This award will defray costs associated with hosting the 30th Annual Technical Conference of the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG) in San Francisco, California (September 7-10, 2011). An important goal of NABGG is to encourage students of color to pursue baccalaureate and advanced (MS and PhD) degrees in STEM fields in order to help provide a competent and diverse workforce in these economically critical areas for the 21st Century and the conference will provide an opportunity for mentoring underrepresented students in the Earth and environmental sciences. The planned conference will have wide-ranging technical programs, career success workshops for students, and interactive exhibits with appeal to professionals, students, and science educators in the San Francisco Bay Area. The theme of the conference will be Innovations at the Boundary of Geology and Geophysics, emphasizing innovations in geoscience and understanding geological hazards. Among the highlights of the conference is a field trip to the major plate tectonic boundary in California, the San Andreas fault. The Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, with its diverse population of students and interdisciplinary programs, will host the conference.
San Francisco State University served as host of the 30th Annual National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG) Technology Conference in San Francisco, California. The conference, an opportunity to promote the achievements of African American and other minority geoscientists, is a unique professional gathering that encourages education and mentoring of underrepresented students in the geosciences. The San Francisco venue marked the first occasion for an NABGG conference in California and an opportunity to showcase a geologically active plate margin setting. The intellectual merits of the conference, illustrated with a theme of Innovations at the Boundary of Geology and Geophysics, are best supported by the diverse community of professional scientists and students who presented on wide-ranging technical themes: carbon systems, geochemistry, hydrogeology, geophysics, structural geology, and geoscience education. Funding from the National Science Foundation supported travel for 35 student attendees to the NABGG conference. The vibrant San Francisco setting provided students with ample interaction with professional scientists and educators from leading research and Federal centers, and from public and private universities in the Bay Area. The conference, held on September 7-10, 2011, included 40 oral and poster sessions, a career panel and professional skills workshop, an exhibit and recruiting area, and superb networking opportunities for student attendees. By nature of the organization, NABGG conferences touch a range of communities and embrace science themes relevant to groups other than geoscientists. The broader impacts of the gathering were supported by keynotes addresses on topics related to weather and climate hazards, and interdisciplinary perspectives on urban food gardens and food deserts. The coastal California setting was also highlighted by field trips to the San Andreas fault led by faculty from the host institution, San Francisco State University, and scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA.
