The winner of the visual-arts contest was eight-year-old Christina Gill of Herndon, Virginia, for her artwork entitled "Keeping an Eye on Our Earth." Jessica Taylor of Cary, North Carolina, won the essay contest for her composition "Who is a volcanologist and what do they do?". The lesson-plan design contest was won by Mary Ball of Jefferson City, Tennessee. Her lesson plan, "Monitoring our Changing World: the USGS Stream Gage Network," is intended for undergraduate introductory geoscience students. Ben Kennedy of Montreal, Canada, received top honors in the photography contest for his picture of Indonesia's Tengar Caldera and Mt. Semeru. Winning entries and finalists for each of the four contests are posted on the Earth Science Week web site, http://www.earthsciweek.org.
Earth Science Week 2003 was a tremendous success, with events held in cities across the U.S. and in several countries. The celebration was officially proclaimed by 21 states and was recognized by President George W. Bush. The theme for Earth Science Week 2003, "Eyes on Planet Earth: Monitoring our Changing World," emphasized the important work geoscientists do to study and understand our dynamic planet.
The goal of Earth Science Week is to increase the public's understanding of geology and the Earth sciences so that citizens can make informed decisions concerning land management and use, address environmental and ecological issues, prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. This annual event, celebrated during the second full week in October, offers students opportunities to discover the Earth sciences and provides geoscientists and Earth-science organizations the opportunity to share their knowledge and enthusiasm about the Earth and how it works.
AGI, in collaboration with its member societies and Earth Science Week sponsors, is currently preparing for Earth Science Week 2004, which will celebrate the theme "Living on a Restless Earth." To find out how you can participate, visit the Earth Science Week web site, http://www.earthsciweek.org, or contact Cindy Martinez, Earth Science Week Manager, at 703-379-2480 ext. 227 or cmm@agiweb.org. The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 42 scientific and professional associations that represent more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other Earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources and interaction with the environment. More information about AGI can be found at http://www.agiweb.org. The Institute also provides a public-outreach web site, http://www.earthscienceworld.org.