2024 Division Awards for Outstanding Geobiologists

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2024 awards go to Nagissa Mahmoudi (pre-tenure), Eva Stüeken (post-tenure), and Alan Jay Kaufman (distinguished career). Please check out their brief biographies below and explore their websites for further details about their research.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Nagissa Mahmoudi (McGill University)

Dr. Nagissa Mahmoudi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University. She combines experimental microbiology and molecular biology along with novel isotopic approaches to decipher what heterotrophic microbes are "eating" and understand the principles that underlie "why". Her work is important for understanding how microbes mediate the fate and transformation of organic compounds in coastal and marine environments. Recently, she has begun exploring the evolution of heterotrophic microbes and their impact on elemental cycling in the ancient oceans.  

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Eva Stüeken (University of St Andrews) 

Dr. Eva Stüeken is a Reader (Associate Professor) in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Her research focuses on the origin and early evolution of life and implications for the habitability of other words. She uses a combination of field work in Precambrian terrains, analytical geochemistry, laboratory experiments, and simple models to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions, nutrient fluxes and metabolisms over Earth's history. A particular emphasis of her work has been on the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, including the development of methods to track nitrogen from the atmosphere to the biosphere and into the deep crust. More recently, she has begun exploring speciation of phosphorus in the igneous and sedimentary rock record.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Alan Jay Kaufman (University of Maryland)

Dr. Alan Jay Kaufman is a Professor of Geobiology and Geochemistry at the University of Maryland (UMD) where he has developed and maintained a stable isotope laboratory over the past 27 years.  Previous to his appointment at UMD, Kaufman completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with John Hayes at Indiana University and then continued as a Post-doctoral Fellow and Research Scientist at Harvard University, collaborating with Andy Knoll, Stein Jacobsen, and Paul Hoffman.  Jay's research highlights the co-evolution of life and environment.  Through his field and laboratory focus on the stratigraphy, paleontology, and geochemistry of sedimentary rocks that accumulated across the most significant transitions in early Earth history, his integrated research has shed light on:

• The Great Oxidation Event (when atmospheric oxygen rose dramatically some 2.3 billion years ago) and its biological consequences;

• The extremes of climatic and environmental change associated with episodic Snowball Earth ice ages at both ends of the Proterozoic Eon;

• The Ediacaran Period evolution of macroscopic life in the aftermath of one of the greatest recorded perturbation of the carbon cycle;

• The shorter fuse for the Cambrian Explosion of Animals; and

• The spread of euxinia in epicontinental seaways as the cause of Late Devonian mass extinctions. 

Kaufman's studies have carried him to far away places with strange sounding names, including Namibia, Siberia, Australia, and Brazil where his 2020-2022 Fulbright Global Scholar award supported the discovery of biomineralized sponge grade animals in both Cryogenian and Ediacaran strata associated with dramatic environmental changes in the world oceans.  Jay's has advised 18 M.S. and Ph.D. theses, over 30 B.S. senior theses, and more than 50 undergraduate laboratory assistants over his tenure at the University of Maryland.  He has been recognized for teaching at UMD, including the 2000 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2014 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award, and the 2022 Board of Visitors Creative Educator Award.  In addition, Kaufman was a Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Mercator Guest Professor in 2007-2008 and was inducted as a Geological Society of America Fellow in 2012.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scientists at the 2024 GSA Connects Meeting in Anaheim; the awardees will be giving invited talks in our "New Voices in Geobiology" and "New Advances in Geobiology" sessions! Awards will be presented at the Geobiology Division Award Presentation (a.k.a. the GBGM Lunch).

