Next week marks the 67th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allies stormed the beaches at Normandy, France, and changed the face of World War II. Not much evidence of the war remains in Normandy: a few dilapidated relics, a cemetery, a war memorial. But something else was left behind that cannot be seen by the naked eye: shrapnel and iron and glass beads left over from the D-Day invasions in 1944.

On Feb. 22, a magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, killing nearly 200 people and causing $12 billion in damage. About three weeks later, a massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck northern Honshu, Japan. The quake and tsunami killed about 30,000 people and caused an estimated $310 billion in damage. Both events are stark reminders of human vulnerability to natural disasters and provide a harsh reality check: Even technologically advanced countries with modern building codes are not immune from earthquake disasters.

The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce Dr. Robert H. Dott, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Department of Geoscience of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as the recipient of the 2011 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal. Established in 1999, the award is presented to a geoscientist who has demonstrated a long history of scientific achievement and exceptional service to the geoscience profession.

The American Geological Institute is now accepting advance orders for the 2011 Earth Science Week Toolkit, which contains educational materials for all ages that correspond to this year's theme of "Our Ever-Changing Earth." The Toolkit will be sent in August 2011.