Gmail truncates long messages by default. Open this message in a separate window to see all of October's NAGTNews. | | |
Ensure continued NAGT membership benefits by renewing for 2027 today! This monthly newsletter, access to JGE, and a 15% discount on GSA Connects registration are just a few of the benefits.
Now is also a great time to invite a colleague to join! Do you have new faculty in your department, or a new graduate student? Tell them about NAGT and encourage them to join. If they join now, their membership will be valid through the end of 2027.
| | |
Denver, CO
October 11-14, 2026
NAGT is excited to be participating in GSA Connects 2026, and we would love to see you if you will be there. GSA Connects is a fantastic way to engage with geoscientists worldwide, present your work, and participate in critical conversations that shape the future of the geosciences. You can find us in the Exhibit Hall, at our sponsored sessions, or at the Education Reception.
Visit us at booth #801 in the exhibit hall!
The NAGT booth will be open all week. Sign up here to volunteer at the NAGT booth!
-
Do you live and work in the Rocky Mountain Section? When you come by the booth, ask us about Rocky Mountain Section leadership opportunities!
NAGT at the Geoscience Career Exploration Fair
Sunday, October 11, 2026, 1:30-3:30 PM
Discover opportunities to grow your career through professional development, scholarships, awards, leadership, and volunteer opportunities. Stop by the NAGT table to make connections and advance your career!
NAGT at the Innovation Stage
Monday, 12 October, 4:00 PM
Hear from Executive Director Anne Egger and other NAGT leaders. Anne will be presenting how NAGT resources for geoscience departments and programs can help them thrive in uncertain times.
Informal "NAGTea" Gatherings
Visit the NAGT booth for informal gatherings around a variety of topics! Hot water, tea, and mugs will be available, or bring your own! Gatherings will happen at the table at the NAGT booth or adjacent tables in the exhibit hall, as needed. These will be scheduled closer to the conference.
Geoscience Education Division Educators' Reception
Monday, October 12, 2026, 6:00–9:00 PM
Join NAGT and the GSA Education Division at The Slate Denver (1250 Welton St, Denver, CO). We will meet in the Study Hall/Playground space for an evening of socialization, networking, and reconnection. Open to all conference attendees.
NAGT is proud to endorse a robust lineup of topical sessions at the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Member Discount
GSA and NAGT have collaborated to make attending GSA Connects more affordable. NAGT members are eligible to receive a 15% discount on registration for GSA Connects 2026. To receive your discount, enter the code CONNECTS26_NAGT when registering for the meeting. As this is a member benefit, we ask that you do not share this code with others.
| | |
October 11–17, 2026
NAGT is proud to be a part of Earth Science Week! We have selected high-quality, reviewed teaching resources from our Teach the Earth collection and other NAGT-sponsored projects that align with this year's theme, Critical Minerals for a Thriving Society.
How do we teach about critical minerals and geoscience?
Critical minerals are not distributed across the Earth evenly. Geoscience concepts help us predict where critical minerals can be found, how they may be safely extracted, and how their extraction and use affect the Earth and people. Teaching about critical minerals is a great opportunity to incorporate data exploration, modeling, engineering activities, prediction, and communication of results.
Visit AGI's Earth Science Week website to learn more about this year's theme.
| | |
NAGT meetings, including the annual business meeting of the association and meetings for each Division, will be held virtually around the time of GSA. These meetings are open to all NAGT members and provide opportunities to hear about NAGT activities in the past year and plans for the future. Keep an eye out for scheduling details as they become available. We hope you will join us.
NAGT Council and Annual Business Meeting
October 30, 2026 - 12 pm PT | 1 pm MT | 2 pm CT | 3 pm ET (1.5 hours)
All members are invited to attend the NAGT Council and Annual Business Meeting to hear about the past year at NAGT and what we have planned for next year.
Two-Year College Division (Geo2YC) Business Meeting
October 12, 2026 - 12 pm PT | 1 pm MT | 2 pm CT | 3 pm ET
Join NAGT Geo2YC for their annual Division business meeting. All members are invited to attend.
Geoscience Education Research (GER) Division Business Meeting
October 30, 2026 - 11 am PT | 12 pm MT | 1 pm CT | 2 pm ET
Join NAGT GER for their annual Division business meeting. All members are invited to attend.
