Upcoming GSA Meeting, Denver 2010

Important Dates and Times:

       Board meeting: Nov. 1 6:30 am Hyatt CCC Mineral Hall C     

       Luncheon, business meeting: Nov. 1, 12 noon in Hyatt CCC Mineral E       

       Reception for friends, students and all: Nov. 2, 5:30pm in Hyatt CCC Quartz A  

Message from the Chair

I hope you are all getting excited about the 2010 GSA Annual meeting, which will be held October 31-November 3, 2010, in Denver, Colorado. The theme of the meeting is Reaching New Peaks in Geoscience.  Our division should have a strong presence at this meeting with 2 Topical Sessions (Symposia), one of which will be a full day. As of this writing, the full day of sessions on Monday will be devoted to GSA Topical Session T94: The Colorado Scientific Society and 150 Years of Geologic Research in Colorado: Early Colorado Geology and Important Scientific Contributions by the Founders and Members of the Rocky Mountain Region's Oldest Scientific Society, Founded in 1882.  The morning session on Tuesday will be devoted to GSA Topical Session T95: High Country of the Geological Mind: Philosophy of Geohistory.  A full complement of very interesting abstracts was received for both of these sessions. 

In addition to the sessions, I hope you will attend our division events, which include (1) the Luncheon, Business Meeting and Awards Reception at noon on Monday, November 1, and (2) the Friends and Students Reception at 5:30 on Tuesday, November 2. The Luncheon is a ticketed event, for which you must appropriately register as part of the regular meeting registration. The Reception is with the compliments of the Division, which I hope will stimulate full attendance.  At the luncheon we will honor the Division Award winners, as announced in the May newsletter. 

Election 

Information on the regular Division election follows in this newsletter. In addition to the regular election of Division Officers for 2010-2011, there is one Bylaws Change. As discussed at length in the May newsletter (volume 34, number 2), the Division Management Board is recommending a name change for the division. The change simply inserts “...and Philosophy...” to the title: History and Philosophy of Geology Division. This name change would only affect the name that is listed in the Division Bylaws. It will not affect the names or provisions of any of the Division awards or any other provision of the Bylaws. If approved, the proposal for the name change will go to the GSA Council for final approval.  I hope you will all participate in this election, which is handled by GSA Headquarters. Division members will have the option of voting on-line or by mail ballot. 

It has been my great pleasure to serve the past year as Chair of your Division, and I look forward to seeing you all in Denver!

Cheers, 

Vic Baker  (Division Chair)
The University of Arizona  

AWARDS:

2010 Mary C. Rabbitt HISTORY OF GEOLOGY AWARD Winner:  Gabriel Gohau

Through deeply informed research Dr. Gohau has made extensive and important contributions to the literature of the history of geology. His work has illuminated diverse topics and issues such as theories of the earth, the historical framing of inquiry about the earth, concepts of mountain-formation, stratigraphy, metamorphism and the formation of granite, and the philosophical foundations of geological thinking. Gohau’s many papers illuminate the work of historical figures ranging across a long period, from Descartes and Burnet to Élie de Beaumont and Prévost. Among his books are (1) a broad inquiry into the earth sciences’ “gestation” during the 17th and 18th centuries, (2) a succinct account of the beginnings of historical geology, and (3) one of the most widely used comprehensive histories of geology of our time. Since 1996 he has presided over the principal French group dedicated to the history of geology, the Comité Français d’Histoire de la Géologie.

2010 Gerald M. and Sue T. Friedman DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Winner:  Daniel F. Merriam

Daniel F. Merriam’s services to the history of geology over a period of many decades have been extraordinary. Besides his own extensive service to the Division and its activities, he has made exceptional contributions as an organizer, editor, chronicler, compiler, and author, with a long record of historical publications including departmental and organizational histories, bibliographies, indexes, and obituaries.

2010 HISTORY OF GEOLOGY STUDENT AWARD Winner: Amanda Finnen Waters

Second-year Masters student Amanda Finnen Waters is researching the “Excavation Techniques of C.W. Peale’s 1801 Mastodon Exumation.”  The thesis advisor is Dr. Kerry Magruder, History of Science Professor and Curator of History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma.

REMEMBER: Please join us at the Denver Meeting for our traditional business luncheon and the friends/students and so on and so forth reception. We look forward to seeing you!

File to print:   HIST_Division_Paper_Ballot_2010

File to read or print:   History_of_Geology_bylaws

MEMBERS OF GSA HISTORY OF GEOLOGY DIVISION

Ballot for 2010-2011 Officers HISTORY OF GEOLOGY Division

Please vote by completing the section at the bottom and mailing it to GSA postmarked no later than October 8.  Biographical information on the candidates is on the following pages.

You may vote online by October 8 at:  http://rock.geosociety.org/ballot/vote.asp?Name=hist
Access the online ballot by using either your GSA member number or your e-mail address that is in your GSA member records. For membership assistance, please contact GSA at: gsaservice@geosociety.org or call (888) 443-4472. You may also submit your completed ballot by Fax: (303) 357-1074.

Chair (one-year term; please vote for one candidate):

(   )  John A. Diemer

(   )  Write-in                                                   

First Vice-Chair (one-year term; please vote for one candidate):

(   )  Kenneth R. Aalto

(   )  Write-in                                                   

Second Vice-Chair (one-year term; please vote for one candidate):

(   ) James C. 'Jim' Dawson

(   )  Write-in                                                   

Secretary- Treasurer (two-year term; please vote for one candidate):

(   )  Jane P. Davidson

(   )  Write-in                                                   

Division Bylaws Change  - Name Change for the Division:

The Division Management Board is proposing replacing the current Bylaws Article I, section 2 with the following (the new wording is in bold type).  A copy of the full Bylaws can be found on the Division website. This change will also result in replacing the old name with the new throughout the document.

Name.  The name of the division is the History and Philosophy of Geology Division of The Geological Society of America.

_______Yes to Adopt Name Change                   _______No to Reject Name Change

Mail Ballot To:          Division Office,  Geological Society of America
                                   PO Box 9140,  Boulder, CO,  80301-9140

You must complete the following section to validate your ballot:

Your Name (printed)                                                                       

Your Signature (required)                                                                          

Your GSA Member Number * (required)                                                  

* Your 7 digit GSA member number is on the top right corner on the external mailing label.  If you need assistance with your member number, call:  (888) 443-4472

Biographies of Candidates for 2010 - 2011 Officers History of Geology Division

Chair   2010 – 2011 (1 year term) 

John A. Diemer. Sedimentology; stratigraphy. Educ: AB Geol, Oberlin College; MA Geol, PhD Geol, Binghamton University. Prof Exp: UNC Charlotte, Dept Geography & Earth Sciences, Prof, 05-present; Assoc Prof, 94-05; Asst Prof, 88-94; Univ. British Columbia, EOS, Visiting Assoc Prof, 00; Kingston University, Geological Sciences, Visiting Fellow, 94-95; Franklin & Marshall College, Dept Geol, Visiting Asst Prof, 85-88; SUNY-Plattsburgh, CEES, Lecturer, 82-85. Prof Affil: GSA since 82; AGU, Geol Soc London, HESS, IAS, SEPM. GSA Serv: Nomination Committee, History of Geology Division, 03-05; Technical Program Chair, SE GSA, 2008; 2nd Vice Chair HoGD 08-09; 1st Vice Chair HoGD 09-10. Rsrch Int: Sedimentology, facies analysis, depositional environments, basin analysis, tectonics and sedimentation, environmental sedimentology, history of geology.

First Vice-Chair   2010 – 2011 (1 year term) 

Kenneth R. Aalto. Professor Emeritus of Geology, Humboldt State Univ. MA (1968) & PhD (1970) in Geology, Univ. Wisconsin–Madison; BA (1966)-Univ. Pennsylvania. Research interests (with some 50 publications): sedimentary tectonics, stratigraphy, igneous petrology and structural geology of the Franciscan Complex and Neogene rocks of northern California, Pleistocene geology of the Bahamas Platform, and the history of geology. GSA Fellow (1982), 2nd Vice-Chair-GSA History of Geology Division (2010), HESS.

Second Vice-Chair   2010 – 2011 (1 year term)

James C. 'Jim' Dawson. Geology; sedimentology. Education: BA Geology (1965) and MS Geology (1967) both at the University of California, Los Angeles; PhD Geology (1970) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Professional Experience: Distinguished Service Professor (1991-Present), Professor of Geology (1981-Present), Associate Professor of Geology (1974-1981), and Assistant Professor of Geology (1970-1974), all at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY. Administrative Experience: Department Chair (1974-1976); Faculty Senate Chair 1974-1976); Director of Environmental Science (1976-1982); New York State Regent (1993-2015 and renewable). Professional Affiliations: GSA, AGU, AAAS, AAPG, SEPM, IAS, AAPG, NAGT, PS, HESS and others locally. Research Interests: coal sedimentology and surface mine hydrology issues in Russia, Mongolia and NEChina, Early Paleozoic clastic sedimentology NE US.

Expression of Interest: "Jim Dawson studied the History of Geologic Thought in a course taught by Robert H. Dott, Jr. at the UW-Madison and has continued to read and study this subject area with considerable interest for over forty years. He has served the GSA HoG Division as Chair of the Nominations Committee 1996-1999 and has participated in all HoG events at ten of the last 12 GSA Annual Meetings. He is committed to giving substantial effort to the GSA HoGD, including participation at all GSA Annual Meetings from 2010 through 2014 and beyond as needed."

Secretary Treasurer   2010 – 2012 (2 year term)  

Jane P. Davidson. Professor of History of Art, University of Nevada, Reno. B.A. History, LSU (1969); M. A. United States History, LSU, (1970); M.A. History of Art, Kansas (1973); M.Phil. History of Art, Kansas (1974); PhD. History of Art, Kansas, (1975): Research and teaching interests: History of Paleontology Illustration; History of Dutch and Flemish 17th century painting; History of witchcraft and witchcraft iconography in art, 1400-1800. Biographer of Edward Drinker Cope. Current Secretary Treasurer HoG.