The Geological Society of Washington is a learned society

Learned society

A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...

 based in the Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 area. According to its constitution, "The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge"

Founding and early history

The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893. The core group of organizers was paleontologist C. D. Walcott

Charles Doolittle Walcott

Charles Doolittle Walcott was an American invertebrate paleontologist. He became known for his discovery in 1909 of well-preserved fossils in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada.-Early life:...

 and geologist

Geologist

A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...

s S. F. Emmons

Samuel Franklin Emmons

Samuel Franklin Emmons was an American Geologist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1861 and studied at the Ecole des Mines in Paris, France from 1862–1864 and at the Frieberg mining school from 1865-1865. In May 1867, he was appointed assistant...

 and J. S. Diller of the United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

 (USGS), and artist/geologist W. H. Holmes

William Henry Holmes

William Henry Holmes was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, geologist and museum director.-Life:...

 and geologist G. P. Merrill

George Perkins Merrill

George Perkins Merrill was an American geologist.He was educated at the University of Maine , took a post-graduate courses of study and was assistant in chemistry at Wesleyan University, Connecticut , and subsequently studied at Johns Hopkins...

 of the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

. By the end of February, 1893, they had drafted a constitution and attracted a total of 109 geologists, cartographers, geographer

Geographer

A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...

s, hydrologists, and other scientists interested in earth science

Earth science

Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...

 to become charter members. Among these were many notable figures, mostly from the Washington area, including John Wesley Powell

John Wesley Powell

John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...

, G. K. Gilbert

Grove Karl Gilbert

Grove Karl Gilbert , known by the abbreviated name G. K. Gilbert in academic literature, was an American geologist....

, and F. W. Clarke

Frank Wigglesworth Clarke

Frank Wigglesworth Clarke of Boston, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. was an American scientist and chemist. Sometimes known as the "Father of Geochemistry," Clarke is credited with determining the composition of the Earth's crust...

. The main reason for the founding of GSW was to provide a forum in which geoscientists could meet to discuss their ideas. The robust geological community centered around the USGS and Smithsonian Institution had outgrown mixed scientific societies such as the Philosophical Society of Washington

Philosophical Society of Washington

The Philosophical Society of Washington is the oldest scientific society in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1871 by Joseph Henry.Its aims are "the promotion of science, the advancement of learning, and the free exchange of views among its members on scientific subjects."Since 1887, the regular...

.

In 1897, GSW played a major role in organizing eight scientific societies in Washington, leading to the founding of the Washington Academy of Sciences in 1898.

Meetings

GSW has maintained a single meeting time, location and format throughout its entire history. Meetings are held at 8:00 pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, except during warm-weather months when most geological field work would normally be done. Almost all meetings have been held at the Cosmos Club

Cosmos Club

The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...

 in downtown Washington, an organization of which most GSW charter members, as well as many subsequent members, have been members. Most meetings have three formal scientific talks, each 20 minutes in length, followed by discussion. Once a year, the society invites a prominent speaker to give a 1-hour "Bradley lecture," named after the late geologist and GSW president, Wilmot H. Bradley. An Annual Meeting is held in December, at which the president of the society gives a 1-hour address. As of the end of 2008, 3871 papers had been read at 1461 meetings of the society since 1893, according to the GSW archives.

Publications and Awards

GSW does not publish scientific papers or give general awards. The philosophy of the society is to communicate good science and encourage collegiality. Awards are therefore given each year for achievement in the following areas at GSW meetings:

• The Bradley Prize is for the best formal scientific talk.
• The Great Dane Award is for the best informal communication to the society of timely or newsworthy events.
• The Sleeping Bear Award, given since 1953, honors the person who displays the most memorable act of genuine good humor, either consciously or unconsciously.

In addition, GSW provides judges for science fairs in the Washington area and gives awards to the best earth science projects.