Volume 7 No. 1 (January 2, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

1.       Happy New Year! The IUGG Yearbook for 2007 is in press

2.       Abstract Deadline for IUGG General Assembly is January 31

3.       Armenia is now a regular member of IUGG

4.       Meetings in 2007 selected for IUGG support

5.       ICSU Young Scientists Conference

6.       ICSU December 2006 Newsletter available

7.       IUGG-related meetings occurring during January – March 2007


1. Happy New Year! The IUGG Yearbook for 2007 is in press

Thanks to all of the Adhering Body National Committees and the Associations for helping to update the information in the IUGG Yearbook! Assistant Secretary General Katina Rogers completed the master copy of the 2007 Yearbook on 5 December. It was posted on the IUGG Website (www.iugg.org) by Webmaster Kathy Zellers, and will be printed and distributed by the end of January. During 2007, updates to addresses and other information in the Yearbook should be sent to the Secretariat (secretariat@iugg.org) as soon as they are known. It is planned to cease printing of the Yearbook, as it is now constituted, in 2008. Instead, the website will maintain the directory of IUGG and Association officials and the archive of IUGG memberships and General Assemblies, thus redirecting nearly $10,000 annually for other uses.

Best Wishes to everyone for a healthy and prosperous New Year!


2. Abstract Deadline for IUGG General Assembly is January 31

Preparations are continuing for the IUGG General Assembly, July 2 – 13, in Perugia, Italy. The Abstract Deadline for electronic filing is January 31, which is also the deadline for applications for travel support. The General Assembly web site (www.iugg2007perugia.it), also accessible from the IUGG home page (www.iugg.org), includes all the instructions and forms.

The Third Circular, including information on registration fees and reservations for accommodations and field trips, is now posted on the web. It has already been updated from its initial release, so be sure to refresh your screen image of the Circular before printing out the forms.


3. The Republic of Armenia is now a regular member of IUGG

Armenia became a member of IUGG in the year 2000 as an Associate member. Associate members organize a National Committee and name correspondents to the Associations, are admitted to IUGG by vote of the Adhering Bodies, and otherwise participate in all scientific aspects of IUGG. But because Associate members do not pay annual dues, they do not vote in matters of IUGG business and may not hold office in the Union or the Associations. However, Associate members may become regular, voting members with the approval of the Council (or the Bureau, acting on behalf of the Council between General Assemblies) and by paying an invoice for dues. Armenia has now paid the dues for 2006, and we will welcome their delegate, Dr. Alvaro Antonyan, as a new voting member of the IUGG Council meetings in Perugia.


4. Meetings in 2007 selected for IUGG support

IUGG co-sponsors symposia and meetings appropriate to our disciplines of study. A small fund is spent annually to assist meetings, and especially to support the attendance of young scientists and scientists from developing countries. In years of the IUGG General Assembly, the budget for meetings is reduced to $5000 (USD) so that more money is available to support attendance at the General Assembly. Officers of the Associations and Inter-Association Commissions and Committees nominate meetings to receive these awards. For 2007, IUGG will assist attendance to the following meetings. More information about each of them will be listed under the "Meetings Calendar" option on the IUGG Web site (www.iugg.org) as it becomes available.

A planning meeting for the Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY), 13-14 March, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Workshop on Glaciers in Watershed and Global Hydrology, 27-31 August, Obergurgl, Austria

Workshop on Natural and Human-induced Disasters in Africa, August, Kampala, Uganda

Workshop on EMSEV activities in Indonesia


5. ICSU Young Scientists Conference

The International Council for Science (ICSU) is celebrating its 75th anniversary by organizing a conference for young scientists to discuss and address some of today’s important scientific challenges in a multidisciplinary and international environment. The conference entitled "Global Scientific Challenges: Perspectives from Young Scientists" is being held in Lindau in Germany from 4th to 6th April 2007. IUGG nominated a number of young scientists; three were selected for participation. They are Dr. Kate Heal (IAHS; University of Edinburgh, U.K.), Dr. Laura Sanchez (IAG; Colombia, now studying in Germany), and Dr. Thomas Mölg (UCCS; University of Innsbruck, Austria). Topics to be discussed include Building bridges within the scientific community; Building bridges between science and the world; Working with the private sector; A "carbon neutral" conference: Overview of the concept and discussion of options for offsetting emissions; and Scientific freedom and responsibilities. The Closing Plenary will focus on Strengthening International Science for the Benefit of Society.


6. ICSU December 2006 Newsletter available

The December issue of Insight, the on-line newsletter of the International Council of Science, is now available on their website (www.icsu.org). Items include articles relating to Planning and Coordinating Research including the launch of the International Polar Year on 1 March in Paris, Science for Policy, Universality of Science including articles on the Regional Offices, ICSU Governance and Policies, and positions available at the Secretariat.


7. IUGG-Related Meetings Occurring during January – March 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

January 14 - 18, 2007
AMS; San Antonio, Texas, USA; 87th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society

February 7 – 10, 2007
IAHS; Coimbatore, India; 3rd International Groundwater Conference (IGC-2007): Water, Environment and Agriculture – Present Problems and Future Challenges

March 5 - 9, 2007
EGU; Lima, Peru; 2nd Alexander von Humboldt Conference: The Role of Geophysics in Natural Disaster Prevention

March 13 - 14, 2007
eGY; Boulder, Colorado, USA; electronic Geophysical Year Planning Meeting


Volume 7 No. 2 (February 1, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

  1. Abstract Deadline for IUGG General Assembly extended to 28 February
  2. Final Call for Delegates to the 2007 IUGG General Assembly
  3. 2011 IUGG General Assembly
  4. Nigeria returns to regular membership in IUGG
  5. Liaison Reports
  6. Invitation to nominate candidates for the IGCP Scientific Board
  7. Awards and Honors
  8. IUGG-related meetings occurring during February – April 2007

1. Abstract Deadline for IUGG General Assembly extended to 28 February

Preparations are continuing for the IUGG General Assembly, July 2 – 13, in Perugia, Italy. The Abstract Deadline for electronic filing has been extended to 28 February, which is also the new deadline for electronic applications for travel support. All instructions and forms for the General Assembly are on the web site (www.iugg2007perugia.it ), accessible from the IUGG home page (www.IUGG.org).

