By Jay Merrill, GSA 2016 Student Organizing Committee Firstly, a big thanks to all for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of GSA 2016. This year’s Annual Meeting and Exposition has quite a bit to offer, and I am excited to be involved in what should be a spectacular string of events. My name… Read More Welcome Students to GSA 2016!
by Sarah Andrews, 2016 Geological Society of America President’s Medalist Lee Allison promoted scientific understanding. That may sound like an overly simplified statement, but helping all people understand the geological systems and resources that are essential to life on this planet is not a simple task. Neither is it easy. It requires a lot of… Read More In appreciation: M. Lee Allison, 1948 – 2016
Mentorship is one of the most critical yet under-compensated aspects of the physical sciences. I came from the world of small oil and gas companies where the transfer of institutional knowledge and norms will be critical for continued safety and success through the “Great Shift Change,” but often becomes secondary to the pressing needs of… Read More Be a Mentor at GSA 2016: Supporting Future Leaders in the Geosciences
After years of gridlock, the President signed a strongly bipartisan bill to update a 40-year-old act monitoring toxic chemicals, including lead-based paint and asbestos, into law. The bill revitalizes the “Toxic Substances Control Act,” (TSCA) originally passed in 1976, under President Gerald Ford. The “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,” (H.R.2576)… Read More Law Monitoring Toxic Chemicals Gets First Facelift in 40 Years
Policymakers approved a new version of a beleaguered science policy bill aimed at increasing the nation’s competitiveness in science and technology. The American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (S. 3084) authorizes an increase in research funding and lessens administrative burdens on researchers, among other provisions. The bill was approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,… Read More Senate Committee Passes its Own Version of COMPETES
A lot more drones the size of full-grown poodles will soon be zooming over rooftops, thanks to new federal regulations. The Federal Aviation Administration’s new rule, officially deemed “Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” sets safety and security guidelines for certifying and operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) weighing less than 55 pounds. Under… Read More Ushering in a New Era of Drones
By Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University This the fourth of four blogs written in advance of a meeting at the ETH conference facility in Ascona, Switzerland, to discuss four related questions about the evolution of the solid Earth: “When did Plate Tectonics Begin on Earth?”;… Read More Why is it important to know when and how plate tectonics began, and what was Earth’s tectonic style before plate tectonics?
