PGD-SPONSORED SESSIONS AT THE 2008 ANNUAL MEETING

The 2008 GSA Joint Annual Meeting will be held in Houston, Texas, October 5-9. The officers of the PGD would like to encourage our members and other interested parties to attend our Division-sponsored sessions and help make this a banner year for Planetary Geology Division involvement at the GSA Annual Meeting, particularly the Pardee and Gilbert Sessions and the Gilbert Award Ceremony honoring Dr. Phillip Christensen.

Here is the List of Sessions involving the Planetary Geology Division:

“Return to the Moon: A new era of lunar exploration” (Pardee keynote symposium) [Louise Proctor & Jeff Plescia]

“Mineralogic and petrologic mapping of planetary surfaces: The G.K. Gilbert Award Session” [Herb Frey & Ron Greeley]

“Planetary pummeling: Cataclysmic bombardment of the solar system as catastrophe, catalyst, cauldron and crucible” [Stephen Mojzsis & Barbara Cohen]

"Terrestrial impact structures: Origin, structure, and evolution" [Christian Koeberl & Jared Morrow]

"Terrestrial impact craters as windows into planetary crusts" [John Spray & Lucy Thompson]

“The geology of small volcanic vents and their associated vent fields throughout the solar system” [Jacob Bleacher & Scott Hughes]

"From Magma Oceans to Basalts: Igneous differentiation on the Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond" [Justin Filiberto & Allan Treiman]

"Geological and geophysical remote sensing applications for the Earth, the Moon, and mars" [Dean Riley and Wendy Calvin]

"Water-rock interaction on Mars: Spacecraft data, meteorites, models, and analogs" [Allan Treiman & Bradley Jolliff]

"Glacial and periglacial processes and landforms on Mars" [ Jeff Kargel]

“The role of field geology and geophysics in the return to the Moon” (cosponsored with FEAT) [Art Snoke & Mark Helper]

“Preparations for the new era of lunar science: Laboratory measurements and new insights into the Moon” [Noah Petro, Rachel Klima & Ryan Zeigler]

"Current Research Issues in Lunar Stratigraphy" [William Ambrose & David Williams]

“Engineering geology of the lunar regolith” [ David Kring & Wendell Mendell]

“Living on a Dusty Moon” [Sarah Noble, Doug Rickman, & Doug Stoeser]

“Titan Geology: A New Frontier” [Devon Burr & Jason Barnes]

"Analog sites and field exercises for training planetary field geologists" [Brent Garry & Jacob Bleacher]

New Planetary Geology Division Student Travel Grant Program

The Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America is offering two travel grants of $500 each for students presenting first-authored papers at the 2008 GSA Annual Meeting. This funding is to help defray travel costs for Division students who are traveling to the Annual Meeting to present papers. Applicants for student travel awards must:

• be a Student Member of GSA and a member of the Planetary Geology Division – go to http://www.geosociety.org/members/ to join now or to renew your membership;

• be registered for the meeting before you apply for a grant – go to https://www.acsmeetings.org/registrations/ to register (early-bird deadline is July 14);

• submit your completed Travel Grant Application (Click here);

• be first author and presenter of a paper (or poster).

Applications consist of name; mailing address, phone number, and e-mail (all valid through August); GSA member number; social security number (can be given at the time the award is made); title and co-authors (if any) of abstract; current CV; short justification (~300-500 words) for why travel funding is needed. Priority for funding will be given to students who are also co-conveners of Planetary sessions – if you are a co-convener, also give that session’s title.

A student can only receive one travel grant per meeting. You will be notified of your application status by August, and checks will be presented at the meeting, following your talk or poster.

Application deadline is September 5th. Submit your application and/or direct questions to PGD Past Chair Aileen Yingst at yingsta@uwgb.edu.

2009 G. K. Gilbert Award Recipient

It is our pleasure to announce that Dr. Robert G. Strom is the 2009 recipient of the G. K. Gilbert Award!

2010 G. K. Gilbert Award Nominations

All members are strongly encouraged to submit nominations for the G. K. Gilbert Award. This is the Division's highest award, presented annually for outstanding contributions to the solution of fundamental problems in planetary geology in the broadest sense. Nominations (which include a letter detailing the accomplishments of the nominee) should be submitted directly to Herbert Frey (Herbert.V.Frey@nasa.gov) by September 1, 2009.