The Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America
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The Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America Volume 27, Number 1 March 2009 Message from the Chair on the latest MESSENGER mission results from Mercury and an impact cratering session to honor this year’s Gilbert award winner, the Louise M. Prockter indefatigable Bob Strom. The abstract deadline Applied Physics Laboratory, for the annual meeting will be August 11, and Johns Hopkins University we encourage you to consider submitting a paper. Abstract submittals will begin in April, but you can view the topical sessions now at As this year’s Chair it is my turn to thank you http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2009/sessi all for your continued support of our Division, ons/topical.asp. whether through your membership dues, service as a judge for the Dwornik student Student papers are especially welcome, and award, or supporting us at our booth during last their authors can apply for one of our new year’s GSA Annual Meeting in Houston. The student awards to help offset travel costs (after Houston meeting was well attended, and we the meeting registration opens, look for capitalized on the location and the ties to information on the PGD website at human exploration that abound there. The http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2009/sessi Planetary Geology Division historically has a ons/topical.asp.) significant number of topical sessions at the annual meeting, and it is a great opportunity to Despite the current economic uncertainties, I mix with terrestrial geologists, many of whom am happy to be writing this at a time when we are fascinated by what we do. have a new President who is fully committed to scientific progress, and I look forward to The 2009 GSA Annual Meeting will be held serving you through the coming year as our this fall in beautiful Portland, Oregon. We are Division continues to thrive. sponsoring or co-sponsoring a number of planetary-related sessions (listed later in this Louise M. Prockter newsletter), including a keynote Pardee session PGD Chair 1 GSA conference. For submission information The Eugene M. Shoemaker and electronic application form, please go to: Memorial Award for Crater Studies http://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Awards/ Shoemaker_Award/index.html. The Planetary Dr. Carolyn Shoemaker established the Eugene Geology Division officers strongly encourage M. Shoemaker Memorial Fund for Crater all of our Division members to actively recruit Studies in memory of her husband in 1998. She promising students to apply for this prestigious established this endowment so that students award. will have an opportunity to pursue studies of impact craters, which were the focus of her husband's graduate student studies and a large 2008 GSA Annual Meeting, Houston part of his professional career. Friends, scientific colleagues, and companies have The 2008 Annual GSA meeting in Houston, contributed to (and continue to contribute to) Texas saw the Planetary Geology Division with the fund to ensure its success. its highest level of activity and visibility in many years. The Division sponsored or co- We are pleased to announce the 2008 recipient sponsored 14 different sessions during the 5- of the Shoemaker Award was James Darling, day convention with average attendance University of Bristol, United Kingdom. varying between 30-40 attendees in most sessions. The Division sponsored a Pardee Keynote Symposium entitled "Return to the Moon: A New Era of Lunar Exploration," which was organized and run by Louise Prockter and Jeff Plescia. The Planetary Geology Division booth also continued to serve as a focal point for Division fundraising and outreach activities. James Darling The Eugene M. Shoemaker Memorial Award for Crater Studies is for undergraduate or graduate students, of any nationality, working in any country, in the disciplines of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, astronomy, or biology. The award, which includes $2500, is to be applied for the study of impact craters, either on Earth or on other solid bodies in the solar system. Areas of study may include but shall not necessarily be limited to impact The Planetary Geology Division booth at the cratering processes, bodies (asteroidal or 2008 GSA Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas. cometary) that make the impacts, or the geo- logical, chemical or biological results of impact Finally, at the annual Business Meeting, the cratering. For full consideration, applications 2008 G.K. Gilbert Award was given to Dr. and letters of recommendation should be Phillip R. Christensen of Arizona State received by September 11, 2009. The awardee University. His presentation was titled is usually announced at the Planetary Geology “Mineralogic and Petrologic Mapping of Division business meeting during the annual Planetary Surfaces.” The citationist was Dr. 2 Ronald Greeley of Arizona State University. Best Oral Presentation: Leah Hutchison The G.K. Gilbert Award Session was well Roach, Dept of Geological Sciences, Brown