Fiscal Year 2018 (October 2017–September 2018)

PDF versionPDF version
Watercolor painting of moon, earth, and stars.

AGI MISSION

AGI represents and serves the geoscience community by providing collaborative leadership and information to connect Earth, science, and people

FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Allyson K. Anderson Book. Woman smiling in purple dress.

We are so grateful to the geoscience community for all the success we’ve shared over the past year, not to mention past decades. The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) had good reason to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2018. The past 70 years have seen tremendous progress in the geosciences. And AGI has been there, every step of the way, representing geoscientists, advancing their interests, and elevating the profession.

Today AGI provides a unified voice for more than 50 member societies and over a quarter-million geoscientists across the country and around the world. That voice arises from a shared vision for the geosciences. As our mission statement announces proudly, we represent and serve the geoscience community by providing collaborative leadership and information to connect Earth, science, and people.

How? One great example can be found in the way AGI recently collaborated with partners such as the Geological Society of America, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the National Park Service. Geoscientists from various organizations, agencies, and corporations worked together under AGI’s leadership to provide a day-long field trip for students from New Mexico’s Jemez Pueblo, who explored evidence of volcanic processes in and around Valles Caldera National Preserve.

“[Scientists] were opening their eyes to how much geology is around them — and how much they actually rely on it for their daily lives,” said Earth Science Education Ambassador Sally Jewell, who played an instrumental part in the activity.

One student, asked to describe her interest in the subject matter, simply exclaimed, “I love rocks!”

It is by making these connections — and by forging these partnerships — that AGI engages young people, fuels learning, and supports the profession in myriad ways. Since it was established 70 years ago under a directive of the National Academy of Sciences, the AGI federation has met the challenges of our times with high-impact programs, products, and services promoting the geosciences.

The work we do together is so very important. Geoscience, after all, is the “bedrock” science — combining principles of chemistry, physics, biology, and additional sciences in practical applications. 

Generating energy. Producing food. Building homes. Discovering raw materials. Safeguarding the environment. Monitoring climate. Mitigating disasters. Strengthening education. Creating jobs. And so much more.

Geoscience provides the lens through which we most clearly view the possibilities of our world. As geoscientists, we understand that examining the past allows us to look ahead with enhanced certainty, capacity, and hope for the future.

So I invite you to join us in looking back over what AGI and the geoscience community have accomplished together over the past year — and looking forward to what we can achieve in the years to come.

Allyson K. Anderson Book
Executive Director

Read the Full Letter

GEOSCIENCE 2018
TOP TEN

  1. Sally Jewel. Close up of woman smiling. Blurred background of trees.

    Geoscience education received a boost as AGI named former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell as Earth Science Education Ambassador. Jewell traveled the country and promoted awareness of the geosciences among students, teachers, and the public.

  2. Acrophoca longirostris is an extinct species animal that is related to seals, sea lions and walruses (pinnipeds). It lived during the early Pliocene, about 15.5 million years ago. It was discovered in Peru and Chile.

    Reaching over 50 million people, AGI’s Earth Science Week partnered with the radio program Science Friday, debuted its Paleontology Play Space, and received an endorsement in a resolution by a bipartisan coalition of U.S. representatives.

  3. AGI Education group in small conference room.

    AGI friends explored our newly renovated headquarters during AGI’s 70th anniversary open house. AGI’s headquarters now can facilitate member society needs such as hot desking and collaborative meeting space with state-of-the-art conferencing.

  4. Teachers working on a 2018 STEM activity, recycling paper.

    AGI energized geoscience education at the K-12 level by revising the textbook and website for EarthComm: Project-Based Earth and Space System Science. Teachers also tapped Education GeoSource, Teacher Leadership Academies, and an online course.

  5. Two students sampling hydrothermal waters in forest.

    Bolstering the geoscience workforce, AGI partnered with AIPG to offer Geoscience Online Learning Initiative webinars and on-demand courses on topics from ethics to environmental geoscience. Plus, geoscientists can earn professional credit for courses.

  6. US Capital.

    AGI policy initiatives included the 11th annual Geoscience Congressional Visits Day, 50 new “Geoscience in Your State” factsheets, four Critical Issues webinars on state and local issues, and the first AGI Geoscience Policy Annual Review.

  7. Cover of K5 Report.

    AGI’s Center for Geoscience & Society enhanced geoscience awareness with a new Geoscientist Outreach Initiative (GO-In) workshop series. And the Center’s Report on the Status of K-5 Geoscience Education outlined key education challenges.

  8. Oregon State University Professor Miguel Goñi monitors the deployment of a multi-core during a cruise in the Chukchi Sea aboard the R/V Sikuliaq.

    Geoscientists had access to more scholarly information than ever, as GeoRef topped 4 million references. Moreover, AGI launched a new platform for its Canadian and Australian subsets of GeoRef, the premier bibliographic database for geoscience literature.

  9. Cover of AGI's Directory of Geoscience Departments.

    Geoscientists were informed by AGI research and publications, as AGI published the 2018 Directory of Geoscience Departments, issued a study on geologic mapping’s economic impact, and published papers on topics including the geoscience workforce.

  10. Zena Cardman won the 2017-2018 Harriet Evelyn Wallace Ph.D. Scholarship.

    Our geoscience federation grew stronger as AGI welcomed its 52nd member society, as well as new associate societies. AGI also honored excellence with awards, fellowships, scholarships, internships, and our first-ever scholars-in-residence.

CHEERS

Rex Buchanan. Man smiling in suit.

“AGI has long served a critical role in representing all of the geosciences. One of the highlights of my career has been working with AGI staff and other geoscience professionals who contribute their time and talent to AGI efforts.”

– Rex C. Buchanan
Director Emeritus, Kansas Geological Survey

Eve Sprunt. Woman Smiling with a red and white scarf and glasses.

“Keep up the good work! I’m glad that AGI is a leader in working to eliminate harassment and supporting high ethical standards in the geosciences.”

– Eve Sprunt
President, American Geosciences Institute

Scott Tinker. Man in plaid shirt smiling.

“It is vital to expose young people to academic, government, and industry professionals working together every day to develop earth resources in an environmentally sustainable manner. AGI does that.”

– Scott Tinker
State Geologist of Texas and Director, Bureau of Economic Geology

 

SUPPORT THE
GEOSCIENCES

AGI detailed Glyph logo showing environments that the colors represent. AGI/Brenna Tobler; lava: Shutterstock.com/RZ design; Aztec sandstone: Michael Collier, ESW Image Bank; farm: Shutterstock.com/Charles L. Bolin; waves: Digital Vision; clouds: Digital Stock; space: Digital Vision.

Be a champion for AGI partnerships that enrich geoscience education, workforce, policy, information services, and recognition of excellence. Join us in this vital work. Please contact Alexandra Lowe Lees, Associate Director of Development, to learn more about supporting AGI: alees@americangeosciences.org | (703) 379-2480 x205

Please give at https://agi.networkforgood.com

FINANCES

FY 2018 Operating Revenue

FY 2018 Operating Expense

View the PDF of the AGI Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2018 (Oct 2017–Sept 2018).