Rex Buchanan, GSAF Trustee, Director Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), and current Director of the Consortium to Study Trends in Seismicity at KGS, explains how his desire to give back to the Society and the geosciences inspires his support.

What inspires you to give so freely of your time serving as a GSAF Trustee?

It’s easy to write a check, but I think it’s also important to donate time. And to be honest, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the other GSAF Trustees, the staff (both at GSA and GSAF), and GSA members that I might not have met otherwise. It’s a great group of folks!

What motivates you to give to GSA?

The discipline of geology has been a welcoming professional home to me. I’ve developed relationships in the community that I value highly. Supporting GSA is one way to pay back the discipline for what it’s given me. This is also a challenging time for science and scientific societies, and that makes support of GSA more important than ever.

What would you say to others thinking about making a financial commitment to the Society?

GSA provides all sorts of highly visible services, like meetings, field trips, and publications. It also serves other functions, like representing the geosciences on Capitol Hill through its Policy Office and the Congressional Science Fellow program, which are less apparent but equally important. Those activities benefit all geoscientists and deserve our support.

What would you like to say to other people who donate their time and resources to GSA?

In my time as a GSAF Trustee, I’ve been impressed by the incredible level of commitment that many GSA members have made to the organization, both in terms of time and money. GSA supporters believe in the role of GSA and the geosciences, and they make that support tangible.

Photo on left, credit: David McKinney; © 2010 The University of Kansas/Office of University Relations.