Christopher (Chuck) M. Bailey, GSA President

Welcome to GSA Connects 2023

I’m excited to welcome you to GSA Connects 2023, 15–18 Oct., in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, at the confluence of three major American rivers, is an historic city with a modern vibe, which makes it an excellent venue for our conference.

This meeting affords many opportunities for scientific engagement and networking with colleagues. Themes for Connects 2023 center around Diverse Science for a Sustainable Future and the Energy Transition, with numerous sessions focused on these important topics. As always, there will be groundbreaking symposia and topical sessions across all the geoscience disciplines. The exhibit hall will be a lively space with our vendors and sponsors. We have a wealth of field trips available, including excursions to see caverns and karst, explore Paleozoic stratigraphy in the Appalachian basin, and even examine the connections between geology and architecture at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

Our Pardee Symposia will cover a wide range of issues, from critical minerals to the future of waste management. There’s also an important session on encouraging positive mental health in the geosciences. This year’s Halbouty Distinguished Lecture will be delivered by Susan Brantley, who will discuss fracking and its impacts on our water. On Sunday morning (15 Oct.), consider joining the “OutdoorAfro & GSA Riverwalk!” for a leisurely riverwalk and casual discussion of the geosciences with Outdoor Afro, a national organization dedicated to reconnecting Black people and Black communities to nature.

At the Awards Ceremony, we’ll celebrate the outstanding achievements of our GSA members and fellows, from early career professionals to senior scientists. My presidential address will focus on “geoscience at the confluence.” The geosciences sit squarely at confluence of time and place, which makes our field rather unique. It’ll be a wide-ranging talk that highlights the joy of scientific discovery. If you can, take time out of your meeting to join the GSA community and attend the Awards Ceremony—it’ll be time well spent.

Enjoy GSA Connects 2023 and the city of Pittsburgh.

Thanks, and see you soon.

Christopher “Chuck” M. Bailey (he/him)

President, Geological Society of America
Professor & Chair
Department of Geology
College of William & Mary
+1-757-871-1027