Ian D. MacGregor receives William B. Heroy Jr. Award

Alexandria VA – The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to announce Dr. Ian D. MacGregor as the 2011 recipient of the William B. Heroy Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to AGI. The Distinguished Service Award is presented in honor of William B. Heroy, Jr., who advanced the use of geophysics in petroleum exploration and in geologic research worldwide. Recipients of this award are measured against his exemplary career and in recognition of outstanding service to the Institute and to the geoscience profession.

Dr. MacGregor is being recognized for his long-standing service to AGI in the education area. His contributions include his current roles as Chief Technical Advisor to AGI's Education and Outreach Departments, Chair of AGI's Education Advisory Committee, Co-Principal Investigator on AGI's new NASA Triad project, co-instructor for three years on AGI and ExxonMobil's K-5 Leadership Academy. It also includes his role as co-instructor with AGI on the Geological Society of London's Teacher Academy, and Chief Advisor on the NSF-supported K-12 Earth Science Education Summit in 2010.

Dr. MacGregor's background is extensive. He has worked at the Canadian Geological Survey, the Geophysical Laboratory of Carnegie Institution of Washington, the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies (now University of Texas at Dallas), the University of California-Davis, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. He has been an active consultant for the development of science curricula and books for K-12 education and the professional development of K-12 teachers. He has also served on a number of advisory committees for NASA, DOE, DOD, the National Academy of Sciences, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program and UNAVCO'S Board. Other professional duties include service on editorial boards and committees of a number of professional societies and a term as Executive Director of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, an AGI Member Society. His education was in the disciplines of Geology and Geochemistry at Aberdeen University (B.Sc.), Scotland, Queen's University, Canada (M.Sc.) and Princeton University (Ph.D.)

The award was presented on October 10, 2011, at the AGI Past President's Dinner as part of the Geological Society of America Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 50 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.