250,000 square feet of repository space suitable for storage of rock core, paleontological collections, well-cutting samples, and other geoscience data. The Stapleton complex can hold 3 million boxes of core and other sample materials. It will also provide 16,000 square feet of laboratory space, 4,000 square feet of administrative office space, and 8,000 square feet of classroom and public education space. Most of the data to be transferred into the complex will come from corporate facilities in Texas (Houston, Dallas, and Midland), California (Bakersfield), and Oklahoma (Tulsa).

The center is part of a broader AGI project, the National Geoscience Data Repository System, supported by the Department of Energy. As part of this project, AGI created GeoTrek, a Geographic Information Systems-based browser that went on-line in May. GeoTrek provides information about the holdings, quality, quantity, and location of geoscience data, as well as a way to order more information about a given core or well log from a company or state survey. Private companies, state surveys, and government and research organizations have joined the NGDRS and included their geoscience data holdings in GeoTrek.

M. Lee Allison, state geologist for Utah, says a national system for indexing state core holdings, and even for helping states fund storage space for holdings, is urgently needed. The nation's capacity for storing core samples is not increasing, while the amount of core is. "I applaud AGI for taking the lead on this," he says. "This is absolutely a critical function." Recently the Utah Geological Survey opened a new, 12,000-square foot repository. The survey built the repository with a $1 million, interest-free loan from the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

A related story will appear in the News Notes section of the December Geotimes.

During its annual meeting Oct. 27, the Member Society Council of the American Geological Institute voted to accept two new member societies: the Paleobotanical Section of the Botanical Society of America and the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The meeting was part of the Geological Society of America's annual meeting in Toronto. The additions increased AGI's membership to 34 societies, representing more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists — including engineers and paleobotanists.

The Paleobotanical Section of the Botanical Society of America advances the study of Earth's past plant life. Its members seek to establish closer contacts between botanists and geologists concerned with paleobotanical research, and to stress the importance of fossil plants in relation to botanical and geological problems. The Section also represents paleobotany during annual meetings of the Botanical Society of America. It gives three awards every year and annually publishes the Bibliography of American Paleobotany, a bibliography of recent research by the Section's members.

The approximately 7,500 members of the Geo-Institute (G-I) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are scientists, engineers, and technologists who apply their technical knowledge to soils, rocks, and fluids. The ASCE created G-I in 1996 to replace its Geotechnical Engineering Division, advance the world's "geo-industry," provide effective technology transfer, and integrate the technology activities of those involved in geo-industry. It is also the U.S. member society of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. The institute publishes many geotechnical specialty publications, including the monthly Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.

Earlier this year, AGI welcomed its 32nd member society, the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature. See the May/June 1998 GeoSpectrum.

Geotimes, AGI's monthly magazine of news and trends in the geosciences, now has its own web site at <http://www.geotimes.org>. The new site features some of the magazine's regular sections: classified ads, news on people in the geoscience community, a calendar of meetings and events, and the informative "Political Scene" by David Applegate, director of AGI's Government Affairs Program (GAP). Visitors to the site can also catch up on current and interesting research in the earth sciences with News Notes, stories on research and education written by the magazine's staff writers Devra Wexler and Kristina Bartlett and by GAP Associate Kasey White. Of course, what makes Geotimes different from many magazines is that its easy-to-read features are written by geoscientists — and the web site summarizes each issue's feature stories.
 
AGI celebrates its 50th anniversary with a special November issue of Geotimes. Leaders in the geoscience community look at the histories of their professions and describe major achievements made in the past 50 years.

John Dragonetti, senior advisor for the American Geological Institute's (AGI) Government Affairs Program, received a Presidential Certificate of Merit from the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) on Oct. 8 during its annual meeting in Baton Rouge, La. Dragonetti has written a government affairs column for AIPG's monthly publication, The Professional Geologist, since February 1997. He has also served AIPG as a liaison in Washington, D.C., and received the association's I.C. White Award in 1996.

From 1983 to 1995, Dragonetti was the U.S. Geological Survey's principal liaison with national, state, and local government organizations such as the National Governors' Association, Council of State Governments, and National Conference of State Legislatures. Dragonetti also worked closely with professional geoscience organizations such as the Association of American State Geologists and AGI, and served as ombudsman to the 51 state geological agencies.

From 1971 to 1979, he served as chief of the Bureau of Mineral Resources for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In 1979, he received the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Superior Service Citation. He was awarded the Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award in 1988.

Dragonetti received a bachelor's degree in geology from Columbia University in 1957, and a master's degree in public administration in 1990 from the University of Southern California.

AGI releases new database

Consulting firms and environmental companies have a new resource from AGI: the Groundwater and Soil Contamination database on CD-ROM. The database contains over 60,000 references to government documents, books, journals, and conference proceedings, along with theses and dissertations published since 1975. The references cover geology, hydrology, the environment, economics, chemistry, civil engineering, and health issues.

AGI is offering a free, 30-day trial of this CD-ROM database. The database continues the original Groundwater and Soil Contamination database released several years ago through SilverPlatter. The new version contains more references and search software. Those who purchase an annual subscription to the database will receive quarterly updates. For information, contact Kay Yost. Phone: 703/379-2480 or <kyost@agiweb.org>.

GeoRef welcomes new associate editor

Afifa Kechrid, formerly a GeoRef editor and idexer, is now associate editor of GeoRef. Kechrid replaces Ellen Carpenter, who recently left AGI to work as the assistant editor of publications for the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Kechrid and fellow Associate Editor Jim Mehl oversee the work of GeoRef's indexers and produce the monthly Bibliography and Index of Geology.

Kechrid earned her Ph.D. in geology from the University of Paris VI in 1983. She worked as an investigator from 1981 to 1983 in the geology department of the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Before joining AGI in 1990, she headed the nannofossils laboratory for the Tunisian Petroleum Co. (ETAP) in Tunis, Tunisia. She is also a substitute teacher of French for schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

EarthComm gains new staff member

Laurie Martin-Vermilyea joined AGI's Department of Education in October. Martin-Vermilyea will be working on AGI's EarthComm project, a program to design an inquiry-based, high-school curriculum in earth science. Before joining AGI, she worked at the University of South Carolina's (USC) Center for Science Education. She earned her Ph.D. from USC in 1992, studying geology and earth-science education, and was selected the Ft. Jackson Teacher of the Year in 1995. She is a member of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and has written papers for the association's Journal of Geoscience Education.

Robert L. Bates Scholarship available

Applications are invited for the Robert L. Bates Scholarship, which will provide up to $1,500 for a student to attend the 35th Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals, taking place in Salt Lake City from April 30 to May 7, 1999. Undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students of the earth sciences will be considered. A strong inclination toward industrial minerals is necessary. Deadline for receipt of the application and supporting letters is Feb. 15, 1999. For information, contact:
Robert L. Bates Scholarship Committee, c/o George Edwards, 901 West Water Street, Elmira, N.Y. 14905-2316. Fax & phone: (607) 734-3207. E-mail: gedwards@servtech.com

The Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals has established the Robert L. Bates Scholarship Fund as a permanent memorial to Ohio State University Professor Bob Bates, a remarkable educator and author, and founder of the Forum. He also started the "Geologic Column" in Geotimes magazine, and was an editor of AGI's Glossary of Geology.