2022 Division Awards for Outstanding Geobiologists

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2022 awards go to Lidya Tarhan (pre-tenure), Cara Santelli (post-tenure), and John Valley (distinguished career). Please check out their brief biographies below and explore their websites for further details about their research.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Lidya Tarhan (Yale University)

Dr. Lidya Tarhan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Yale University and an Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Yale Peabody Museum. Her research focuses on using the sedimentary record to reconstruct the co-evolution of ancient life and environments during critical intervals of Earth’s history. She also investigates the processes responsible for fossilization and how preservational biases modify stratigraphic and geobiological archives. She combines field-based paleontological and sedimentological investigations with a geochemical, petrographic and modeling toolkit. Her recent work has centered on reconstructing the emergence of early animals as ecosystem engineers. In addition to her geologic investigations, she also studies the environmental factors shaping animal-sediment interactions in modern marine settings.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Cara Santelli (University of Minnesota) 

Dr. Cara Santelli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and the BioTechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota.  Cara is a geomicrobiologist who examines the impact of microbial activity on wide-ranging geological and environmental processes.  In addition to answering key questions on the mechanisms, metabolic pathways, and geochemical impact of mineral-metal-microbe interactions, her research seeks to inform and improve strategies for remediating pollutants to improve the health of water and soil environments. Her work also seeks to advance environmental justice through community based participatory research that prioritizes and addresses the voices of communities.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: John Valley (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

John Valley is the Emeritus Van Hise Professor of Geochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has taught for 36 years. Valley is interested by all kinds of rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) of all ages (Hadean to Recent). He has worked to improve microanalysis techniques of stable isotope ratios by laser and ion beam, and founded the WiscSIMS Lab at UW-Madison. His current projects investigate zircons and their inclusions to understand evolution of the crust and growth of continents. He has collaborated in geobiology research employing in situ analysis of O and C isotopes to evaluate vital effects vs. diagenesis, examine seasonality and paleoclimatology, determine migration history and paleodiet, and test biogenicity. This has included samples ranging from modern foraminifera, mollusks, otoliths, and  teeth to Earth’s oldest microfossils. Its been a lot of fun.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scientists at the 2022 GSA Connect Meeting in Denver; the awardees will be giving invited talks in our "New Voices in Geobiology" and "New Advances in Geobiology" sessions! Awards will be presented at the Geobiology Division Award Presentation (a.k.a. the GBGM Lunch).

Nominate your colleagues for the 2022 GSA GBGM Awards!

Dear Geo(micro)biologists,

 

Every year the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division selects three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards (or equivalent career stage in a non-tenure track position). For details on past awards, see the GBGM website. Since 2018, the division leadership has solicited nominations from our members in order to create a more diverse and inclusive nominee pool, both in terms of academic fields and demographics. We also hope this process allows our members to feel more involved and empowered to nominate the people who have made a difference to them or their (sub)field.

 

Please use the nomination form to identify exceptional researchers who you think should be recognized, along with justification (max. 500 words). Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM division representation committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based the nominee’s complete portfolio (i.e., research, mentoring, service, and leadership). Please note that you must confirm that the person you are nominating has not breached GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct nor is under investigation for any action that would be a breach of GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.

 

We're grateful for your participation in this process - we know that your time is valuable, but this is one of the most important things the division does, and we think the community should nominate our awardees. Please submit your nominations to Vicky by Sunday, March 20th.

 

We look forward to being overwhelmed with nominations!

 

Vicky, Trinity, David, Emmy, Lydia, Brandt, Rowan, Alison, and Zoe (a.k.a. your Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Representatives)

2021 Division Awards for outstanding geobiologists

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2021 awards go to Kim Lau (pre-tenure), Phoebe Cohen (post-tenure), and Frank Corsetti (distinguished career). Please check out their brief biographies below and explore their websites for further details about their research.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Kimberly Lau (Pennsylvania State University)

Dr. Kim Lau is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on reconstructing biogeochemical changes in Earth’s past and specifically the causes and consequences of redox changes in ancient oceans using a combination of lab, modeling, and field methods. She is interested in major perturbations throughout Earth history and how these events are recorded geochemically in the sedimentary record. Her approach includes better understanding the sedimentary geochemical and isotopic proxies that geobiologists can employ to constrain past environmental change.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Phoebe Cohen (Williams College)

Dr. Phoebe Cohen is an Associate Professor in Geosciences at Williams College. Phoebe is a paleontologist who uses a wide array of microscopic, microchemical, and geochemical techniques, in combination with field-based stratigraphy and sedimentology, to reconstruct ancient organisms and ecosystems. Her current work focuses on the evolution of eukaryotes in the Proterozoic and the microfossil record of the end-Devonian mass extinction. She is also actively involved in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work in the geosciences. 