Information on registration fees and reservations for accommodations and field trips is in the Third Circular, posted on the General Assembly website. The Third Circular has already been updated from its initial release, so be sure to refresh your screen image of the Circular before printing out the forms. The deadline to register at a reduced fee is 30 April, also the deadline to reserve accommodations through the Local Organizing Committee. After 30 April, all hotel rooms being held by the LOC will be released and they will no longer be able to assist with bookings.

A preliminary list of special events at the General Assembly was included in a Special Issue of the IUGG E-Journal that was broadcast on 12 January. That special issue is posted on the IUGG website with all other previous issues of the E-Journal.

IAVCEI is planning a series of field trips. New information will be released soon.

Finally, please be reminded that additional nominations for Officers of IUGG and members of the Finance Committee are being accepted according to the rules posted on the IUGG website. The Chair of the Nominations Committee, Dr. Søren Gregersen, sg@geus.dk, will be happy to assist with the formalities. The ballot as it is now constituted was reported in the December 2006 E-Journal, available on the IUGG website.


2. Final Call for Delegates to the 2007 IUGG General Assembly

In a formal letter posted on 9 May 2006 to all IUGG Adhering Bodies, a request was made for the name of the official delegate to the IUGG Council meetings in Perugia, Italy, in July 2007. This person must be accredited by means of a signed letter (fax and e-mail are not acceptable) from the IUGG Adhering Organisation. This person will be admitted to the Council meeting and may participate in Council business. Delegates from Adhering Bodies in Observer status (that is, dues not paid through 2006), may participate in Council Business but may not vote on issues requiring a ballot, including elections of officers and approval of the budget. Because of a change in IUGG By-laws (By-law 11) enacted at the 2003 General Assembly, IUGG Members in Associate status may send one representative to the Council meetings as a Listener, Listeners are not permitted to engage in discussions or vote on IUGG business. Previously, Associate members were not represented at Council meetings.

The Adhering Organizations are asked to notify the IUGG Secretariat of the name of their delegate and to send these letters so that they arrive at the IUGG Office by 28 February 2007. In order to expedite the Council meetings, documents regarding items of business will be sent directly to the delegates for consideration in advance of the General Assembly.


3. 2011 IUGG General Assembly

The deadline for bids to host the General Assembly in 2011 has passed.

One invitation with detailed supporting documents was received to hold the XXVth IUGG General Assembly in Melbourne, Australia, 20 June – 1 July 2011. The bid, from the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society of New Zealand with support from numerous scientific societies, universities and the public and private sector, has been sent to the members of the Site Evaluation Committee (ER Engdahl, Chair, CC Tscherning, and K Whaler) for their consideration. They will present their report to the IUGG Council for their vote at the 2007 General Assembly in Perugia.


4. Nigeria returns to regular membership in IUGG

Nigeria became a regular member of IUGG in the year 1971, but had subsequently requested Associate status because of financial difficulties to pay the dues. Associate members may return to regular status with the approval of the Council (or the Bureau, acting on behalf of the Council between General Assemblies) and by paying an invoice for dues. Nigeria has now paid dues for 2006, and we welcome their delegates as voting members of the IUGG Council and Association meetings in Perugia.


5. Liaison Reports

On behalf of IUGG, Dr. David Kerridge attended the first Board Meeting of the International Year of Planet Earth held on 9 - 10 January 2007 in London, UK. The meeting began with the informal opening of the IYPE triennium (2007-2009) and closed with a joint balloon launch on the occasion of the opening of the International Year and the Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Geological Society of London. The December 2006 editions of the IYPE Prospectus and Business Plan are available on the website http://www.esfs.org/downloads/

On behalf of IUGG, Dr. Alik Ismail-Zadeh attended the Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Planet Earth held in the University of Tokyo, Japan, on January 22, 2007. A one-day symposium highlighted the importance of IYPE, discussed the activity of Japanese scientific and industrial institutions toward the Year, and desired outcomes of this activity.

At the invitation of IUGS and on behalf of IUGG, Alik Ismail-Zadeh attended the 57th Executive Committee Meeting of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) held in Nara, Japan, January 16-20, 2007. Discussions included activities of the International Year of Planet Earth, activities stemming from the consortium of 7 ICSU GeoUnions (that will next meet in April in Rome), as well as scientific topics of interdisciplinary interest.

At the invitation of International Consortium on Landslides and on behalf of IUGG, Alik Ismail-Zadeh participated in the First Session of the International Program on Landslides (IPL) held in United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan, 22-25 January 2007. Discussions with Prof. K. Sassa (ICL President) and other ICL members included activities of the ICL and IPL, cooperation with the IUGG GeoRisk Commission as well as with the IUGG member Associations and their working groups dealing with landslides. IUGG is invited to cosponsor the First World Landslide Forum to be held 18-21 November 2008, in Tokyo, Japan.

On behalf of IUGG, Dr. Arthur Askew attended the 14th session of WMO’s Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 7-14 December 2006. Of particular interest to IUGG are efforts to test instruments and compile internationally comparable data sets, including a new proposal to inter-compare sea level and tsunami monitoring instruments.


6. Invitation to nominate candidates for the IGCP Scientific Board

The International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) is a joint venture between UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). To ensure successful assessment and implementation of proposals and projects, IGCP is changing its evaluation structure. All organizations related to the geosciences are invited to propose candidates for the position of IGBP Scientific Board member. The deadline for nominations is 31 March. For additional information, please contact the IUGG Secretariat.


7. Awards and Honors

The 2006 COSPAR Space Science Award was presented to Prof. Atsuhiro Nishida at the recent COSPAR 36th Scientific Assembly in Beijing, China. COSPAR (Committee on Space Research) recognized Nishida as “one of the most innovative physicists in the world space physics community.” Dr. Nishida has served IUGG as Chair of the National Committee for Japan, and as Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee for the 2003 Sapporo General Assembly. In addition, COSPAR presented Prof. Raymond A. Greenwald with their International Cooperation Medal, which is awarded for significant contributions to the promotion of cooperative, international scientific endeavor. Greenwald is the Chair of IAGA Working Group II-E: Ionospheric Irregularities, Fields and Waves.


