GEOC Newsletter: Spring 2021
Message from the Chair
Greetings GEOC Division Members,
The first half of 2021 has been exciting for the Division of Geochemistry (GEOC) and its members. After the cancellation of Spring 2020 meeting and the first adventure of a virtual Fall 2020 meeting, the Spring 2021 meeting was a great success as a live virtual meeting. The Geochemistry program hosted 11 symposia with 158 abstracts. From the celebration of 40 years of high resolution NMR spectroscopy, fundamental molecular scale interface processes, interfacial reactions under nano-scale confinement, reactive transport modelling, crystallization pathways, to biogeochemical processes and nanomaterials in the environments, the Geochemistry program showed both depth and breadth. We received very positive feedbacks for the live interactions during and after sessions. Many thanks to all the symposia organizers and presenters for making the geochemistry program successful.
The Division proudly continues our support for young scientists! In addition to our regular Student Travel Award, the Division established an Early Career Scientist Travel Award. In Spring 2021 meeting, 4 early career scientists and 3 students received the travel award. Check out the winners in the awards section.
We are excited to announce the 2021 Geochemistry Medal recipient, Prof. Michael Hochella from Virginia Tech and Pacific Northwest National Lab, for his outstanding scientific accomplishments and impact, leadership, mentorship of junior scientists, and service to the geo- chemistry community. Please join me in congratulating Prof. Hochella for this well-deserved recognition. The ACS Earth and Space Chemistry journal is planning a Volume Special Issue in honor of Prof. Hochella. Please consider contributing to this special issue. Check out the Geochemistry Medal section for more details.
The Division is currently ramping up its activities in preparing for the Fall 2021 meeting in Atlanta (August 22-26, 2021) and Spring 2022 meeting in San Diego (March 20-24, 2022). The Fall 2021 meeting will be hybrid with both in-person and virtual attendance options. The geochemistry program has lined up 9 exciting symposia, including a symposium in honor of the 2021 Geochemistry Medal recipient, Prof. Hochella. We are also welcoming symposia proposals for the Spring 2022 meeting. Check out the Call for Symposia section.
We are excited to establish an official collaboration with the journal ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. The journal supports our missions on advancing geochemistry science and culturing young scientists by providing partial supports for division activities and awards. We encourage our members, symposia organizers, and especially early career scientists to contribute to this journal or organize special/virtual issues on related topics.
The Division made tremendous progress for the Division Strategic Planning, supported by an ACS Innovative Project Grant. A survey was conducted in early 2020 and collected valuable inputs from the members to direct the process. In March 2021, the Division conducted a virtual Strategic Planning Retreat with facilitators from ACS. During this three day retreat, we refined the Division vision (Advancing knowledge of Earth’s chemistry to benefit humanity) and mission (Engage researchers, educators, and students in the advancement and promotion of geochemistry to address societal challenges). We also identified and prioritized 3 major goals and 9 tasks for the next 5 years to achieve this mission. Check out the Strategic Planning section for more details.
To execute the strategic plans and broaden the impact of our division, we need your support! We are in search for volunteers for several new division committees, such as membership, professional development, mentoring, internal-external relations, and meeting programming. Students and postdocs are welcome! For additional details, see Call for Volunteers section.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge the Division executive committee members for their time, energy, and excitement in serving the Division and fulfilling the needs of the members. If you are interested in joining the executive committee or are looking for volunteering opportunities, please check out the Election and Call for Volunteers sections. I would also like to thank all of you, our Division members, for your continuous support and contribution to the Division programs and activities. We look forward to seeing some of you in Atlanta!
Division Chair
Yuanzhi Tang
ACS Spring 2021
Meeting Recap
The Spring 2021 meeting was a great success as a live virtual meeting. The Geochemistry program hosted 11 symposia with 158 abstracts and received very positive feedbacks. Many thanks to the symposia organizers and presenters for making the geochemistry program successful!
