earth science

Geological Society of Washington

Geological Society of Washington is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Geological Society of Washington rather than just read about it. In short: The Geological Society of Washington is a learned society based in the Washington, D.C. area. According to its constitution, "The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge" Founding and early history The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893.

Key takeaways

Geological Society of Washington belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geological Society of Washington to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geological Society of Washington from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Founding and early history The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893. The core group of organizers was paleontologist C. D. Walcott and geologists S. F. Emmons and J. S. Diller of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and artist/geologist W. H. Holmes and geologist G. P. Merrill of the Smithsonian Institution. By the end of February, 1893, they had drafted a constitution and attracted a total of 109 geologists, cartographers, geographers, hydrologists, and other scientists interested in earth science to become charter members. Among these were many notable figures, mostly from the Washington area, including John Wesley Powell, G. K. Gilbert, and F. W. Clarke. The main reason for the founding of GSW was to provide a forum in which geoscientists could meet to discuss their ideas. The robust geological community centered on the USGS and Smithsonian Institution had outgrown mixed scientific societies such as the Philosophical Society of Washington. In 1897, GSW played a major role in organizing eight scientific societies in Washington, leading to the founding of the Washington Academy of Sciences in 1898.

Meetings GSW has maintained a single meeting time, location and format throughout its entire history. Meetings are held at 8:00 pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, except during warm-weather months when most geological field work would normally be done. Almost all meetings have been held at the Cosmos Club in downtown Washington, an organization of which most GSW charter members, as well as many subsequent members, have been members. Most meetings have three formal scientific talks, each 20 minutes in length, followed by discussion. Once a year, the society invites a prominent speaker to give a 1-hour "Bradley lecture," named after the late geologist and GSW president, Wilmot H. Bradley. An Annual Meeting is held in December, at which the president of the society gives a 1-hour address. As of the end of 2008, 3871 papers had been read at 1461 meetings of the society since 1893, according to the GSW archives.

Publications and awards GSW does not publish scientific papers or give general awards. The philosophy of the society is to communicate good science and encourage collegiality. Awards are therefore given each year for achievement in the following areas at GSW meetings:

The Bradley Prize is for the best formal scientific talk. The Great Dane Award is for the best informal communication to the society of timely or newsworthy events. The Sleeping Bear Award, given since 1953, honors the person who displays the most memorable act of genuine good humor, either consciously or unconsciously. In addition, GSW provides judges for science fairs in the Washington area and gives awards to the best earth science projects.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geological Society of Washington

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geological Society of Washington claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geological Society of Washington before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geological Society of Washington ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geological Society of Washington

In research: Geological Society of Washington appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geological Society of Washington in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geological Society of Washington is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1893 establishments in Washington, D.C., Geology societies, Organizations based in Washington, D.C., so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geological Society of Washington outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Geological Society of Washington in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geological Society of Washington means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geological Society of Washington out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geological Society of Washington in simple terms?

The Geological Society of Washington is a learned society based in the Washington, D.C. area. According to its constitution, "The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge" Founding and early history The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893.

Why does Geological Society of Washington matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geological Society of Washington?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geological Society of Washington.