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GSA Connection

March 2012

 THE E-NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA • v. 10, no. 3

In this issue …

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Geissman Calls for Higher Ed Action
Divisions News
Publications
Education & Outreach
Meetings

Government Affairs
Of Note
Calendar Closeups
On the Wire…
GSA Trivia

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GEISSMAN CALLS FOR HIGHER ED ACTION TO MEET ACUTE DEMAND FOR U.S. GEOSCIENTISTS
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John Geissman
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Citing great concern about the need for well-trained, well-educated geoscience graduates to meet U.S. geoscience workforce needs, GSA President John Geissman is calling for colleges and universities to recognize the value of strong, adequately supported geoscience departments. High-quality geoscience education, Geissman notes, is essential to understanding and adequately addressing the "very pressing needs of our society."
[ read press release ]

Blog coverage: About.com:Geology | Geotripper
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DIVISIONS NEWS
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Deadlines Extended:
GSA History & Philosophy of Geology Division Awards
  • Mary C. Rabbitt History of Geology Award for scholarly contributions to understanding the history of the geological sciences — NEW deadline: 18 March.
  • Gerald M. and Sue T. Friedman Distinguished Service Award for exceptional service to the advancement of knowledge of the history and philosophy of the geological sciences — NEW deadline: 1 April.
  • History and Philosophy of Geology Student Award for (1) a paper in the history or philosophy of geology; (2) a literature review of ideas for a technical work or thesis/dissertation; or (3) some imaginative aspect of the history or philosophy of geology — NEW deadline: 1 May.
[ learn more ]
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PUBLICATIONS
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1979–1981 GSA Bulletin Articles Now Available
In December 1978, GSA Bulletin split into two parts. The printed Part I contained short summaries of articles. Complete articles were in Part II, which was only available in microfiche — until now. GSA is pleased to announce that the microfiche-only content is now available online. Use these links to browse tables of contents.
[ 1979 | 1980 | 1981 ]

NEW in the GSA Bookstore
Field Guide 25
The Southern Cordillera and Beyond
edited by José Jorge Aranda-Gómez, Gustavo Tolson, and Roberto S. Molina-Garza
Prepared in conjunction with the 2012 GSA Cordilleran Section Meeting, Querétaro, Mexico, this volume's eight field guides showcase three aspects of the geology of the southern end of the North America cordillera.

Map and Chart 102
Geological Map of the Western Border of the Cuicateco Terrane, Southern Mexico
compiled by Edgar Ángeles Moreno, Mariano Elías Herrera, Consuelo Macías Romo, José Luis Sánchez-Zavala, and Fernando Ortega-Gutiérrez
One of the most spectacular ranges in southern Mexico is the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca or Cuicateco terrane. This map constitutes the first systematic project improving the understanding of the geology of this entire tectonostratigraphic terrane.
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EDUCATION & OUTREACH
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GSA-ExxonMobil Field Awards
Applications are now being accepted for the GSA-ExxonMobil Field Awards. You may receive a $2,000 scholarship toward your field camp, a $10,000 award to help operate your field camp, or a one-week all-expenses–paid field seminar in the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming.
[ sign up today! ]
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MEETINGS
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2012 SECTION MEETINGS
Town Hall Meetings
Your input is needed as GSA updates its five-year strategic plan. GSA Council and the GSA Executive Committee invite all members to attend a Town Hall event at each Section Meeting to discuss the Society's future. Comments are now being accepted online.
South-Central
8–9 March, Alpine, Texas
It was a great meeting!
[ browse technical program ]
Northeastern
18–20 March, Hartford, Connecticut
Chair: Jean Crespi
Download meeting poster (3MB PDF)
[ register | view technical program ]
Cordilleran
29–31 March, Querétaro, Mexico (posters will be on display the evening of 28 March)
Chair: Luca Ferrari
Download meeting poster (3.4MB PDF)
[ register | view technical program ]
Southeastern
1–2 April, Asheville, North Carolina
Co-chairs: Blair Tormey and Cheryl Waters-Tormey
[ register | view technical program ]
North-Central
23–24 April, Dayton, Ohio
Chair: Charles Ciampaglio
Early registration deadline: 19 March
[ register | view technical program ]
Rocky Mountain
9–11 May, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Chair: Laura Crossey
Early registration deadline: 9 April
[ register | view technical program ]
Mentor Programs
Impact the future — Become a mentor!
Wherever you are in your career, someone with an interest in the geoscience profession can benefit from your advice. Mentors are still needed for this year's Section Meetings.
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GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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FY2013 Budget Request Proposes Increases for R&D
On 13 Feb., the Obama administration released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget request. The budget proposes a 1.4% ($140.8 billion) increase for federal R&D, with a focus on innovation and manufacturing, clean energy, and STEM education. The proposed increases for many science agencies, including the NSF and USGS, stand in contrast to overall non-defense discretionary spending, which stayed flat for the second year in a row.
[ learn more ]

