Society Info   GSW History   Announcements   Job Listings   Other Area Talks 

Upcoming meetings:

  • April 23 (program at right)
  • September 10, 24
  • October 22
  • November 12
  • December 10 (2008 Annual Meeting)

Previous meeting programs and minutes, 1893-

GSW Late Spring 2008 Field Trip (June 7): Tidewater Geomorphology at George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument, Westmoreland County, VA

GSA Seeks General Co-Chair for 2010 NE-SE Joint Meeting



Wednesday, April 23, 2008
1422nd Meeting

Fawna Korhonen, University of Maryland — Polymetamorphic history of the Fosdick Migmatite Dome, West Antarctica: Insights into the evolution of Gondwana.

James B. Gill, University of California Santa Cruz — Baitoushan (Again): Explosive North Korea (Volcanism).

Matthew J. Fouch, Arizona State University — Probing mantle dynamics of the Northwestern United States: The High Lava Plains Seismic Experiment.

Special Announcement: Local Area Science Fair First-Place Award Winners will present their posters prior to the meeting from 7:30 to 8:00 pm.

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)

Program flyer for distribution

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
Constitution and Bylaws
Directions to Meeting Location (PDF; also available in Word format)

Membership Dues for 2008: $35/year ($15 for students); add $5 to receive meeting notices by post rather than e-mail.

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: 2008 Program Committee contact: Tim Mock, Chair


GSW Historical Documents

Search the GSW archives, including meeting minutes (Google search):

Search:

Search the GSW databases:

Search for
Year
Search for
People
Search for
text in title
List of
Best Papers

List of
Presidential Addresses

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.

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

The Geological Society of America seeks a General Co-Chair for the 2010 Northeast-Southeast Joint Section Meeting at the Baltimore Inner Harbour. Noel Potter, Dickinson College, Carlisle PA, is the General Co-Chair representing the Northeast Section, and GSA is looking for someone to represent the Southeast Section. Some of the duties may be found at www.geosociety.org/sectionmanual/. Setting up the technical sessions is a challenging (but ultimately rewarding) task, and will involve a number of meetings in Baltimore. If you are interested, please contact Bill Burton (bburton@usgs.gov) by March 18th.
 
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Special issue of Geobiology.
Click here for a list of articles in a special issue of Geobiology on "Microbial interactions with physical sediment dynamics, and their significance for the interpretation of Earth's biological history.  The special issue of Geobiology expand on a GSW talk by Dr. Nora Noffke in 2007. For more information, contact Nora Noffke.

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Jim O'Connor Memorial Field Trip Guide: Building Stones and Geomorphology of Washington, DC. To honor Jim O'Connor's legacy, Norrie Robbins and Myrna Welter compiled this guide in 2001 from Jim's published field guides and unpublished notes of his many fieldtrips in and around Washington. A PDF version of the field trip guide is available by clicking here.

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GSW Spring 2003 Field Trip Guide: Geomorphic Evolution of Great Falls and Mather Gorge
Last May, E-an Zen graciously agreed to lead a group in studying the geomorphic story behind the formation of Mather Gorge of the Potomac River, which terminates headward at Great Falls. A PDF version of the field trip guide is available by clicking here. Many thanks to Bill Minarik for putting the guide together from E-an's material!

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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 Geotimes 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

The USGS Eastern Mineral Resources Team holds a regular seminar series at USGS headquarters in Reston that is open to the public.

The Association of Engineering Geologists 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 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 13, 2008.