As energy use changes, so too does the second oldest GSA division
Lois Yoksoulian, division secretary, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and Jen O’Keefe, division chair, Morehead State University
The Coal Geology Division of the Geological Society of America is proud to be the 2nd oldest division within the society. Since its inception in 1954, the primary focus of the division has been North America’s major energy resource: coal. However, as the nation’s energy sources evolve, so too do the research interests of our members. The division has been active in many aspects broadly defined as “energy geology” for a long time, as seen in the diversity of topics covered in past sponsored and co-sponsored conference sessions including mine fires, petroleum geology, black shale petrology, geologic carbon sequestration, and environmental issues related to fossil fuel use—in additional to more traditional coal topics. This move toward the Coal Geology Division’s recognition and inclusion of a more diverse energy research spectrum has been maturing since the late 1990’s, and has been punctuated by many lively discussions along the way. In 2014 we celebrated our 60th anniversary as a division by looking forward: members present at the annual business meeting voted to change the name of the division to better reflect our members’ diverse scientific practices and our likely direction of future growth. That direction, though, being so very interdisciplinary, made choosing the right name quite challenging! The division leadership voted among themselves, and settled on the name “Energy Geology Division.” This name was put to a vote and we are happy to announce that it was approved by 80% of the voting Coal Geology Division membership in late March of this year and was approved by GSA council this past April. We look forward to another 60 years of supporting interdisciplinary energy research within and through the Geological Society of America. Please join us at 5:30 pm on Tuesday November 3rd at the annual meeting in Baltimore to introduce yourself and celebrate our next step toward the future!