Geoscience Currents #38: Geoscience NSF Graduate Fellowships Quadrupled in 2009. The NSF Graduate Fellowship program conferred an average of 927 graduate fellowships per year between 2000 and 2008, the majority (56-59%) of which were awarded to graduate students in the life sciences and engineering fields. During this period, approximately 3.5 percent of NSF graduate fellowships were awarded to geoscience students (~31 fellowships per year). Between 2008 and 2009, there was a 37% increase from the previous year in the total number of graduate fellowships awarded, and the percentage of total fellowships awarded to geoscience students increased to 8 percent. The total number of geoscience NSF graduate fellowships increased from 26 in 2008 to 94 in 2009. Read more in Geoscience Currents #38 and download the full report Trends in Geoscience NSF Graduate Fellowships
(2000-2009).
August 18, 2010: 10:00-11:00am (US EDT) (15:00-16:00 BST)
GeoConnection Webinar (now online!)
Geosciences: Towards a Smarter Economy
Join us to listen to the following speakers discuss this recently released report published by the Geological Survey of Ireland, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI), and the Royal Irish Academy (RIA). The report details how geoscience can be oriented toward a smart economy, and describes how the geoscience sector can contribute to economic recovery. The report also provides a clear vision of the sector in 2020 and its implications for the geosciences within Ireland. To download the report, visit: http://www.gsi.ie/Geoscience+Initiatives/Geoscience+and+a+Smarter+Economy.htm
Speakers:
Dr. Peadar McArdle, Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI)
Garth Earls, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI)
Prof. Pat Shannon, University College Dublin
Dr. Deirdre Lewis, Institute of Geologists of Ireland / SLR Consulting
This webinar is co-sponsored the Geological Survey of Ireland, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, and the Institute of Geologists of Ireland.
Geoscience Currents #37: Geoscience Salaries Increase by 3.1% between 2008 and 2009. Despite the U.S. economy’s downturn, geoscience salaries increased by 3.1 percent between 2008 and 2009, which is slightly more than the salary growth for other science occupations (2.1%) and for all U.S. occupations (2.8%). In 2009, the top geoscience salaries were for management positions (Natural Science Managers: $127,000, Engineering Managers: $122,810), petroleum engineers ($119,960), and geoscientists (excluding hydrologists and geographers) ($92,710). Read more in Geoscience Currents #37.
Geoscience Currents #36: Student Perceptions of Geology and Implications for Choosing Among Different Science Majors. This Geoscience Currents, authored by Dr. Thomas D. Hoisch from Northern Arizona University, examines the results from a survey of 783 students in introductory geology classes that were surveyed at Northern Arizona University during the fall 2008 and spring 2009 semesters. The survey evaluated the perceptions and attitudes toward the sciences that are offered as undergraduate degree programs: Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, and Physics.
The survey results indicate that misperceptions exist regarding the field of geology. Geology was perceived to be low in prestige, low in difficulty and low-paying relative to biology, chemistry, and physics. In addition, geology occupations were perceived to pay less than students’ minimum salary expectations. Student perceptions of prestige, difficulty and pay are significantly correlated, with students tending to associate higher pay with greater prestige and difficulty (Hoisch and Bowie, in press). Read more in Geoscience Currents #36 and view this Geoscience Currents Discussion Webinar.
Geoscience Currents Discussion Webinar - Now Online
Minorities, Temporary Residents, and Gender Parity in the Geosciences. This Currents Discussion covers data from Geoscience Currents 30-35.
GeoConnection Webinar - Career Series
Geoscience Careers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)
Geoscience Currents #31 U.S. Geoscience Enrollments and Degrees 2009-2010. The 2009-2010 academic year has seen a continuation in the sharp increases in the number of geoscience undergraduates enrolled in U.S. institutions, hitting its highest levels in a decade. Undergraduate enrollments increased 7%, while graduate enrollments jumped 15.7% over the prior academic year. The increase at the undergraduate level continues an ongoing growth trend that has seen enrollments grow nationwide 24.8% since the 2006-2007 academic year. Similar growth was seen at the graduate level, with a 7% increase in new Bachelor degrees awarded and 3% and 6% increases in the Master's and Doctorate levels, respectively. Read more in Geoscience Currents #31.
GeoConnection Webinar - Career Series
Geoscientists in the Media
Geoscience Currents #29 Mega-Trends in the Australian Mining Industry. This Currents delves into the mega-trends in the Australian mining industry including commodities, ore grades, waste rock, and economic mineral resources. Read more in Geoscience Currents #29, and listen to the online webinar.
GeoConnection Webinar - Career Series
March 2, 2010: 4:00 pm -5:00 pm EST (U.S.)
Future Trends in Mining
This webinar is co-sponsored the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG).
GeoConnection Webinar:
January 26, 2010: 1:30 pm -2:30 pm EST (U.S.)
Linking AP Courses and Earth Science Literacy with Departmental Sustainability.
GeoConnection Webinar:
December 4, 2009: 12:00 pm -1:00 pm EST (U.S.)
Strategies for Departmental Survival and Viability During Economic Downturns.
This webinar is co-sponsored by NAGT and the Building Strong Geoscience Departments project.
AGI began sending GeoConnection Student Packets to Academic
Leadership Departments in April. If you have a packet, register
it here.
Effects of the Global Economic Crisis on Geoscience Departments
The Effects
of the Economic Crisis on Geoscience Departments report provides
a snapshot of the impacts of the economic downturn as of March 2009
on geoscience departments within the United States as well as in other
countries. The report includes analyses based on institution type and
regional analyses for U.S. geoscience departments.
Overall, 83 percent of geoscience departments that responded to the survey expect budget cuts for 2009 and/or 2010. These budget cuts are expected to impact faculty (reductions and hiring freezes) and support activities (IT, lab equipment, etc.) the most. Graduate student admission and graduate student support will be least impacted. Although the majority of departments expect to be viable beyond the next three years, several U.S. departments indicated that their future was "definitely" or "immediately" threatened by the impacts of the economic downturn.
Read more about how geoscience departments are weathering the economic downturn by downloading the report from the Geoscience Workforce Program's Reports page.
Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2009
Despite the global economic crisis, the geosciences continue to see opportunity in the future, with commodities like gold pushing historic highs, oil showing signs of rebounding, and the ever present dilemma of the talent gap expected from the retirement of the Baby Boomers. Never before has there been a comprehensive look at the state of the workforce, education, and economic dynamics of the geosciences. In these times of uncertainty, The Status of the Geoscience Workforce 2009 report provides the intelligence needed for decision makers that rely on geoscience professionals to accomplish their missions.
The report integrates all available data sources, including original data collected by AGI, as well as federal, society, and industry sources, into a comprehensive view of the human and economic parameters of the geosciences, including supply and training of new students, workforce demographics and employment projections, to trends in geoscience research funding and other economic indicators.
Demographics by age, race, gender, and industry type; student and research funding statistics; commodity pricing, the GDP of the geosciences, and more are all detailed thoroughly. This book is a resource to assist members of the geosciences community in preparing presentations to their colleagues and other stakeholders about the issues and opportunities in the geosciences.
To learn more and purchase this essential publication visit http://www.agiweb.org/pubs/pubdetail.html?item=300355.
