17 minute read
News of the Association
from AEG News Vol. 65 No. 3 - Summer 2022
by Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG)
Looking Ahead
he concept of time is perpetually interesting to me. It lends itself to questions of perception and philosophy while also creating playful thought experiments. These exercises are healthy for your brain, which theoretically may earn us more time in this life while simultaneously providing enjoyment and interesting conversations along our journey. Sometimes we experience that amazing flow state where our present task feels effortless, while at other times, it feels like each passing minute consumes hours (especially on Friday afternoons before a long weekend).
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Looking back over the past two years, AEG has been in a reactionary state with a short-term focus, as has most of the world. We have been fortunate that our past presidents were able to pivot and work successfully to keep AEG not only solvent but demonstrate continued growth! Right now, we are well-positioned to refocus back on our long-term strategy as folks’ work situations and accessibility to professional organizations stabilize. We are implementing strategies such as building Chapter resources, succession planning for Committee and Chapter leaders, and diversifying our income sources. We continue to maintain our Treasurer’s Reserve to ensure we have at least a year of operating expenses saved to help us weather any storm that time may bring. We are steering our communication strategies internally with current AEG members and primary contacts, as well as, strategically exploring opportunities outside AEG with affiliated societies, the general public, and legislators.
I have spent much of this year speaking with the leadership of our twenty-seven Chapters. I will admit the scheduling has been tricky, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every call, no two were the same. I also gained much timely information allowing AEG to make small adjustments as well as significant changes based on these Chapter conversations. It has been wonderful to meet everyone, to experience the enthusiasm for our ” local AEG Chapters, and to spread encouragement up and down the Association ranks. At the time of writing this article, I have a few Chapters left to engage, however, I am hopeful that I will have been able to speak with the last few Chapter holdouts by the time you read these words. It has truly been my pleasure to speak with each Chapter’s leadership, and I am encouraged to meet many of you in person—either at your local Chapter or at one of AEG’s amazing Annual Meetings, perhaps this September in Las Vegas!
TI believe AEG has been around, in one form or another, because we are adaptable, growing, and inspiring to other associations. Over the years AEG Maddie German, 2021–22 AEG President has been continually tested and survived, and we are now coming into our own. We know who AEG is and what we ultimately want to represent. We are striving to fine-tune our strategy as we grow and adapt as an organization. Obviously, we have no intention to stray from our roots of providing solid technical information, being small, friendly, and accessible to the geoscience community, and fostering Chapters that have the flexibility to run with their local whims—providing the best opportunity to do what works best locally. A career as a professional geologist is an uncommon gift. Please use the time and opportunity provided by your uniqueness to share something meaningful with your general acquaintances. For example, in those conversations where you are asked what you do, spend a moment to educate others on what geology is and why it is important. Or for those whom you know well, provide input on timely geologic issues. The clock moves in one direction, however, our minds are always looking forward and back, helping us make decisions based on past success or failure. Not every attempt concludes how we hope, however, if we are testing properly, we move forward with new information at each effort. I encourage you to put yourself out there. AEG, like every other organization, is always seeking volunteers, if you are interested, we can use your interest, enthusiasm, and time to contribute to our association. Remember there are small things we can do each day that cost nothing, barely even a moment of time, but may dramatically influence the life of another. I have spent much of this year speaking with the leadership of our twentyseven Chapters. I will admit “ Announcing an AEG Special Publication planned for release in Winter 2022: Urban Landslide the scheduling has been tricky, but I have thoroughly Hazard Mapping: enjoyed every call, no two were A Case Study in Orinda, California, USA the same. Authored by longtime AEG member and contributor Dr. J. David Rogers along with co-authors Dan Wang PhD and Rune Storesund D.Eng More details will follow in upcoming issues of AEG News and the AEG Insider.
Staying Strong
y the time you read this, these numbers will be a little bit outdated, but as of the end of May 2022, our finances remain in outstanding shape, despite some recent volatility in the investment market.
AEG’s Financial Assets (as of May 31, 2022)
BMembership Numbers As of May 31, 2022, we have collected $226,584 in membership and licensure income (note that Sarah Kalika, 2021–22 AEG Treasurer licensure funds are temporarily commingled within this amount until transferred at the end of the membership year in October). This income is above our budgeted amount of $199,440 (membership plus licensure fund income) for 2022.