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Frank A. Corsetti (University of Southern California)

Dr. Frank Corsetti is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California.  He studies the co-evolution of the Earth and its biosphere from a geobiologic/sedimentologic perspective, searching for traces of life in deep (and not so deep) time.  Key topics of study include the identification of biosignatures (in particular, those left behind by microbes), unraveling the diagenetic alteration of biosignatures, mass extinctions, the environmental setting for the emergence of animals, and the search for life beyond Earth.  Frank co-directed the International Geobiology Summer Course from 2010-2016.  He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America, recipient of the SEPM Dickinson Medal, the 2019 James B. Thompson Distinguished International Lecturer, and a recipient of the Mellon Mentorship award for mentoring graduate students.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scientists at the 2021 GSA (hopefully) in Portland; the awardees will be giving invited talks in our "New Voices in Geobiology" and "New Advances in Geobiology" sessions! The Geobiology Division Award Presentation (a.k.a. the GBGM Lunch) will be held virtually since this year's meeting will be offered in a hybrid format with limited in-person attendance.

Nominate your colleagues for a GSA GBGM Award!

Dear Geo(micro)biologists,   Every year the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division selects three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards (or equivalent career stage in a non-tenure track position). For details on past awards, see the GBGM website. Since 2018, the division leadership has solicited nominations from our members in order to create a more diverse and inclusive nominee pool, both in terms of academic fields and demographics. We also hope this process allows our members to feel more involved and empowered to nominate the people who have made a difference to them or their (sub)field.   Please use this nomination form to identify exceptional researchers who you think should be recognized, along with justification (max. 500 words). Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM division representation committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based the nominee’s complete portfolio (i.e., research, mentoring, teaching, service, and leadership). Please note that this year you must confirm that the person you are nominating has not breached GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct nor is under investigation for any action that would be a breach of GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.   We're grateful for your participation in this process - we know that your time is valuable, but this is one of the most important things the division does, and we think the community should nominate our awardees. Please submit your nominations to the division chair, Vicky Petryshyn (petryshy@usc.edu) by Sunday, March 21st.   We look forward to being overwhelmed with nominations!   Vicky, Trinity, David, Emmy, Rowan, Lydia, Brandt, Andrew, Alison, and Zoe (a.k.a. your Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Representatives)

2020 Division Awards for outstanding geobiologists

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2020 awards go to Emmy Smith (pre-tenure), Greg Dick (post-tenure), and Kurt Konhauser and Will Berelson (distinguished career; we couldn't choose which one of these guys was the most deserving... so we just decided to have two awards this year) Please check out their brief biographies below and explore their websites for further details about their research.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Emmy F. Smith (Johns Hopkins University)

Dr. Emmy Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. She is a field geologist interested in the co-evolution of life, climate, oceans, and tectonics during the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian. Her approach integrates geologic mapping, regional stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleontology, stable isotope geochemistry, and geochronology to better understand mechanisms for environmental and evolutionary change during this unusual interval in Earth’s history.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Gregory Dick (University of Michigan)

Dr. Gregory (Greg) Dick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan. He studies how microorganisms interact with each other and with geochemistry, mostly on the modern Earth but also to understand Earth’s geobiological history. Current research is focused on cyanobacteria; he aims to determine the controls on oxygen production in cyanobacterial mats and the environmental and biological factors that influence the production of toxins in harmful cyanobacterial blooms. He is particularly interested in merging approaches from molecular biology, microbiology, and geochemistry.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: William M. Berelson (University of Southern California)

Dr. William (Will) M. Berelson is a Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California, where he has taught and conducted research for over 40 years. His early studies of bioturbation in St. Croix sands and North Carolina barrier island migration naturally(?) led him to a lifelong love of biogeochemistry. Many studies of benthic fluxes and elemental cycling in the ocean have been supported by his Rube Goldberg-like invention habit. His recent work is on calcium carbonate dissolution kinetics, CO2 sequestration, and the urban C cycle. In 2002, he and Kurt Hanselmann, with Agouron Foundation support, launched the Geobiology Summer course, which continues today cross-training graduate students and building a supportive and intellectual cohort. Degrees in geology at U. Rochester, Duke and USC have left him with great friendships and excellent basketball and football teams to cheer.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Kurt Konhauser (University of Alberta)

