The International Association for Promoting Geoethics announced that the Italian Geological Society recently endorsed the Cape Town Statement on Geoethics (formerly the Geoethical Promise).

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Clay Minerals Society (CMS) welcomed new faces into their executive committee ahead of schedule at their Annual Meeting earlier this month. Chevron scientist Douglas McCarty became Vice-President, and Lydia Williams became Vice President-Elect, and the Council Nomination Committee approved Andrei Kalinichev to step into Williams' recently vacant role.

From faultines to karst topography, to whiskey and Corvettes, attendees of this year's American Institute of Professional Geologists meeting are bound to explore some exciting locales. In the recently published list of field trips, geoscientists have the opportunity to explore the Tennessee-Kentucky area including the Harpeth River and Stones River Fault Zones, Mammoth Caves, a Native American burial mound, or and underground zinc mine.

The International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology (ICFS) is being held in Calgary from July 17‑21, 2017. The 11th ICFS will bring together a diverse group of researchers interested in the processes and deposits across all scales of fluvial systems.

Time to find your closest pen and vote for your next Executive Committee! In the most recent issue of The Professional Geologist, the American Institute of Professional Geologists introduces readers to the potential executive committee and even includes a ballot that can be returned by mail (there is also an option to vote online).

While inspecting caves in Alabama, researchers have positively identified White Nose Syndrome (WNS) in a bat. The USGS published a press release indicating that the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans was detected in a bat in the Corkscrew Cave in Shelby County, Alabama. WNS is particularly lethal, reducing affected populations by up to 90%.

Terry Morse has been selected as the incoming chief executive officer of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). He will succeed Kevin McCray, CAE, who, after 22 years as CEO and 35 years in the groundwater industry, will retire on December 31, 2017. "Terry brings experience and skills necessary as NGWA moves forward in dealing with the ever-changing business climates of our membership, as well as the Association itself," said David Henrich, CWD/PI, CVCLD, the incoming NGWA board president and a member of the search task group.

The International Association for Geoscience Diversity (IAGD) announced that Jessica Smay of San Jose City College was the recipient of this year's Inclusive Geoscience Education and Research Award. This award recognizes outstanding efforts in promoting, developing, and/or implementing inclusive instruction & research that encourages active engagement and participation of students and practitioners with disabilities in the geosciences.

The Association for Women Geoscientists announced the 2016 winner of the "Brunton Award" in its quarterly newsletter GAEA. This year, it went to Emily White, PhD. candidate at the University of Idaho in their Tectonics and Basin Analysis Group. The AWG Brunton Award promotes the future of field mapping and data acquisition for the upcoming generation of women geoscientists. The award will go to a female geoscience student at the senior level or in her early graduate studies who has been a summer intern, excelled at field camp, or performed field data collection that leads to a senior or graduate thesis. Read Emily's statement below.