2014 Awards to Be Presented at Goldschmidt

2014 AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED AT GOLDSCHMIDT

GEOCHEMICAL EUROPEAN GS/EAG 2014 GS/EAG GEOCHEMICAL FELLOWS SOCIETY ASSOCIATION OF GEOCHEMISTRY

GAST LECTURER: Tim Yuri Amelin Marc Hirschmann Hiroko Nagahara GOLDSCHMIDT Elliott (University (Australian National (University of (University of Tokyo) MEDAL: Timothy UREY MEDAL: of Bristol) University) Minnesota) Grove (Massachusetts Edward Boyle Institute of Technology) (Massachusetts GEOCHEMICAL Institute of Technology) SOCIETY OF JAPAN

Martin Palmer Richard Arculus Rebecca Lange (University of (Australian National (University of Southampton) PATTERSON MEDAL: University) Michigan) Christopher Reddy SCIENCE INNOVATION GEOCHEMICAL (Woods Hole AWARD (SAMUEL JOURNAL AWARD: Oceanographic EPSTEIN MEDAL): Hiroshi Amakawa Institution) James Farquhar (National Taiwan (University University) of Maryland) SHEN-SU SUN FOUNDATION Adina Paytan Shan Gao (China Bernard Marty (University of University of (CRPG Nancy) California, Santa Cruz) Geosciences)

CLARKE MEDAL: Matthew Jackson (University of HOUTERMANS California, Santa MEDAL: Liping Qin Barbara) (University of Science SHEN-SU SUN AWARD: and Technology of Peng Peng (Chinese China) Academy of Sciences) Robert Hazen (Carnegie Institution for Science)

The GS and EAG are GS/EAG GEOCHEMICAL FELLOWS BY PATTERSON AND SCIENCE INNOVATION AWARDS also pleased to announce that all current and future recipients of the Geochemical Society’s C.C. Patterson Award and the EAG’s Science Innovation Award will Robert F. Anderson R. Lawrence George W. Luther III Jeffrey P. Kei Hirose (Tokyo also be named GS/ (Columbia University) Edwards (University of (University of Delaware) Severinghaus Institute of Technology) EAG Geochemical Minnesota) (University of Fellows. Past recipi- California, San Diego) ents who have not yet been named Geochemical Fellow will be presented with the honor during a ceremony at the Goldschmidt2014 Kenneth Bruland Stefan Schouten Daniel Sigman (University of William F. Fitzgerald (Royal Netherlands (Princeton University) conference. These California, Santa Cruz) (University of Institute for Sea William Sunda honorees are: Connecticut) Research) (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

