W&L Professor Coordinates 42nd Annual National Association of Black Geoscientists Technical Conference Karena Gill handles all aspects of the event slated to be held Sept. 27-30 in Washington, D.C.

By Brian Laubscher
September 19, 2023

Karena Gill, visiting assistant professor of earth and environmental geoscience at Washington and Lee University, is overseeing and coordinating all aspects of the National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG) 42nd Annual Technical Conference which will be held Sept. 27-30 at the American Geophysical Union Conference Center in Washington, D.C.

The title for this year’s conference is “Geoscience United: Collaborating for a Sustainable and Equitable Future” and the event is centered around environmental justice.

A new member of the W&L faculty in 2023, Gill began her association with the NABG in 2016 as a student member, and she was elected to the executive board in 2022 as assistant secretary. In her role as the 2022-23 conference chair, she works with the various committees that support the event and is involved in all aspects of the conference, including logistical planning, program development, speaker management and attendee engagement.

“I have enjoyed my role as conference chair and we are looking forward to having a fabulous event this year,” said Gill. “I am especially proud that we will have our greatest number of student attendees this year, all of which are supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation.”

The NABG was founded in 1981 with the purpose of building community – enabling black geoscientists to connect, communicate, and network with other minority professionals. Since then, the organization has evolved into a hub that attracts geoscientists from diverse fields, offering them opportunities to partake in career and educational endeavors, present cutting-edge research, build connections, advance professionally, and provide mentorship to aspiring black geoscientists.

Gill arrived at W&L after serving as a postdoctoral research collaborator for Mars 2020 with NASA at West Virginia University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado School of Mines, a master’s degree from Auburn University and a doctorate from the University of Alabama.

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