$124,110.88 (Licensure Fund – updated annually in October) $363,803.46 (Operations Account – where membership dues are collected) $421,095.81 (Treasurer’s Reserve – invested conservatively, per AEG policy)
AEG Chapter finances are also in great shape, as collectively, they amount to approximately $301,497. Please remember to provide your chapter officer names and email addresses to me so we can continue to contact chapter leaders!
Treasurer’s Notes
We have finally closed the UBS cash account, which has been an ongoing issue. These funds were invested in a short-term certificate of deposit (CD) in 2019. At fund maturity in late 2020, we discovered that the account manager assigned to us by UBS was no longer employed at the bank and UBS had not assigned a new account manager. The problem is that only an account manager can reinvest funds on our behalf. It took nearly two years of calls, bank branch visits, complaints to the bank, and an angry letter before we were finally able to close this account and withdraw the funds back to the original location (our Operations Account). The Finance Committee is currently exploring options to reinvest cash equivalent funds and ensure future access.
Upcoming Meetings
Our Annual Meeting will be at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas this September (see details in this issue of AEG News beginning on page 16), and we are currently in great shape with sponsorships and exhibitors as registration funds start to come in. As of May 31, we had collected $69,489 of income (including about $37,000 from sponsors and exhibitors) and spent $25,009.50, for a NET of $44,479.50 so far. We expect this number to grow steadily over the summer as more people register for the meeting. The majority of our Annual Meeting expenses occur in August, September, and October when we pay the hotel for meeting space, food and beverage service, and audio visual equipment. Remember to book your hotel room early, as our room block may sell out!
Membership Comparison
Category Base Dues 12/2019 12/2020 12/2021 Current Amount 5/2022
Affiliate $110 30 43 51 43 Early Career Full $80 41 88 125 133 Emeritus $50 22 27 33 30 Full $160 813 1223 1322 1286 Honorary $0 19 20 22 22 International $25 42 74 84 70 International Student $0 50 162 194 172 Life $0 53 52 51 50 Senior Emeritus $0 128 133 142 143 Student $0 1055 985 893 801 Teacher $40 33 55 76 78 Total Membership 2286 2862 2993 2828 Subscription Only (publication houses, libraries) 49 49 30 30
Sponsorships & Advertising Sales
Heather Clark has done an outstanding job developing Corporate Sponsorships for AEG. To date, we have received $12,900 in AEG sponsorship funds. To see our most recent sponsors and to learn about joining their ranks, just turn the page.
As always, I am keeping a close eye on our financial situation and look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas in September!
Get Involved with an AEG Committee!
Visit aegweb.org for a full list of committees you can participate in.
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2022Corporate Sponsors Kilimanjaro
The University of Arizona
College of Engineering
Mount Rainier
Geobrugg
Tim Shevlin Tim.Shevlin@geobrugg.com (503) 423-7258 www.geobrugg.com
Scintrex
Bill Male bmale@scintrexltd.com (905) 669-2280 ext 343 https://scintrexltd.com
Mauna Loa
University of Pennsylvania
lps@sas.upenn.edu (215) 898-7326 https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/msag
Glacier Peak
DiGioia Gray
Nate Saraceno nsaraceno@digioiagray.com (724) 498-0984 www.digioiagray.com
Envirotech Drilling Services
David Draybuck david@envirotech-services.com 713-423-5220 www.envirotech-services.com
Kilauea Earth Consultants International
Eldon Gath gath@earthconsultants.com {714) 412-2653 www.earthconsultants.com
GeoEngineers, Inc.
Mark P. Molinari mmolinari@geoengineers.com (206) 518-5152 www.geoengineers.com
Consider Corporate Sponsorship as a way to support AEG…
AEG is one of the very few organizations dedicated to supporting applied geology. Members include geologists specializing in engineering geology, environmental geology, and hydrogeology as well as other professionals in affiliated fields, such as civil and mining engineering, land use planning, public policy and education. Go beyond just advertising to constantly connecting with over 2,000 members online, in person, and through AEG’s publications. This is the best way to support the profession while growing disability for your business. Sign up for a sponsorship and start receiving benefits today! We are flexible and would love to work with you for a custom sponsorship that fits your exact needs.
