Upcoming meetings:
- May 9, 2012
(program at right)
- Sep. 12
- Oct. 3
- Oct. 17
- Nov. 14
- Dec. 19 (2012 Annual Meeting)
GSW Spring
Field Trip: Springs of Washington DC, May 6th
Call for GSW
Officer Nominations
Science Fair
Judges
Needed This Spring!
AGU Science
Policy Conference in DC on April 30 – May 3
“Teaching Climate Change: Insight from
Large Lakes,” professional geoscience development workshop June 18-19
Next Eastern Section AAPG Meeting,
Cleveland, Ohio on Sept 22-26, 2012
First Williamsburg Geotechnical Conference
to be held April 30-May 2
NAS Colloquium on Science of Science
Communication, May 21-22
Travel grants for 2012 International
Geological Congress in Brisbane
Previous
meeting programs and minutes, 1893-
AAPG
Eastern
Section
Meeting
2011
held
in
DC
area
(Sep.
25-27,
2011)
Please
visit
the
Wikipedia
entry
for
GSW
Past GSW Field Trip |
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
1462nd Meeting
Ted A. Maxwell, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
-- Plio-Pleistocene lakes of North Africa – The Egypt connection.
David B. Spears, Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and
Energy -- Geology and public policy – Offshore drilling, uranium
mining, and the Marcellus Shale in Virginia.
David J. Harbor, Washington and Lee University -- Do
river profiles reveal the recent history of the central Appalachians?
Refreshments start at 7:30 p.m. The formal program starts
at
8:00
p.m.
Meetings are held at the John Wesley Powell Auditorium
2170 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
(see below for
directions)
Meeting flyer to be posted
|
Information about the Society
The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893 to
promote
the increase and dissemination of geological knowledge. GSW provides a
forum for geological interchange through a program of regularly
scheduled
formal talks, informal communications, opportunities to meet
colleagues,
field trips, and public service. Members represent a wide cross-section
of the local geologic community including geoscientists from federal
(U.S.Geological
Survey, NASA, NSF, military, DOE, EPA) and state government, Congress,
Carnegie Institution of Washington, local universities, museums,
consulting
firms, earth science educators, and others interested in the geological
sciences. Guests are welcome.
List of Officers and Committee Chairs
for 2012
Constitution and Bylaws
Directions to Meeting Location
(PDF; also available in Word
format)
Membership Dues for 2012: $40/year ($15 for students)
Membership
Application
Form
(Word document
to print and mail)
Membership
Renewal
Form
(Word document to print and mail)
For further information and inquiries
about address changes or your
membership status, please call, send mail, or e-mail to:
J. A. Speer
Geological Society of Washington
3635 Concorde Pkwy Suite 500
Chantilly, VA 20151-1125
(703) 652-9950
j_a_speer@minsocam.org
Speaker Suggestions and Queries: 2012 Program Committee contact:
Sandy Neuzil, Chair
GSW Historical Documents
Search the GSW archives, including meeting minutes (Google search):
Search the GSW databases:
Browse the GSW minutes:
An archive of Secretary's
minutes back to the late 1940s is available here.
Anniversary speeches:
Speech by T. W. Stanton on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of GSW in 1943.
Speech by Hugh D. Miser on the occasion
of the 800th meeting of GSW in 1959.
GSW founders:
A list of the Founders of GSW is
available here. GSW Archivist Jeff Grossman has initiated a Wikipedia
entry for GSW, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geological_Society_of_Washington.
The Centennial History of the Geological Society of Washington
tells about the history of Earth Sciences in Washington, D.C. as well
as
the development new ideas in earth science and the evolution of the
U.S.
Geological Survey. The 165-page paperback volume contains stories about
the intellectual and social life of scientists in Washington, and about
the good-natured banter that has always characterized GSW meetings. As
one reviewer put it, " Bonhomie has been a feature of the Society". A
former
Chief geologist of the USGS said, "The best $10 I ever spent!". The
price
is still $10, and the book can be purchased from:
Geological Society of Washington
3635 Concorde Pkwy Suite 500
Chantilly, VA 20151-1125
OR
Order by phone: (703) 652-9950
Payment must be prepaid by check (in US dollars drawn on US bank) or
money order payable to the Geological Society of Washington (TIN
52-6049239).
