PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND PRACTICES - COLUMN 196
Topical Index-Table of Contents to the Professional Ethics and Practices Columns A topically based Index-Table of Contents, “pe&p index.xls” cov ering columns, articles, and letters to
the editor that have been referred to in the PE&P columns in Excel format is on the AIPG web site in the Ethics section. This Index-Table of Contents is updated as each issue of the TPG is published. You can use it to find those items addressing a particular area of concern. Suggestions for improvements should be sent to David Abbott,
dmageol@msn.com
Compiled by David M. Abbott, Jr., CPG-04570 5055 Tamarac Street, Denver, CO 80238 303-346-6112,
dmageol@msn.com
Two suggestions for students and early career professionals
Create and use an individual profes- sional email address: As one moves from undergraduate school to graduate school or the first of what will likely be a number of different jobs over your career, your school and/or job email will change over time. In order for professional colleagues and orga- nizations to keep track of you, I urge you to establish an individual professional email address that you can use for all personal correspondence with your professional col- leagues and organizations throughout your career. I had a conversation with a colleague at the Annual Meeting who didn’t have a consistent professional email address and thus was having trouble keeping up with various professional organizations and oth- ers. She has a personal email address for her personal contacts, which is perfectly reasonable. The same logic applies to hav- ing a consistent individual email for profes- sional use.
Important non-geoscience courses/
skills for professional practice: There are three non-geoscience skills that you will need to advance in your professional career. The first skill is the ability to write well and clearly. Did you have a college course whose academic purpose was writing skill? Mine, English 2, was a seminar focused on a sub- ject of particular interest to the presenting professor. While one picked a subject that sounded interesting, the academic focus of the course was on writing several papers. The second skill is public speaking. During our careers we will have to give presenta- tions to our employers, to our clients, and to our professional associations. Speech courses are offered at college and help cover a distributive requirement. They require
you to give speeches of various types to the class. An alternative to a speech class is participating in Toastmasters International, a nonprofit organization that helps people improve their public speaking and leader- ship skills through clubs around the world. The third crucial non-geoscience subject is basic accounting. Basic accounting courses are usually available through community colleges and are frequently taught by prac- ticing CPAs. Basic business finance requires a knowledge of double-entry bookkeep- ing, P&L statements, and balance sheets. Project management requires keeping track of income and expenses.
Areas where technology doesn’t work Guanella Pass between Georgetown and
Grant west of Denver is a very popular road for leaf peepers and for access to Mt. Bier- stadt, one of Colorado’s 14ers. It is a nar- row road with limited parking, and the local police are aggressively ticketing and towing illegally parked cars. One problem for those whose cars are towed is that there is no cell phone service at the top of the pass and it is sporadic in other parts. This example serves as a reminder that there are lots of places where the technology on which too many of us have become dependent doesn’t work. Old fashioned maps and magnetic compasses still work fine in such areas. Geoscientists generally understand and use maps. We need to remind the gen- eral public of their usefulness.
Introduction to this column’s AI topics
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is
a hot topic these days and was addressed in talks and discussions at the AIPG Annual Meeting in St. Louis. The following discus- sions of various AI use issues reflect the
1.
https://www.geoethics.org/ai-ethics-recommendations. 38 TPG •
Jan.Feb.Mar 2026
www.aipg.org
interest in AI use and misuse. Interestingly, the first two articles in the October 2025 issue of PCWorld are “Microsoft’s Windows future is built on AI, voice, cloud, and con- text” and “I don’t need AI in Windows. I need an operating system that works.” The contrast between these two articles re- flects the primary issues with AI.
AI Ethics Recommendations for the geoscience community
The Task Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Geosciences of the Commission on Geoethics of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) issued a paper, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics Recommendations for the geoscience com- munity, on September 26, 2025.1 The article states, “Statistical and machine learning approaches have supported geosciences for decades and the rapid adoption of frontier and generative AI have introduced article identifies eight themes with recom- mendations “to address ethical issues and concerns. These are: Use AI Responsibly; Promote Transparency and Explainability; Consider Bias and Fairness; Obtain Informed Consent, Protect Personal Data; Practice Participatory Design and Community Engagement; Advocate for Environmental Protection; Integrity in Science, Publishing and Education; and Consider Geopolitics. A simple practical one-page summary is presented for AI Ethics in the Geosciences, supported by a rich discussion of each one-page quick-look geoscience ethics guide is included on page 8 that is worth reviewing.
I urge readers to download and read the whole 38-page report.
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