Student and Early Career Scientist Travel Award Winners
Students:
Bijoya Mandal, Temple University
Andrew Freiburger, University of Victoria
Ecenur Bulur, University of Wisconsin Madison
Early Career Scientists:
Peng Yang, Argonne National Laboratory
Qian Wang, Georgia Institute of Technology
Xin Gu, Pennsylvania State University
Youngjae Kim, Argonne National Laboratory
ACS Fall 2021
GEOC Programming
The Fall 2021 ACS National Meeting, “Resilience of Chemistry”, will be held from August 22-26 in Atlanta, GA. The meeting format will be hybrid (in-person and virtual sessions).
Please come out and support the following GEOC symposia:
Symposium in Honor of Prof. Michael Hochella, 2021 Geochemistry Medal Recipient
Experimental and computational approaches to molecular-scale understanding of
Mineral-fluid interactions (Session in memory of R. James Kirkpatrick)
Undergraduate Research in Geochemistry
Interfaces for Society: The Next Frontier
The Evolution of Macromolecular Carbon through Space and Time
Advances in Ultrahigh Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Tracking Natural Organic Matter in Global Systems
Experimental and Modelling Approaches for Nucleation in Porous Media
Molecular scale processes of phosphorus cycling in natural and engineered systems
General Geochemistry
Geochemistry Medal Announcement
ACS Geochemistry Division Medal, Awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of Geochemistry
Dear colleagues,
Please join us in congratulating Prof. Michael Hochella for his selection as the 2021 Geochemistry Division Medalist! Prof. Hochella was selected for his outstanding scientific accomplishments and impact, leadership, mentorship of junior scientists, and service to the geochemistry community.
Prof. Hochella will be awarded the medal in a ceremony at the 260th ACS National Meeting in Atlanta, GA (August 22-26, 2021). There will also be a symposium in his honor featuring work that honors his many contributions in the areas of nanogeoscience, mineral/water interface chemistry, biogeochemistry, and environmental chemistry. Whether you are planning to attend the meetings in person or virtually, we hope you will join us.
Call for Special Issue Contribution
The ACS Earth and Space Chemistry journal is planning a Volume Special Issue in honor of Prof. Hochella.
Please consider contribute to this special issue by indicating your interest by July 15th, 2021 and replying directly to Prof. Nadine Kabengi (Kabengi@gsu.edu), Dr. Julio Serrano (managing editor, J_Serrano@acs.org), and cc’ing the journal Editorial Office (editorialoffice@earthspacechem.acs.org). Contributions are due by October 31st, 2021.
ACS Spring 2022
Call for Symposia
The Spring 2022 ACS National Meeting will be held on March 20-24, 2022 in San Diego, CA. The meeting theme is “Bonding Through Chemistry”. Please consider organizing a symposium in line with this theme or other areas of broad interest to the geochemistry community.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
Global geochemical cycles
Planetary geochemistry
Mineral-water interface structure and reactivity
Mineral-microbe-water reactions, thermodynamics, and kinetics
Geochemistry of subsurface processes
Reactivity of nano-particles and nano-pores
Transport, uptake, and remediation of environmental contaminants
Undergraduate research and geochemistry education
If you are interested in organizing a symposium, please send an email to Adam Wallace (afw@udel.edu) with the following information:
Title of the proposed symposium
A brief description of the symposium
Name, affiliation, and contact information of the organizers
Co-sponsoring divisions/programs
Proposals are due by July 5, 2021. Adam Wallace, Geochemistry Division Program Chair, afw@udel.edu
Election Information
The ACS Geochemistry Division is currently seeking nominations for two officer positions, Program-Chair Elect and Councilor, who will assume their roles in January 2022. A brief description of each role is provided below.
Program-Chair Elect (4-year term): This officer will serve as Program-Chair Elect in the first year, shadow the Program Chair, and assist the Division Chair with the direction and management of the Division. In the second year, the candidate will serve as Program Chair and organize the symposium at the fall and spring national meetings. The candidate will serve as Division Chair in the third year, and finally as Immediate Past Division Chair in the fourth year.
