Back to About AGI

AGI is a dynamic organization that is constantly working to advance the geosciences. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and announcements from AGI through our press releases.


Earth Science Week 2017 Photo Contest Boosts Education

April 19, 2017

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is sponsoring a photo contest in celebration of Earth Science Week 2017. This year’s contest, which honors the event theme of “Earth and Human Activity,” invites students, geoscientists, and the general public to submit entries showing ways people affect, or are affected by, Earth systems in their local communities. New to this year’s photo contest, AGI and Earth Science Week present the “Earth and Human Activity Here” Photo Map, now online at http://www. [Read More]

Prominent Pesticides Escape Into the Environment

April 14, 2017

A silent spring and a summer without honey? Current events have renewed interest in science that informs us about the health of our environment. Enter neonicotinoids, a family of chemical pesticides that has been in use since the 1990s and became especially prominent starting in the mid-2000s. Neonicotinoids have gained popularity because they are non-toxic to mammals, birds and other vertebrates, and because they can be applied in a variety of ways - most prominently as agricultural seed coatings, which largely circumvents the problem of windblown drift of pesticides offsite and into the environment. [Read More]

Statement on the March for Science

April 10, 2017

Allyson Anderson Book, Executive Director of the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) “As AGI’s Executive Director, I truly value and respect the diverse array of skills and opinions within the geoscience community. All of us are united in our commitment to the geosciences and we understand the vital contributions that the geosciences make to society. As geoscientists, we are in a unique position to provide accurate science-based information to policy makers about the Earth, its natural resources and hazards, and interactions between people and the natural environment. [Read More]

Earth Science Week 2017 Contests Announced

March 29, 2017

In celebration of Earth Science Week 2017, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is sponsoring four contests honoring this year’s theme, “Earth and Human Activity.” This year’s competition will feature contests in photography, visual arts, essay writing, and video production. Photography Contest: Earth and Human Activity Here Students, geoscientists, and the general public are invited to participate in this year’s photography contest. Entries must be composed of original, unpublished material, and show ways people affect, or are affected by, Earth systems in their local communities. [Read More]

New Research Suggests Earthquake Risk Models Should Account for Syrian Refugees

March 27, 2017

As the Syrian Civil War enters its sixth year, seismic hazard might not immediately come to mind. But there is a reason it should. According to research presented at the AGU Fall Meeting, new estimates of the number of earthquake fatalities that could be expected in Turkey under several potential earthquake scenarios are 3 to 20 percent higher when Syrian refugees are counted in seismic risk models. In the April issue of EARTH Magazine, read how researchers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville made this discovery, which will provide vital data for disaster mitigation and response efforts. [Read More]

Professor Susan Werner Kieffer Recognized as the 2017 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist

March 22, 2017

Andria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to recognize Dr. Susan Werner Kieffer, Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with the 2017 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal. The Medal will be awarded to Dr. Kieffer at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists awards ceremony on April 2, 2017. Dr. Kieffer’s career illustrates an amazing commitment to research and service. Her approach, involving field, experimental, and theoretical work, has profoundly influenced understanding of planetary interiors and surfaces, and has highlighted unifying themes across disciplines. [Read More]

AGI & Partners Publish Policy Recommendations for New Administration

March 20, 2017

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has signed a new consensus document, Geoscience Policy Recommendations for the New Administration and the 115th Congress. The document outlines strategies for achieving shared national interests in which geoscience plays a key role, offering recommendations around five high-level thematic areas: Enhancing National and Homeland Security Increasing Economic Prosperity Securing Resources and Strengthening National Infrastructure Supporting and Growing Strong and Resilient Communities Growing a Dynamic Workforce AGI joins an intellectually diverse coalition to advocate on behalf of the geosciences in the federal policy process; says AGI Executive Director Allyson Anderson Book. [Read More]

Early Spring Thaw Triggers Arctic Greenhouse Gas Release

March 20, 2017

The Arctic may appear inactive during the winter, but a recent study reveals that critical processes are taking place. Some carbon dioxide and methane are released during the early spring thaw, according to researchers. These greenhouse gas releases, which were remotely detected near Barrow, Alaska, could have easily been dismissed as a measurement error. However, a research team did some digging - literally, removing cores of frozen soil from the study site. [Read More]

2017 Harriet Evelyn Wallace Scholarship Winners Announced: Clarice Perryman and Zena Cardman

March 3, 2017

Clarice Perryman, University of New Hampshire - M.S., expected May 2018, studies biogeochemistry at the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Earth Science. She investigates carbon dynamics of peatlands and wetlands, specifically studying geochemical controls of methane oxidation in thawing permafrost. She will be conducting field research at Stordalen Mire, a permafrost peatland in Abisko, Sweden, this summer to continue her research. Results from her research will help further validate biogeochemical models of peatland and wetland systems to ultimately produce more accurate model predictions of total carbon emissions. [Read More]

Assessing How Well Earthquake Hazard Maps Work

March 1, 2017

Are seismic hazard maps getting a fair shake? Earthquake risk is notoriously difficult to forecast, but the maps are improving. Seismologists are learning key lessons from meteorology and an even more unlikely source: baseball. In the March issue of EARTH Magazine, a group of experts provides candid insight into the dual challenge of designing seismic hazard maps and testing their effectiveness. While meteorologists can evaluate their weather models every day, earthquake scientists have fewer opportunities to test their maps. [Read More]