New NAGT Officers Welcomed at 2015 GSA Annual Meeting

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) welcomed its newest elected officers at the recent 2015 GSA Annual Meeting, November 1-4, in Baltimore, MD. The new officers will serve in their respected positions for one year.

Dr. Randall Richardson of the University of Arizona is the newly elected president; Dr. Anne Egger of Central Washington University was elected as the new 1^st Vice President; and Dr. Don Duggan-Haas of the Paleontological Research Institution was elected the new 2^nd Vice President.

Dr. Jimm Myers of the University of Wyoming will serve as the Past President, and Aida Awad of Maine East High School (Park Ridge, IL) will serve as the Secretary/Treasurer.

The newly elected Councilors-at-Large are Leilani Arthurs of University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Michael Phillips of Illinois Valley Community College.

Returning Councilors include Dr. Suki Smaglik, Central Washington College; Dr. John Taber of Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS); Dr. Basil Tikoff of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Dr. Karen Viskupic, Boise State University.

Randall Richardson (President)

Dr. Richardson has been a professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona since 1978. He has served in a number of administrative positions at UA, including vice president for undergraduate education, and is glad to be back on the faculty. His current interests include plate tectonics dynamics and science education, with a focus on faculty development and fostering strong departments. He has served several national organizations, for example chairing education and outreach committees for the American Geophysical Union and the American Institutes of Physics.

Anne Egger (1^st Vice President)

Dr. Egger is an Assistant Professor at Central Washington University in the Geological Sciences and Science Education Departments. She has facilitated undergraduate curricular design at a variety of institutions, from reviving Stanford's undergraduate geophysics program to reflect the diverse research interests of the faculty, to developing the first Earth science undergraduate degree in Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, to reforming the Middle-Level Science Teaching major at CWU to better meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

Don Duggan-Haas (2^nd Vice President)

Dr. Duggan-Haas is the Director of Teacher Programing at the Paleontological Research Institution and Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY and has played an active role in the development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which are intended to replace the 1996 National Science Education Standards. He has also served as Chair of the Geological Society of America's Geoscience Education Division and on the New York State Science Leadership Team for the NGSS.

Aida Awad (Secretary/Treasurer)

Aida Awad has been the Science Department Chair at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, IL since 2003, and an Adjunct at Oakton College. Aida is the past-president of NAGT, and past Chair of the GSA Education Committee. Aida has been involved in efforts around NGSS and NGSS implementation since the Framework for Science Education was released. In addition to her role as a Science Department Head, she leads teacher prep and in-service teacher workshops for the Office of STEM Education Programs at Northwestern University.

Leilani Arthurs (Councilor-at-Large)

Dr. Leilani Arthurs is an Assistant Professor in the Earth and Atmospheric Science department at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Her academic background and training includes studies and research in the areas of hydrology, water resources, geochemistry, and volcanology. In addition to her training, experience, and research in the geological sciences, Dr. Arthur also has background and research experience in cognitive science and science education.

Michael Phillips (Councilor-at-Large)

Mike Phillips is a geology instructor at Illinois Valley Community College. Mike worked as an Environmental Geologist for several private consulting firms and then for the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). While at the ISGS, he began teaching geology as an adjunct for Shawnee Community College and John A. Logan College in southern Illinois. In 1997, he began teaching geology full-time for Illinois Valley Community College in north central Illinois where he also helped develop the college's Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment and taught professional development courses in Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs).