2013 Awardee - Dr. Michael Cummings

Dr. Michael Cummings has been awarded the 2013 Neil Miner Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers

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Dr. Michael Cummings has been awarded the 2013 Neil Miner Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) in honor of his exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences. The award will be presented at the NAGT and GSA Geoscience Education Division Awards luncheon at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, October 29th in Denver, CO.

Dr. Michael Cummings is the chair of the Department of Geology at Portland State University (PSU) in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Cummings has enthusiastically introduced the Earth sciences to thousands of students in his home state. His impact is based on a staggering number of small group and individual interactions both on and off campus. On campus he serves as a professor, mentor and advisor. He is the driving force behind the PSU Geology Honors program, he is the sole undergraduate advisor for both the Geology Department and the Integrated Science program, and he has advised an army of graduate students, many of whom will attest to his careful mentorship made manifest by their success in the geologic discipline. Off campus, Dr. Cummings promotes the Earth sciences through extraordinary support for the rural K-12 school districts across the State of Oregon. Despite the time and effort required to visit these school districts, he gives them the same level of individual attention that he does with his PSU advisees. During these visits he meets with each science and math teacher to assess the teacher's curricular goals and barriers and then brainstorms with the teacher to identify solutions. His mantra is "face time is critical." Dr. Cummings is well known for this exceptional work and his visits are much anticipated. For these reasons, NAGT is proud to award Dr. Michael Cummings with the 2013 Neil Miner Award.

Each year since 1953 the NAGT presents the Neil Miner Award to an individual for exceptional contributions to the stimulation of interest in the Earth sciences. The Award commemorates Neil Miner's concern for personal excellence and effective teaching. Miner's ideals, his notably unselfish outlook on life, and his personal philosophy inspired his fellow teachers as well as his students. The Neil Miner Award is presented annually at the NAGT luncheon during the national annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

NAGT is a member based non-profit organization whose mission is to foster improvement in the teaching of the Earth sciences at all levels of formal and informal instruction, to emphasize the cultural significance of the Earth sciences and to disseminate knowledge in this field to the general public. For additional information please contact Erica Zweifel at 507-222-4545 or ezweifel@carleton.edu. NAGT is located at: c/o Carleton College, W-SERC, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057.