ELEMENTS 133 APRIL 2014 ORGANIZING A GOLDSCHMIDT

The Goldschmidt Conferences™ were started make in attending the meeting. Choosing an Signifi cant effort and resources are put into 25 years ago by the Geochemical Society to attractive venue is therefore vital in arranging a media program to reach out to future provide a forum for its members to discuss a successful meeting. decision makers for funding, but also to the their latest research. The European Association general media which infl uence politicians The EAG and GS want Goldschmidt Confer- of Geochemistry became involved early on, and their electorates. At Goldschmidt2013 ences to be great meetings at a reasonable cost. and since then the conference has also bene- this resulted in an enormous amount of It is important that a meeting be as effective fi tted from the involvement of other societies, coverage in the scientifi c and public media, scientifi cally and as enjoyable socially as notably the Geochemical Society of Japan, the culminating in a live broadcast on the UK’s possible, and we aim to ensure that suffi cient European Mineralogical Union and the Miner- most listened to radio station. monies are spent to ensure that a meeting is alogical Society of America. By 1996 the well resourced. However, we bargain hard to Goldschmidt wants to make the conference conference had grown to 1000 delegates, and contain costs and we negotiate strongly with as affordable as possible both for students in 2013 the meeting attracted over all suppliers. This approach seems to have the and for delegates from low-income coun- 4000 delegates. approval of our community. More than 85% tries, and therefore allocates substantial The goal of this piece is to provide a look at of those who responded to the Gold- funds to support students and delegates the details of the hard work that is done each schmidt2013 survey said that the conference from these countries. year. Typically this work goes on seamlessly was a good or excellent meeting, and fewer The major investment related to the confer- and so much behind the scenes that our than 15% would support a policy of making ence is the time of some of our community’s community is largely unaware of it. For the meeting cheaper if it would reduce top scientists, and the science program is key instance, many may not realize that the stan- its quality. to the value of the conference. If the science dard pattern now is that odd-year meetings are Putting on a high-quality conference is not program is poor then there is little point opti- organized by the EAG at European venues, cheap and forces a range of strategic choices. mizing everything else. Over 500 scientists are while even-year conferences are organized by These include: involved in optimizing the science content the GS at venues elsewhere in the world; so For a conference centre to host a Gold- and designing the science program and confer- after Sacramento this year we will visit Prague ence schedule. Once about 200 sessions have (2015) and Yokohama (2016). schmidt successfully it needs to have approximately 15–20 rooms each with been designed, they are allocated time and From previous years’ experience, we have space for about 150 seats, a plenary venue space in a way that optimizes the fl ow of infor- learned that to make a great conference we of at least 1000 seats and 7500 m² of open mation, and the programming ensures that the need to choose a great scientist to lead it, book space for the posters, exhibition and inevitable clashes between sessions are kept to an appropriate venue, employ a good confer- catering. There are very few such venues in an absolute minimum. ence administrator, and arrange an outstanding Europe, and most are not cheap. In the US The Goldschmidt Conferences invest seriously science program. An organizing committee is it is common for a city to offer a convention in poster sessions, as they are the prime events appointed to make all the key decisions on the centre for a low price knowing that the city for informal scientifi c interchange, and also arrangements for the meeting, and a science can recoup this through more expensive because presenting a poster is typically the fi rst committee manages the conference program. hotels and restaurants, and in many venues opportunity graduate students have to show The Goldschmidt Conferences have been food and drink can be very expensive. their work. Scientifi c interaction is sustained fortunate to have had a succession of senior The Goldschmidt Conferences are serious by the relaxed and social atmosphere at the scientists willing to serve on these committees. iconic Goldschmidt-style poster sessions. This Even with the most effective support provided about educating younger members of our community. Goldschmidt does this by encourages scientists at all stages of their by a professional conference-management careers to spend time with others interested company, these roles still take up a signifi cant enabling a signifi cant fraction of them to speak at the conference. While at most in the same topic. We suspect that many amount of time in the run-up to the confer- important new ideas emerge here. ence. Now that Goldschmidt works to a stan- international conferences students and dard pattern, these roles are much less most post-docs and junior faculty are allo- Goldschmidt also ensures that the conference demanding than they used to be, but no cated posters, at Goldschmidt the majority centre is a welcoming place by providing tea, less critical. of delegates who wish to can speak, and coffee and snacks throughout the day – because approximately half the presentations are you’re worth it! Goldschmidt also incorporates Following the successes of past Goldschmidts, given orally. This is great for communica- a series of social events so that the conference we are now looking for venues for the Gold- tion and education, but it is much more experience is varied and enjoyable for all. schmidts in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The ideal expensive to hire another lecture theatre venue would be one that delegates will want for 15 minutes than it is to hire an addi- Professional conference administration is a to visit, where the conference centre has an tional 2 m² of fl oor space for one more poster. critical element in the success of Goldschmidt. While a few companies have been involved appropriate size, confi guration and cost, and Goldschmidt also puts on a range of work- over the years, no single company has orga- where accommodation is plentiful, varied and shops which are administered centrally to nized more Goldschmidt Conferences, been affordable. The cost of the conference centre make it as easy as possible for their orga- more involved during the period in which is important but is not the only important nizers to gather together all the early-career attendance has quadrupled, and done more to factor. The biggest cost delegates have in workers in their fi eld and educate them embody and promote the Goldschmidt spirit attending a meeting occurs before they fi rst together. This is effi cient and economical and brand than Cambridge Publications. enter the conference centre: it is the time they for the students, as they can follow the Cambridge Publications, founded in 1994, is take away from their labs, jobs and families. course during their fi rst experience at a an independent professional conference-orga- Flights, accommodation and food can easily major international conference. Gold- € nizing company spearheaded by geochemist add up to more than 1000, especially for schmidt also provides fi eld trips for those and entrepreneur Paul Beattie. Cambridge those who need an intercontinental fl ight. The whose interests are based outside the lab. chosen venue must therefore allow delegates Publications make all the information easily to take full advantage of the investment they available on an effi cient website and provide Cont’d on page 135

