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Peter Folger

Dr. Peter Folger, Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Policy for the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress, is the 2020 recipient of the AGI Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences. Through his work at CRS, Dr. Folger has worked to support greater public understanding of the geosciences. Those endeavors begin with a congressional request that often is published for wide distribution beyond the halls of Congress. Dr. Folger’s work represents a sound, unbiased, apolitical scientific approach that has been used by citizens and policymakers both domestically and internationally. At least one key piece of legislation was directly influenced by his large body of written work, which resulted in a strengthened public law at the end of the policymaking process. As a consequence of Dr. Folger’s applied expertise on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized CCS efforts at the U.S. Department of Energy and has funded upwards of $4 billion in CCS research. 

In addition to CCS, Dr. Folger’s service at CRS has included work on natural hazards, water resources, climate change, federal geospatial policy, and additional natural resource issues such as shale gas, methane hydrates, and uranium. He began work at CRS in 2006 after eight years with the American Geophysical Union (AGU), where he was Director of Outreach and Research Support.

Prior to working at AGU, Dr. Folger served as a geological engineering consultant in the Denver area working on groundwater remediation and water supply problems in Colorado and the Midwest. He also was a Senior Fellow with the Center for the New West in Denver, serving as a specialist for natural resources, energy, and environmental issues affecting the free-market economy of the West. He worked as a Congressional Science Fellow for one year in the office of Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, where he was responsible for energy, natural resource, and science policy issues. Prior to the fellowship, he was Manager of the Geochemical Programs Group at the Rocky Flats Plant, responsible for aspects of environmental monitoring and remediation. He also worked for the AMAX mining company as a mineral exploration geologist prospecting for precious metal deposits in Nevada and Montana. Dr. Folger additionally is a Natural Resources Scholar at Georgetown University's Program on Science in the Public Interest. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, master’s from the University of Montana, and Ph.D. from the Colorado School of Mines.

AGI Affiliation: 

AGI Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of the Geosciences, 2020

Gordon E. Brown Jr.

Dr. Gordon E. Brown Jr. is the D.W. Kirby Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences at Stanford University and Professor Emeritus of Photon Science at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The recipient of AGI's Ian Campbell Medal for Superlative Service to the Geosciences, Dr. Brown has served the geosciences in a variety of professional capacities including multiple leadership roles at Stanford University as well as significant advisory committee work for the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, Los Alamos National Lab, Argonne National Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Pacific Northwest National Lab, the National Research Council, the Gemological Institute of America, the Carnegie Institution for Science, and various geoscience societies including the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, the Geochemical Society, and the Mineralogical Society of America. Dr. Brown earned his Ph.D. in Mineralogy and Crystallography from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in 1970.

AGI Affiliation: 

Member at Large, 2020-2023

AGI Activities at the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting in New Orleans

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With more than 24,000 anticipated attendees, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting represents the largest confluence of earth and space scientists in the world. As in years past, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) will have a strong presence at the Fall Meeting, driving conversation on topics related to the geoscience workforce and the importance of geoscience information to research and decision-making.

Videocast on Legal Issues Related to Field Trips and Field Courses Released on YouTube

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and American Geophysical Union (AGU) have released a recording of the latest AGU/AGI Heads and Chairs webinar. This month's session focuses on legal issues related to field trips and field courses. The webinar, led by panelists David Mogk from Montana State University and Steven Whitmeyer from James Madison University, serves as a guide for reducing risk and liability for geoscience departments, and reviews tips for properly planning a safe and enjoyable field trip.

Webcast on Student Recruitment in the Geosciences Now Available from AGI

As part of the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) collaboration with American Geophysical Union on its Earth and Space Sciences Heads and Chairs Program, 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.

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