8. IUGG-Related Meetings Occurring during February – April 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

February 7 – 10, 2007
IAHS; Coimbatore, India; 3rd International Groundwater Conference (IGC-2007): Water, Environment and Agriculture – Present Problems and Future Challenges

March 5 - 9, 2007
EGU; Lima, Peru; 2nd Alexander von Humboldt Conference: The Role of Geophysics in Natural Disaster Prevention

March 13 - 14, 2007
eGY; Boulder, Colorado, USA; electronic Geophysical Year Planning Meeting

March 20 - 23, 2007
IAVCEI; Havana, Cuba; International Workshop on Volcanism and Tectonics

March 20 - 25, 2007
IAVCEI; San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México; El Chichón Volcano: 25 years later

April 22 - 27, 2007
IAVCEI; Academia Sinica, Taipei; Evolution, Transfer, and Release of Magmas and Volcanic Gases



 

 

Volume 7 No. 3 (March 1, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

1.       New nominations for IUGG Officers due by 31 March

2.       Council Agenda Books mailed on 28 February

3.       IAVCEI Field Trips added to the General Assembly website

4.       A UCCS Field Trip not yet on the Perugia website

5.       Cultural Events at the Perugia General Assembly

6.       Awards and Honors

7.       IUGG-related meetings occurring during March – May 2007


1. New nominations for IUGG Officers due by 31 March

Given below is the list of nominations for the IUGG Bureau and the Finance Committee as submitted by the Nominating Committee. For each position either one or two candidates have been nominated, as required by the By-Laws (10b). The positions and the nominated candidates are:

President: Tom Beer (Australia)
Vice-President: Harsh K. Gupta (India), and David Kerridge (U.K.)
Treasurer: Aksel W. Hansen (Denmark)
Secretary General: Alik Ismail-Zadeh (Germany)

Bureau Members
Position #1: Yun-Tai Chen (China)
Position #2: Ali Tealeb (Egypt)
Position #3: David Jackson (U.S.A.)

Finance Committee
Position #1: Jan Krynski (Poland)
Position #2: Kyoshi Suyehiro (Japan)
Position #3: Juan Vilas (Argentina)
Position #4: Czango Baag (Korea)*

The Curriculum Vitae of the candidates are posted on the IUGG web site.

New candidates for each office can be added to the list given above if they meet the general requirements for IUGG officers, and are supported by at least three presidents or equivalent officers of National Committees of Member Adhering Bodies. New candidates must signify their acceptance of the nomination and must prepare a resume outlining their position, research interests, and activities related to the Union. The deadline for adding nominations is 31 March 2007. The resulting final list of nominations will be completed and distributed by 30 April 2007. The By-Laws provide for re-nominations following the close of the first Council Meeting at the General Assembly.

*On 20 February 2007, a new nomination was received for the previously open position on the Finance Committee. That nomination is Prof. Czango Baag (Korea). His CV has been added to the website.

For questions concerning the nomination procedure, please contact the chair of the Nominating Committee, Søren Gregersen, at sg@geus.dk.


2. Council Agenda Books mailed on 28 February

The IUGG Statutes and By-laws require that the Council Agenda and supporting materials be sent to the Adhering Bodies and their Delegates four months in advance. This was done as required, and in addition, a pdf file of the Council Agenda Book was posted on the IUGG Website under General Assemblies, 2007. While the Council meetings themselves are open only to Adhering Body Delegates, Listeners designated by Adhering Bodies in Associate Status, the IUGG Executive Committee and Finance Committee, and guests invited by the President, the record of IUGG business is open to all. A report of the decisions of the Council, including the officers elected for the 2007-2011 term, will be presented at the General Assembly Closing Ceremony on 13 July at 4 pm.


3. IAVCEI Field Trips added to the General Assembly website

IAVCEI has arranged a number of special field trips, which will be conducted only if enough persons register. The details about these trips is posted on the General Assembly website, at the bottom of the section for Field Trips and Excursions. Most are several days (3-5 days); some are pre-Assembly and some are post-Assembly. Please contact the leaders of the trips for additional information.

Volcanic activity at Mount Etna

Pyroclastic products of the quaternary age in central Italy: Ignimibritic deposits and related calderas

Calderas types and Ignimbrite types

Volcanic History of Nisyros Island (Greece)

Facies and depositional mechanisms of the Aeolian pyroclasts and lavas as a tool for the evaluation of volcanic hazard

Monte Vulture Volcano (Basilicata) and the Umbria and Latium Italian extrusive carbonatites

Neapolitan volcanoes: Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei

Volcanic and plutonic association in the Miocene-Pliocene Tuscan Magmatic Province Plutonism and Volcanism in the Tuscan Magmatic Province (Central Italy)

Phreatomagmatic volcanic field in a Mio/Pliocene fluvio-lacustrine basin: Pannonian Basin (in Hungary)


4. A UCCS Field Trip not yet on the Perugia website

The JMS027 conveners are organizing a post assembly excursion "to the big Italian glaciers Forni (upper Valtellina) and Miage (Mont Blanc massif)" July 14 - 17, 2007. Contacts: claudio.smiraglia@unimi.it and guglielmina.diolaiuti@unimi.it


5. Cultural Events at the Perugia General Assembly

The Perugia Local Organizing Committee is organizing many mayor side events. Amongst these there is an extraordinary exhibition about Leonardo Da Vinci and history of cartography in collaboration with the Italian Army Geographical Institute. This event will be held in the wonderful location of S. Giuliana Monastery.

We are now cooperating with the organizers of the Umbria Jazz Festival to put our efforts together in order to make your evenings the most enjoyable with reserved accesses to the concerts.

And finally, please announce that we are also proposing many initiatives in collaboration with the mayor cultural associations and museums such as free entrance tickets and special guided tours to let you fully enjoy all the several resources that our land offers.


6. Awards and Honors

Dr. Harsh Gupta, IUGG Bureau member and General President of the Indian Science Congress, presented an address to the 94th Science Congress at Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India. His theme, and that of the Congress, was Planet Earth.