Dr. Kurt O. Konhauser is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. Kurt is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Geobiology, author of Introduction to Geomicrobiology, founding member and 1st President of the Geobiology Society, and organizer for the 2017 and 2019 Geobiology Society Conferences in Banff. Kurt obtained his PhD from the University of Western Ontario before undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto and an academic appointment at the University of Leeds. Kurt moved to the University of Alberta in 2002 where he was the Canada Research Chair in Geomicrobiology. His research interests span a number of facets of geobiology and geomicrobiology including reconstructing the evolution of the biosphere across Earth’s history, modern analogue environments, and the surface reactivity of microbes and minerals. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Geochemical Society, and the American Geophysical Union.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scientists at the GSA Geobiology Division Award Presentation (a.k.a. the GBGM Lunch) during the 2020 GSA in Montreal, Canada.

Please submit your nominations for the 2020 GBGM excellence awards (due March 15th)

Dear Geo(micro)biologists,

Every year the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division selects three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards (or equivalent career stage in a non-tenure track position). For details on past awards, see the GBGM website. Since 2018, the division leadership has solicited nominations from our members in order to create a more diverse and inclusive nominee pool, both in terms of academic fields and demographics. We also hope this process allows our members to feel more involved and empowered to nominate the people who have made a difference to them or their (sub)field.

Please use this nomination form (PDF form here, word form here) to identify exceptional researchers who you think should be recognized, along with justification (max. 500 words). Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM division representation committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based the nominee's complete portfolio (i.e., research, mentoring, service, and leadership). Please note that this year you must confirm that the person you are nominating has not breached GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct nor is under investigation for any action that would be a breach of GSA's Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.

We are grateful for your participation in this process; we know that your time is valuable, but this is one of the most important things the division does, and we think the community should nominate our awardees. Please submit your nominations to Rowan Martindale <martindale(at)utexas.edu> by March 15th.

We look forward to being overwhelmed with nominations!
Rowan, Vicky, Trinity, David, Simon, Lydia, Brandt, Andrew, Alison, and Amanda
(a.k.a. your Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Representatives)

GBGM Events at GSA 2019

Hi Everyone,

I am sure you are all enthusiastically preparing for the 2019 GSA meeting in Phoenix, AZ! We wanted to reach out to you before the meeting and let you know about some GSA GBGM sponsored events (and some events that may interest you as Geo(micro)biologists)! The Paleontological Society has a similar list here.

See you at the sessions or at the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Luncheon (Monday)

Social Events (organized by date)

SATURDAY, September 21Paleontological Society (PS) Short Course: Quantitative Methods in Phylogenetic Paleobiology

8:00 AM-5:30pm: Sheraton Phoenix Downtown – Valley of the Sun C

SUNDAY September 22

Paleontological Society (PS) Business Meeting & Awards Reception Buffet **Ticketed Event** 

6:30-10:30pm: North Ballroom 120 A, North Building, Phoenix Convention Center

MONDAY September 23

Definitely come to our GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division Luncheon to see our 2019 GBGM Awardees
Monday, 23 September, 12:00 - 1:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 103AB, West Building

This lunch is open to all Geo(micro)biologists and is FREE (Plus we have free coffee mugs!)

Paleontological Society (PS) Mentors in Paleontology Careers Luncheon
12:00-1:30pm: Mancuso’s Restaurant, 201 E. Washington St.

Paleontological Society (PS) Schuchert Talk and Student Social 

6:30-8:00pm: Phoenix Convention Center, Room 224 A, North Building

TUESDAY September 24

Paleontological Society (PS) Women in Paleontology Reception

6:00-9:00pm: Mancuso’s Restaurant, 201 E. Washington

GBGM Sponsored Sessions (organized by topic)

T41. New Voices in Geobiology: This session will bring together new research focusing on the interplay between geologic and biologic processes with a special emphasis on new field sites, novel materials/methods, and the development/refinement of proxies. (Trinity L. Hamilton, Rowan C. Martindale, Victoria Petryshyn, Simon A.F. Darroch, Lydia S. Tackett, David Gold, Andrew D. Putt, Amanda Lynn Godbold, Daniel S. Jones, Kathryn Hobart, and Joshua Feinberg)

