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]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) welcomed a new member organization to its ranks in January 2014. The Geological Association of Canada (GAC) was officially added by AGI’s Member Society Council. Natural systems that make up the North American continent do not stop at political boundaries. Issues like the Cascadia megathrust fault, capable of producing earthquakes and tsunamis across the US-Canadian border; energy and mineral development across the continent, the possibility of an ice-free arctic, and a common cause in fostering geoscience are factors in the decision-making processes of the public and policymakers in both countries. [Read More]

Much of the national data related to the geosciences in higher education come from federal datasets through the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. Minority data are typically found through the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). While this dataset is useful, it is important to understand the functional definitions used for collecting the data, particularly when looking at minority enrollments and awarded degrees. Before collecting data for the 2010-2011 academic year, the Department of Education changed their definitions related to the different racial groups, which in turn, changed the data. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — It has often been said that individual weather events cannot be attributed to global climate change, but recent advances in the science of attribution are challenging that notion. A recent report from 18 different research teams that analyzed 12 extreme weather events in 2012 suggests that climate change was a contributing factor in about half of them. How geoscientists reached these conclusions and how experts are using statistical analyses to predict the likelihood of extreme weather events is detailed in the January issue of Earth Magazine. [Read More]

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2014 will be “Earth’s Connected Systems.” This year’s event will promote awareness of the dynamic interactions of the planet’s natural systems. Earth Science Week 2014 learning resources and activities will engage young people and others in exploring the ways that geoscience illuminates natural change processes. By deepening our understanding of interactions of Earth systems – geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere – Earth science helps us manage our greatest challenges and make the most of vital opportunities. [Read More]