As members of the HGS, we often see only a part of what theorganization does, so I decided to take the next couple ofcolumns to list it all out.
1. Technical Dinner Meetings. HGS offers about 50 technicaldinner meetings per year, with four to five different topics per month, each centered around a general interest group. The five meetings tend to have different audiences; most people don’t attend more than one or two a month. Each meeting provides you with an opportunity to hear a state-of-the-art technical presentation and to network with other geoscientists who share your interests.
2. HGS Bulletin. Whether you read it online or in its glossy paper form, the HGS Bulletin is one of the best and most comprehensive publications from a local geological society. The next time you see Editor Michael Forlenza be sure to thank him for doing the hardest job in the HGS so very well.
3. Continuing Education Courses. Did you know that the instructors for our ConEd courses volunteer their time to HGS? The ConEd committee works hard to develop, organize, and present top-of-the-line courses for very reasonable fees.
4. Technical Conferences. This year’s Africa Conference in the fall, and the upcoming Unconventional Shale/Mudstones Conference present unique programs that draw attendees from all over the world.
5. Scholarship Programs. HGS has two endowed scholarship foundations, the HGS Foundation, which provides support for undergraduate geology students, and the Calvert Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which provides support for graduate geology students. Did you know that a number of students who have been supported by these foundations have, once they have become employed professional geoscientists, contributed funds to the scholarship programs equivalent to the amount that they received? Personally, I feel the scholarship awards are one of our most important programs. This year, since the endowment income has gone down with the economy, both foundations need donations to maintain the current level of scholarship funding. Please help with donations and encourage your companies to do the same.
I will discuss some of the less wellknown HGS programs next time.
We are delighted to present Scott Tinker at the February General Dinner meeting. Scott is currently President of AAPG and Director of the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. He is a great speaker too, both witty and provocative. Register early because I expect this event to sell out.
The North American and International Groups are having a joint program featuring Dr. Hans Kenna speaking about basin modeling and structural restoration in Wyoming and Utah, and at the General Lunch meeting, Michael Bodell will explain to us the factors that drive natural gas pricing.
Plus, if you hoped to go on the Trans-Pecos field trip but were unable to attend, it has been rescheduled for February 20-25th, so you have a second chance.
February also brings the Unconventional Shale/Mudstones conference, which should be superb. This is the second time the Conference has been conducted, and if this one is as well organized and useful as the last, it will be well-worth attending.
We are delighted to announce that the HGS Board has decided to nominate Charles Sternbach to AAPG as a candidate for AAPG VP Sections. He joins a stellar list of HGS members proposed as HGS nominees for AAPG offices, including Dave Rensink, currently running for AAPG President. Congratulations to both of them, and our thanks to them both for their years of service totheir profession.