ABOUT PEOPLE

November 1997

MARK SCHAEFER, the Interior Department's deputy assistant secretary for water and science, will serve as interim director of the U.S. Geological Survey until a new director is selected and confirmed by the Senate. A neurobiologist, Schaefer was assistant director for environment in the Office of Science and Technology Policy before he joined the Interior Department in 1995.

Newly-elected officers for the Association of Engineering Geologists are JOHN PECK, president; JAMES MAY, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, vice president and president-elect; R. REXFORD UPP, Upp Geotechnology, treasurer; and ARTHUR STUKEY, Harza Engineering, secretary.

In September the Association of Earth Science Editors elected new officers and directors for 1998. They are CAROL A. HJELLMING, New Mexico Bureau of Mines, president; JOHN R. KEITH, U.S. Geological Survey, vice president; and O. EVELYN INGLIS, Canadian Geological Survey, director. RUSSELL B. MERRILL, Ocean Drilling Program, is past president; MINDY JAMES, Wisconsin Geological Survey, and FAITH E. ROGERS, Geological Society of America, remain as directors. The new officers of The Society for Organic Petrology are: KENNETH W. KUEHN, Western Kentucky University, president; SHARON S. CROWLEY, U.S. Geological Survey, vice president; CHARLES E. BARKER, U.S. Geological Survey, president-elect; LORRAINE B. EGLINTON, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, secretary-treasurer (1995-1998); WILLIAM ANDREWS, University of Kentucky, editor; and DAVID C. GLICK, The Pennsylvania State University, and MARIA MASTALERZ, Indiana Geological Survey, councilors.

LISA A. ROSSBACHER, dean of Dickinson College, was recently chosen as chair-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Section on Geology and Geography.

The Association for Women Geoscientists recently announced the recipients of the 1997 Chrysalis Scholarships, a financial award for women graduate students in the geosciences. The winners are PAULA MESSINA, a Ph.D. candidate at City University of New York, LAURIE PARENDES, a Ph.D. candidate at Oregon State University, and TOBI COHEN, who is completing her Ph.D. at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

At the Geoscience Information Society (GIS) meeting in October, LINDA L. HILL won the 1997 GIS Best Paper Award for her paper, "Stocking the Digital Library with Georeferenced Data." The 1997 GIS/Mary B. Ansari Best Reference Work Award was presented to the Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather, edited by STEPHEN H. SCHNEIDER.

DOUG MEDVILLE recently joined the board of the National Speleological Society. He was elected vice president at the society's June meeting.

The incoming officers for the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists are: CHRIS DENISON, Chevron Overseas Petroleum, president; DAVE POCKNALL, Amoco Corp., secretary/treasurer; DAVID GOODMAN, Arco Alaska, managing editor; and DON EHGELHARDT, ESRI, University of South Carolina, GRETCHEN JONES, U.S. Department of Agriculture, JOYCE LUCAS-CLARK, and PIERRE ZIPPI, Arco International Oil and Gas, directors-at- large.

PARKE D. SNAVELY JR., a geologist emeritus with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), received the 1997 Thomas Dibblee Medal, which recognizes excellence in geologic field mapping. A USGS scientist for 53 years, Snavely is known for his comprehensive maps of the Cenozoic Coast Ranges.
At the medal presentation, USGS colleague Ray Wells praised Snavely's exceptional ability to interpret complex geology. "[He] firmly believes that geologic maps form the foundation upon which all other earth-science research is based," Wells said. "As a dedicated and productive field geologist and geologic mapper, [Snavely] has promoted geologic mapping just as successfully by his personal committments in hiring, training, and helping others to meet the highest standards of field geology. ... [he] leaves an impressive legacy."

The retirement of GORDON P. EATON, who resigned as director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the end of September, brings to a close a distinguished career in geoscience.
As director, Eaton guided the USGS through a tumultuous period in which it weathered both congressional threats of abolishment and significant downsizing and restructuring. He oversaw the incorporation of the National Biological Service and part of the former U.S. Bureau of Mines into the survey and the resulting expansion of its mission.
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt described the period of Eaton's leadership as a "dramatic sea-change for the survey" and praised the departing director for making the USGS "the preeminent science bureau for the [department], one that ... encompasses the disciplines of biology, geology, hydrology, and mapping."
In announcing his retirement, Eaton noted that his goal had been to "ensure that the USGS provides relevant science to the American people" and that he believed that his "job of transforming the USGS into a streamlined, cohesive agency ... has been accomplished."
Eaton, who had worked for the USGS from 1967 to 1981, became the agency's 12th director in 1994. He served previously as director of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. Eaton was president of Iowa State University from 1986-1990 and dean of the College of Geosciences and provost and vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University from 1981 to 1986. His earlier positions with the USGS included stints as associate chief geologist and chief scientist at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Eaton is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America. A member of the American Geophysical Union, he received the American Geological Institute's Ian Campbell Medal in 1995.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Eaton graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in geology in 1951. He earned an M.S. in geology and a Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from the California Institute of Technology.

AGI presents awards, inducts officers

The American Geological Institute (AGI) presented the Ian Campbell Medal to M. GORDON "REDS" WOLMAN during its awards ceremony on Oct. 21, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in Salt Lake City. Internationally known for his research on evolution of fluvial systems, Wolman has been a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University for 40 years.
Few scientists have influenced their chosen field more profoundly than Wolman. His career has been devoted to the study of watershed and river processes and landscape evolution. Much of his work has provided the basis for current national science policy.
Wolman was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1988. He is also a fellow of the GSA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He is past president of GSA and of the Hydrology Section of AGU.
At the awards ceremony, WILLIAM L. FISHER was named recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award. Fisher, AGI president in 1991, is credited with developing innovative approaches for assessing domestic oil and gas resources. He served as director of the Bureau of Economic Geology and state geologist of Texas for nearly 25 years.
Fisher now teaches in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. He is past president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Institute of Professional Geologists, and Association of American State Geologists; and is a fellow of GSA and the Society of Economic Geologists.
SANDRA A. GLASS, program vice president of the W.M. Keck Foundation, received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Public Understanding of Geology.
Glass joined the foundation in 1982 and became its program vice president for higher education in science, engineering, and liberal arts grants in 1993. During the 15 years in which she was responsible for grants in the earth sciences, the Keck Foundation awarded 117 grants, totalling more than $60 million, to universities and colleges for work in this field.
AGI also inducted its 1998 Executive Committee. Members include President SUSAN M. LANDON, Thomasson Partner Associates; President-Elect DAVID A. STEPHENSON, South Pass Resources, Inc.; Secretary M. CHARLES GILBERT, University of Oklahoma; Treasurer WILLIAM A. THOMAS, University of Kentucky; Members-at-Large SUZANNE B. O'CONNELL, Wesleyan University, and STEVEN M. STANLEY, The Johns Hopkins University; Past President EDWARD C. ROY JR., Trinity University; and AGI Foundation Chairman THOMAS M. HAMILTON, ENSERCH Exploration.
The institute's new president, Susan Landon, is an independent petroleum geologist with Thomasson Partner Associates in Denver. She lectures at colleges and universities worldwide, and is dedicated to providing a role model for young women interested in science. One of Landon's primary research interests has been the evolution and petroleum potential of the Precambrian Midcontinent Rift System.
She is currently serving a second term on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources of the National Research Council and was appointed to the National Cooperative Mapping Advisory Committee in 1996. She has served as president of the American Institute of Professional Geologists and treasurer of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.