• 8 T41. New Voices in Geobiology I, Sunday, 22 September, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 225AB, North Building 
• 58 T41. New Voices in Geobiology II, Sunday, 22 September, 1:30 PM - 5:30PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 225AB, North Building 
• 104 T41. New Voices in Geobiology (Posters): Monday, 23 September, 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Hall AB, North Building 

T66. Life and Death of a Craton: Implications of Archean Crust-Keel Systems for Crustal Growth, Crustal Preservation, and Mantle Evolution: Archean crust-keel systems record the earliest stages of evolution of modern earth systems, including: earliest geodynamics, compositional and structural evolution of continental crust, chemical and isotopic evolution of the silicate earth, and early surficial systems (Paul A. Mueller, Carol D. Frost, Jennifer N. Gifford, and David W. Mogk).

• 61 T66. Life and Death of a Craton: Implications of Archean Crust-Keel Systems for Crustal Growth, Crustal Preservation, and Mantle Evolution: Sunday, 22 September, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 131ABC, North Building
• 280 T66. Life and Death of a Craton: Implications of Archean Crust-Keel Systems for Crustal Growth, Crustal Preservation, and Mantle Evolution (Posters): Wednesday, 25 September, 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Hall AB, North Building

T84. Scientific Ocean Drilling’s Impact on Geoscience: Past, Present, and Future: Scientific Ocean Drilling, an international ocean discovery program, has been seminal in developing our understanding of earth systems. This session will provide an overview of past and current accomplishments and highlight future opportunities (Suzanne O'Connell, Ken Miller, David Mallinson, and James D. Wright).

• 245 T84. Scientific Ocean Drilling’s Impact on Geoscience: Past, Present, and Future: Wednesday, 25 September, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 228AB, North Building

T106. Biogeochemical Signatures of Fossils: From Paleoclimate to Diagenesis: This session brings together research focused on the chemistry of fossil soils and organisms, spanning marine to terrestrial environments, as well as their depositional and subsequent burial environments (John David Fortner).

• 220 T106. Biogeochemical Signatures of Fossils: From Paleoclimate to Diagenesis: Tuesday, 24 September, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 226ABC, North Building 

T111. Broadening Participation in Paleontology: Approaches for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: This session addresses approaches to broadening participation of underrepresented groups in paleontology, including demonstrations and discussion of inclusive teaching practices and student-centered pedagogy as well as innovative outreach projects, mentoring models, and other approaches (Christy C. Visaggi, and Robyn Mieko Dahl).

• 146 T111. Broadening Participation in Paleontology: Approaches for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Monday, 23 September, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 227ABC, North Building 
• 195 T111. Broadening Participation in Paleontology: Approaches for Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Posters): Tuesday, 24 September, 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Hall AB, North Building

T112. Quantitative Paleobiology of Marine Ecosystems: This session will discuss scientific data resulting from quantitative methods such as multivariate statistics, machine learning, niche modelling, or community analysis methods to test leading hypotheses in paleobiology (William J. Foster, Amanda Lynn Godbold, and Erin Saupe).

• 172 T112. Quantitative Paleobiology of Marine Ecosystems: Tuesday, 24 September, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 227ABC, North Building 

T137. Biogeochemical Interactions in Caves and Karst: Our presentations explore how biology intersects with geology in caves and karst landscapes over diverse spatial and temporal scales. Topics may include microbe-mineral interactions, metal transport and nutrient cycling, and critical zone biogeochemistry (Daniel Jones and Laura Rosales Lagarde).