Navigating the “New Normal”
his year has been flying by and AEG leadership has been busy! AEG, along with the rest of the world, continues to navigate the ever changing idea of “normal.” We held a virtual Executive Council (EC) meeting in January and met in person in Kansas City, Missouri, at the end of May for the EC and Board of Directors (BOD) meetings. The EC is gathering virtually again for our Summer meeting. We’ll be back in-person for the EC and BOD meetings during the Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in September.
Strategic Planning Workshop
During the Mid-Year Board Meeting held in Kansas City, the EC, Regional Directors, and several other leaders including those from the Strategic Initiatives Coordinators (SIC), Finance Committee, and Governance Committee came together to collaboratively engage in a Strategic Planning Workshop. AEG’s Strategic Plan was adopted in 2018, and while many tasks have been completed over the past few years, it was time to revisit the vision of the plan and reprioritize the efforts of our hardworking volunteers. The SIC have taken the feed-
Tback received during the workshop and are working diligently to revamp the Strategic Plan. If you have a passion for AEG and wish to participate in impleRenee Wawczak, 2021–22 AEG Secretary menting portions of the Strategic Plan, please feel free to reach out to the SIC at sic@aegweb.org.
2022 Annual Meeting
Now is the time to start planning your travel to this year’s Annual Meeting in Las Vegas! Whether you’re presenting as a speaker, looking to network and meet new friends, attending leadership meetings, or all of the above—we can’t wait to see you! The Annual Meeting is always a great way to stay involved with AEG and break out of the routine, especially during a time when we’re inundated with virtual meetings and webinars. Whether it’s your first time attending an Annual Meeting or it’s a permanent fixture on your calendar, be sure to sign up for some of the great field trips and events to create even more memories and see some of our festive host city this year! They are all described in the Special Section the begins on page 16 of this issue.
Visit the AEG E-Store to Gear Up Before Heading to Las Vegas…
Shield your eyes from the hot desert sun with our classic cap in neutral tan and the AEG logo to go with whatever your attire. And, proudly show your affiliation while in Vegas by sporting the official AEG 2022 Annual Meeting T-shirt. These are just two of the wide variety of items available to purchase at AEG's E-Store, including a black ceramic coffee mug with the AEG logo, past issues of AEG News, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience journal, AEG special publications and more! AEG has worked in conjunction with the AEG Foundation to put together some quality AEG logo items for sale to members who want to show their AEG pride anytime—in the field, at the office, at professional events, or at play. Half of the proceeds collected from the sale of the items that are offered under the AEGF/AEG E-Store category will go to the AEG Foundation.
You can find AEG's E-Store online at https://www.aegweb.org/e-store
AEG Foundation Diversity Field Trip
Phyllis Steckel, RG; AEG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
n 2021, the AEG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Committee (DEIC) established a grant resource for middle-school and high-school earth science teachers who teach students who have diverse backgrounds. The purpose of the grant is to provide an extra resource for those pre-college students and to introduce those students to the earth sciences before they begin planning their college coursework.
The AEG Foundation’s DEIC offered five grants of about $1,000 each. There were only two applications for these five available grants this year—and one of those applications did not meet the award criteria. However, the other grant application, prepared by Thomas Tokarski of Woodlands Middle High School in Hartsdale, New York, was spot-on. His field-trip grant application exactly met both the award criteria and the award spirit.
lOn Saturday morning, June 4, 2022, the first AEG Foundation DEIC Field Trip left Woodlands Middle High School in Hartsdale, New York. Their itinerary included a visit to Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, time at Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall, and lunch and hiking at Bear Mountain State Park, near Bear Mountain. The students used topographic maps, saw evidence of erosion and weathering, and found glacial evidence along some trails. They identified rocks and minerals like those they had been studying in class, and began a field journal, complete with sketches and notes. AEG Region 10 Director, Curt Schmidt, was able to join the field-trippers along their route. He was able to take a few photos along the way—and he also proudly walked over 9,400 steps that day to keep up with these kids!
The students of Woodlands Middle-High School with Mr. Tom Tokarski (6th from the right) and chaperones at the Lamont-Doherty Pond and sundial.
The AEG Foundation Diversity Field Trip grant covered the expense of school buses for transportation, topographic maps, and additional field-trip supplies. Lunch and snacks for the kids were provided by the school’s PTA group.