attended. University, “Constraints on the rate of sulfate phase changes in Valles Marineris interior layered deposits.” Honorable Mention: Joshua T.S. Cahill, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, “Radiative transfer modeling of geophysically targeted lunar impact crater central peaks.” Best Poster Presentation: Brian C. Hahn, Department of Geosciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, “Martian Surface Ron Greeley (left) applauds as Phil Christensen Heat Production and Crustal Heat Flow from (center) receives the 2008 G.K. Gilbert Award Mars Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometry.” from PGD Chair Herb Frey (right). Honorable Mention: Melissa K. Bunte, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, “Geologic Mapping of the Zal Region of Io.” Honorable Mention: Stephanie Brown, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, MIT, “Predicting Mercury's Ancient Crustal Composition.” The Dwornik Award was established in 1991 with a generous endowment by Dr. Stephen E. Dwornik, who wished to encourage students who are U.S. citizens to become involved with NASA and planetary science. The Award consists of a plaque and a $500 check, and is given for the best student presentations (poster and oral) at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) hosted by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA Phil Christensen addresses the audience Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. as the 2008 Gilbert Awardee. Students may submit abstracts for consideration of the award to the annual LPSC. The student 2008 Dwornik Awards th must be first author on the abstract. Along with The judging panel at the 39 LPSC saw another the abstract, the student must also complete an crop of outstanding entries for the 2008 application form and have it signed by their Dwornik Prize — many thanks to the all the dissertation or research advisor. The signed students who competed and to the volunteers form must be mailed to the Lunar and Planetary who assisted with the judging! In case you Institute in time to arrive before the LPSC missed it, the 2008 Dwornik winners were: abstract deadline (typically early January of 3 each year). This year, a separate award will be Awards 1,000.00 given for Best Undergraduate Presentation. Travel, Lodging, Subsistence 1,503.20 Catering Annual Meeting 325.00 We hope we can count on our PGD members Miscellaneous 746.81 attending the 40th LPSC to assist in judging for Total Expenses 3,694.88 the 2009 Dwornik competitors. To volunteer to help judge, please contact Dave Williams, our NET INCOME 440.58 Second Vice-Chair, at [email protected]. LIABILITIES New location for 2008! The 40th LPSC will be Deferred Dues Income 1,884.65 held at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Net Assets, Beginning of Year 15,006.66 Center in The Woodlands (north Houston), Net Income Current Year 440.58 Texas, March 22-27, 2009. UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS 2008 $ 16,450.73 2008 Finances and Membership Membership: As of the end of 2008, the The Division's finances remain healthy, and we Division has 615 members, up 3% from last hope they will continue to improve, as we stay year! We can do better! Please encourage your focused on reducing costs and raising funds. In colleagues to keep their Division memberships 2008 we instituted a new student travel grant active, and remember that GSA accepts new program for students to attend the GSA membership applications online at the GSA Annual Meeting, in which two students website: http://www.geosociety.org receive $500 grants (with matching funds from the student’s advisor.) 2008’s travel grant awardees were Jane Barnes of Hamilton Call for Applications & Nominations College and Karla Kuebler of Washington University, St. Louis. So we need your support For the past several years, the Division has through purchases at our booth at the Annual enjoyed a great deal of growth and vibrancy, Meeting! We currently have 352 PGD t-shirts something we hope will continue well into the in various sizes and colors, so come to the future! This is something that reflects booth at the 2009 Portland meeting and positively upon us as a community, and we complete your wardrobe! would like to remind everyone of the opportunities to participate and contribute. As is shown below, our largest single yearly cost continues to be the Division’s annual G.K. Gilbert Award: All members are business meeting at the GSA Annual Meeting, strongly encouraged to submit nominations for and we will continue to search for ways to the G. K. Gilbert Award. This is the Division’s reduce this expense. The financial activity of highest award, presented annually for our Division over the past year is summarized outstanding contributions to the solution of as follows: fundamental problems in planetary geology in the broadest sense. Nominations (which include REVENUE 2008 $ a letter detailing the accomplishments of the Division Dues Income 1,868.30 nominee) should be submitted directly to Contributions 1,386.00 Louise Prockter [email protected] by Total Revenue 3,254.30 September 1, 2009.