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For more information about making a gift to AGU, please call“Geologizing” and Generosity
David Miller (June 1957 – May 2009) was raised on the west branch of the Susquehanna River among the bucolic ridges and valleys of central Pennsylvania. He lived life in many wonderful places — the Pacific Northwest and the glaciers of Alaska, the Chesapeake Bay region, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Hawaiian Islands, to name a few. But it was to Pennsylvania's ridges and valleys that he returned as often as possible, finding both spiritual and intellectual nourishment in the singular beauty surrounding his childhood home.
He earned a B.A., with honors, in American history at Pennsylvania State University. Miller's history degree turned out to be fundamental to his successful career. He became a gifted communicator who got great satisfaction from helping people understand very complex scientific issues, concepts, problems, and solutions. He went on to earn a B.S. in geology, a B.S. in civil engineering, a M.S. in engineering, and a Ph.D.
“He was a very good student but not an exceptional one, in large part because he insisted on participating fully in his nonacademic interests such as hunting, fishing, and his family. It is because Dave had such a clear set of life priorities, refusing to be drawn into his career to the exclusion of other parts of life, that this scholarship is created,” his wife, Betsy Miller, said. “It supports not necessarily the most academically gifted or ambitious students, but the ones who view their educations as pathways that give challenging professional lives creative expression. Recipients of this award will be students who seek to build their own life's philosophy around their science education, growing toward the ultimate goal of contributing to the betterment of the world,” she added.
Miller had a career characterized by unending challenges presented in the complex world of applied environmental sciences. He was employed by Science Applications International Corp., Argonne National Laboratory, and Fluor International Corp.
You can honor Dr. Miller's many contributions to science and society — and to the students he mentored — by making a gift to the scholarship fund established by Betsy Miller.
Donate now or call AGU's Development Office, 202.777.7483, to discuss your contribution to the fund. To give via check please make your check payable to American Geophysical Union, specifying "David S. Miller Fund" in the memo line and send it to:
American Geophysical Union
Attn: Development Office
2000 Florida Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20009
