Geology and human health, disasters, science and public policy, climate change, and future energy and water resources are among the topics that scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will discuss with other leading scientists, educators, and policy-makers from around the globe at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Oct. 22-25. About 6000 people are expected to attend. The site of this year's meeting, Philadelphia, and its theme, The Pursuit of Science: Building on a Foundation of Discovery, celebrate the 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin, one of our nation's earliest and most notable leaders in science and public policy. Unless otherwise indicated, all talks are at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC).
Sunday, Oct. 22
The Emerging Role of Earth and Natural Sciences in Human Health: What does earth science have to do with human health? Plenty. Recent events and research clearly show the need for earth and human-health sciences to work together and to incorporate non-traditional specialties to bridge the gap. With specialists in earth and biological sciences, the USGS has formed a human-health interest group that coordinates research internally and with partners along six issues related to human health. Related website: http://health.usgs.gov/ P. Patrick Leahy, PCC Auditorium Lecture Hall, 8:10-8:40 am
The Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater: What happens when a piece of rock two miles wide comes crashing down to earth at hypersonic speed? That happened about 35 million years ago in what is now the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. USGS scientists and partners in the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) will present some of the details of an event that fractured the Earth's basement rocks to a depth of more than seven miles, scattered debris up and down the east coast, and still affects daily life in modern coastal Virginia.
J. Wright Hor
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Contact: Diane Noserale
dnoseral@usgs.gov
703-648-4333
United States Geological Survey
19-Oct-2006