GEM Professor, Dr. Richard M. Petrone was elected the new President of the Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU) last week at the Annual Meeting in Vancouver. The CGU, formed in 1945 when the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) convened the first meeting of an Associate Committee to advise it on the needs of geophysics, and now represents the interests of Canadian geoscientists through annual scientific meetings, awards programs, interactions with funding agencies, and advocating for the role of science in society and policy-making. The CGU particularly encourages student participation through travel grants to the annual meeting, and an extensive series of student awards.
Earth and environmental sciences are key to Canada’s prosperity, safety, sustainability, and sovereignty. Understanding Earth and Environmental Science processes forms the basis of efficient and effective management of Earth’s resources, and allows us to reduce risk and hazards from more devastating Earth system processes. Dr. Petrone is excited to continue working to advance and promote the scientific study of the Earth and its environment, and help the CGU to continue serve as a national focus for the earth and geophysical sciences in Canada. His main goal for the coming two years is to encourage communication and foster cooperation between the Canadian geophysical community, local, national and international scientific organizations, as well as provincial and federal policy makers.