Awards and Honors

AASG and its partners are pleased to present the following awards to spotlight members of our community whose high level of achievement is worthy of recognition and appreciation.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to particularly deserving living retired or retiring State Geologists, Associates, and Honorary Members other than current officers who deserve to be recognized for the excellence of their efforts over the long term, in particular through AASG, and their pride in advancing our science and its application, in improving the work of State Geological Surveys, in improving dissemination of the knowledge we produce, in achieving effective coordination with partner agencies, and in promoting camaraderie among the membership of AASG.

AASG Presidential Awards are announced and presented at the Annual Meeting, at the discretion of the AASG President, to recognize extraordinary service to the objectives of AASG by one or more active member(s) of the AASG community during recent time, or by friends of AASG over the long term

The Medal is presented each year to a nationally recognized, living statesperson with a distinguished record of significant achievements in science, education, and administration, in support of the profession of geology and its role in society.

The award is intended to inspire us all to similarly contribute to our science, our profession, and to the public. The Medal is presented at the GSA Awards Ceremony. A GSA Foundation fund is available to support Medal costs and recipient travel if necessary.

The Award is given each year to a nominated geological map, compilation, or report on regional, energy, or mineral resource geology published in the current year or one of the three preceding calendar years by a state geological survey. A shared $1000 prize and a certificate to each author is presented at the AASG Mid-Year meeting, held Tuesday morning at the GSA annual meeting.

The Award is given each year to a nominated environmental geology publication published in the current year or one of the three preceding calendar years either by GSA or by a state geological survey. A shared $1000 prize and a certificate to each author is presented at the AASG Mid-Year meeting, held Tuesday morning at the GSA annual meeting.

The Pick and Gavel Dinner is held in Washington D.C. in February or March at the Cosmos Club, whose history is steeped in geology. One of its founders and first presidents was John Wesley Powell, 1881 -1894 USGS Director and explorer of the Grand Canyon, and its membership has included many renowned geologists.

The Award consists of a mounted mineral, fossil, or rock, with a symbol that includes a geologist's pick, a policy-maker's gavel, and the Capitol, where geologists and policy-makers work together to respond to the needs of the nation.