Dr. Gufran Beig (Indian Institute of tropical Meteorology, Pune), vice-chair of the IAGA working group II.F, was conferred with the "Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award-2006" which is considered to be the highest scientific honour of India. The award was bestowed by the honorable Prime Minister of India for Dr. Beig’s outstanding contributions on the assessment of mesospheric temperature trends.

Prof. Gurbax Lakhina (Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai), member of the IAGA Executive Committee, received the K. R. Ramanathan Medal (2005) in December 2006 during the 72nd Annual General Body Meeting of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). Following Prof. Lakhina’s award lecture, the Medal was conferred by the President of INSA.


7. IUGG-Related Meetings Occurring during March – May 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

March 5 - 9
EGU; Lima, Peru; 2nd Alexander von Humboldt Conference: The Role of Geophysics in Natural Disaster Prevention

March 13 - 14
eGY; Boulder, Colorado, USA; electronic Geophysical Year Planning Meeting

March 20 - 23
IAVCEI; Havana, Cuba; International Workshop on Volcanism and Tectonics

March 20 - 25
IAVCEI; San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, México; El Chichón Volcano: 25 years later

April 15 - 20
EGU; Vienna, Austria; European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2007

April 22 - 27
IAVCEI; Academia Sinica, Taipei; Evolution, Transfer, and Release of Magmas and Volcanic Gases

May 14 – 16
IASPEI; Tehran, Iran; 5th International Conference on Seismology and Earthquake Prediction, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering (SEE5)

 

Volume 7 No. 4 (April 13, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

1.       About this issue of the IUGG Electronic Journal

2.       Perugia General Assembly

3.       Final Slate of IUGG Officers

4.       Awards and Honors

5.       IUGG-related meetings occurring during April – June 2007


1. About this issue of the IUGG Electronic Journal

This April issue of the IUGG E-Journal follows 3 weeks from the 23 March issue. The May issue will appear on 11 May. These unusual issue dates are necessary to accommodate the events leading up the General Assembly.


2. Perugia General Assembly

The Scientific Programme Committee had a successful meeting in Perugia March 26-27. The messages regarding travel assistance will be sent within the next week so that all registration and accommodation requests can be made by 30 April. It is IMPORTANT that registration formalities are completed on line at the General Assembly website [ www.iugg2007perugia.it ] before 30 April in order to pay the reduced amount. After 30 April, the cost of registration will increase, and the Local Organizing Committee will no longer be able to assist with room reservations.

Following are a list of special events that will take place during the General Assembly, in chronological order. These now include plenary sessions of the Associations and Union Commissions, and special meetings of inter-Union bodies. Rooms have been assigned for each event – they will be posted on the IUGG web site soon.

Monday 2 July; 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Union Lecture in the Aula Magna (University of Perugia); Robert Corell, Harvard University, USA, will speak on "Our Changing Climate: A Global Policy Issue."

Monday 2 July; 2 - 3:30 p.m. IAG Council of Delegates

Monday 2 July; 4 - 6 p.m. first IAGA Conference of Delegates

Monday 2 July; 6:30 - 10 p.m. General Assembly Welcoming Ceremony

Tuesday 3 July; 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. IAMAS Conference of Delegates

Tuesday 3 July; 6 - 7 p.m. SEDI Business meeting

Wednesday 4 July; 8:30 - 10 a.m. IAPSO Conference of Delegates

Wednesday 4 July; 10:00 a.m. IAPSO Special Event: The Prince Albert I lecture "From Swallow floats to autonomous observing networks", Prof. Russ Davis, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Wednesday 4 July; 3:30 - 5 p.m. IAG Opening Ceremony

Wednesday 4 July; IAPSO dinner

Thursday 5 July; 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Union Lecture in the Aula Magna (University of Perugia); Maria Zuber, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, will speak on "Inside the terrestrial planets"

Thursday 5 July; 7 - 9 p.m. IAMAS Special Event: Our Understanding Of Climate Change; report of the findings of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Thursday 5 July; 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. EMSEV Working Group meeting

Friday 6 July; 10 - 12 a.m. second IAGA Conference of Delegates

Friday 6 July 12:00 - 1:45 p.m. GeoRisk Commission Business Meeting

Saturday 7 July; Launch of the Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) and Celebration of the IGY+50 Anniversary
2 - 3:15 p.m.: Geosciences in Africa
3:30 - 6:30 p.m.: IGY+50 and eGY exhibits and demonstrations
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.: Official Launching of the eGY

Sunday 8 July; SCOSTEP General Council Meeting (at Hotel Gio)

Sunday 8 July; 2 - 6 p.m. Cryospheric Sciences Union Commission meeting

Sunday 8 July; 6 - 8 p.m. International Lithosphere Programme Bureau meeting

Monday 9 July; 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. IASPEI Conference of delegates
(Opening plenary)

Monday 9 July; 6 - 8 p.m. IAG Plenary meeting

Monday 9 July; 6 - 7:30 p.m. IAHS First Plenary meeting

Monday 9 July; 7 - 9 p.m. IAMAS Special Event: The Assessment Of The Effect Of Pollution On Precipitation

Tuesday 10 July; 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Union Lecture; Claudio Faccenna, Università di Roma Tre, Italy, will speak on "Subduction and Mantle Convection in the Mediterranean"

Tuesday 10 July; 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. IAG Closing Plenary

Tuesday 10 July; 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. IAMAS Conference of Delegates

Tuesday 10 July; 6 - 7:30 p.m. Young Scientists Panel Discussion

Wednesday 11 July; 6 - 7:30 p.m. IAHS-PUB Plenary

Wednesday 11 July; 6 - 7:30 p.m. UCCS/IACS Plenary

Thursday 12 July; 6 - 8 p.m. CMG Business Meeting

Thursday 12 July; 6 - 7:30 p.m. IAHS Second Plenary meeting; 8 p.m. banquet

Thursday 12 July; 8 - 10 p.m. IASPEI dinner

Thursday 12 July; 5 - 6 p.m. IAVCEI General Membership meeting; 8 - 10 p.m. IAVCEI dinner