• 16 T137. Biogeochemical Interactions in Caves and Karst: Sunday, 22 September, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Room 224B, North Building 
• 34 T137. Biogeochemical Interactions in Caves and Karst (Posters): Sunday, 22 September, 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Phoenix Convention Center - Hall AB, North Building

2019 Division Awards for outstanding geobiologists

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2019 awards go to Betsy Swanner (pre-tenure), Clara Chan  (post-tenure), and Russell Shapiro (distinguished career). Please check out their brief biographies below and explore their websites for further details about their research.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Elizabeth (Betsy) Swanner (Iowa State University)

Betsy Swanner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences at Iowa State University. Dr. Swanner is interested in the impact of ferruginous conditions on life throughout Earth’s history. Her research seeks to determine the extent of ferruginous conditions through time and space, and how global biogeochemical cycles operate in iron-rich conditions, primarily those cycles mediated by microbes. She uses a wide variety of analytical tools coupled to experimental approaches and work in modern analogues.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Clara Chan (University of Delaware)

Dr. Clara Chan is an associate professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Delaware, specializing in geomicrobiology. She studies how microbes make minerals, addressing the molecular mechanisms of biomineralization, as well as the unique composition of biominerals. Her approaches integrate culturing, ‘omics, biochemistry, and field experiments in caves, deep sea vents, coastal environments, and streams. She loves to watch things grow, including her microbes, crystals, her garden, and her daughter.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Russell Shapiro (California State University, Chico)

Russell Shapiro is a Professor of Geology and (just recently) former department chair at California State University, Chico. Dr. Shapiro has studied Phanerozoic microbialites from the modern Bahamas all the way back to the Archaean; he then branched out to enigmatic iron formations and methane seep carbonates.  In particular, he is interested in how metamorphic processes affect the fidelity of geobiological signals.  He funded his college education as a tattoo artist both at Humboldt State and UC Santa Barbara. Dr.  Shapiro was a field instructor on the International Geobiology Course from 2010-2016, served on the editorial board for Astrobiology, and was the Biosignature Panel Chief for the Mars2020 mission.  In addition to his academic career, Shapiro also works as a consultant for paleontological resources.

While research is a passion, he is most proud of the service he has provided in various roles inside and outside of academia. If you see a problem that needs to be fixed, step up!

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional scientists at the GSA Geobiology Division Award Presentation (a.k.a. the GBGM Lunch) during the 2019 GSA in Phoenix.

2018 Division Awards for outstanding research

Every year the GBGM executive committee selects exceptional scholars to receive awards for their accomplishments in research, education/mentoring, and service in geobiology. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees so thanks to all those who nominated someone!

We are pleased to announce that the 2018 awards go to Paula Welander and Jim Schiffbauer (pre-tenure), Beth Orcutt (post-tenure), and Andy Knoll (distinguished career). Please checkout their brief biographies below.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Paula Welander (Stanford University)

Paula Welander is a microbiologist with interests in understanding the biosynthesis and physiological function of “molecular fossils” or lipid biomarkers in extant microbes. Paula received her undergraduate degree in kinesiology from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She obtained her PhD in microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she studied methanogenesis with Prof. Bill Metcalf.  Paula then pursued postdoctoral studies on the biosynthesis of hopanoids, lipid produced by bacteria that also function as geological biomarkers, at MIT with Prof. Dianne Newman and Prof. Roger Summons. She joined the Stanford faculty in 2013 where she has continued her molecular work on lipid biomarkers in extant bacteria and archaea.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: James Schiffbauer (University of Missouri)

Dr. Schiffbauer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Director of the X-ray Microanalysis Core at the University of Missouri. Schiffbauer’s academic background spans both biology and geology, and his research interests center on how accurately the history of life can be interpreted through the fossil record. Specifically targeting the taphonomy of complex multicellular fossils from the dawn of animal life at the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition, Schiffbauer uses advanced microscopy methods, including analytical scanning electron microscopy and tomographic x-ray microscopy, to help resolve which features of fossils represent true biological signal as opposed to those that are instead preservational noise.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Beth Orcutt (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences)

Dr. Beth Orcutt is a Senior Research Scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine. Orcutt’s research focuses on understanding microscopic life at and below the seafloor, to resolve the importance of microbes in global chemical cycling while also revealing how life can survive in extremes for future astrobiology investigations. Having spent over 560 days at sea on 35 different field missions, Orcutt is an expert in ocean exploration technology.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Andrew Knoll (Harvard University)

Andrew Knoll is the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University, where he has taught for the past 36 years.  Knoll has longstanding interests in life and environments on the Archean and Proterozoic Earth, but he has also worried about Phanerozoic plant, animal, and phytoplankton evolution.  Much of Knoll’s paleontological and biogeochemical research derives from careful fieldwork, including successions in the Arctic, Siberia, China, Australia, and – virtually, at least – Mars.

