PDF versionALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to recognize Dr. Sharon Mosher, Dean Emeritus in the Department of Geological Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), as the 2022 recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI, which is given in recognition of exceptional and beneficial long-term service to the Institute.
Dr. Mosher, a professor and William Stamps Farish Chair at UT's Jackson School, has been a key collaborator on projects intersecting with AGI, including the National Science Foundation-funded efforts that resulted in Vision and Change in the Geosciences: The Future of Undergraduate Geoscience Education, a recent report that represents the culmination of summit meetings, workshops, and surveys over six years (2014-2020), incorporating input from more than 1,000 members of the geoscience community to develop a consensus on the needs and approaches for educating future geoscientists. Her collaborative work with AGI continues in efforts advancing the future of graduate education in the geosciences.
Dr. Mosher's contributions include serving as AGI President from 2012 to 2013; helping develop the geoscience journal aggregation GeoScienceWorld, which emerged from AGI Member Society Council discussions about challenges in electronic publishing; and leading key studies for AGI to evaluate business model opportunities for its flagship magazine. Her numerous prior honors include AGI's 2020 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal, a lifetime achievement award recognizing high-quality basic and applied science achievements in the Earth sciences. Dr. Mosher has made many contributions to the field, from conducting important research in tectonics, structural geology, and petrology to working with 56 Ph.D., masters, and postdoctoral students and their research. During her tenure as Dean of the Jackson School at the University of Texas Austin, she faced the challenges of leading three independent units of geoscience as one school, which under her leadership became one of the top geoscience schools in the United States.
"Sharon Mosher's leadership and hard work have benefited the discipline, profession, societies, and wider community of the geosciences," said AGI Executive Director Jonathan Arthur. "Because her contributions so fully reflect AGI's mission of service to the geosciences, I am honored to present her with this year's Heroy Award."
"I am very pleased and honored to receive the Heroy Award for my service to AGI," Dr. Mosher said. "Awards such as this help encourage young professionals to get involved in their geoscientific societies and make positive impacts on the geosciences. Some of my most rewarding experiences and lifelong friendships resulted from my service to scientific societies."
Dr. Mosher received her Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1978 and M.Sc. from Brown University in 1975.
The Heroy Award is named after William B. Heroy Jr.'s exemplary service to AGI. Heroy's professional accomplishments were exceeded only by his love of geology and his commendable modesty in the face of such achievements.
About AGI The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), a federation of scientific and professional associations representing over a quarter-million geoscientists, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia. ____________ Contact: Geoff Camphire, Communicationsgac@americangeosciences.org