The Geological Society of America (or GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by James Hall, James D. Dana, and Alexander Winchell, and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose Place, Boulder, Colorado, USA, since 1968. As of 2007, the society has over 21,000 members in more than 85 countries. The stated mission of GSA is "to advance the geosciences, to enhance the professional growth of its members, and to promote the geosciences in the service of humankind". Its main activities are sponsoring scientific meetings and publishing scientific literature, particularly the journals Geological Society of America Bulletin (commonly called "GSA Bulletin") and Geology. A more recent publication endeavor is the online-only science journal Geosphere. In 2009, GSA will begin publishing Lithosphere. GSA's monthly news and science magazine, GSA Today, is open access online.
The society has six regional sections in North America and seventeen specialty divisions.
GSA began with 100 members under its first president, James Hall. Over the next 43 years it grew slowly but steadily to 600 members until 1931, when a $4 million endowment from 1930 president R.A.F. Penrose, Jr. jumpstarted the GSA's growth.
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Annual meetings
The most recent GSA annual meeting was held in Portland, Oregon, on 18-21 October 2009.
Future meetings will be as follows:[1]
- 2010 Denver, Colorado, 31 October-3 November
- 2011 Minneapolis, Minnesota, 9-12 October
- 2012 Charlotte, North Carolina, 4-7 November
- 2013 Denver, Colorado, dates TBD
Annual meetings consist of talks and poster presentations about geology, and also include booths from schools, companies, and other geological organizations.
Positions Statements
As the need arises, the GSA issues Position Statements "in support of and consistent with the GSA's Vision and Mission to develop consensus on significant professional, technical, and societal issues of relevance to the geosciences community. Position Statements, developed and adopted through a well defined process, provide the basis for statements made on behalf of the GSA before government bodies and agencies and communicated to the media and the general public.[2]
For example, in 2006, the GSA adopted the Position Statement Global Climate Change:
- The Geological Society of America (GSA) supports the scientific conclusions that Earth’s climate is changing; the climate changes are due in part to human activities; and the probable consequences of the climate changes will be significant and blind to geopolitical boundaries. Furthermore, the potential implications of global climate change and the time scale over which such changes will likely occur require active, effective, long-term planning.
- Current predictions of the consequences of global climate change include: (1) rising sea level, (2) significant alteration of global and regional climatic patterns with an impact on water availability, (3) fundamental changes in global temperature distribution, (4) melting of polar ice, and (5) major changes in the distribution of plant and animal species. While the precise magnitude and rate of climate change cannot be predicted with absolute certainty, significant change will affect the planet and stress its inhabitants.[3]
Past Presidents
- James Hall 1889
- James D. Dana 1890
- Alexander Winchell 1891
- G. K. Gilbert 1892
- J. William Dawson 1893
- Thomas C. Chamberlin 1894
- Nathanial S. Shaler 1895
- Joseph Le Conte 1896
- Edward Orton, Sr. 1897
- J. J. Stevenson 1898
- Benjamin K. Emerson 1899
- George Mercer Dawson 1900
- M. King Hubbert 1962
- Harry H. Hess 1963
- Francis Birch 1964
- Wilmot H. Bradley 1965
- Robert F. Legget 1966
- Konrad B. Krauskopf 1967
- Eldridge M. Moores 1996
- George A. Thompson 1997
- Victor R. Baker 1998
- Gail M. Ashley 1999
- Mary Lou Zoback 2000
- Sharon Mosher 2001
- Anthony J. Naldrett 2002
- B. Clark Burchfiel 2003
- Rob Van der Voo 2004
- William A. Thomas 2005
- Stephen G. Wells 2006
- John M. "Jack" Sharp, Jr. 2007
See also
References
- ^ "Meetings". Geological Society of America. http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ^ GSA Position Statements
- ^ Global Climate Change
- ^ Geological Society of America - Past Presidents, Treasurers and Executive Directors
External links
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