Please join us in congratulating these four exceptional scientists at the GSA Geobiology Division Award Presentation during the 2018 GSA in Indiana.

2018 Division nomination deadline extended

A huge thanks to all of you who have sent us nominations for the 2018 GBGM division awards - they're excellent, and much appreciated! Although we now have nominees in each ctaegory (pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career), we still feel that we would like a larger pool to choose from in a couple of the categories (because we know that there are more amazing people out there!).

As a result, we are extending our nominations deadline to April 15th.

If you know of someone who you feel is deserving, please nominate them. Please use this nomination form to identify exceptional researchers who you think should be recognized, along with a justification (max. 500 words). Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based the nominee’s complete portfolio (i.e., research, mentoring, service, and leadership). 

You can find all the nomination information (plus past awardees) here: http://gsageobiology.blogspot.com/2018/03/help-us-choose-2018-awardees.html

Help us choose the 2018 Awardees

Dear GSA GBGM,

Every year the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division selects three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards (for details on past awards, see the GBGM website, or see below). This year (2018), the division has decided that our members should play a more prominent role in choosing exceptional scientists for these awards. We are requesting nominations from our GSA GBGM members in order to create a more diverse and inclusive nominee pool, both in terms of academic fields, and demographics.

Please use this nomination form to identify exceptional researchers who you think should be recognized, along with a justification (max. 500 words). Final nominees will be selected by the GBGM committee from amongst this pool, and awarded based the nominee’s complete portfolio (i.e., research, mentoring, service, and leadership). Please submit your nominations by April 2nd, 2018.

We're grateful for your participation in this process - we know that your time is valuable, but this is one of the most important things the division does, and we think the community (not just us) should have a stronger say.

All the best, and we hope to being seeing your nominations soon!
Simon, Rowan, Vicky, Lydia, and Carie

Previous Award Winners:

Pre Tenure Award

2017: Christopher Reinhard
2016: Erik Sperling
2015: Arpita Bose
2014: Rob Sansom
2013: David Johnston
2012: Alexis Templeton
2011: David Fike

Post Tenure Award

2017: Susannah Porter
2016: Tanja Bosak
2015: Tim Lyons
2014: Sara Pruss
2013: Kurt Konhauser
2012: Barbara Sherwood-Lollar
2011: James Hagadorn

Distinguished Career Award

2017: Marilyn Fogel
2016: Dawn Sumner
2015: Elizabeth and Rudy Raff
2014: Shuhai Xiao
2013: Stan Awramik
2012: Jack Farmer
2011: Derek Briggs

Awards before career-stage differentiation

2010: John Grotzinger, Rich Lane, Nora Noffke;
2009: Anna Louise Reysenbach, Mary Droser, and Ken Eriksson

Awards for Best Student Presentations at the 2017 GSA

Hey everyone! We are pleased to announce the student presentation award winners from the 2017 GSA meeting.

For the best talk:

Jeffrey Osterhout: Stable Isotope Geochemistry Of A Late Archean Microbial Ecosystem: Diversity In The Pre-GOE Oceans

Jack Shaw: Planktonic Foraminiferal Bleaching During Early Eocene Hyperthermal Events

Honorable Mentions: 

Erynn Johnson: Shells And Marine Revolutions: Experimental Tests Of Theoretical Shell Shapes

Daniel Killam: Pollution, Growth Rates, And Conservation Of Red Sea Giant Clams Using Isotope Sclerochronology

 

For the best poster:

Camille Dwyer: δ18O Schlerochronology Of Late Cretaceous Bivalves And Preservation Of Seasonality Irrespective Of Alteration

Jana Meixnerova: Did Volcanism Cause The Whiff Of Oxygen 2.5 Billion Years Ago?

 

CONGRATULATIONS ALL!

Winners will be awarded a prize at the 2018 GSA meeting.

