Beth McLarty Halfkenny assumes role of President of the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES)

The Department would like to congratulate Beth McLarty Halfkenny on assuming the role of President of the Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences (CFES) this past April 2022. Beth has served on the CFES Board of Directors since 2018, as Outreach Director and President-Elect. She hopes to elevate Earth Science education and geoscience communication during the coming year, supporting the efforts of Member Organizations in improving the perception of geoscience for the public good, essential for building a sustainable future.

Beth also serves as Past President of the Canadian Geoscience Education Network, on the National Committee of EdGEO Canadian Earth Science Teacher Workshop program and is a member of the Ottawa-Gatineau Geoheritage Project.

Beth has been working at Carleton University in the Department of Earth Sciences as the Curator and Outreach Coordinator, furthering her mission to enhance the education and perception of geoscience through her programs and events. She organizes the Fall Geoheritage events, supports teachers and students in the K-12 system with class visits, workshops on campus, runs teacher professional development workshops and coordinates our very popular Earth Science Summer camps. 

She's currently working on creating a Geoheritage park with a 4.6 Km geologic time trail on the Carleton campus. She has also just completed a Graduate diploma in Curatorial Studies and hopes to add this new educational knowledge to enhance the use of Geoscience collections in public engagement. 

The Canadian Federation of Earth Sciences is an umbrella organization that represents a federation of Earth Sciences societies and associations across Canada. Established in 2006 as the successor to the Canadian Geoscience Council, CFES brings together 13 organizations of Earth Scientists in industry, government and academia, with approximately 15,000 individual members. We advocate on behalf of the Canadian Earth Science community with government and the public, supporting K-12 students and teachers via the Canadian Geoscience Education Network. We cooperate with several observer organizations and other relevant Canadian non-member organizations on issues of public education and professional registration. CFES also represents its members internationally, as a member of the International Union of Geosciences (IUGS) and UNESCO.