James Dixon, director of the University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, has been appointed to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advisory Committee on Geosciences.

UNM Provost Chaouki Abdallah said, “Dr. Dixon’s appointment is a well-deserved recognition for his contributions to archaeology and anthropology. He has served UNM as a teacher, researcher, and director of the Maxwell Museum, and now he joins a distinguished group of scholars from across the country.”

The Directorate of Geosciences includes the Divisions of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS), Earth Sciences (EAR), Ocean Sciences (OCE) and Polar Programs (PLR). Polar Programs encompasses both Arctic and Antarctic research at NSF.

Annual research and related activities funding for the Directorate of Geosciences exceeds $1.3 billion.

The charge of the NSF Advisory Committee on Geosciences is to

  • Provide advice, recommendations and oversight concerning support for the NSF's geosciences research and education portfolio.
  • Be a base of contact with the scientific community to inform NSF of the impact of its research support and NSF-wide policies on the scientific community.
  • Serve as a forum for consideration of geosciences initiatives and research thrusts.
  • Provide broad input into long-range plans and partnership opportunities.Perform oversight of program management, overall program balance, and other aspects of program performance for geoscience activities.