EAST TENNESSEE GEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
and
TENNESSEE SECTION of the
AMERICAN INSTITUE OF PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS
Editor's Note
ETGS/AIPG Meeting for October 1999
October Presentation
September Presentation Summary
Autumn Field Trip
Earth Science Week
American Geological Institute
Electronic Newsletter
ETGS Online
Membership for "The New Millennium"
Contact Information
Editor's Note: As we
discussed at the September meeting, the ETGS/AIPG Newsletter is
moving to an electronic format. Members who have requested a
paper version of the Newsletter will receive a print-out of the
e-mail or web-page edition. Please see the relevant article later
in this issue for more details. As always, please let me know if
there are any problems with the Newsletter you receive, whether
electronic or printed. (I will be out of contact from September
26 through October 3, so please direct any immediate concerns to J.J. Hollars or Rick Arnseth for ETGS and Larry Weber or Chris Maner for AIPG.)
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ETGS/AIPG MEETING FOR OCTOBER 1999
Ryan's Family Steak House
401 South Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge
Monday, October 4, 1999
11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Please arrive by 11:45 to order your food or
visit the buffet, and join us in the meeting room by 12:00.
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Visits to Small Planets: The "Geology" of Asteroids
By
Dr. Dan Britt
Research Associate Professor
Department of Geological
Sciences
The University of Tennessee
dbritt@utk.edu
Abstract
Asteroids are minor planets (diameter < 1000
km) that orbit the Sun. The first asteroid was discovered only
200 years ago, and currently there are over 10,000 tracked and
catalogued. These objects have historically been points of light
in powerful telescopes, and asteroid science has been the
province of astronomers. But in the '90's NASA spacecraft have
brought us the first close-up images and geophysical data of a
few of these small worlds. Asteroids are making the transition
from astronomical objects to geological field areas with
fascinating glimpses of truly alien morphology, surface
processes, structure, and mineralogy.
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SEPTEMBER PRESENTATION SUMMARY
Thanks to Susan J. Bowman of Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (sbowman@sdix.com & http://www.sdix.com) for speaking at the September meeting in Oak Ridge. During her presentation, Application of Immunoassay Technology to Site Investigations and Remediation, Ms. Bowman discusses the application of immunoassay analytical techniques to environmental field projects. Simple, cost-effective test kits are available for the on-site detection and measurement of contaminants in soil, water, and sludge, as well as on surfaces. Many field-based methods are accepted by regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
AUTUMN FIELD TRIP
a great way to earn Professional Development Hours!
Because of the heat and busy schedules of late summer, it was decided to postpone the traditional society picnic until later in the fall. Meanwhile, considering the success to the summer field trip (see the photos at http://www.discoveret.org/etgs/summer99.htm), it was suggested that an autumn field trip might be more enjoyable than a picnic. Discussion at the September meeting centered on Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park System on the Kentucky-Tennessee border. In order to avoid peak visitation times and allow enough time for planning and publicizing the trip, it is most likely to be scheduled for the weekend of November 13 or November 20. (These are "away" games for the University of Tennessee.)
Big South Fork offers a scenic setting atop the Cumberland Plateau and provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy a relaxing day or weekend socializing and learning more about the geology of our region. As with the summer outing in Hot Springs, this one should be accessible as a day trip for folks in Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga areas. However, there should also be an opportunity to camp Friday and/or Saturday nights for those who wish to do so. Seaira Stephenson is checking into the possibility of reserving a group campsite, although they are normally closed by the end of October. It should also be possible to find enough spaces in the regular campground, which is not generally very crowded in November. The Big South Fork web site is at http://www.nps.gov/biso.
Richard Hopkins and Brad Stephenson are checking
into possible leaders and locations for a half-day geology hike
on Saturday. This portion of the event would be scheduled during
the middle of the day to accommodate those wishing to come just
for the day. Your ideas and suggestions are welcomed! Although
the granting of Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) is determined by the licensing
board of each state, it is anticipated that the material
presented during the geology hike will qualify for such credit.
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EARTH SCIENCE WEEK
Information provided by Dr. Don
Byerly
Earth Science Week is October 10-16 this year (and October 8-14 in 2000). Perhaps you could volunteer to give a program at a local school or civic organization. Last year, Dr. Byerly contacted several bookstores in the West Knoxville area and suggested relevant books they could feature in association with the annual event. One book store invited him to present a program. Earth Science week is a great opportunity to enlighten the public about what we do as geoscientists and how our work benefits society. For more information, see the web site at http://www.earthsciweek.org.
Look for Dr. Byerly's list of some enjoyable,
"leisure-reading" books on the ETGS web site in the
near future.
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The American Geological Institute (AGI) is a nationwide federation of geoscience societies. AGI sponsors the annual Earth Science Week public outreach program; produces GeoRef, the largest and most comprehensive geoscience bibliographic database in the world; and publishes the monthly geonews magazine, Geotimes.
ETGS has been invited to join AGI as a Geoscience Society Associate, which is a new class of membership. The $125 annual fee includes an annual subscription to Geotimes; an ETGS profile and web-site link on the AGI web site (http://www.agiweb.org); announcements of ETGS events in the Geotimes Associates Corner and on the AGI web site; and up to 1000 mailing labels from the AGI database to use in direct-mail campaigns.
The possibility of joining AGI will be discussed
during the October meeting. If you have any comments or opinions,
please share them at that time or contact and ETGS officer before
the meeting.
