UMaine’s Johnson Elected to National Geology Society Board

Contact: Scott Johnson, 581-2142

ORONO — Scott Johnson, professor of Earth sciences, has been elected to the management board of the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division of the Geological Society of America.

During this four-year commitment, Johnson will rotate through a cycle of second vice chair, first vice chair, chair and past chair positions.

Established in 1888, the Boulder, Colo.-based Geological Society of America (GSA) is a global professional society with a growing membership of more than 21,000 individuals in more than 85 countries. Of the GSA’s 17 specialist divisions, the Structural Geology and Tectonics Division is the largest, with nearly 1,800 members.

In his leadership role, Johnson will assist in the organization and oversight of a host of activities the division engages in each year, including publishing two newsletters, organizing sessions, field trips and short courses for the annual meeting of the GSA, in addition to distributing annual awards for both student and faculty achievement.

Johnson says he also looks forward to “helping to forge the direction of the division in the times ahead in which Earth sciences will play a more important role in all of our lives, owing to energy prices, availability of mineral and metal resources, and the impacts of climate change on the environment.”

He has been a faculty member at UMaine since 2000 and is a resident of Orono.