Alexandria, VA - Dennis Trombatore, long-time member and Chair of the GeoRef Advisory Committee, has been named the 2012 winner of the William B. Heroy Award for Distinguished Service to the American Geosciences Institute. Trombatore will be honored for his illustrious service at the AGI Past President’s Dinner held during the Geological Society of America (GSA) meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 4, 2012. Mr. Trombatore received his B.A. and MLS from Louisiana State University in 1975 and 1977, respectively. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce Dr. Sharon Mosher as its 2013 President. She will be inducted at the Friends of AGI Reception held during the Geological Society of America’s Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 5, 2012. Mosher is currently Dean and the William Stamps Farish Chair at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She received degrees in Geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana (B. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The U.S. Geological Survey’s website states it in no uncertain terms: “There is no such thing as ’earthquake weather.” Yet, from at least the time of Aristotle, some people have professed links between atmospheric conditions and seismic shaking. For the most part, these hypotheses have not held up under scientific scrutiny and earthquake researchers have set them aside as intriguing but unfounded ideas. However, in the last decade new efforts to identify effects of weather-related, or in some cases climate-related, processes on seismicity have drawn new interest. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce Dr. Thomas H. Jordan as the 2012 winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences Award. Professor Jordan is recognized for his contributions to science and his efforts to increase public awareness of earthquake processes, probabilities, preparedness, and risk at an international level. Jordan received his degrees in Geophysics (B.S. 1969, M.S. 1970) and Geophysics and Applied Mathematics (Ph. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is proud to announce that Dr. Gordon E. Brown, Jr. is the 2012 recipient of the Ian Campbell Medal for Superlative Service to the Geosciences. Dr. Brown, the Dorrell William Kirby Professor of Earth Sciences and Professor of Photon Science at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is recognized for his contributions as a scientist, educator, administrator, and public servant. He will receive this prestigious award at the Geological Society of America (GSA) Awards Ceremony at the GSA Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 5, 2012. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is accepting nominations for the Edward C. Roy Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching. Given annually, this award is presented to one full-time K-8 teacher in the U.S. or U.K. whose excellence and innovation in the classroom elevates students’ understanding of the Earth and its many processes. Applicants will be judged based on their dedication to and enthusiasm for teaching, as well as their expertise in crafting and delivering Earth science instruction to their students. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The Arctic is getting warmer and wetter. As temperatures rise and sea ice melts, scientists suspect that system feedback cycles may further speed up the warming process. Now, a new study out of the University of Colorado at Boulder is showing how shifting patterns of humidity may bring about changes in the Arctic atmosphere: The new study compiled data from the 1950s through the present to examine the subtle changes in the Arctic atmosphere over time. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA – The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce the availability of a recorded webcast of the September 20, 2012 webinar focused on student recruitment strategies for geosciences programs. The session was led by Dallas Rhodes (emeritus) and Charles Trupe, Associate Professor, of Georgia Southern University who discussed particularly successful strategies in student recruitment in their geosciences program. In addition, the full discussion session with other Earth and Space Science Heads and Chairs follows the presentation which highlights other successes and challenges in recruiting quality students into geosciences programs. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the National Park Service (NPS) invite you to participate in the third annual National Fossil Day on October 17, 2012 during Earth Science Week (October 14-20). National Fossil Day brings together paleontologists, educators, and students from across the country to participate in fossil-related events and activities in parks, classrooms, and online! AGI and the NPS have developed resources and activities to highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology, as well as the importance of preserving fossils for future generations. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The probability that a given natural hazard could become a natural disaster is higher today than at any previous point in history, largely because of population growth putting more people and infrastructure in harm’s way. Who pays for the damage and how is value and risk assessed? Much of it comes down to insurance and reinsurance agencies, which are relying more and more on sophisticated catastrophe modeling tools to help gauge when the next disaster will strike, and how much it will cost. [Read More]