Councilor (3-year term): This officer will attend and represent the Geochemistry Division at the Council meetings of the ACS and to serve as a member of the Executive Committee. Learn more about councilor duties or download the Councilor Handbook.
Nomination procedure:
Self-nominations and consensual nominations of colleagues are encouraged.
Per GEOC Bylaws, all nominations must be accompanied by at least 10 signatures of support from current ACS GEOC members (including current Division Committee members).
All nominees must have been a member of the Division for at least one year at the time of nomination.
Nomination and the signatures of support must be submitted by October 15.
Please submit the nomination or any questions to: Jacky Bracco, ACS Geochemistry Division Secretary (jbracco@qc.cuny.edu)
GEOC Division Strategic Planning Progress
As detailed in the Fall 2020 Newsletter, the Division has embarked on a Strategic Planning (SP) exercise to set areas of priority for the next 5 years. Through this process, the Division aims to reinforce the vision, mission, and core values, address cur- rent and future needs of the discipline and membership, and align priorities with the ACS Strategic Plan.
A survey was conducted in early 2020 and collected valuable inputs from the members to direct the process. Members identified important aspects such as important activities for GEOC, common motivations for joining GEOC, and GEOC performance for Division-related activities.
In March 2021, a committee of 10 Division members conducted a virtual Strategic Planning Retreat with facilitators from ACS. During the three day virtual retreat, the Division refined its vision (Advancing knowledge of Earth’s chemistry to benefit humanity) and mission (Engage researchers, educators, and students in the advancement and promotion of geochemistry to address societal challenges). We also identified and prioritized 3 major goals and 9 tasks for the next 5 years to achieve this mission.
Call for Volunteers
Membership Committee - The GEOC Division is seeking volunteers for the members of new membership committee to develop programs for member retention, communication, and recruiting. For more information, please contact Yuanzhi Tang (yuanzhi.tang@eas.gatech.edu), GEOC Division Chair and Qingyun Li (qyli@stanford.edu), GEOC Membership Coordinator).
Programming Committee - The GEOC Division is seeking volunteers to assist in the di- versification of its meeting programming. Members will define programing priorities and perform outreach to other professional societies and potential partners in the education, industry, and policy sectors. For more information, please contact Adam Wallace (afw@udel.edu), GEOC Program Chair.
Professional Development Committee - The GEOC Executive Committee is seeking one or two graduate students or postdocs to participate in the organization of professional development activities for graduate students and postdocs at the ACS National Meeting in the Spring of every year. Along with a team of faculty members and researchers, volunteers will help identify, organize, and advertise activities that may contribute to their professional development and networking. For additional information, please contact Martial Taillefert (mtaillef@eas.gatech.edu), GEOC Division Treasurer.
Mentoring Committee - The GEOC Division is seeking volunteers for the chair and members of a new committee to develop a mentoring program for students and early career researchers. Members of the committee will recruit and pair mentors and mentees, facilitate communications, and evaluate progress. Time commitment is expected to be roughly 4-5 hours a month. For more information, please contact Jacky Bracco (jbracco@qc.cuny.edu), GEOC Division Secretary.
Internal-External Relations Committee - The GEOC Division is seeking volunteers for the Chair and Members of a new Internal-External Relations Committee. The Commit- tee purpose is to promote and increase the visibility of GEOC member research within the Division and in the wider ACS community. Examples of internal relations include generating member-focused content for the GEOC newsletter such as new member spotlights and research highlights. Examples of external relations include establishing a social media presence at National Meetings and linking GEOC symposia and event highlights to ACS feeds. Volunteers at all career-stages are welcome. Time commitment is expected to be roughly 4-5 hours a month. For more information, please contact Ashaki Rouff (ashaki.rouff@rutgers.edu), GEOC Immediate Past Chair.
Newsletter Editor - The Division is seeking a volunteer to edit the newsletter. Duties include preparing a newsletter twice a year from materials sent in from the Executive Committee. Newsletter templates are provided. For more information, please contact Jacky Bracco (jbracco@qc.cuny.edu), GEOC Division Secretary.