Participant Support for the Annual Conference of the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists, September 7-10, 2011

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award will defray costs associated with hosting the 30th Annual Technical Conference of the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG) in San Francisco, California (September 7-10, 2011). An important goal of NABGG is to encourage students of color to pursue baccalaureate and advanced (MS and PhD) degrees in STEM fields in order to help provide a competent and diverse workforce in these economically critical areas for the 21st Century and the conference will provide an opportunity for mentoring underrepresented students in the Earth and environmental sciences. The planned conference will have wide-ranging technical programs, career success workshops for students, and interactive exhibits with appeal to professionals, students, and science educators in the San Francisco Bay Area. The theme of the conference will be Innovations at the Boundary of Geology and Geophysics, emphasizing innovations in geoscience and understanding geological hazards. Among the highlights of the conference is a field trip to the major plate tectonic boundary in California, the San Andreas fault. The Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, with its diverse population of students and interdisciplinary programs, will host the conference.