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GSA2015 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPOSITION

Message from the Annual Meeting General Chair

The 2015 GSA Annual Meeting is coming to Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Here in “the land of pleasant living,”
Baltimore is also known as “Charm City.” I invite you to come during the first week of November to discover why.

Nestled on the fall line between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont, GSA 2015 will visit a classic passive-margin
tectonic setting. But there’s nothing passive about Baltimore, or the greater Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region!
Activity will abound as we kick off the meeting with a Halloween icebreaker followed by a broad selection of technical
sessions. Many pre- and post-meeting field trips will be offered, along with pre-meeting short courses to provide anyone
a professional development tune-up.

This year is the bicentennial of William “Strata” Smith’s revolutionary geological map of England, Wales, and portions
of Scotland, published in 1815. The historical implications of this “map that changed the world” and its continuing rele-
vance today to the success of geological investigations on Earth and across the Solar System will be highlighted throughout
the meeting.

Our proximity to Washington D.C. affords opportunities for field trips to the Smithsonian Institution and the National
Mall. It also positions GSA 2015 as a natural forum for exploring the interface between the geological sciences and public
policy. From climate change to hydraulic fracturing, look for technical sessions and field trips that tie into this critically
important theme.

Need more reasons to attend GSA 2015? How about Career Pathways events for women in geology, geology in industry,
and geology in government? Or the employment interview service? What about lunchtime “Feed Your Brain” events? And
don’t forget to get out of the convention center to visit the National Aquarium, Ft. McHenry, the Inner Harbor, and loads
of nearby restaurants and watering holes. I look forward to your contributions to GSA 2015 in Baltimore!

David A. Vanko, Towson University
Annual Meeting General Chair

Organizing Committee

GENERAL CHAIR SPONSORSHIP CHAIR
David A. Vanko, Towson University, dvanko@towson.edu David A. Vanko, Towson University, dvanko@towson.edu

TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIR K–12 EDUCATION CHAIR
Patrick Burkhart, Slippery Rock University, patrick.burkhart@sru.edu Michael Passow, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia
University, michael@earth2class.org
FIELD TRIP CHAIR
Richard A. Ortt, Jr., Maryland Geological Survey, SPECIAL EVENTS CHAIR
richard.ortt@maryland.gov Michael S. Kelley, NASA Headquarters, Michael.S.Kelley@nasa.gov

FIELD TRIP CO-CHAIRS STUDENT COMMITTEE
David K. Brezinsky, Maryland Geological Survey, Hannah Susorney, Johns Hopkins University, hsusorn1@jhu.edu
DBrezinski@dnr.state.md.us
Sophie Lehmann, Johns Hopkins University, slehman4@jhu.edu
Jeffrey P. Halka, Maryland Geological Survey, jeff.halka@maryland.gov

Action Dates Open Now GSA 2015 Highlights
5 June
Abstract submission, registration & housing 11 Aug. 1. This year’s first scientific field trip starts on Wednesday,
Space request deadline (standard fees) 28 Oct. Pre-meeting trip locations include the Central
Abstracts deadline Early Sept. Appalachian Blue Ridge Province, Chesapeake Bay, the
Speaker notifications 21 Sept. Gettysburg Battlefield, and the National Museum of
Housing cancellation fee begins 28 Sept. Natural History.
Early registration & housing deadline 5 Oct.
Registration cancellation deadline 2. Learning doesn’t wait! The popular and highly successful
Short Course program has its first class on Thursday, 29
Oct. Six classes start on Friday, with several more on
Saturday.

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