Friday 13 July; 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Union Lecture in the Aula Magna, Kenji Satake, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan, will speak on "Lessons from the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and the Asian tsunami"

Friday 13 July; 4 - 5 p.m. Closing Ceremony. Meet the new IUGG officers for 2007-2011 and receive the invitation for the 2011 (XXV) IUGG General Assembly

Friday 13 July; 5 - 6 p.m. IASPEI Closing Plenary


3. Final Slate of IUGG Officers

Given below is the list of nominations for the IUGG Bureau and the Finance Committee as submitted by the Nominating Committee. For each position either one or two candidates have been nominated, as required by the By-Laws (10b). The positions and the nominated candidates are:

President: Tom Beer (Australia)
Vice-President: Harsh K. Gupta (India), and David Kerridge (U.K.)
Treasurer: Aksel W. Hansen (Denmark)
Secretary General: Alik Ismail-Zadeh (Germany)

Bureau Members
Position #1 Yun-Tai Chen (China)
Position #2 Ali Tealeb (Egypt)
Position #3 David Jackson (U.S.A.)

Finance Committee
Position #1 Jan Krynski (Poland)
Position #2 Kyoshi Suyehiro (Japan)
Position #3 Juan Vilas (Argentina)
Position #4 Czango Baag (Korea)

The Curriculum Vitae of the candidates are posted on the IUGG Web site.


4. Awards and Honors

IAPSO Vice-President Dr. Lawrence Mysak, Director of the Earth System Modeling Group in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, received a Prix du Québec, the Marie Victorin Prize in Natural Science in Engineering.


5. IUGG-related meetings occurring during April – July 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

April 15 - 20
EGU; Vienna, Austria; European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2007

April 22 - 27
IAVCEI; Academia Sinica, Taipei; Evolution, Transfer, and Release of Magmas and Volcanic Gases

May 14 – 16
IASPEI; Tehran, Iran; 5th International Conference on Seismology and Earthquake Prediction, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering (SEE5)

July 2 - 13
IUGG; Perugia, Italy; XXIV General Assembly

July 21 - 22
ICSU/IGOS/IUGG/UNESCO; Kampala, Uganda; Workshop on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters in Africa and Conference on the East African Rift System (EARS-07)

July 29 - August 6
INQUA; Cairns, Australia; 17th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research


 

Volume 7 No. 5 (May 11, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

1.       About this issue of the IUGG Electronic Journal

2.       Perugia General Assembly

3.       eGY Kick Off on July 7 in Perugia

4.       Report from the GeoUnions Meeting

5.       Report from the ICSU Unions meeting

6.       Honors and Awards

7.       IUGG-related meetings occurring during May – July 2007


1. About this issue of the IUGG Electronic Journal

This May issue of the IUGG E-Journal follows 4 weeks from the 13 April issue. The June issue will appear on 1 June, but there will not be a July issue. Normal E-Journal issues should resume in August. These unusual issue dates are necessary to accommodate the events leading up and including the General Assembly.


2. Perugia General Assembly

The "early" (reduced fee) registration deadline has been extended to May 20th. However, the situation with housing reservations is more complex, and regular accommodations are no longer available through the General Assembly website.

There is now a dedicated website for IAVCEI field trips. Please find the link to this website either from the IASPEI home page ( www.iavcei.org ) or the General Assembly web site ( www.iugg2007perugia.it ).

There are a number of additions and corrections to the list of Special Events at the General Assembly that was distributed last month. The corrections are shown below, but perhaps it is more important to note that the Scientific Programme and the list of Meetings and Events are both now posted on the General Assembly web site. Please refer to this information directly.

Monday 2 July. The IAG Council of Delegates will be from 2 – 3:30 pm.

The timing for the IAMAS Conference of Delegates on Tuesday 3 July and Tuesday 10 July will be from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The Launch of the eGY (electronic Geophysical Year) will occur at 5 pm on Saturday July 7. More information is given below.

Monday July 9. The IASPEI Conference of Delegates will take place from 8:30 to 9:30 am.

Friday July 13. The IASPEI Closing Plenary will take place from 3 – 4 pm.


3. eGY Kick Off on July 7 in Perugia

The preliminary schedule for Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) Kick Off has been announced. Starting at noon on Saturday July 7 in the University Cloisters, eGY Demonstration Projects and eGY-related posters will be set up. Participation is invited - please contact bill.peterson@lasp.colorado.edu for details.

Simultaneously, in the theater adjacent to cloisters some of the IGY Movies that are now streaming from the eGY web site will be shown. Emily CoBabe-Ammann, eGY’s Education and Public Outreach Working Group Chair, has obtained permission from the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to convert films produced after IGY, using footage taken during the IGY field research in 1958-1959, into a format compatible with web distribution. These thirteen films were produced to compliment posters and a booklet published in 1958 by the NAS (available from the NAS archives). Each film focuses on one of the 13 research themes of IGY.

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado has agreed to host these films on their website ( http://lasp.Colorado.edu/igy_nas/ )

The official eGY opening ceremony will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM in the University Rectory. Plan to attend.


4. Report from the GeoUnions Meeting

A meeting of an informal consortium of 8 Unions belonging to the International Council of Science (ICSU) was hosted by the International Geographical Union (IGU) at Villa Celimontana in Rome on April 21 – 22. Unions represented included the International Astronomical Union (IAU), IGU, International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS, Chair of this meeting), IUGG, International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI). Regrets were received from the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA). The attendees affirmed the benefits of collaboration, drafted Terms of Reference to solidify the basis for the consortium, and tentatively agreed to meet again on the occasion of the launch of the International Year of Planet Earth in Paris in February 2008. Those IUGG officers who attended the meeting included IUGG President Uri Shamir, Secretary General JoAnn Joselyn, and Bureau member Harsh Gupta.


