Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) successfully hosted the virtual component of the first Young Earth-Scientist (YES) Congress held in Beijing, China October 25-28. This effort aimed to expand the opportunity for participation to young scientists from around the world. Over 200 individuals from 31 countries took advantage of this unique opportunity to participate, even without attending in person in Beijing. AGI, one of the U.S. supporters of the YES Congress, hosted and coordinated webinars that allowed attendees to watch roundtable presentations live both in Beijing and presented by speakers over the Internet on subjects such as natural resources and earth science education, ask questions of the speakers, and give feedback on the subjects being discussed. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) Government Affairs and Workforce Programs have organized a briefing for The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST) on Capitol Hill. The topic of discussion is Meeting the Global Innovation Challenge, which will take place on Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 4-7 pm in the Rayburn Office Building, Room 2325. Recently, the United States ranked behind Switzerland in the Global Competitive Index, which was developed for the World Economic Forum. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA—The American Geological Institute (AGI) welcomes three new executive committee officers: G. W. (Skip) Hobbs, President-elect; James M. Robertson, Treasurer; and Jessica Ali-Adeeb, Member-at-large. Skip Hobbs is founder and president of the private sector geoscience consulting and energy exploration company Ammonite Resources. He has served AAPG and is a former AGI Executive Committee Member-at-Large (2004-2007). James Robertson has served as the Wisconsin state geologist since 1993. He has also held several AASG offices and is former chair of AGI’s Government Affairs Program Advisory Committee. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA—Stephen L. Houser, Jr., Gifted and Talented Educator at Providence Spring Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina has been named the 2009 recipient of the Edward C. Roy, Jr. Award for Excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching. Mr. Houser, who has taught grades 3-5 for most of his 34-year teaching career, holds an undergraduate degree in geography from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a masters degree in education from University of North Carolina, Charlotte. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA—The American Geological Institute is sponsoring an international photography contest to celebrate both the International Year of Planet Earth and Earth Science Week 2009. The theme of the contest is “Exploring Earth Science Around the World.” The contest is open to people of all ages worldwide. Contest entrants are encouraged to submit photos that capture the spirit of the International Year of Planet Earth by illustrating earth processes and geoscience research where they live. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA—The essential Earth Science Week 2009 (October 11-17) Toolkit enables students, educators, and the public to fully explore this year’s theme “Understanding Climate.” The latest edition of this resource is now available through the American Geological Institute (AGI).^[1] The 2009 Earth Science Week Toolkit contains a 12-month school-activity calendar and classroom poster provided by AGI, its Member Societies and other organizations. Along with these traditional Earth Science Week publications, this year’s Toolkit features a variety of educational climate resources from the U. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) Education Department is making available an extensive database of active earth science organizations. This resource enables educational, community, and interest groups to more easily engage with geoscientists in their community. The Earth Science Organizations (ESO) database is organized by state in an easy-to-use online utility. People and groups interested in organizing events and field trips, learning about their local geology, meeting with geoscientists in their area, or simply to engage with geoscientists on issues of interest related to the earth sciences will find this resource of contact information invaluable. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - EARTH Magazine reports on the important collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghanistan government to ensure that the people of Afghanistan can rebuild their country and enjoy a safe and prosperous future. Though a country with some of the richest groundwater resources in the region, decades of war and drought, and prior misuse of resources have limited the amount of clean water available in Afghanistan’s most populous areas. [Read More]

The American Geological Institute (AGI) congratulates all members of the geosciences community who joined it in efforts to demonstrate the importance of maintaining geosciences programs on college and university campuses. In particular, AGI is pleased that the leadership of the University of Florida has recognized the critical role of the geosciences in addressing societal issues of the state and Nation, and in the portfolio of a well-rounded university education by preserving the geosciences on their campus as they make the difficult budget decisions faced in this economic downturn. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) is sponsoring three national contests in conjunction with Earth Science Week 2009, “Understanding Climate,” October 11-17. All U.S. residents are encouraged to enter “How Climate Shapes my World” — this year’s Earth Science Week photography contest. Entrants should use their cameras to capture an image that best represents the climate in their local environment2. Students in grades K-5 are eligible to enter the visual arts contest, “The Climate Where I Live. [Read More]