GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

Society Info

GSW History

Announcements

Job Listings

Other Area Talks

Upcoming meetings:

September 22
October 13
November 10
December 8 (Annual Meeting)

Previous meeting programs and minutes, 1893-

AAPG Eastern Section Meeting 2011 to be held in DC (Sep. 25-27, 2011)

Photo from 2009 Past Presidents Dinner

Please visit the new Wikipedia entry for GSW

Past GSW Field Trips

In Memoriam:

J. Thomas Dutro, Jr.

1923-2010

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 2010: $35/year ($15 for students); add $6 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: 2010 Program Committee contacts: Madalyn Blondes or Elizabeth Cottrell, Co-chairs

GSW Historical Documents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

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Eastern Section Meeting, September 25-27, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency, Crystal City will be hosted by The Geological Society of Washington. Activities will include: Technical Sessions, Energy Policy Forum, Environmental Geology Sessions, Student Job Quest, Field Trips, and Exhibitor’s Hall. For more information contact Edie Allison (edieallison@comcast.net or 301.231.0109). More information will be 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.

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2010 EPA Symposium on Ground Waterborne Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Etiologic Agents, and Indicators. The symposium will be held at the Carnegie Institution for Science auditorium (1530 P Street NW). For more information on registration, see this link (Word file).

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SEPM Field Conference: Microbial Mats in Siliciclastic Sediments from the Archean to Present (May 21-23, 2010, Denver CO) -- This conference will present an important and novel review on microbial mats and the sedimentary structures they form in siliciclastic settings through Earth times, from the early Archean to the present. The meeting is organized by Nora Noffke (Old Dominion University) and Henry Chafetz (University of Houston), and brings together the expertise and knowledge of an international panel of leading researchers to provide a state-of-the art overview of the field. The participants give a timely review of the current and most topical areas of research, essential for all scientists interested in this rapidly growing field. For more information, visit www.sepm.org/activities/researchconferences/microbial/microbial_home.htm

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Virginia Museum of Natural History field trips: For more information, visit this link.

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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.

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For information on past GSW field trips, see this page.

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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

Geophysics Job Opportunity. Energy company opportunity. More information.

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 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 (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 June 30, 2010.