5. Report from the ICSU Unions meeting

Representatives from the 29 scientific Unions that are members of ICSU were hosted by the Italian Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) at a meeting in Rome on April 23 – 24. The theme of the meeting was "ICSU and its Unions working together to deliver the ICSU Strategy." ICSU President G. Mehta addressed the gathering, and the four sessions were chaired by the four Executive Board (EB) members from the Unions, including Uri Shamir, EB member from a cluster of Unions that includes many of the GeoUnions. The current status of implementation of the ICSU 2006-2012 Strategic Plan was reviewed by Khotso Mokhele, ICSU Vice President and Chair of the Committee for Science Programming and Review. Agenda items included ICSU as well as Union activities on the topics of human health; natural and man-made hazards; and information and data. Directors from each of the ICSU Regional Offices made presentations. The first Regional Office for Africa, located in Pretoria, South Africa, is in full operation and has established 4 science themes. The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, established in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur, has begun operations with hazards as their main scientific focus. The Regional Office in Latin America and the Caribbean has just been inaugurated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Efforts are underway to locate a 4th Regional Office in the Arab World. Planning is in progress for the 2008 ICSU General Assembly to be held in Maputo, Mozambique, 20 – 24 October. An outreach program to bring science to communities will precede the conference, and volunteers are needed to participate in events being planned throughout Mozambique.


6. Honors and Awards

The International Lithosphere Programme will honor Dr. Alan S. Collins (Australia) with the Edward A. Flinn award at their Conference "New Frontiers in Integrated Solid Earth Sciences" to be held at GFZ Potsdam 12-13 June 2007. The Edward A. Flinn Award is presented to an outstanding young scientist for contributions in the solid earth sciences covered by the International Lithosphere Program. It consists of a travel grant and a citation, and aims to provide encouragement for the participation of promising young scientists in the Program. Candidates must be younger than 36 years old.

Professor U. Aswathanarayana, Honorary Director, Mahadevan International Centre for Water Resources Management, and Chair of the Indian eGY Committee, will receive AGU’s International Research Cooperation Award for 2007. The award will be presented at the AGU Spring Meeting/Joint Assembly in Acapulco, Mexico. Professor Aswathanarayana will present his award lecture on Tuesday May 22.


7. IUGG-related meetings occurring during May – July 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

May 14 – 16
IASPEI; Tehran, Iran; 5th International Conference on Seismology and Earthquake Prediction, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering (SEE5)

June 12 - 15
eGY; Denver, Colorado USA; Virtual Observatories in Geosciences 2007

June 18 - 21
ICSU; Mauritius; International Field Workshop on "Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development in Africa"

July 2 - 13
IUGG; Perugia, Italy; XXIV General Assembly

July 21 - 25
ICSU/IUGG; Kampala, Uganda; Workshop on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters in Africa and Conference on the East African Rift System (EARS-07)

July 29 - August 6
INQUA; Cairns, Australia; 17th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research

July 30 - August 4
AOGS; Bangkok, Thailand; 4th Annual Assembly of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society

 

Volume 7 No. 6 (June 1, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

1.       Perugia General Assembly

2.       Young Scientists Panel Discussion

3.       Latin American/Caribbean Nominations needed

4.       National Report from Argentina has been received

5.       CMG meeting 2008

6.       Request for an IUGG contact regarding Food Security

7.       IUGG-related meetings occurring during June – August 2007


1. Perugia General Assembly

Full schedules for administrative meetings as well as scientific sessions are now available on the General Assembly website - www.IUGG2007Perugia.it. To access the meeting schedules, first sign in; click "Bulletins" in the left-hand menu, then "Meeting Program," then download either the text or the Gantt (chart) attachment.

To access the scientific program schedules, it is also possible to enter through the "Bulletins" option; click on "Scientific Program," then download one of the attachments. Alternatively, the "IUGG Programs" link on the left-hand menu (at the very bottom) contains both the times and the rooms of the sessions. Click on the various options (Daily Rooms Planning, Global Rooms Planning, etc) to access the various informative charts.


2. Young Scientists Panel Discussion

A panel of young scientists chaired by Dr. Kate Heal (U.K.) will be convened at the IUGG General Assembly in Perugia on Tuesday July 10 from 6 – 7 p.m. in the Dessau Room of the Rectorate. This panel discussion will follow directly on from an IUGG Executive Committee meeting that will meet in the same room from 4 – 6 p.m. IUGG has special interest in promoting the careers of our young scientists, and we urge your attendance to hear and support their vision of the future of the geosciences.


3. Latin American/Caribbean Nominations needed

The ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is seeking nominations for four Scientific Planning Groups (SPGs). The Scientific Planning Groups will: review the current status of each priority area in the region; formulate a set of detailed objectives based on the ICSU Strategic Plan of 2006-2011; identify targeted areas of research in the given time frame and define milestones that should be reached during the life span of the proposed program; and define capacity building needs. Each Scientific Planning Group will be composed of five Latin-American and Caribbean scientists of highest international standing. They will have approximately one year to prepare a report that will be approved by the Regional Committee and printed as a Science Plan to be presented at the ICSU General Assembly in October 2008. The final decision for the appointments rests solely with the Regional Committee.

The four priority areas are:

Mathematics Education;

Biodiversity (knowledge, preservation and utilization of biodiversity of all countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region, and to ensure that the scientific community of the smaller countries of the region are fully integrated in DIVERSITAS);

Natural Disasters (prevention and mitigation of risks specially of hydrometeorologic origin with special attention to the necessary social science research);

Sustainable Energy (assessment of the existing capacities in the LAC region and the social impact of the use and development of new energy resources).

The IUGG Secretariat has nomination forms. Nominations are due to the Secretariat of the ICSU-LAC no later than 8 June 2007.


4. National Report from Argentina has been received

The National Report of Argentina, divided in 7 Committees, has been posted on www.igm.gov.ar under OTROS ORGANISMOS (Other Organisms) – CNUGGI. Access to this web link is also available on the IUGG website.

As National Reports are received from other Countries, we will make note of them in the E-Journal.


5. CMG meeting 2008

The 27th IUGG Conference on Mathematical Geophysics will be held June 15 – 20, 2008, in Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen, Norway. The theme of the meeting is Dynamics in Earth Systems. All researchers using quantitative methods to study evolving Earth systems are invited. Studies that integrate field observations, laboratory experiments and theoretical models are especially welcome. Particular focus will be given to physical problems where new quantitative theories offer the possibility of significant progress in our understanding of environmental processes. These problems include fracture, ranging from ice sheets to earthquakes; geophysical fluid dynamics, ranging from internal and surface flows to oceanic and atmospheric dynamics; and physical aspects of the Earth’s biological, chemical, and climatic evolution. Contact: Hilde Lynnebakken, hilde.lynnebakken@fys.uio.no.