Teacher Education Division (TED) Business Meeting
Date and time to be announced
Join NAGT TED for their annual Division business meeting. All members are invited to attend.
| | |
Awarded to 30 recipients annually, NAGT's Outstanding Teaching Assistant awardees now receive $2000!
NAGT has offered Outstanding Teaching Assistant (OTA) Awards since 2004. The 2026-27 award cycle is the first time that the awards will come with a financial component, however: this year, OTA awardees will receive $2000. We are incredibly grateful to the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation for their generous support of our OTA awards.
| | |
NAGT is looking for a collaborative, strategic Executive Director (ED) to advance excellence in geoscience education and sustain a vibrant professional community.
The ED serves as NAGT's chief executive officer and public representative, working with elected leadership, contracted staff, volunteers, members, and partner organizations to advance the association's mission and long-term sustainability.
NAGT is a member-driven nonprofit supported by a contracted Executive Office at the Science Education Resource Center (SERC), Carleton College, which provides services for NAGT operations, activities, programs, and leadership.
| |
| | NAGT runs on volunteer power. Much of our work, from programs to policy, happens because members step up to serve on committees, and several committees are looking for new voices right now. Interested in shaping where NAGT goes next? Nominate yourself or a colleague, or learn more on our Get Involved in NAGT Leadership page. | | |
NAGT's donation website and donor portal have a fresh new home, powered by GiveCloud. Giving is now more streamlined than ever. You can set up recurring contributions, review past transactions, and download receipts, all in one place.
Thank you for supporting NAGT and Earth Education for All!
| | | |
Do you enjoy reviewing manuscripts and providing constructive feedback to authors? Are you interested in engaging more deeply in the review process? Would you like to be more involved in the geoscience education community? If so, apply to be an Associate Editor.
Associate editors (AEs) manage the peer review process for manuscripts submitted to JGE. They seek out and invite appropriate peer reviewers, provide guidance to authors about responding to reviewer comments, and make recommendations to the editors about how to proceed with the manuscript.
AEs serve three-year terms, beginning in January and serving through December of the third year. Like reviewers, AEs are volunteers, and we greatly value their contributions to the journal; they are recognized on both the journal website and in the front matter of each print issue of the journal.
| | |
In the Trenches (ITT) is an interactive online publication designed to provide a venue for NAGT members to learn about and discuss teaching strategies and resources, the work of NAGT committees, sections, and divisions, and other ideas relevant to Earth educators and education researchers.
Recent Article
In ITT's most recent article, Creating time and space for change: The impact of NAGT’s 2025-26 Traveling Workshops Program by Anne Egger, learn how the Traveling Workshop program has responded to the changing needs of the geoscience education community and how participants perceive the support they receive.
| | |
Teach the Earth is a portal to thousands of resources from dozens of Earth Education websites. Managed by NAGT, this portal supports teaching and learning about the Earth by providing online resources for K-12 and higher education in the geosciences and related fields. Resources include classroom activities, course descriptions and syllabi, information about pedagogical strategies, topical collections, and more.
| |
October 2026 Featured Activity
The current "Super" El Niño is already eroding coastlines. In this month's activity, Using Google Earth to measure sea cliff erosion rates by Alfred Hachstaedter, students connect coastal processes, natural hazards, and coastal management in the Monterey Bay area of California.
| | |
We are pleased to share the recording of the 2026 NAGT, GSA GER, & GeoCUR Virtual Joint Awards Ceremony! Join us in celebrating the incredible achievements of this year's awardees and welcoming our new officers.
The virtual ceremony took place on Friday, September 25, 2026.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this year's award recipients and incoming officers. We are proud to recognize their contributions and accomplishments and appreciate everyone who helped make this celebration possible.
| | |
San Francisco, CA
December 6, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
| | |
Register by November 30 for the AGU/AGI Heads and Chairs of Geoscience Departments workshop!
This one-day, free workshop connects department leaders with research, practical tools, resources, and a community of peers committed to building strong and resilient geoscience programs. Participants will explore evidence-based approaches that can be adapted and implemented within their own departments and institutions, while building connections with colleagues leading programs across a range of institutional settings.
| |
| |
Facilitated by NAGT, this workshop will be held prior to the AGU meeting in San Francisco, CA, on Sunday, December 6.
