Earth Science Week 2012 Theme Announced: Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce that the theme of Earth Science Week 2012 will be "Discovering Careers in the Earth Sciences." This year's event will boost awareness about the geosciences and the many exciting career and job opportunities in the field.

Earth Science Week 2012 materials and activities will engage young people and others in learning how geoscientists gather and interpret data about the Earth and other planets. Through careers in geology, geophysics, oceanography, hydrology, paleontology, Earth science education, and many other fields, they enhance our understanding of Earth processes and improve the quality of human life.

"With this year's focus on jobs, Earth Science Week provides a great chance for teachers and guidance counselors to spread the word to students and parents about geoscience careers," says Ann Benbow, AGI's Director of Education and Outreach. "With over 150,000 positions expected to open in the next decade, opportunities for building an exciting and meaningful career in the geosciences have never been better, even in this tough economy," says Christopher M. Keane, head of AGI's Geoscience Workforce Program.

AGI leads Earth Science Week annually in cooperation with its sponsors and the geoscience community as a service to the public. Each year, community groups, educators, and interested citizens organize celebratory events. Earth Science Week offers the public opportunities to discover the Earth sciences and engage in responsible stewardship of the Earth. Earth Science Week is supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, the AAPG Foundation, NASA, the National Park Service, ExxonMobil, and Esri.

Earth Science Week 2012 will be celebrated October 14-20. For more about this week and ways to get involved -- including newsletters, local events, and classroom activities -- please see the Earth Science Week web site at http://www.earthsciweek.org/.

AGI and AIPG Team Up to Launch the Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI)

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) have teamed up to launch the Geoscience Online Learning Initiative (GOLI).

This joint effort seeks to build a portfolio of online learning opportunities to help support the professional development of prospective and early-career geoscientists as well as addressing topics of interest to the broader geoscience profession. GOLI courses will support both synchronous and asynchronous online learning, and count toward continuing education units (CEU's).

AGI and AIPG are pleased to announce the first three webinar events of GOLI. Details of the webinars are available at: http://www.aipg.org/e-mail/GOLI.html.

The topics, times, and presenters are:

Global Energy Resources: Current Trends and Short Term Predictions. January 18, 2012, 2:00 pm EST. Presented by Ronald J. Wallace, President-Elect, AIPG

Critical and Strategic Minerals: Concepts and Status. February 1, 2012, 2:00 pm EST. Presented by Jim Burnell, Colorado Geological Survey

Effective Power Point Presentations. February 22, 2012, 2:00 pm EST. Presented by Chris Mathewson, Texas A&M University

The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) was founded in 1963 to certify the credentials of practicing geologists and to advocate on behalf of the profession. AIPG represents the professional interests of all practicing

geoscientists in every discipline. Its advocacy efforts are focused on the promotion of the role of geology and geologists in society.

The OneGeology Best Application Competition

OneGeology Operational Management Group announces an opportunity to innovate the OneGeology Best Application Competition'

Aim: The main aim of the OneGeology Best Application competition is to demonstrate the wide range of potential applied uses and applications that the OneGeology Portal, and geological data/services that it provides, can offer for easy discoverability, access and use.

Possible types of OneGeology Applications :

Developed OneGeology applications can demonstrate:

1- A new innovative web application of geological data, to address any environmental, social etc. issues. The combination - integration of geological data with other types of environmental data is of prime interest.

2- A new innovative technical solution of the geological application e.g. on-line incorporation of OneGeology geological web services (WMS, WFS) into a client application or a new way to discover / 3- search geological data etc.

A new solution for making progress in the direction of semantic harmonization – e.g. utilizing the OneGeology web services (WMS, WFS) for on-line geometric-semantic harmonization across administrative boundaries.

Who can apply:

The competition is aimed at the young geoscientists especially those within the YES (Young Earth Scientist) Network; so the competition is open to all young geoscientists (under 35 years of age). The OneGeology development team encourages students, or any young researchers to develop an innovative application based on the geological data and services provided via OneGeology Portal.

The winning prize:

The winner of the competition will receive a free registration for the 34th International Geological Congress, Brisbane, Australia (August 2012) and will also have the opportunity to present the new innovative application during the Geoinformation Symposium/ OneGeology Session at the conference.

For more details about how to register and selection procedures, visit the following link: http://www.onegeology.org/igc34/competition.html

Deadline: 30 May 2012