GNGS
Working Together for
a Sustainable Planet
Our mission is to connect and engage geoscientists in service with others to advance resilience and sustainability following the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We invite you to join us in solving challenges related to natural resources, natural hazards, and climate change, through creative interdisciplinary applications.
Our primary objectives are to highlight the role of geoscience in addressing societal challenges, bridge the gap between geoscientists and other communities, and research and provide clear guidance on promising practices in diverse geoscience-for-society activities that honor social and cultural contexts.
Our current focus is on collaborative efforts related to geoscience education at several levels, community-driven local and regional re-development projects, and policy development regarding geologic hazards and climate change.
Become a GNGS Student Associate
The Global Network for Geoscience and Society seeks highly responsible and motivated students to contribute to its education, communication, applied research projects, and outreach efforts.
GNGS Projects
CURRENT PROJECTS
Establishing a Student Associate program that facilitates student involvement in GNGS through community projects supervised by local teachers and mentors, sponsored by GNGS.
Assembling a committee of scientists, engineers, and policy specialists to consider a protocol for mining in the 21st century that encourages mining companies to move past “responsible mining” and closer to true sustainability (interested parties are welcome to participate).
Working with the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the Sociedad Geológica Mexicana to update and translate into Spanish GSA’s Publication MCH059rev, “The Geology of Plate Tectonics,” to further inter-society engagement and geoscience education. We plan to repeat this effort with other geological societies and in other languages.
IN-THE-PIPELINE AND POTENTIAL FUTURE PROJECTS
Working with the GSA to create a program centered on enhancing the understanding and appreciation of the role of geoscience in sustainable development, tentatively called the Decade of Geology for Sustainability in the Americas.
Working with local science and history museums to enable geoscience outreach at the local (town, county, and state) level, furthering geoscience education in areas where it is limited or unavailable.
Working to strengthen an Anglo-Hispanic community of geoscientists, through sponsored webinars and other outreach.
Creating a guidebook for the public on Best Management Practices for Reclaiming Mined Areas and Remediating Mine Waste.
Your idea here?
PAST PROJECTS
Hosting the Geoscience & Society Summit, Stockholm, Sweden, March 2019 (https://connect.agu.org/gss/home).
Chairing a keynote session at the 2021 GSA Annual Meeting on Geoscience and Society: Action and Interdisciplinary Engagement on Local and Global Scales (https://community.geosociety.org/gsa2021/program/technical/pardee).
Chairing a roundtable at the 2022 Earth Educators’ Rendezvous, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on An Interactive Walk into the Future of Applied Geosciences Education (https://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2022/index.html).
Chairing a session at the 2022 GSA Annual Meeting on Geoscience and the Sustainable Development Goals: Contributions from Students and Early Career Professionals (https://community.geosociety.org/gsa2022/home).
Hosting a 3-day workshop at the 2023 Earth Educators’ Rendezvous, Pasadena, California, on Applied Geoscience Education: Engaging with Society for Sustainability (https://serc.carleton.edu/earth_rendezvous/2023/program/morning_workshops/w5/index.html).
Delivering a paper (ten co-authors) at the 2023 GSA Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Critical Minerals Production and the Future of Mining: Minimizing Adverse Outcomes to the Environment and Communities (https://community.geosociety.org/gsa2023/home).
Delivering a keynote paper at the Convención Geológica Nacional 2023 in Mexico City on A Geoscience Network for the 22nd Century.
In response to a request from the State of Aguascalientes in Mexico, researching and compiling a paper on A Review of Subsidence Resulting from Groundwater Withdrawal in Aguascalientes, Mexico: Comments and Suggestions for Next Steps, August 2023. The paper included recommendations for next steps including suggested legislative changes.
Delivering a paper at the 4th National Workshop: Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals, Missouri University of Science and Technology, August 2024, on Critical Minerals Exploitation and Sustainability, Geologically Speaking (https://bpb-us-e2.wpmucdn.com/sites.mst.edu/dist/3/535/files/2024/07/2024-Proceedings-of-the-4th-Annual-National-Workshop-Resilient-Supply-of-Critical-Minerals.pdf).
Chairing a keynote session at the 2024 GSA Annual Meeting, Anaheim, California, on Mining and Sustainability: Geologic, Sociologic, Environmental, and Cultural Standards for Resourcing a Path to Our Future, Views from the Field (https://community.geosociety.org/gsa2024/program/technical/pardee).
Learn more about GNGS projects by following us:
You can also learn more about GNGS projects by subscribing to our newsletter or read past issues in our ARCHIVE.
How you can be involved.
The Global Network for Geoscience and Society will be designed in part based upon the priorities expressed by the people who will use it, which is why we encourage you to join us.
All you need do is send us an email to info@thegngs.org and we’ll add you to the mailing list.
Please also take our survey, which will allow you to help direct our future efforts. The survey is not a long one.
Please help GNGS by making a financial contribution.
The GNGS will provide an opportunity for people across the globe to share their geoscientific knowledge and experience and gain assistance from others to advance local and regional resilience and sustainability. Thank you for your help.
For me, GNGS is a community with a common goal, to use the love and knowledge of geoscience for the common good. It is a space that, as a student, has welcomed me with open arms to share my ideas and allow me to understand from other perspectives how we can take action to help the planet and my community. This team has undoubtedly boosted my academic, professional, and personal development, being essential for my future.
Etzigueri Góngora Ubeda, PhD Candidate, Colorado School of Mines