FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 6, 2018

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – This year’s Earth Science Week theme was “Earth as Inspiration,” and the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) saw record participation and exceptional submissions in this year's Earth Science Week contests. Check out the winners and finalists from each category.

 

Namit Vernekar of Charlotte, N.C., won first place in the visual arts contest with a creative and colorful drawing of two sides (real and imaginary) of Earth. Finalists were Janiru Sumanasiri, Esther Gammill, Saachi Tamboli, and Abhiraj Das. Students in grades K-5 made two-dimensional artworks illustrating the theme “Earth and Art.”

 

Matt Meisenheimer of Janesville, Wis., won first place in the photo contest with an image of Kalalau Valley in Kauai, Hawaii. Finalists were Hannah Kawar, Aaliyah Craven, Mary Francis Garcia, and Kate Ragusa. Submissions illustrated the theme “Inspired by Earth.” 

 

Udbhav Akolkar of Scottsdale, Ariz., won first place in the essay contest with a paper on earth in various forms of writing, from J. R. R. Tolken Edgar Allan Poe. Finalists were Caden Longwater, Vikram Kolli, Jaeho Lee, and Lluvia Perez. Students in grades 6-9 wrote essays of up to 300 words addressing this year’s theme, “Finding ‘Art’ in Earth.” 

 

Noah Resnick won first place in the video contest with a public service announcement about ways science (and the Earth) can be artful. Finalists were (team) Carrie Hunter and Austin Hermann; (team) Zihao Jiang, Chen Hong Xue, Yu Hongyi, Lu Yichang, Ding Keyi, Liu Zhengyi, Wang Yihan, Zhang Xin Yao, Ding Zi Jun, Chen Yan Yan, Hu Rui, Yin Hao Ran, Cao Yi Jia, Wu Di, and Sun Dasheng; (team) Vinuth and Janiru Sumanasiri and Malika Gunasekara; and (team) Rossalyn Buck and Emily Straetz. Individuals and teams created brief, original videos that tell viewers how artistic expression stems from the natural world, through “Earth Expressions” in their part of the world.

 

Congratulations to the winners, finalists, and hundreds of students and others who entered. Each first-place winner receives $300 and a “Geoscience Handbook.” Entries submitted by winners and finalists are posted online at https://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/2018. 

 

 

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is a nonprofit federation of 52 scientific and professional associations that represents more than a quarter-million geoscientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides geoscientists with access to scholarly information, 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 health of the environment.

 

AGI is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

 

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AGI Contact:

Joseph Lilek, Communications Manager

571.483.5445

 

 

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