NEW! Keep up with the latest news from the Hill. Subscribe to GSA's Geology & Public Policy RSS feed.
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OF NOTE
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Special Invitation from The National Academy of Science (NAS)
21–22 May 2012, Washington, D.C.
The NAS invites GSA members to participate in a webcast of their 21–22 May colloquium, "The Science of Science Communication." Registration for the on-site event has been closed due to higher than expected turnout; registration for the webcast is free. The colloquium will focus on communication dynamics surrounding issues in science, engineering, technology, and medicine.
[ more info | webcast registration page ]
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CALENDAR CLOSEUPS: ASSOCIATED SOCIETY EVENTS
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View Geoscience Calendar Geological Association of Canada–Mineralogical Association of Canada
27–29 May 2012, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada
GAC-MAC Joint Annual Meeting: St. Johns 2012 — Geoscience at the Edge.
[ learn more ]

22nd V.M. Goldschmidt Conference
24–29 June 2012, Montréal, Canada
North American V.M. Goldschmidt 2012: Earth in Evolution.
[ learn more ]
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ON THE WIRE …
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GSA IN THE NEWS — All NEW since last month's issue!
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The 10 Feb. issue of Science includes a feature article detailing Jan. 2012 GSA Today science, "Speciation collapse and invasive species dynamics during the Late Devonian 'Mass Extinction'," by Alycia L. Stigall of Ohio University.
[ Stigall article | Science intro ]

The Jan. 2012 GSA Bulletin article, "Life at the top of the greenhouse Eocene world — A review of the Eocene flora and vertebrate fauna from Canada's High Arctic," by Jaelyn J. Eberle of the University of Colorado at Boulder's Museum of Natural History and David R. Greenwood of Brandon University was picked up by Canada's PostMedia news and reported in both the Winnipeg Free Press and the Vancouver Sun.
[ Eberle & Greenwood abstract | Winnipeg Free Press article ]

The Feb. 2012 GSA Today Groundwork article, "Geological Time Conventions and Symbols," by Nicholas Christie-Blick of Columbia University, is the subject of a 15 Feb. About.com: Geology post, "Ma or Myr? How We Talk About Geologic Time."
[ Christie-Blick article | About.com: Geology post ]

The 26 Feb. Columbus Dispatch includes an article based on Jan. 2012 Geology science, "Tranquillityite: The last lunar mineral comes down to Earth," by Birger Rasmussen of Curtin University and colleagues.
[ Rasmussen et al. abstract | Columbus Dispatch article ]

A 27 Feb. Our Amazing Planet article discusses research by Anne M. Tréhu of Oregon State University and colleagues, "Subducted seamounts and recent earthquakes beneath the central Cascadia forearc," which was first posted online on 16 Dec. 2011 and included in the Feb. 2012 print issue of Geology.
[ Tréhu abstract | Our Amazing Planet article (on MNN) ]

Geology science by Erica C. Clites of the University of California at Riverside and colleagues, "The advent of hard-part structural support among the Ediacara biota: Ediacaran harbinger of a Cambrian mode of body construction" (posted online ahead of print on 14 Feb.), is highlighted and illustrated in an 8 Mar. LiveScience article, which was also distributed by Yahoo!News.
[ Clites et al. abstract | LiveScience article ]

GSA Bulletin science posted online ahead of print on 24 Feb. has been picked up by the Australian ABC Science website. Their 12 March article covers a paper by Jianxun Zhou of China University of Petroleum and colleagues on the origin and lateral migration of linear dunes in the Qaidam Basin of NW China and the implications for linear dunes on Titan.
[ Zhou abstract | ABC Science article ]

The March Geology article, "Magnetic stripes of a transitional continental rift in Afar," by David L. Bridges of the Missouri University of Science and Technology and colleagues, is highlighted in a 12 Mar. Our Amazing Planet post.
[ Bridges et al. abstract | Our Amazing Planet article ]

GSA's Education & Outreach EarthTrek program is in the news again, with a write-up on Mother Nature Network (MNN), "Why cemeteries are a great place to track acid rain." Included is a brief interview with E&O Director Gary Lewis. GSA is phasing out EarthTrek, but its flagship Gravestone Project attracted the attention of so many volunteers that scientists involved with the project have more than two years' worth of data to sort through. This MNN article was also posted on Life WIRED Italian.
[ MNN article | life.wired.it article ]
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PRESS RELEASES ISSUED BY GSA
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SELECTED PRESS RELEASES RECEIVED
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GSA TRIVIA
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  1. In what year was The Geological Society of America founded?
  2. Who was the first woman to serve as GSA President?
  3. What is the full name of GSA benefactor R.A.F. Penrose?

check your answers


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