GEOC Newsletter: Fall 2000

Message from the Chairperson

As this is my first report as Chair, I would like to thank our immediate past Chair, Bill Casey, for his sterling efforts. There are now a few new faces on the Executive Committee, and I am happy to welcome George Cody (Program Chair / Chair Elect), Peggy O’Day (Program Chair Elect) and Virender Sharma (Secretary). 

I am also very happy to welcome back to the Exec Ken Anderson as our Councilor. Ken and George Luther, our Alternate Councilor, bring a wealth of experience to the Division, which all will no doubt draw upon. They will ensure that the voice of the Geochemistry Division is heard clearly by the governance of ACS. 

The Spring National Meeting in San Francisco was a great success for the division. We hosted seven symposia, which were all very successful. Many of the symposia shared a petroleum geochemistry theme, and we attracted much industrial participation for these topics, but the symposia on ‘Geochemistry and the Origin of Life’ and ‘Geochemical Advances in the New Millennium’ also did well.

Looking forward to Washington DC in the fall, we have a smaller schedule planned, but no less interesting. The Geochemistry Division will be hosting a symposium entitled ‘The Chemistry of the Early Solar System.’ A larger program is planned for the San Diego meeting next spring, and some details are enclosed in this newsletter. The big event at the San Diego meeting though will be the inauguration of the Geochemistry Division Medal. We will be hosting a symposium honoring the first recipient of this prestigious prize.

I am also pleased to report that ‘Geochemical Transactions,’ the division’s own journal, is meeting its targets for the number of papers submitted and exceeding its goals with respect to publication times. This is the first electronic journal devoted to geochemistry, and is an excellent way to get your research published in months rather than years. If you have not tried it yet, I urge you to go online and take a look.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is your division, and we are always happy to encourage the greater participation of the membership in our day to day affairs. You can do this by organizing a symposium on a topic in which you are interested, or by merely suggesting a topic. We can then find someone to organize it. We are also always keen to find individuals who are interested in joining the Exec. The duties are not too burdensome, and it can be a very rewarding experience. If you are interested in running for a position, or you wish to nominate someone, then please feel free to contact me or any of the members of the Executive Committee.

Andy Bishop Chairperson