6. Request for an IUGG contact regarding Food Security

At the ICSU-Unions Meeting in Rome, the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) suggested that those ICSU Unions with an interest in Food Science should form a Food Science "Cluster." IUGG was asked to identify Food Science-related activities (e.g., water quality) and people dealing with these activities among our Associations and Commissions. Based on the provided information, a network could be developed indicating possible areas/patterns for a closer cooperation. As a practical step IUFoST is planning to organise its Third ICSU-IUFoST Symposium on the occasion of the XIV IUFoST World Congress in Shanghai, China, October 19 -24, 2008. A possible topic for this symposium could be "The Ethics of Food Production and Processing -General Ethical, Cultural, Religious, Ecological, Economical, and Scientific considerations-."

IUGG was asked to indicate interest in the initiative, and to name a contact person. Please contact the Secretariat (secretariat@iugg.org) with ideas and suggestions.


7. IUGG-related meetings occurring during May – July 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site [ www.iugg.org ]. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

June 5 - 7
PTB-BIPM; Berlin, Germany; Workshop on Impact of Information Technology in Metrology

June 12 - 15
eGY; Denver, Colorado USA; Virtual Observatories in Geosciences 2007

June 18 - 21
ICSU; Mauritius; International Field Workshop on "Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development in Africa"

July 2 - 13
IUGG; Perugia, Italy; XXIV General Assembly

July 21 - 25
ICSU/IUGG; Kampala, Uganda; Workshop on Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters in Africa and Conference on the East African Rift System (EARS-07)

July 23 - 25
MRI/UNESCO; Kampala, Uganda; Workshop on a Global Change Research Network in African Mountains

July 29 - August 6
INQUA; Cairns, Australia; 17th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research

July 30 - August 4
AOGS; Bangkok, Thailand; 4th Annual Assembly of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society

August 20 – 22
IAG; St. Petersburg, Russia; Symposium on Terrestrial Gravimetry: Static and Mobile Measurements

August 20 – 24
AMS; Portland, Oregon USA; 14th Conference on the Middle Atmosphere

August 27 – 28
eGY; Vienna, Austria; 4th International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM)

August 27 – 31
IAHS/UCCS; Obergurgl, Austria; Workshop on Glaciers in Watershed and Global Hydrology

August 27 – 30
CAWSES; Fredericton, NB, Canada; The Second CAWSES Global Tidal Campaign Workshop

 

Volume 7 No. 7 (July 17, 2007)
Special Issue

REPORT OF THE ELECTIONS AT IUGG GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN PERUGIA

Contents

1.       Note on E-Journal distribution

2.       IUGG Bureau members for 2007-2011

3.       IUGG Finance Committee members for 2007-2011

4.       Association Presidents and Secretaries General for 2007-2011

5.       Location of the 2011 IUGG General Assembly

6.       Union Commission Officers for 2007-2011

7.       Resolutions


1. Note on E-Journal distribution

This special issue of the IUGG E-Journal is being sent to the addresses used for previous issues. Over the next few weeks, the distribution lists will be reviewed and revised and will include the new IUGG Association Officers and Council Delegates from the Perugia General Assembly. Some names will be deleted from the list, but could be added again upon request. This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. The E-Journal may be forwarded to anyone who will benefit from the information. Comments are welcome and should be sent to the Secretary General.


2. IUGG Bureau members for 2007-2011

President: Dr. Tom Beer (Australia)
Vice President: Dr. Harsh Gupta (India)
Secretary General: Dr. Alik Ismail-Zadeh (Germany/Russia)
Treasurer: Dr. Aksel Hansen (Denmark)
Bureau Members: Dr. CHEN Yun-Yai (China), Dr. David Jackson (USA), Dr. Ali A. Tealeb (Egypt)


3. IUGG Finance Committee members for 2007-2011

The new Finance Committee Members are Dr. David Collins (U.K.), Dr. Jan Krynski (Poland), Dr. Kiyoshi Suyehiro (Japan), and Dr. Juan Vilas (Argentina). The Committee selected Dr. Vilas as their Chair.


4. Association Presidents and Secretaries General for 2007-2011

A major decision of the 2007 Council was the addition of a new Association, the first in 85 years. It was formed from the 2005-2007 Union Commission on Cryospheric Sciences, and the officers are reported below.

International Association of Cryospheric Sciences
President: Dr. Georg Kaser (Austria)
President-elect: Dr. Ian Allison (Australia)
Secretary General: Dr. Manfred Lange (Germany)

International Association of Geodesy
President: Dr. Michael Sideris (Canada)
Secretary General: Dr. Hermann Drewes (Germany)

International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy
President: Eigil Friis-Christensen (Denmark)
Secretary General: Dr. Bengt Hultqvist (Sweden)

International Association of Hydrological Sciences
President: Dr. Arthur Askew (Switzerland/Aus)
President-Elect: Dr. Gordon Young (Canada)
Secretary General: Dr. Pierre Hubert (France)

International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences
President: Dr. WU Guixiong (China)
Secretary General: Dr. Hans Volkert (Germany)

International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans
President: Dr. Lawrence Mysak (Canada)
Secretary General: Dr. Johan Rodhe (Sweden)

International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior
President: Dr. WU Zhongliang (China)
Secretary General: Dr. Peter Suhadolc (Italy)

International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior
President: Dr. Setsuya Nakada (Japan)
Secretary General: Dr. Joan Marti (Spain)


5. Location of the 2011 IUGG General Assembly

The Council selected Melbourne, Australia, as the site of the 2011 IUGG General Assembly. The dates of the 25th IUGG General Assembly will be announced as soon as possible, but the first half of July is most likely.


