Ruth Schmidt set up the Edward and Anna Range Schmidt Charitable Trust to honor her parents and provide opportunities for students studying the earth sciences.

After her death in 2014, numerous other philanthropic works were detailed, including generous support for the Alaska Museum of Natural History and a donation of wetlands that is now part of the Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department.

The Schmidt Charitable Trust was established in 1993 to encourage and assist promising Alaska Native and other minority students to pursue education in the earth and environmental sciences.

The focus of the Trust is to promote a better understanding of land, resources, and geologic processes and to support students preparing for related occupations. With education in these areas, students can prepare for roles in science-based land planning and management of natural resources; conservation and development of natural resources; stewardship of the environment; and research in earth history.

The purpose of the Schmidt Charitable Trust is to encourage Alaskans of any age to pursue education in the sciences, with an emphasis on earth sciences, so that they may become better stewards of the land and serve as positive role models for others.

Financial assistance supporting these purposes is available to, in priority order:

1) Alaska Natives who reside in rural Alaska

2) Alaska Native and other minority Alaskans in financial need in both rural and urban areas

3) Other Alaskans who show academic and personal promise in need of assistance.

Board of Directors

Greg DuBois

Greg DuBois earned a BS in Earth Science from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, in 1982.  In 1983 he moved to Alaska for adventure and in 1984 began working for the US Geological Survey and was fortunate to conduct field work on the Alaska Peninsula, in southeast Alaska, in the Wrangel Mountains, and the Brooks Range.  He assisted with K-Ar geochronology and GIS projects to produce geologic maps of Alaska. In 1991 he began working in the private sector in the environmental consulting field. He was hired by Alaska Peninsula Corporation in 2007 and is currently CEO of APC Federal LLC, overseeing the environmental remediation and consulting programs. 

Mischa Ellanna

Mischa Ellanna is a geologist and GIS analyst based in Anchorage, Alaska, with nearly three decades of experience in land management and mineral exploration. He brings a strong background in geochemistry, geophysics, GIS, and construction aggregates, and has worked as a geologist with the Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Mischa has also contributed to statewide geological efforts, including serving on advisory panels for Alaska's STATEMAP program and participating in community initiatives around Indigenous place-making in Anchorage.

Jason Geck

Dr. Jason Geck is a Professor of Environmental Science at Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage, where he specializes in glaciology, climate change, and geographic information systems (GIS). Originally from Sacramento, California, he first came to Alaska to spend summers commercial fishing in Bristol Bay before falling in love with the state's backcountry and making it his permanent home, joining APU in 2003. His teaching and research focus on the effects of climate change on glaciers and glacier hydrology, including significant work on Eklutna Glacier, which provides the majority of Anchorage's drinking water and a portion of its hydropower.

Amanda King

Dr. Amanda King is a Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences and Director of the Master of Science in Environmental Science (MSES) program at Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage, where she was born and raised, growing up exploring the Chugach Mountains. Amanda has a B.S. in geochemistry from Caltech and a Ph.D. in geology from Stanford University. Her research spans a wide range of earth science topics, including stable isotope analysis, late Quaternary environmental change in Alaska, and contaminant impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Ben Porterfield

Ben Porterfield grew up in Trapper Creek, Alaska.  He received a bachelors degree from the University of Alaska and a masters degree from the University of Arizona.  He has forty years of experience working for government agencies, private mining companies, and Native corporations.  He is currently on staff at Alaska Earth Sciences.

Nora Shew

Nora Shew earned a B.A. in Geology and Mathematics at San Francisco State University.  After graduation, she worked at the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, then moved to the USGS office in Anchorage, Alaska, where she helped build and operate an argon extraction laboratory for doing K/Ar geochronology.  During the later part of her career as an operational geologist, she worked on building geospatial data sets of earth science information (geology, geochemistry, geochronology, and mineral resource information) for doing spatial analyses and creating maps.

Frederic Wilson

Dr. Frederic (Ric) Wilson earned a B.S. in Geology at Michigan Technological University, briefly worked for Shell Oil Company in New Orleans, where he saw the light and moved to Alaska to earn an M.S. in Geology. Hired by the USGS, he then earned a Ph.D. in Geology at Dartmouth College while a USGS employee. Today he is a Research Geologist at the USGS working in Alaska and the Caribbean.