Grant Application Period Now Open
AEG Foundation Diversity Field-Trip Grants will again be available later this year. The grants are for junior-high, high-school, earthscience or STEM teachers who teach Black, Hispanic or Latino/a, Pacific Islander (BIPOC) and/or American Indian/Alaskan Native students. The grant application is located on the AEG Foundation’s website (www.aegfoundation.org).
Please help pass the word. AEG Foundation DEIC Field-Trip grant applications are welcome from middle-school and highschool teachers whose classes include BIPOC or American Indian/Alaska Native students. If you know a teacher who may be interested—or if you know a teacher who may know another teacher—please let them know about this opportunity for the 2022–23 school year.
Michael Passow of Lamont – Doherty shows the students manganese nodules from the ocean bottom.
The students of Woodlands Middle-High School with Michael Passow of Lamont – Doherty
Curt Schmidt, PG Northeast Region Director walking with the Woodlands students along picturesque drives on the Lamont Doherty Campus of Columbia University. The bronze statue to the right is of a young Abe Lincoln reading while his horse grazed.
Committees
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Sarah Kalika
AEG Creates Progress Flag Logo
Since its creation in 2020, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) has been coordinating efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in AEG and in the geosciences. The Committee’s efforts have included monthly call-in meetings, compiling and sharing resources, hosting a symposium at the 2021 Annual Meeting, conducting a survey of AEG’s membership, and developing the AEG Foundation Diversity Scholarship Fund to support academic scholarships for qualified college/university students. As a way to display AEG’s support for inclusion of all genders and colors, the DEIC recently created a progress flag logo.
The colors in the progress flag indicate the following:
Red = Life
Orange = Healing
Yellow = New ideas
Green = Prosperity
Blue = Serenity
Violet = Spirit
Black / Brown = People of Color
White / Blue / Pink = Recognition of the Trans community
The AEG logo was placed on top of the progress flag to intentionally touch each color of the flag and to provide a symbol of unity and support among the many ideas and communities represented within the flag’s colors.
The progress flag logo is intended for use by AEG members who wish to identify themselves as a safe space, ally and/or member of AEG’s DEIC. By displaying this logo (in an email signature, on a lapel pin for in-person events), the member agrees to be knowledgeable of the anti-discrimination policy already in place within AEG’s operating policies and serve as a trusted ally to the DEIC’s inclusion efforts.
DEIC’s monthly call-in meetings are welcoming to everyone to share their stories and concerns, as well as a place to celebrate and elevate voices. DEIC has been one of AEG’s most active working committees, and AEG members can explore the committee’s activities and resources through DEIC’s webpage https://aeg.memberclicks.net/diversity.
Rick Kolb, Co-chair
ASBOG Seeks Volunteers for FG Exam Review Course
The Student & Young Professional Support Committee has held three webinars on strategies and hints to prepare for and take the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology (FG) examination. During our last two webinars, one of the presenters was Dr. Jason Patton, the past President of ASBOG. Dr. Patton recently informed us ASBOG is planning to present an eight-part review course on preparing for the FG exam. This course will be presented for the first time in November, 2022. ASBOG is looking for three or four “subject matter experts” to each prepare and present one or two of these one-hour courses on each of the eight domains of the FG exam (as shown in the test blueprint website at https://asbog.org/documents/testblueprint2015.pdf).
According to Dr. Patton, the preferred requirements for these presenters are: 1) they are PGs, 2) they have teaching experience and are good presenters, and 3) they bring diversity to the presentation group. He said ASBOG expects each module will require forty hours of preparation and that they will offer a stipend of $4,000 per module. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Patton at jpattonasbog@gmail.com.
TWGs
AEG Technical Working Group
Tunneling
Ike Isaacson, Paul Headland, and Mike Piepenburg Engineering geology plays a critical role in tunnel design and construction, but in recent decades the importance of the engineering geologist’s role in underground construction has been sometimes overlooked and/or underappreciated. Part of the Tunneling Committee’s mission is to work with other organizations and industry leaders to better re-engage engineering geologists in the tunnel design and construction process. Recently, a committee of industry leaders, chaired by Randall Essex, has been diligently working to revise a publication titled Geotechnical Baseline Reports for Construction: Suggested Guidelines, otherwise known as The Gold Book, published in 2007 by the American Society of Civil Essex Engineers (ASCE). This revision is also
