The American Geological Institute inducted Barbara Tewksbury, Stephen Harper Kirner Chair of Science and chair of the geology department, as its president on November 4 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Seattle.
Tewksbury teaches courses in structural geology, plate tectonics, and planetary geology, as well as field courses in Iceland, Hawaii, and Colorado. She is particularly interested in improving classroom learning environments. She has played a leadership role in the national geoscience education community for many years, and she has spoken widely and developed workshops on this topic. Tewksbury has also published numerous professional papers on innovative and effective teaching strategies, course design, and the use of inquiry-based, cooperative learning, and investigative activities for geoscience courses. Tewksbury has received many grants from the National Science Foundation to develop courses and to lead workshops to catalyze reform in geoscience education and to promote effective and innovative teaching methods.
Tewksbury was named New York State Professor of the Year in 1997 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Earlier this year, she received the Neil Miner Award for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Tewksbury's introductory geology course, Geology and Development of Modern Africa, was selected in 2002 as one of four introductory science courses to be disseminated nationally by the SENCER program of the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
Active in many professional organizations, Tewksbury has served as a member of several of the Institute's committees, including the EarthComm Advisory Committee and the Nominating Committee. She has participated in various committees of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and served as its president from 1996-1997. Between 1991 and 1994, Tewksbury was president of the Geology Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research. She is currently chair of the Annual Program Committee and a member of the Professional Development Committee of the Geological Society of America. Tewksbury earned her bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University and her master's and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 41 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 the 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/.