Thanks for a great GSA 2017

Hi Everyone,

The GSA Geobiology & Geomicrobiology Division Executive Committee would like to say a hearty "THANK YOU" for making this past GSA annual meeting in Seattle such a success. The number of GBGM talks skyrocketed this year and (as is often the case), it was standing room only for the awards luncheon.

Below are some photos of the awards lunch.

(Most of) the GBGM Executive Committee

(L to R): Carie Frantz, Simon Darroch, Vicky Petryshyn, Lydia Tackett

This year's Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Susannah Porter (UC Santa Barbara)

(L to R): Carie Frantz, Simon Darroch, Susannah Porter, Vicky Petryshyn, Lydia Tackett, Rowan Martindale

(L to R): Carie Frantz, Simon Darroch, Susannah Porter, Vicky Petryshyn, Lydia Tackett, Rowan Martindale

This year's Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Chris Reinhard (Georgia Tech)

(L to R): Carie Frantz, Simon Darroch, Chris Reinhard, Vicky Petryshyn, Lydia Tackett, Rowan Martindale

 The winners of the best student talk and poster presentations from the 2016 GSA annual meeting

(Back row, L to R): Carie Frantz, Simon Darroch, Vicky Petryshyn, Lydia Tackett, Rowan Martindale. (Front row award winners, L to R): Dylan Wilmeth, Amanda Godbold, Ross Anderson (Natalia Bykova not present)

 

 

 

 

 And a few more shots of the room....

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

GSA Geobiology & Geomicrobiology Lunch at GSA 2017

Today is the day! Come by for the GSA GBGM annual luncheon and division awards at GSA 2017 in Seattle. No reservations needed, lunch is free for all Geobiology enthusiasts!

Monday, 23 October 2017
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM
Sheraton Seattle Hotel - Issaquah

2017 Division Awards for outstanding research

Every year the GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology division selects three exceptional researchers to receive pre-tenure, post-tenure, and distinguished career awards. This year we had an exceptional list of nominees and we are pleased to announce that the 2017 awards go to Chris Reinhard, Susannah Porter, and Marilyn Fogel. Please checkout their brief biographies below.

Pre-Tenure Award Recipient: Chris Reinhard (Georgia Tech)

 
Chris studied ecology and evolutionary biology as an undergraduate at the University of Kansas and pursued graduate research in Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside. He is currently Assistant Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, with research interests that revolve around characterizing the chemical evolution of Earth's ocean-atmosphere system, how this evolution has been shaped by major biotic and ecological innovations, and the ways in which this history can be used as a proxy for characterizing remotely detectable biosignatures.

Post-Tenure Award Recipient: Susannah Porter (UC Santa Barbara)

Susannah received her bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Yale University in 1995 and her Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard University in 2002. After completing a one-year NASA Astrobiology Post-Doctoral Fellowship at UCLA, she moved to the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she is Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Earth Science. She studies the early fossil record of animals and their protistan relatives and has worked on problems relating to the evolution of skeletal biomineralization, the influence of snowball Earth glaciations on the biosphere, the early evolution of eukaryotes, and the Cambrian diversification of animals. She lives in Carpinteria, California, with her husband, Jamie, and her two sons, Willie and Sam.

Distinguished Career Award Recipient: Marilyn Fogel (UC Riverside)

Marilyn received her B.S. degree in Biology form Pennsylvania State University and her Ph.D. in Botany (Marine Sciences) from the University of Texas at Austin. She spent the majority of her career as a Staff Member at the Carnegie Institution of Washington’s Geophysical Laboratory (1977-2012). In 2013, Marilyn started her career as a Professor at the University of California, first in Merced, and  currently the Wilbur W. Mayhew Endowed Professor of Geoecology at the University of California, Riverside as well as the Director of the EDGE Institute. Marilyn's research concentrates on understanding the flow of elements through modern biogeochemical cycles using stable isotope compositions of organic and inorganic matter as tracers. She uses this knowledge of elemental cycling in modern ecosystems, to understanding how biogeochemical cycles functioned over Earth's history. Her work extends to the fields of paleontology and astrobiology.

Please join us in congratulating these three exceptional scientists at the GSA Geobiology Division Award Presentation during the 2017 GSA in Seattle.