Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) congratulates the latest recipients of the Wallace Scholarship for women in geoscience. The newest awardee is Penn State doctoral candidate Elizabeth Denis and 2013 awardee, University of Florida doctoral candidate Kelly Deuerling, has received a second year of funding in a re-compete application. Denis’ research integrates geochemistry and sedimentology to investigate fire and aridity relationships during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) a past hot, CO2-rich climate. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. — Join EARTH Magazine and guest writer Irina Overeem on an expedition that pitted a team of scientists against rapid erosion in the Arctic. Overeem transports readers to the edge of the North Slope of Alaska where her team explored the effects of rapidly thawing permafrost on cliff erosion — a process that’s resulted in an annual average of 15 meters of shoreline recession in recent years. The researchers expect that, with continued warming, the processes responsible for erosion will only accelerate. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute has sought out the most exciting and relevant news from around the geosciences and brought it all together in the latest GeoSpectrum. With stories, awards, and meeting information from nearly 30 of AGI Societies — GeoSpectrum has it all! This issue covers a range of topics, including: The economics of soil Unconventional uses for coal, from rare elements to cancer treatments How the removal of a dam was celebrated as the best environmental and engineering geology project of 2013 A book review on sex in the paleontological record Much more This issue also features a special insert from EARTH Magazine, their interview with U. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA – Each day during Earth Science Week 2014 (October 12-18), students and the public are invited to focus on a different area of Earth science. To view a new webcast about “Focus Days” of this year’s celebration, visit: International Earthcache Day (October 12) Earth Science Literacy Day (October 13) No Child Left Inside Day (October 14) National Fossil Day (October 15) Geoscience for Everyone Day (October 16) Geologic Map Day (October 17) This free webcast, narrated by AGI Outreach Assistant Katelyn Murtha, provides an overview of opportunities, activities, and resources available. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and Schlumberger welcome former Peace Corps volunteer and geoscientist, Stephanie Tubman as the AGI/Schlumberger Geoscience Communication Fellow. Through a generous donation from Schlumberger, a global service provider to the oil and gas industry, Tubman will be working with AGI’s Critical Issues Program to disseminate geoscience information to help support decision making at the federal, state and municipal levels. “The goal of the Critical Issues program is to provide decision makers with clear, relevant and quickly digestible information about the geosciences, without oversimplifying the science. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — Laura Finney, a teacher at Chamberlin Hill Intermediate School in Findlay, Ohio, has been named the 2014 recipient of the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching. Finney, who earned her master’s degree in curriculum and teaching from Bowling Green State University, has spent her career challenging students in kindergarten through ninth grade with what she calls “authentic experiences” and inquiry-based learning in the Earth sciences. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - On a beautiful, clear June morning in 1954, a massive wave suddenly swept Michigan, killing at least seven people along the Chicago waterfront. At the time, the wave was thought to be caused by a storm that had earlier passed over northern Lake Michigan. However, it wasn’t until recently that scientists unraveled how a storm can create and propagate these far-traveling waves, called meteorological tsunamis or meteotsunamis. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Changing Gulf Stream patterns, shifting climate, and increased computing powers are helping answer why sea-level rise on the U.S. East Coast is higher than the global averages, according to a new story in Earth Magazine. With implications for public safety in the wake of events like Hurricane Sandy, scientists are paying even closer attention to the role ocean dynamics play. Using historical tidal gauge and satellite data, geoscientists have observed that already fast sea-level changes on the U. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — A complex interaction between lava and water, rather than a fight between mythical troll-beasts of lore, is responsible for the occurrence of rare terrestrial basalt pillars. EARTH Magazine uncovers the truth behind the pillars in the February issue. Despite regional tales of a fight between a pair of angry trolls resulting in the moss-covered basalt pillars, geoscientists from the University at Buffalo have determined that the pillars formed during a rare, nonexplosive lava-water interface during the 1783 eruption at Laki. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - EARTH Magazine sits down with Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell to discuss the role of geoscience at the Department of the Interior. This includes agencies such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore development of both renewable and conventional energy resources. Secretary Jewell, who began her career as a petroleum engineer, discusses the role of science in reconciling conflicts in the management of federal lands. [Read More]