GSW cannot be responsible for cash sent through the mail. Cost includes
postage by surface or book rate. Publications may not be returned for
refund
or credit. Damaged books will be replaced.
Announcements
GSW Spring Field Trip: Springs of Washington DC – A Tale of
Urbanization will take place on Sunday May 6, 2012, led
by John M. (Jack) Sharp, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of
Texas at Austin. Details available on PDF flyer. Limited to 25
people—please RSVP to Bill Burton (bburton@usgs.gov) by May 4.
Call for Nominations of GSW Officers
for 2013. The Nominating Committee of the GEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON is calling for nominations of candidates for the
GSW Council to consider in establishing the slate of officers for 2013.
Volunteers are invited. The list goes forward to Council by October
2012. The list will include candidates for the following offices:
- 1st Vice President (President-elect),
- 2nd Vice President,
- Secretary (2-year term; council secretary currently completing
year 1);
- Treasurer (incumbent willing to continue serving), and
- three Council Members (2-year term).
Suggestions are welcome (gsw2013nom@gmail.com).
Science Fair Judging Opportunities
This
Spring! Science fair season begins in March, and the Geological
Society of Washington is looking for volunteers to serve as judges for
the Earth and Environmental Sciences
projects at science fairs around the region. No experience is
needed! Just come with your enthusiasm for getting students
interested in the geosciences. If you are interested in serving
as a judge, please contact Charna
Meth. The science fair dates are below and on the PDF flyer.
Northern Virginia Science and Engineering Fair
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA
Loudoun County Public Schools Regional Science and Engineering Fair
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Woodgrove High School in Purceville, VA
Montgomery County Science Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Reckord Armory Building at the University of Maryland, College Park
Campus
Fairfax County Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, VA
Prince William - Manassas Regional Science Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Kelly Leadership Center in Manassas, VA
Prince George's Area Science Fair
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Prince George's Community College in Largo, MD
District of Columbia Mathematics, Science and Technology Fair
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Wilson High School in Washington, DC
“Teaching Climate Change: Insight from
Large Lakes,” a professional geoscience development opportunity
co-organized by the U.S. National Committee for Quaternary Research, On
the Cutting Edge, and the American Quaternary Association (AMQUA). This
workshop will take place on June 18-19, 2012 in Duluth, MN, just before
the AMQUA meeting. The workshop website is http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/climatechange12/index.html
The next Eastern Section AAPG Meeting
2012 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio on Sept 22-26, 2012.
Abstracts are due April 6, 2012. More at
http://www.esaapg2012.org/
First Williamsburg Geotechnical Conference to be held April 30-May
2. Registration for the First Williamsburg Geotechnical
Conference is now open for attendees, sponsorships, and exhibit
booths. Rooms are limited at The Williamsburg Lodge so register
soon at: http://www.virginiageoinstitute.org/index.html
National Academy of Sciences holds The
Science
of
Science
Communication
Colloquium on May 21-22. More
at http://www.nasonline.org/programs/sackler-colloquia/upcoming-colloquia/science-communication.html.
Travel Grants for 2012 Brisbane
International Geological Congress.
Applications are now being accepted for travel grants that the U.S.
National Committee for Geological Sciences is co-sponsoring with the
Geological Society of America, the Geological Society of America
Foundation, Shell, and the American Geosciences Institute. The deadline
for applications is February 17, 2012. A flyer and application can be
accessed through the USNC website (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/biso/GS/index.htm)
or
through
the
GSA
website
(http://rock.geosociety.org/igc/).
American
Association
of
Petroleum
Geologists
Eastern
Section
Meeting,
September
25-27,
2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Crystal City was hosted by
GSW. Activities included:
Technical Sessions, Energy Policy Forum, Environmental Geology
Sessions, Student Job Quest, Field Trips, and Exhibitor’s Hall.