There is no fee to register.
| | |
Virtual
October 22, 2026 - 9 am PT | 10 am MT | 11 am CT | 12 pm ET (2.5 hours)
October 29, 2026 - 9 am PT | 10 am MT | 11 am CT | 12 pm ET (1.5 hours)
| | | | |
This 2-session virtual workshop on October 22 and 29 is sponsored by the Emriver Educational Resources project and will focus on helping educators develop ideas for teaching with flumes and stream tables into implementable teaching activities. Participants will develop an activity idea and receive peer feedback to refine it. Finished activities will be added to the Emriver Teaching Collection.
The workshop is free, but registration is required. Learn more about the workshop and register by October 18.
| | |
Saint Paul, Minnesota
June 20-24, 2027
NAGT is hosting a multi-day workshop at Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN, where faculty in their first three years can participate in sessions on topics including effective teaching strategies, course design, establishing a research program in a new setting, working with research students, balancing professional and personal responsibilities, and time management.
| | |
The Traveling Workshops Program (TWP) brings NAGT's professional development program to you, working with you to customize a workshop to meet your group's needs. The TWP has well-tested workshop sessions on adapting to change, (re)designing your courses and curriculum, inclusive mentoring, supporting all students, and more.
Are you preparing for a program review or responding to feedback from one? Have you seen changes in the faculty in your department through new hires or retirements? Do you feel you could do a better job serving your students? We can help you!
Read more about the current TWP in the month's In the Trenches.
| | |
GSA Connects 2026 K-12 Educator Exchange
Denver, CO
Sunday, October 11, 3:30 - 7:00 pm
Join the complimentary GSA Connects K–12 Educator Exchange in the Colorado Convention Center on Sunday, October 11, from 3:30- 7:00 PM. Connect with geoscientists and fellow educators, discover classroom resources and career pathways, attend a featured GeoCareers session, and earn 0.4 CEUs. Questions? Contact Morgan Rippe at gsastudents@geosociety.org
| |
DEADLINE: October 12, 2026
The Science Foundation is excited to announce the "What Ifs..." funding competition. Win $10,000 for basic science projects grounded in curiosity and that will inspire and delight. Check out The Sci Fund Substack for details and how to get involved! Math, physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and all interdisciplinary applications are welcome.
| |
DEADLINE: October 20, 2026
The NAGT Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is seeking input from NAGT members to help ensure that the committee's work aligns with the needs of the community and NAGT's mission.
The results of this survey will be used to inform collaborative discussions between the DEI Committee and the Executive Committee. Once revised charge and task recommendations have been developed and approved, they will be shared with the NAGT community.
Responses are anonymous unless you choose to provide contact information at the end of the survey. We encourage you to complete this survey in a setting where you feel comfortable providing candid feedback.
This survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete. We recognize that your time is valuable and have intentionally designed the survey to be concise and focused.
Thank you for helping shape the future work of the NAGT DEI Committee.
This survey was developed collaboratively by the NAGT DEI Committee with assistance from Microsoft Copilot.
| |
DEADLINE: December 31, 2026
Do you have a Spatial Thinking manuscript you have been meaning to finish? Consider contributing to a Special Issue of the open-access journal Education Sciences (ISSN: 2227-7102) entitled "Enhancing Spatial Thinking and Visual Literacy in the Geosciences." Manuscripts that complement the existing papers in this special issue may be given a waiver of the publication fee.
For further details, contact Nicole LaDue (nladue@niu.edu), and please visit: Enhancing Spatial Thinking and Visual Literacy in the Geosciences.
| | |
Looking to connect with a wide audience in the geoscience education community? Post your job openings, postdoctoral positions, internships, assistantships, or undergraduate research opportunities on the NAGT Career Hub!
Your posting will be featured on the NAGT Career Hub website, posted on NAGT's social media, and included in next month's NAGTNews newsletter!
| | |
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) seeks a collaborative and strategic Executive Director to lead the organization in advancing excellence in geoscience education and supporting a vibrant professional community. Review of applications begins January 4, 2027.
| | | | |
