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Support Your Society’s Greatest Needs

We have all seen and been affected by the unprecedented chal- Our policy staff bring science and scientists into the policy pro-
lenges caused by the pandemic impacting the world over the past cess, keeping GSA members informed, involved, and represented
many months. You may recall at this time last year, we launched in federal policy in areas such as research funding, climate-change
GSA CARES (GSA COVID-19 Assistance and Relief Effort for policy, and natural hazard mitigation and response. GSA’s policy
Students) to provide immediate assistance to student members office helps the community on a regular basis, such as facilitating
because their lives, academic studies, employment, fieldwork, our members’ support of bills that have been recently signed into
research, and much more were disrupted. Thanks to you, our com- law like the Digital Coast Act. As explained by GSA’s geoscience
mitted donors, and with matching amounts from both the Society policy director Kasey White and science policy fellow Connor
and the Foundation, we were able to provide more than US$180,000 Dacey, this act allows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
to GSA student members. In a gesture of good faith fitting for these Administration to create an easily and freely accessible online
challenging times, GSA CARES funds were simply awarded to resource for geospatial data and information, tools, and resources
those who experienced pandemic-related hardships affecting their to aid in flood and coastal storm surge prediction, hazard risk and
education or career development, without further criteria. vulnerability assessments, emergency response and recovery plan-
Like many organizations, GSA has also been affected in this ning, and community resilience to longer range coastal changes.
past year. Now, more than ever, our Greatest Needs Fund will be Another bill supported by our members and signed into law estab-
vital to sustain the very programs that define GSA and to allow lishes a program to identify and understand landslide risks, protect
the Society to respond as needed by allocating support to those communities, save lives and property, and improve emergency
areas most affected in changing circumstances. As we afforded preparedness. (Further details on these and other acts can be found
students flexibility in how they used the support we provided, on page 22 of this issue.) White notes, “It speaks to the importance
we hope that you will consider the same in giving to the Greatest of geoscience and geoscientists’ efforts that multiple bills to
Needs Fund so that the Society’s leadership can make decisions address hazards and increase the collection of ocean data were
and apply funds where they are needed most. signed into law in the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis.”
An important element of Greatest Needs is that these funds Make an immediate impact today! Support of the Greatest
directly support programs that are essential for the furthering of Needs Fund provides flexibility for GSA to strategically apply
geoscience—they do not go toward overhead. GSA leadership resources where they are most critically needed—to the programs
allocates the funds to increase student travel grants or research that matter most to furthering our science and advancing the geo-
grant awards, for more On To the Future diversity awards, or to help sciences in society. If you have questions regarding the fund, or
fund the science policy fellow. Because GSA’s policy work remains want to explore ways to significantly support GSA programs,
a vital force for our science and our future, it is a program area that please contact Clifton Cullen at +1-303-357-1007 or via email at
could benefit significantly from the Greatest Needs Fund. ccullen@geosociety.org.

www.gsa-foundation.org

30 GSA Today | March-April 2021