The DGS hosted the 110th Annual Meeting of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) at the Atlantic Sands Hotel & Conference Center in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, from June 3-7, 2018. The AASG is a 501 (3)c organization that represents the chief executives of the geological survey agencies from the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The AASG convenes in a different state each year, and Delaware Geological Survey last hosted the annual meeting in 1978.

The meeting was a 4-day event with technical sessions, field trips, and a closing banquet designed to foster ideas and promote exchange and communication among state, federal, non-profit partners. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Applied Geoscience for a Changing Planet”. The meeting also included keynote addresses by invited speakers from across the realm of science, energy, environment, and policy. Opening remarks were given by Dr. Tim Petty, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Interior for Water & Science, and the recently confirmed director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. James Reilly.

This year there were state geologists and representatives from 41 state surveys, as well as representatives from many federal departments and agencies. The guest speaker for the event banquet was UD professor Dr. Art Trembanis, who spoke on the development and use of autonomous vehicles for data collection and discovery. The meeting was a memorable and successful event that provided a forum for national leaders in geoscience and policy to convene in a beautiful location along coastal Delaware.