Senate confirms USGS Director, NASA Administrator, Secretary of State, EPA Deputy Administrator

The Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. James Reilly as Director of the U.S. Geological Survey on April 9. In April, the Senate also voted to confirm Andrew Wheeler as Deputy Administrator of the EPA, Representative James Bridenstine as Administrator of NASA, and Michael Pompeo as Secretary of State. To track the confirmation process of key geoscience presidential nominations from the Trump Administration, visit AGI’s Federal Nominations page.

AGI Past-President Completes Successful Tour for STIEP Speaker Series

Dr. Wayne D. Pennington, AGI Past-President, recently concluded a successful tour for the new Science, Technology and Innovation Expert Partnership (STIEP) speaker series. Part of the U.S. Department of State's Targets of Opportunity Program, the STIEP speaker series promotes science diplomacy abroad by connecting traveling scientists with local embassies and other community networks in the region. Participants have the opportunity to exponentially increase the reach of their research while simultaneously promoting key issues for science diplomacy, including the importance of innovation, the scientific peer review process, and promoting women in STEM fields. Pennington was one of the first speakers to participate in the series.

AGI Joins the Science, Technology and Innovation Expert Partnership

As a part of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 2012 Global Diaspora Forum, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI), other top scientific organizations, and the U.S. Department of State have signed a mutual memorandum of understanding establishing the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Expert Partnership.

AGI Executive Director Named to UNESCO Membership

Dr. P. Patrick Leahy, American Geological Institute (AGI) Executive Director has been appointed as a Commissioner to the U.S. National Commission to United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by Secretary of State Clinton.

AGI and USGS Provide Unique Tsunami Disaster Relief

In light of the recent tsunami disaster in Indonesia and other parts of Asia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the American Geological Institute (AGI), is providing copies of the Global GIS DVD-ROM to U.S. Department of State-led teams traveling to Humanitarian Information Centers in affected areas.