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ETGS and the Tennessee Section of AIPG took a small step into the electronic age in January, when the Newsletter was first distributed by e-mail. Since the removal of inactive members from the mailing list last May, all but a handful of current ETGS members are receiving the Newsletter electronically. Thirty-nine (39) members of AIPG still receive paper copies by U.S. Mail, for which ETGS is reimbursed by the Tennessee Section.
Beginning with the October issue, a separate paper version of the ETGS/AIPG Newsletter will no longer be produced. However, members who have requested a paper version will receive a print-out of the e-mail or web-page edition. Hard copies will also be archived by ETGS to maintain an historical record and to provide documentation in support of members' requests for Professional Development Hours (PDHs).
The switch to an electronic newsletter has numerous
advantages.
Reduced Cost: The traditional newsletter format costs about $1.00 to print and mail. By eliminating or reducing these costs, ETGS and AIPG can use these funds for other purposes.
Better Sponsorship Opportunities: While corporate sponsorship has been very helpful in underwriting newsletter production this year, these funds could also be spent supporting special events-e.g., Earth Science Week activities, field trips, and picnics.
Less Effort: Production and distribution of the Newsletter is a time-consuming task performed by volunteers. In addition to writing the articles, it requires layout, formatting, printing, copying, folding, stapling, stamping, labeling, and mailing. Using the traditional format, a disproportionate amount of this time is spent editing and formatting the text to fit within the limited space available on two or three pages. Electronic newsletters require less time to prepare because there are fewer formatting considerations.
More Complete Content: The lack of size constraints permits more information to be presented in an electronic newsletter. Moreover, it is more practical to include color photographs, maps, links to relevant web sites, e-mail addresses, etc.
Improved Timeliness: One of the biggest challenges facing the Newsletter editors has always been delivering meeting announcements and other time-critical information to the membership in a timely manner. Electronic communication provides two to four extra days, considering the time required to prepare and mail paper copies. Special updates and reminders are distributed more quickly, more easily, and more cost effectively.
Enhanced Information Sharing: Electronic newsletters, or relevant portions thereof, can be forwarded to colleagues as needed to alert them to presentations, field trips, and other topics of interest.
Reduce Environmental Impact: Last, but not least, the production and disposal of paper newsletters involves a variety of environmental impacts that can be minimized with the use of electronic communication.
ETGS ONLINE
http://www.discoveret.org/etgs
The budding ETGS web site now has a home of its own, thanks to KORRnet, the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Regional Network. KORRnet is a volunteer effort that has provided access to community information for and about Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and the surrounding area since 1996. As a chartered, non-profit, community organization, ETGS is permitted to host a web site on KORRnet free of charge. The web address is http://www.korrnet.org/etgs.
For the time being, the site consists of photographs from the summer field trip, as well as some basic introductory information about the society. Look for the monthly newsletters to appear online in the near future. ETGS will also be working with the Tennessee Section of AIPG to identify any areas where collaboration can minimize duplication of efforts. (At the national level, AIPG has a web site at http://www.aipg.org.)
All members are encouraged to provide articles,
photographs, and other relevant information for inclusion on the
site. Suggestions are also welcome for links to other web sites
of value to the local geological community. Finally, anyone with
an interest in web-site authoring should feel free to get
involved. Please send suggestions and contributions of material
to Brad Stephenson at
jbrad@ispchannel.com.
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MEMBERSHIP FOR "THE NEW MILLINEUM"
Okay, so it's not really "The New Millennium" until 2001. However, the new year is approaching quickly. Please consider joining ETGS or renewing your existing membership at early this fall. Doing so will save the society the printing and postage costs necessary to send you a reminder. Dues received during the remainder of 1999 will extend your membership through the end of 2000.
Whether you join or renew at a monthly meeting or
by mail, please complete a membership form so that we can keep
the society's records updated. In particular, please make sure we
have at least one current e-mail address. If you have a paper
edition of the Newsletter from earlier this year, just use the
membership form contained within it. (All printed copies of the
form are Y2K compliant.) Forms are also be available at each
monthly meeting, and they will also be available very soon on the
ETGS web site: http://www.korrnet.org/etgs.
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EAST TENNESSEE
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (ETGS)
Post Office Box 6193
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6193
http://www.korrnet.org/etgs
ETGS OFFICERS
President, J.J. Hollars, SAIC, 865-481-4741, james.b.hollars@cpmx.saic.com
Vice President, Rick Arnseth, Tetra Tech NUS, 865-483-9900, arnsethr@ttnus.com
Secretary/Treasurer, Seaira Stephenson, Scientific Sales,
865-483-9332, sstephenson@scisale.com
Newsletter, J. Brad Stephenson, P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates,
865-483-7483, jbrad@ispchannel.com
Membership Committee, Susan Gawarecki, Local Oversight Committee,
865-483-1333, loc@icx.net
Membership Committee, Jim Morgan, ARCADIS Geraghty & Miller,
865-481-3000, jmorgan@gmgw.com
Field Trip Coordinator, Richard Hopkins, Marrich, Inc.,
865-573-4188, hopkinsrich@worldnet.att.net
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF
PROFESSIONAL GEOLOGISTS (AIPG)
http://www.aipg.org
OFFICERS OF THE TENNESSEE SECTION OF AIPG
President, Larry Weber, Geosciences Design Group,
615-883-9434, gdgllc@bellsouth.net
President-Elect, Chris Maner, Lockwood Greene, 865-220-4954, magmatic@earthlink.net
Vice President, Brian Parnell, MAPCO Express, 615-367-3100
Secretary/Treasurer, Ken Haislip, Ogden Env & Energy
Services, 615-333-0630, shaislip@bellsouth.net
Screening Chairman, Robert Freas, Franklin Industries,
615-259-4222
Page updated May 20, 2018 |