ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that longtime AGI Director of Geoscience Profession and Higher Education Dr. Christopher Keane is assuming the role of AGI Interim Executive Director. Dr. Keane has provided leadership in the geoscience profession for nearly 30 years. As Director of Geoscience Profession and Higher Education, he has been leading AGI’s portfolio of efforts in workforce, policy, and technical geoscience activities. Some specific programs include ongoing workforce data as part of the Geoscience Profession Data Dashboard, broadening policy awareness through the Geoscience PolicyApp and the William L. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to name Dr. A. Ester Sztein, Director of International Programs at The Geological Society of America (GSA), as the 2026 recipient of the AGI Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences. Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Sztein has transformed how people around the world engage with geoscience by breaking down barriers of culture, geography, and access. Her leadership has connected scientists, educators, students, and institutions across international boundaries, creating new opportunities for collaboration while strengthening public appreciation of Earth science and its importance to society. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Dr. Stephen G. Wells, previous President of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), has been awarded the American Geosciences Institute’s (AGI) 2026 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal, recognizing a lifetime of exceptional achievement and leadership in the geosciences. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, Dr. Wells has distinguished himself as a pioneering researcher, educator, mentor, and institutional leader whose influence has shaped the geoscience profession across academia, research organizations, and scientific societies. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is proud to announce that Dr. Sandra J. Carlson, distinguished paleontologist and Professor Emerita in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis, has been named the 2026 recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI. This award is given in recognition of exceptional and beneficial long-term service to the Institute. Dr. Carlson’s impact has spanned governance leadership, financial stewardship, program development, and deep commitment to the geoscience community. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Spring 2026 issue of AGI Connections, the online newsletter of the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), is now live, highlighting the powerful impact of AGI and its global federation of geoscience affiliates and partners. This issue spotlights the ideas, innovations, and collaborations shaping the geoscience enterprise today. Headlines include: New Directory of Geoscience Departments App Applauded ‘Join Us in Geoscience Enterprise Rising’ Earth Science Week Enhances Access with Online Resources Congressional Fellow Offers Geoscience Perspective in DC Groundwater and Soil Contamination Database Thrives New from AGI Geoscience Event Calendar “AGI Connections showcases the people, programs, and innovations accelerating progress across policy, education, and resource management,” said AGI Executive Director Jonathan Arthur. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is saddened to share the news that colleague and friend Dr. Robert W. Ridky passed away recently. An AGI Past Member of the Executive Committee (Board of Directors), Ridky won the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI (2002) for his exceptional leadership in earth science education, including improving field-training opportunities for students entering the geosciences. He served as a professor of geology, science education, and related subjects at the University of Maryland starting in the early 1970s, when he first became an active member of the AGI Education Committee and participant in the Earth Science Curriculum Project. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) today announced the launch of Geoscience Enterprise Rising, a focused framework for strategic action to ensure that geoscience continues to drive innovation, resilience, and prosperity for generations to come. Energy. Water. Critical minerals. Hazard resilience. Infrastructure. National security. Economic competitiveness. All depend on geoscience. Yet today, the enterprise that supports these essential systems is at risk. A convergence of challenges — including workforce shortages, declining student enrollment, aging data infrastructure, and limited integration of geoscience into policy decisions — threatens the geoscience community’s ability to respond to these growing environmental and economic demands. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — JohnPaul Sleiman has been chosen by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) as the 2026-2027 William L. Fisher Congressional Geoscience Fellow. The prestigious Fisher Fellowship is a unique opportunity for a geoscientist to work as staff in a congressional office or committee for a year in Washington, D.C. Sleiman expects to receive a Ph.D. in Geophysics in May at the University of Rochester, where his doctoral work concentrated on climate-driven hillslope failure in permafrost regions. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Doctoral candidate Esther Oyedele has been awarded the 2026 Harriet Evelyn Wallace Scholarship for Women Geoscience Graduate Students from the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG), with funding donated by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI). This scholarship, which is given to women who are pursuing graduate degrees in geoscience, grants each recipient with a $5,000 award for one academic year. Ms. Oyedele is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Geosciences at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — To highlight the vital role that geoscience knowledge plays in fostering action toward stewardship of the planet, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) joins the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and 17 additional global partners in issuing a joint Earth Day 2026 (April 22) statement: The 2026 Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” underscores the importance of both individual and collective action to preserve the integrity of Earth’s dynamic systems. [Read More]