6. Union Commission Officers for 2007-2011

Union Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GeoRisk)
President: Kuniyoshi Takeuchi (Japan)
Secretary General: Gerd Tetzlaff (Germany)

Union Commission on Mathematical Geophysics (CMG)
President: Dan Rothman (USA)
Secretary General: Claudia Pasquero (USA)

Union Commission on Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior (SEDI)
President: Gauthier Hulot (France)
Secretary General: Michael Bergman (USA)


7. Resolutions

The Council approved 9 Resolutions as listed below. The text of the Resolutions will be posted on the IUGG Website as soon as possible.

Precession, nomenclature, and definition of TDB (Temps Dynamique Barycentrique)

Geocentric and International Terrestrial Reference Systems (GTRS and ITRS)

Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the IAG

Electronic Geophysical Year, 2007-2008 (eGY) and Data Rescue

Ionosphere Satellites

The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change

Intensified Study of Aerosol Pollution Effects on Precipitation

Reduction of Risk from Natural Hazards

A Resolution of Thanks


Volume 7 No. 8 (August 1, 2007)

This short, informal newsletter is intended to keep IUGG Member National Committees informed about the activities of the IUGG Associations, and actions of the IUGG Secretariat. Past issues are posted on the IUGG Web site. Please forward this message to those who will benefit from the information. Your comments are welcome.

Contents

  1. Statistics on the Perugia General Assembly
  2. National Reports
  3. Honors and Awards
  4. IUGG-related meetings occurring during August - October 2007

1. Perugia General Assembly

4109 participants (including 1322 students) from 90 countries arrived and registered in Perugia for the 2007 IUGG General Assembly. 6990 abstracts were accepted for presentation, 220 scientific sessions were convened, and 99 meetings were held. More statistics on the General Assembly can be found on the General Assembly Website: iugg2007perugia.it under "breaking news." There is also a photo and video gallery with exceptional coverage of the Opening Ceremony.

A highlight of the Closing Ceremony was the inauguration of the new International Association of Cryospheric Sciences with an "ice-cutting." An ice sculpture of a snowflake was arranged by the LOC - not an easy thing to manage in July in central Italy!


2. National Reports

National Reports of activities in geodesy and geophysics are requested from each IUGG Adhering Body before each quadrennial General Assembly. These reports are useful to reference the expertise resident in each country and the unique opportunities for research and collaboration that may be available.

National Reports were received from Argentina, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Romania, Russia (IASPEI), Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey. The National Report from Hungary is a special issue (Vol. 42, No. 2, June 2007) of Acta Geodaetica et Geophysica Hungarica; the National Report form the Slovak Republic is a special issue (Vol. 37) of Contributions to Geophysics and Geodesy published by the Geophysical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The National Report from India is a publication of the Indian National Science Academy, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi,110 002, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, President ( president@insa.nic.in).

Some of the reports that were provided in electronic form are already posted on the IUGG website. Others will be added as soon as possible. The IUGG website is currently in transition as the new Secretary General assumes responsibility.


3. Honors and Awards

Brian Hoskins, President of IAMAS from 1991-1995, was made a Knight Bachelor in June 2007 by the Queen of England for his services to environmental science.

At the 2007 IUGG General Assembly, the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) presented their Levallois Medal to Prof. C.C. Tscherning, in recognition of his distinguished service to the Association, and, the science of geodesy in general. IAG also presented the Bomford Prize to M. Furuya, who then presented an invited lecture.

On July 4 at the IUGG Assembly, IAPSO awarded the "2007 Prince Albert I Gold Medal" to Prof. Russ Davis, from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA, for "outstanding contributions to the enhancement and advancement of the physical and/or chemical sciences of the oceans". Prof. Davis gave an excellent medal address entitled: "From Swallow floats to Autonomous Observing Networks".


4. IUGG-related meetings occurring during August - October 2007

A calendar of meetings of interest to IUGG disciplines (especially those organized or sponsored by IUGG Associations) is posted on the IUGG Web Site IUGG.org. Specific information about these meetings, including web links, can be found there. Individual Associations also list more meetings on their web sites appropriate to their disciplines.

July 29 - August 6, INQUA, Cairns, Australia, 17th Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research

July 30 - August 4, AOGS, Bangkok, Thailand, 4th Annual Assembly of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society

August 20-22, IAG, St. Petersburg, Russia, Symposium on Terrestrial Gravimetry: Static and Mobile Measurements

August 20-24, AMS, Portland, Oregon USA, 14th Conference on the Middle Atmosphere

August 27-28, eGY, Vienna, Austria, 4th International Conference on Knowledge Management (ICKM)

August 27-31, IAHS/UCCS, Obergurgl, Austria, Workshop on Glaciers in Watershed and Global Hydrology

August 27 - 30, CAWSES, Fredericton, NB, Canada, The Second CAWSES Global Tidal Campaign Workshop

September 2-7, IASPEI, Carry-le-Rouet, France, International Workshop on Numerical Modeling of Mantle Convection and Lithospheric Dynamics

September 3-6, IAHS, Helsinki, Finland, Third International Conference on Climate and Water

September 9-13, IAHS, Copenhagen, Denmark, ModelCARE2007 International Conference on Calibration and Reliability in Groundwater Modelling: Credibility of Modelling

September 9-16, IASPEI/IAVCEI, Fosshotel Nesbuo, Iceland, ESC Working Group Annual Workshop Earthquakes and Volcanoes

September 12-14, IAHS/UNESCO, Paris, France International Symposium on New Directions in Urban Water Management

September 16-19, eGY, Suzdal, Vladimr Region, Russia, International Seminar on the 50th Anniversary of IGY, and the Electronic Geophysical Year

September 17-23, IAHS, Guangzhou and Three Gorges, China, 2nd Int'l Conf on GIS/RS in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment and 2nd Intl Symposium on Flood Forecasting and Management with GIS and Remote Sensing

September 27-30, EMSEV, Freiberg, Germany, 4th International Symposium on Three-Dimensional Electromagnetics: New Horizons

October 2-4, IAG, Toulouse, France, Scientific and Fundamental Aspects of the Galileo Programme

October 23-27, CAWSES, Kyoto, Japan, International CAWSES Symposium

October 25-29, IAHS, Fremantle, Western Australia, GQ2007: Securing Groundwater Quality in Urban and Industrial Environments