Alexandria, VA -- The American Geological Institute (AGI) will be presenting Dr. Joanne Kluessendorf the 2006 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Understanding of the Geosciences. This award, given annually, honors an individual for contributions which lead to greater public appreciation and understanding of the role of the geosciences in society.
Dr. Kluessendorf received both her B.S. and her Ph.D. in geology from the University of Illinois at Urbana--Champaign. She is currently serving as the Director of the Weis Earth Science Museum and as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley.
Kluessendorf has a long history of educating the public about the earth sciences. She was instrumental in the development, design, and implementation of construction of the Weis Earth Science Museum, the official mineralogical museum of Wisconsin. She has nominated more areas as National Historic Landmarks than any person in the country. The National Park Service has in turn designated all of Kluessendorf's nominated areas, located in five states, as National Historic Landmarks.
She will be presented with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Public Understanding of the Geosciences at the Friends of AGI Awards Reception held during the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 24, 2006.
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 scientific and professional associations that represent more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in mankind's use of resources and interaction with the environment. More information about AGI can be found at http://www.agiweb.org. The Institute also provides a public-outreach web site, http://www.earthscienceworld.org.