ELEMENTS 134 APRIL 2014 European Association of Geochemistry www.eag.eu.com

2014 EAG MEDALLISTS Houtermans Award to Liping Qin Urey Award to Edward Boyle Liping Qin (University of Science and Technology of China) got her PhD from Edward Boyle (Massachusetts Institute the University of Chicago, where she of Technology) combined chemistry, showed, using 182Hf–182W systematics, that biology and physics to understand oceano- most iron meteorite parent bodies accreted graphic processes. Ed developed two fi elds in the fi rst two million years of the forma- of low-temperature geochemistry: trace tion of the Solar System. Iron meteorites metal oceanography and chemical palaeo- may thus be the only remnants of a fi rst oceanography. Ed’s meticulously clean generation of planetesimals, all of which methods proved that the ocean indeed had were molten due to the high abundance of radioactive 26Al at that time. consistent patterns of trace metals. He and During a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Geophysical his colleagues determined the marine cycling of Cd, Fe, Ni, Al, Cu, Zn Laboratory in Washington, DC, she identifi ed the elusive carrier of 54Cr and Pb, using them as tracers of oceanographic processes. He pioneered anomalies in planetary bodies as pre-solar nano-oxides and thus solved new methods, including isotope dilution by ICP-MS. Ed determined a problem that had been haunting cosmochemistry for two decades. that shells incorporate the chemistry of the ocean using Cd/Ca and During a second postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, carbon isotopes in forams to determine different circulation regimes she applied her knowledge of chromium isotope geochemistry to the in the deep ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum. In estuarine study of Cr(VI) reduction in terrestrial surface environments. Liping’s science he introduced the concept of salinity as a reference frame for work is characterized by a willingness to tackle the most chal- chemical mass balance. lenging problems and to use all instrumentation and modelling tools necessary to achieve her scientifi c goals. Samuel Epstein Science Innovation Award to James Farquhar EAG Distinguished Lecturer 2014 By exploring the mass dependence of sulfur Rachael James (University of Southampton) isotope fractionation in sedimentary rocks has been selected as EAG Distinguished through geologic time, James Farquhar Lecturer for 2014. Rachael’s research focuses (University of Maryland) has completely on the development and application of chem- revolutionized our understanding of the ical and isotopic techniques to improve our early history of Earth’s oxygenation. understanding of Earth and planetary Indeed, his discovery of the mass-indepen- processes, both now and in the past. dent sulfur isotope effect in Archaean rocks is one of the major breakthroughs in As in previous lecture tours, institu- Earth science of the last 15 years. Not only did James discover that tions in Central and Eastern Europe mass-independent sulfur isotope fractionations were preserved in the interested in Rachael’s research can invite her to present one ancient sedimentary record, but he quickly appreciated what might be or two lectures. Additional information is available at www. the cause of these fractionations. This work has become the cornerstone eag.eu.com/education/dlp/. for discussions on the history of Earth-surface oxygenation and provides the most robust, and also quantitative, indicator of the ‘Great Oxidation’ EAG PHOTO CONTEST of the Earth’s atmosphere some 2.3 to 2.4 billion years ago. The EAG is excited to announce its fi rst photo contest, open to everyone. Submission will be open until June 15, and there will be CALL FOR BLOGGERS 3 geochemistry themes proposed. The winners will receive a 5-year EAG membership (including subscriptions to Elements and Scientists wishing to share their experiences and insights are Geochemical Perspectives, as well as the member rate for Goldschmidt invited to join our team of bloggers. If interested, contact us at conferences), and will see their photos published on the EAG website offi [email protected]. EAG Blog: blog.eag.eu.com. and newsletters. Additional details will be provided on the EAG website and newsletters.

Cont’d from page 134 beneﬁ t extends all the way to the chairs of the subjects are increasingly important for our a world-beating app for our conference so that organizing committee, the EAG Council and society as a whole, and a strong subject requires delegates can use their time at the conference the GS Board: not only do they get no payment both a strong meeting and strong scientiﬁ c optimally. We also ask them to manage all for their work, they get no assistance with societies. It is great to see Goldschmidt playing communications, draft circulars and reply travel funds and even no reduction in their its role for both our science and our world. rapidly to thousands of e-mails. registration fees. It is these people who are the Chris Ballentine (President, EAG) Finally, Goldschmidt could not run without true heroes of the meeting and who deserve Liane G. Benning (Vice-President, EAG) the dedication and commitment of a large our thanks and your appreciation. Janne Blichert-Toft (Co-Chair, Goldschmidt2013) number of senior scientists. The 500 session We are really pleased with the way Goldschmidt Rick Carlson (Past-President, GS) Laurie Reisberg (Vice-President, GS) conveners give their time free of charge and has evolved over the last 25 years, standing Paul Renne (Chair, Goldschmidt2014) keep to tight deadlines, for which we are truly on the shoulders of the giants that have gone Barbara Sherwood Lollar (President, GS) grateful. This principle of giving time without before us. Geochemistry and its related Bernie Wood (Chair, Goldschmidt2013)

ELEMENTS 135 APRIL 2014