A flyer, call for papers, and additional
information is posted at
http://www.gswweb.org/aapg.
Past Presidents Dinner Before
the 2009 Annual Meeting

Presidents past (and one future) gathered for dinner before the
annual meeting to fete the evening's speaker, current GSW President
Bill Burton, hours before he joined their ranks. From left: incoming
president Jay Kaufman, John Slack, Dave Stewart, Peter Lyttle, Jane
Hammarstrom, Rich Walker, Roz Helz, George Helz, about-to-be-past
president Burton, Dave Applegate, Doug Rankin, Nick Woodward, Doug
Rumble, Dick Fiske, and Brooks Hanson. Photo by Mary Horan. Click on
image for larger version.
********************
Virginia Museum of Natural History
field trips: For more information, visit this
link.
********************
At the September 24, 2009, meeting, Callan Bentley gave a talk on "The
rise
of the geoblogosphere". Here are links
to Callan's recommended geoblogs.
********************
For information on past GSW
field trips, see this page.
***********************
Volunteers are needed
to lead occasional geology walks
for
the
public out of the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center of the C&O
Canal
National Historical
Park. Walks are usually held on Saturday mornings of your choice. If
interested, please contact Margo Kingston, USGS Retired, at
home (301) 657-8818 or USGS
(703) 648-6369. The home email address is preferred.
Jobs
U.S.
Geological
Survey
Mendenhall
Postdoctoral
Research
Fellowship
Program.
The
Mendenhall
Program
provides
opportunities
to
conduct
research
in
association
with
selected
members
of
the
USGS
professional
staff.
Opportunities
for
research
are
available
in
a
wide range of topics. The
postdoctoral fellowships are 2-year appointments. Research
opportunities are typically announced in July. Application
closing
date is in the November-December window. Offers are typically made
during February. Appointments will start the following October or
later, depending on availability of funds. The program contact is: Dr.
Rama K. Kotra, rkotra@usgs.gov,
703-648-6271. A description of the
program, current or recent research projects or opportunities, and the
application process are available at http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc.
The
USGS
is
an
equal
opportunity
employer.
GSW maintains a roster of potential
employers
in the fields of geology, geophysics, and associated disciplines in the
Washington, D.C. area. To add to this list or announce specific
job/post-doc
opportunities in our area , contact: David Applegate.
The American
Geophysical
Union (AGU) and EARTH
magazine
list available jobs that may be of interest to the earth science
community.
The American Geological Institute's Geoscience
Careers Site has links to job postings and other career-related
information.
Other Geoscience Talks in the Area
Callan Bentley maintains a DC Geology Events blog with
links
to
a
long
list
of
Places
Where
Geology
Happens
in
D.C.
The USGS Public
Lecture Series holds a regular seminar series at USGS
headquarters
in Reston that is open to the public.
The Association
of
Environmental
and
Engineering
Geologists
(AEG)
Baltimore-Washington-Harrisburg
Section holds monthly
meetings with
dinner and a speaker.
The Potomac
Geophysical Society
meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month from September through May for
dinner
and a presentation.
The Paleontological Society of Washington usually meets on the third
Wednesday of each month, from September though May, for dinner and a
talk in the Cooper Room of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History.
The Carnegie
Institution
of Washington holds public Capital
Science Lectures, and both the Geophysical
Laboratory and Department
of
Terrestrial
Magnetism hold regular seminars.
Seminar series are held at the University
of Maryland Department of Geology (including the Geochemistry
seminar
series) and the George
Washington University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Both the Department
of
Mineral
Sciences and Department
of
Paleobiology at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History hold series of monthly seminars on a variety of earth science
subjects.
GSW is a founding society (1898) of the Washington
Academy of Sciences, which maintains a calendar of meetings of its
60 member organizations.
In addition, several other area universities and organizations
hold
geoscience talks. ** If calendars for any of these are available on the
web, please let us know and
we
can add them to this list. **
The Geological Society of Washington thanks the American Geological Institute for
providing web hosting.
Please send any comments or questions about this web site to David
Applegate.
Updated April 17, 2012.