AGI Announces 2009 Earth Science Week and TYPE-ESW Contest Winners

Alexandria, VA—The American Geological Institute is pleased to announce the winners of the Earth Science Week (ESW) competitions and the International Year of Planet Earth-ESW photo contest.

The ESW visual arts contest invited students in grade K-5 to create two-dimensional artworks illustrating the theme “The Climate Where I Live.” Taylor Joe Scott of Portsmouth, New Hampshire won first place in the visual arts contest with a collage comparing landscapes, average sea levels, and wildlife in his area today and 100,000 years ago.

Grade 6-9 students participating in the essay contest wrote up to 300 words addressing the theme “Climate Connections.” Shreyas Havaldar of Dix Hills, New York, won first place in the essay contest by writing about climate and changing seasons on Long Island.

Participants in the ESW photo contest submitted photos illustrating the theme “How Climate Shapes My World.” Michael Badding of East Amherst, New York, won first place with his photo of melting ice. For all ESW contests, each first-place winner receives $300 and a “Faces of Earth” DVD.

This year, the separate IYPE-ESW photo contest asked participants to submit photographs illustrating the theme “Exploring Earth Science around the World.” Amy Spaziani, a graduate student in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, won first place in the contest for a photo featuring geology students examining soft sediment deformation during a field trip near the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas. Spaziani wins a prize of $500 and a “Faces of Earth DVD” set. The second place winner, Cassidy Williams of Westland, Michigan received $300, while the third place winner Daniel McGrath of Boulder, Colorado won $100.

To view the winning and finalist entries in all ESW 2009 contests, visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/2009index.html.

Earth Science Week is an annual event held the second week of October to promote an understanding and appreciation of the earth sciences. It is organized annually by AGI with support from a number of other geoscience organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, National Park Service, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation. To learn more about this event, please visit http://www.earthsciweek.org/.