 Cornerstone Initiative
Funding the Future of the Geosciences The Cornerstone Initiative was created to provide priority annual funding for GSA's Greatest Needs The GSA Foundation is therefore striving to increase available funding for the following GSA membership areas of concern: International Travel $20,000Foreign scientists, including those from developing countries, benefit greatly from attending GSA meetings. Their presence also enriches the sessions for North American geologists. Increased funding will provide additional travel revenue for these foreign scientists. Student Research Grants $150,000The GSA research grants program provides partial support of graduate thesis research in the geological sciences for students at universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America. Mentor Programs $100,000 These programs provide students with the opportunity to speak with mentors from the applied fields of the geosciences and learn of career choices. The programs operate at Section meetings as well as the Annual meeting and their impact grows each year. GeoCorps Program $120,000 This program places geoscientists within National Parks plus Forest Service and BLM lands as summer interns. The interns can be university students, professionals including teachers, or retirees. Since the program began, 240 interns have been placed in National Parks, National Forests, and BLM lands.  Field Forums $60,000
Field Forums offer the opportunity for exchange of current knowledge and ideas in a field setting. They are designed after Penrose Conferences and stimulate individual and collaborative research, thereby accelerating the advance of the geosciences by interactions in the field. Penrose Conferences $40,000Penrose Conferences provide the opportunity for exchange of current information and advances pertaining to the science of geology and related fields. This level of support would allow student participation in the conferences. Congressional Science Fellow $75,000Congressional Science Fellows work as special legislative assistants within the congressional staff system, and thus contribute to more effective use of scientific and technical knowledge in government. The requested level of annual support would enable GSA to sponsor two Congressional Fellows per year, provided the USGS continues to match funds. The total annual priority funding needs equals $565,000 | 
