FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 14, 2018

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Founded in 1948, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is proud to celebrate its 70th year with the completed, cutting-edge renovation of its Alexandria headquarters, the M. Ray Thomasson Building, and the announcement of new partnership opportunities and membership benefits.

 

“We have been a proud part of the City of Alexandria for decades, and now we are opening our doors to the community,” said AGI Executive Director Allyson Anderson Book.

 

Renovation of the building, located at 4220 King Street in Alexandria, was taken as an opportunity to fortify the facility with state-of-the-art technology, essential resources, and collaborative spaces to advance the important work of staff, geoscience professionals, and the broader community.

 

In August 2018, AGI hosted its first-ever Community Open House to mark its grand opening to both the local Alexandria community and the global geoscience community. The Mayor of Alexandria, Allison Silberberg, and the namesake of AGI’s renovated headquarters, geoscientist M. Ray Thomasson, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

 

Guests marveled at the impressive new space, particularly the thoughtful geoscience concepts in the building’s new design, in which each floor is themed around a different layer of the Earth: the lower level is deep Earth, the first floor represents the crust and biosphere, the second floor evokes hydrologic systems, and the third floor ascends through the atmosphere and into space.

 

Community members are invited to explore this space for themselves. AGI’s sophisticated conference and meeting spaces are available for booking by local businesses, civic groups, and Alexandria nonprofits. Go to www.americangeosciences.org/workspace for room rates and information.

 

This year, AGI also unveiled a new membership category for trade associations. Trade associate members will enjoy a wealth of benefits including AGI’s popular EARTH Magazine and an invitation to the twice-annual Member Society Council meeting, a discussion forum that draws leaders from the AGI federation – a robust network of more than 50 leading organizations from across the global geoscience community.

 

“Whether you work in the geosciences or not, we welcome you to join our community, and we thank you for making us part of yours,” said Anderson Book.

 

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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