GSOC President Sheila Alfsen has decided to cancel the Banquet due to the risks that the coronavirus poses for our attendees.
This decision was quite difficult. Over the last few days, Sheila spoke with David Montgomery, our planned speaker, several times. His travel plans for the trip from Seattle to Portland for the event changed last week - from flying to driving (to minimize risk by not going through airports). However, David lives in Seattle, he has flown recently, and he teaches classes daily at University of Washington, so his potential for exposure is relatively high. Sheila and David spoke last evening and both felt that the risk to attendees outweighed the benefit of having him come to Portland. We are hopeful that David will be able to reschedule with GSOC, perhaps in the fall.
Registrants will receive full refunds, to be processed over the next week.
Sincerely and with the wish for all to remain healthy,
GSOC Board members
The Geological Society of the Oregon Country invites you to its 85th Annual Banquet for GSOC members and PSU faculty and students. Learn more about becoming a GSOC member here.
This event is sponsored by GSOC, PSU Department of Geology, and two generous grants from GSOC members.
When geologist David R. Montgomery discovered scientific evidence for an enormous flood described in Tibetan folklore, he began to wonder: could there be proof behind other flood stories? As a scientist, Montgomery approached the Biblical story of Noah’s flood with suspicion, yet as he dug into the historic works of theologians, natural philosophers, and scientists, he discovered a rich and long-running conversation between science and religion. Just as the quest to verify Noah’s flood motivated the first geologists, so too can modern geology help us sort through the mysteries of how the world came to be.
The Rocks Don’t Lie is a powerful, nuanced exploration into how we define the boundary between science and religion and what we can learn from the world around us.
David Montgomery
David R. Montgomery is a MacArthur Fellow and professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington. He is an internationally recognized geologist who studies landscape evolution and the effects of geological processes on ecological systems and human societies. An author of award-winning popular-science books, he has been featured in documentary films, network and cable news, and on a wide variety of TV and radio programs, including NOVA, PBS NewsHour, Fox and Friends, and All Things Considered. His books have been translated into nine languages. He lives in Seattle, with his wife Anne Biklé and their black lab guide-dog dropout Loki.