Houston Celebrates Planet Earth

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Also Included In: Conferences;  Public Health
Article Date: 03 Oct 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The city of Houston, Texas, well known for its role in space launches, will soon be the site of another kind of launch: the official United States kick-off of International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). The celebration begins 5-9 October at the George R. Brown Convention Center at a joint meeting of the Geological Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies, hosted by the Geological Society of Houston.

"IYPE is a celebration of the earth sciences," said Larry Woodfork, Chairman of the Board of Directors of International Year of Planet Earth. "It encourages use of the research and vast store of knowledge held by geoscientists around the globe to make Earth a safer, healthier, and more prosperous place for humankind."

The joint meeting in Houston includes ten plenary sessions and numerous talks addressing scientific themes of International Year of Planet Earth. Topics include climate change, global energy supplies, the impending global water crisis, and natural and human-induced hazards.

Three sessions of wide general interest will be webcast live from the meeting:

• The Impending Global Water Crisis: Geology, Soils, Agronomy, and International Security
  E.T. & Vam York Distinguished ASA Lectureship
  Monday, 6 October, 5:00 - 7:00 pm CDT
  
  
• Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?
  James E. Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
  Tuesday, 7 October, 12:00 - 1:15 pm CDT
  
  
• Understanding Evolution: A Public Forum
  Tuesday, 7 October, 7:00 - 9:00 pm CDT

Links to these webcast events, plus details on other IYPE highlighted talks and events, are available at http://www.geosociety.org/IYPE/08houstonJAM-hilite.htm.

International Year of Planet Earth, spanning 2007-2009, is a joint initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Geological Societies (IUGS). According to Woodfork, IYPE is the largest global effort of its kind to promote the earth sciences. Seventy-three countries are participating with research projects and education and outreach events.

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For more information on International Year of Planet Earth, visit http://www.geosociety.org/IYPE/index.htm.

For more information on the joint meeting, visit http://https://www.acsmeetings.org/.

Source: Ann Cairns
Geological Society of America

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