Earth Science World is one of five winners under the Earth and Environment category. The 2004 Science and Technology web award particularly highlighted the Virtual Oil Well game and the Earth Science World ImageBank as exceptionally noteworthy components. The Virtual Oil Well provides an opportunity to try to strike it rich, or lose it all, while drilling for oil. The game is an interactive simulation of the key components required for successful oil exploration, and provides a colorful and engaging environment to learn the ins-and-outs of the science behind finding "black gold." Likewise, the Earth Science World Imagebank is a deep resource of high-quality geoscience imagery for non-commercial use. All images are fully searchable and indexed to the exacting standards of GeoRef and users can request that high-resolution version of the images be automatically emailed to them for inclusion in educational and professional projects. With over 3000 fully indexed images and nearly 20,000 images being indexed, the Earth Science World ImageBank represents a valuable educational resource. With over 3.25 million images downloaded to date, the ImageBank is a prime resource of the geologic community to the public.
Earth Science World also includes a number of other interactive components. The book center provides a comprehensive listing of the latest geoscience publications, and Earth Data allows users to search for climate and weather data from around the globe. For students, the careers link opens the doors to learn about the multitude of opportunities in earth sciences including degree programs at colleges and universities. The site also has a unique interactive Geologic Time Scale to assist in understanding how geologic time is arranged.
Earth Science World is also the online home of Earth Science Week, officially the second week of October. This annual event highlights the importance of the geosciences to society. As stated by the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. Charles G. Groat and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (and NOAA Administrator) Admiral Charles Lautenbacher, Jr., "It is time to recognize just how vital earth science education is to the future stewards of this planet -- and to the planet itself."
The staff at Earth Science World strives to keep up-to-date, educational and interesting information available for the public. The American Geological Institute is proud to receive such a distinguished award from Scientific American.com.
Earth Science World is made possible through the generous support of the AGI Foundation, and for the Virtual Oil Well, through the support of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 43 scientific and professional associations that represent more than 120,000 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 or at http://www.earthscienceworld.org.