Mather Medal

Awards Ceremony

The Ohio Geological Survey announces the presentation of the Mather Medal recognizing outstanding contributions to Ohio geology to

Thomas M. Berg

Friday, September 29, 2023
Fawcett Event Center—The Ohio State University
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio, 43210
fawcettcenter.com

AGENDA
6:00 PM Social Hour/Cash Bar
7:00 PM Plated Dinner
8:00 PM Award Ceremony

Plated dinner: Choice of grilled lemon & oregano chicken, Tuscan buttermilk salmon, or vegetarian lasagna; dinner includes salad, chocolate truffle layer cake dessert, and choice of beverage. Appetizers will be provided, and a cash bar will be available. Those with questions about event registration or dietary restrictions may contact the Ohio Geological Survey by emailing geo.survey@dnr.ohio.gov or by calling (614) 265-6576.

Reservations must be made by September 22, 2023.

Cost is $40.00 per person

Please also consider sponsoring this event at the $100 or $250 amounts. There is also space for a special sponsor at the $600 level. A sponsorship helps the organizer offset the cost of meals provided to special guests and expenses for audio visual equipment.

About Tom Berg

Tom Berg had a distinguished professional career and contributed immensely to our understanding of Ohio’s geology for over 17 years. From 1989 to 2006, he served as the eleventh State Geologist and Chief of the Ohio Geological Survey. He came to Ohio from the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, where he had been for nearly 25 years serving as Associate State Geologist and Chief of the Mapping Division.

One of Berg’s first scientific priorities for the Ohio Geological Survey was to produce a new bedrock geologic map of Ohio to replace John A. Bownocker’s 1920 Geologic Map of Ohio. Thousands of hours were put into new mapping efforts culminating with the release of map BG-1: Bedrock Geologic Map of Ohio in 2006. Berg also oversaw a major compilation effort to replace the 1961 Glacial Map of Ohio. The new map represented a vast improvement over the earlier version and was released in 1999 as the Quaternary Map of Ohio. Both maps marked major achievements for the Berg Survey.

Two other milestone publications for the Survey were released during Berg’s tenure—Bulletin 69: Minerals of Ohio and Bulletin 70: Fossils of Ohio. Both bulletins enjoyed broad public appeal and have remained two of the best-selling Survey publications. Additionally, the Survey created several series of free informative handouts including Educational Leaflets, GeoFacts, and Hands-On Earth Science activity sheets geared towards grade-school children.

Berg oversaw the construction of the Horace R. Collins Laboratory and Core Repository (HRC) in Delaware, a modern facility that houses core and samples and provides laboratory spaces, examination rooms, and a large classroom for educational and outreach activities. The HRC also is home to the Ohio Seismic Network, which was founded under Berg’s leadership in 1999.

During Berg’s leadership, Survey geologists and cartographers experienced a significant transition from paper and Mylar to digital mapping techniques, enabling geologists to assemble data into large databases and to load multiple mapping layers to make correlations that beforehand were almost unimaginable.

During his career, Berg oversaw significant improvements in statewide mapping efforts, educational publications, and digital data collection and dissemination. His efforts to increase access to Survey publications and maps enabled countless Ohioans to learn about the geology of our state.