Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) announces Dr. M. Ray Thomasson as the 2006 William B. Heroy, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI recipient. This annual award is given in recognition of exceptional long-term service and support of AGI programs and activities. Thomasson has served in a number of leadership roles for AGI, including as the first Chair of the independent AGI Foundation, as a Trustee of the AGI Foundation, and as AGI President in 2003. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) has updated its e-publication, GeoSpectrum, to better serve the 120,000 members of its Member Societies. Now in an easy-to-read online format, GeoSpectrum continues to cover the latest happenings within the geoscience profession. GeoSpectrum, originally AGI’s print newsletter, was reintroduced to the geoscience community in 2005 as a quarterly PDF electronic publication. It is now updated continually to provide readers with a responsive source for news about their profession. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) announces the publication of The Geoscience Handbook: AGI Data Sheets 4" Edition. The book is now available for pre-order and is expected to ship to customers on September 15, 2006. The Geoscience Handbook is the latest edition of AGI’s long-standing Data Sheets publication. With a new format and expanded coverage of technical topics across the geosciences, the Data Sheets earned its new title for the 4" edition. [Read More]

The American Geological Institute (AGI) has launched K-5 GeoSource, a professional development website for elementary-level teachers to teach earth science topics such as weather, fossils, rocks, soil, water and more. This site, created with support from the AGI Foundation and corporate and private donors, features resources designed to help teachers master standards-based science content; plan lessons and activities in the earth sciences, assess student learning and tailor instructions to meet their needs. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The American Geological Institute (AGI) has conducted a survey of students majoring in the geosciences and faculty to ascertain their attitudes towards employment in the geosciences. With a large percentage of the workforce retiring in coming years, job opportunities for recent graduates are plentiful with more openings than applicants to fill them. But many students are either unaware or uninterested in the fields where these employment opportunities exist. [Read More]

The Alaska Mineral & Energy Resource Education Fund (AMEREFP), a partnership between the Alaska Department of Education and private industry, has purchased 4,000 Environmental Awareness Series books published by the American Geological Institute (AGI) to be distributed to Alaskan educators as part of the Alaskan Resources Kits. The Environmental Awareness Series promotes better understanding among citizens, educators, and policy-makers of the role of earth sciences in all aspects of understanding and mitigating environmental concerns. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - In support of Earth Science Week 2006 (October 8-14), the American Geological Institute (AGI), working with government agencies and other scientific and educational organizations, has developed the 2006 Toolkit for grades K-12 and beyond focusing on “Be a Citizen Scientist”. This year AGI has published a new edition of its popular Earth Science Calendar filled with activities and important geoscientific dates, which is included in the Toolkit. These activities, supplied by AGI member societies and other organizations, engage students in learning about the earth sciences while they collect data throughout the year for ongoing research projects. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) conducted a survey to ascertain the number of students enrolled in introductory geoscience courses during the 2004-2005 academic year. 312 geoscience departments responded to this survey reporting a total of 191,778 students enrolled in three categories of introductory courses: physical geoscience, environmental geoscience, and geoscience of the National Parks or public lands. These introductory courses lay the foundation for our knowledge of energy and the environment. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute is sponsoring three national contests as part of the 2006 Earth Science Week, “Be a Citizen Scientist!” which is held October 8-14. The Photography contest, open to all ages, will focus on “Using and Studying Earth’s Resources.” Participants are encouraged to be creative and submit pictures of geoscientists studying or working with the earth’s natural resources or of people using these resources. This year’s Visual Arts contest is “Earth Science in your Home Town. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Coal accounts for nearly a quarter of the nation’s primary energy production and is used to produce half of our electric power. Annually, the U.S. mines 1.1 billion short tons of coal. Use in this country, as well as internationally, will continue to increase to maintain our economic growth and standard of living. But with the recovery and use of this resource comes environmental concerns.* To highlight the importance of coal in our daily lives and the environmental concerns that are associated with its mining and use, AGI has published Coal and the Environment (ISBN 0-922152-77-2) as part of the Environmental Awareness Series. [Read More]