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From the Editor

The annual Highlights issue is always a big production here at Geotimes. Lots of authors, lots to be edited and laid out, lots of pages to proof. It is the bane of every managing editor’s existence. But it is also a unique opportunity for our readers to sit back and in one magazine see a snapshot of the research going on across the many disciplines that make up the geosciences. We are grateful to our many volunteer authors who have taken the time to look back over the past year and give their personal take on what papers, conferences, expeditions and other events are worth noting. We would also like to acknowledge former Geotimes managing editor Jan Childress, who helped edit this year’s reviews.

In this space in last year’s Highlights issue, Geotimes Editor-in-Chief Sam Adams asked readers to let us know their thoughts on the Highlights: what should be in the print magazine, what should go on geotimes.org. One suggestion was to include articles that looked beyond the scientist to the scientists themselves — the status of careers in our community. We did that in the February 2001 special GeoJobs issue, which offered reviews of employment trends in the key sectors as well as some alternative career choices.

Is something missing from this compilation? This year’s pages cover 28 disciplines, but we are well aware that we could easily include twice that many. If you feel that your branch of the geosciences is not covered, please let us know. But be forewarned that we might ask you to suggest colleagues who could take on the subject just as these authors have. In several cases, subjects went uncovered not for lack of interest on our part but from the challenge of identifying the right reviewer.

This issue contains more than just Highlights. Most of the other monthly columns and departments are here as well. In Comment, Maryland State Geologist Emery Cleaves makes a strong case for the broad national role of the U.S. Geological Survey and encourages his fellow geoscientists to help make the case to Congress and the administration. In Political Scene, AGI Congressional Science Fellow Katy Makeig provides her perspective on the role that individuals should play in the energy debate. In both cases, as the president’s proposals move through Congress, geoscientists have important knowledge and perspectives they need to share with lawmakers.

The past few weeks have been eventful ones. We have welcomed this year’s Geotimes science writing interns, whose names you will already see throughout the magazine: Jann Vendetti just earned her bachelor’s degree in geology and biology from Colgate University, and Emily Johnson just finished her bachelor’s degree in geoscience from Princeton University. Their arrival was timely, coming fast on the heels of staff writer Laura Wright’s departure. She will be pursuing a joint master’s degree in earth science and journalism from Columbia University. We wish her the best of luck.

We also say farewell to our volunteer book review editors who have provided yeoman’s service to Geotimes and its readers. Rex Buchanan is an associate director at the Kansas Geological Survey. He has found almost 100 authors to review just as many books, supplying readers with advice and perspectives on the geoscience books being published. We will miss his charm and diligence. We would also like to thank Chris Maples, geoscience department chairman at Indiana University and Rex’s fellow editor for the past year. Thank you both!

Finally, we would like to salute associate editor Christy Reed, who was one of a dozen journalists selected for the annual Metcalf Institute Workshop at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. She was also in a handful of science writers selected for the Science Writing Fellowships Program at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Biological Laboratory.

These people are some of the faces behind the magazine. We hope that you will enjoy their handiwork. So read on!
 

David Applegate               Kristina Bartlett
Editor                                    Managing Editor

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