March 2017

Goldschmidt conferences

Goldschmidt2017: deadlines coming up

This is a reminder that abstract submission, grant applications, and student volunteer applications for Goldschmidt2017 will close on 1 April (23:59 CET).

Early registration deadline is 13 June and EAG members as well as members of all EAG partner societies benefit from reduced rates.

There will also be numerous pre- and post-conference workshops in various areas of geochemistry, an interesting range of field trips in France and the Swiss Alps, and of course, an exciting social program.

Communicating Science at Goldschmidt2017

We would like to draw your attention to the initiatives undertaken this year to help our community reach out in new ways and communicate both what science is and what truths it is telling.

New theme on Education, Outreach and Career Opportunities (authors can submit a second abstract to this theme)

Student workshop on Communicating Science

Students Pop-up Talks: present your science in 5 minutes in the style of a TED talk. Non-standard presentations encouraged!

Goldschmidt Wild Orbit Cinema: submissions for geochemistry science films made by you are now open.

Student workshop on oral presentation skills

Press releases: as usual, Goldschmidt will bring several headline-making stories about the science behind geochemistry, and how this affects the real world

Goldschmidt 2020: Honolulu, Hawai'i

The GS and EAG are excited to announce that the 2020 Goldschmidt Conference will take place June 21-26 at the Hawai'i Convention Center in Honolulu, HI, USA. The geologically fascinating state of Hawai'i will provide a warm welcome to delegates from around the world. Mark your calendar for upcoming conferences and plan to participate in the world's premier meeting devoted to geochemistry!

Society News

EAG joins the March for Science

Alongside with several other organizations, the European Association of Geochemistry has officially endorsed the March for Science taking place on 22 April. This movement will unite people from all horizons, who support and value scientific research and evidence-based policies. In addition to the March in Washington D.C., there will be numerous satellite marches around the world, including in all major cities of Europe. You can find a March near you and should you wish to march under the EAG banner, we have prepared some vector images, which you can download and print in any desired size.

EAG and GS announce the 2017 Geochemical Fellows

Fellows

The Geochemical Society and European Association of Geochemistry are pleased to announce those receiving the honor of 2017 Geochemical Fellow.

Thomas Bianchi University of Florida (USA)

Catherine Chauvel CNRS / University of Grenoble (France)

James Davis Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA)

Scott E. Fendorf Stanford University (USA)

Steven L. Goldstein Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University (USA)

Kai-Uwe Hinrichs University of Bremen (Germany), GS Patterson Medallist

Kimitaka Kawamura Chubu University (Japan)

Kurt Konhauser University of Alberta (Canada)

Peter H. Santschi Texas A&M University at Galveston (USA)

Bo Thamdrup University of Southern Denmark (Denmark), EAG Science Innovation Award medallist

Jon Woodhead University of Melbourne (Australia)

Yong-Fei Zheng University of Science and Technology of China (China)

All the above medallists will receive their honor at the 2017 Goldschmidt Conference in Paris.

Photo Contest 'Wonders of Geochemistry': submit your vote

Huge thanks to all who sent photos. The jury has now selected the best 10 photos and we invite you to vote for your 3 favourite photos communicating the wonders of geochemistry before 30 April.

2017 EAG Distinguished Lecturer

EAG is excited to announce Lenny Winkel (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) as the 2017 Distinguished Lecturer. Her research focuses on biogeochemical cycling of trace elements with important health impacts, as well as predicting effects of climate and environmental changes on environmental distributions of these trace elements.

The Distinguished Lecture Program continues to support institutions in Central and Eastern Europe therefore if interested, those are most welcome to invite Lenny Winkel to present one or two lectures. More details at www.eag.eu.com/outreach/dlp.

Going to EGU General Assembly 2017?

The program of the upcoming EGU General Assembly 2017 (23-28 April) is now online and EAG proudly co-organises 5 sessions, which we invite you to attend.

EAG Publications

Recently published in Geochemical Perspectives Letters

Solar wind implantation supplied light volatiles during the first stage of Earth accretion
S. Péron, M. Moreira, B. Putlitz, M.D. Kurz

The isotopic and elemental compositions of noble gases constitute a powerful tool to study volatile origin and evolution, due to their inertness, and can thus provide crucial information about the early stage of planetary formation. Two models are proposed to explain the light noble gas origin on Earth [...]

Comment on “A cometary origin for atmospheric martian methane” by Fries et al., 2016
M.M.J. Crismani, N.M. Schneider, J.M.C. Plane

Reply to Comment on “A cometary origin for martian atmospheric methane” by Crismani et al., 2017
M. Fries

Repulsion between calcite crystals and grain detachment during water–rock interaction
Y. Levenson, S. Emmanuel

Weathering in carbonate rocks is often thought to be governed by chemical dissolution. However, recent studies have shown that mechanical detachment of tiny grains contributes significantly to the overall surface retreat. [...]

EAG Blogosphere

Volcano tales: Bogoslof

[By Martin Mangler] At any given day, there are about 20 volcanoes erupting around the globe. Some of them are notorious for frequently showering nearby cities with ash, others wake up and blow without any warning – but all of them have their own intriguing story. Read more

Melting hearts at MEREMA

[By Hannah Bobrowski] With the support of the EAG I was able to attend this year’s ‘Melting and fluid/melt-rock reactions in the mantle’ (MEREMA) International Winter School, held at the University of Pavia, Italy. Read more

Geochemistry making the news

Back When the Planet Had Just One Plate

[Science Friday] As magma oceans began to cool on a very early earth, a solid shell formed on the planet’s surface above the still-molten mantle. However, the exact mechanics of how that proto-Earth was transformed... Listen on Soundcloud

Comets vs. volcanoes?

[The Conversation] Comets or volcanoes? Scientists are changing their minds about how the Earth’s water got here. The Earth has been the blue planet for as many as 3.8 billion years. Ancient sedimentary rock deposits and lava that cooled... Read more

Canadian bacteria-like fossils called oldest evidence of life

[Reuters] Microfossils up to almost 4.3 billion years old found in Canada of microbes are similar to the bacteria that thrive today around sea floor hydrothermal vents and may represent the oldest-known evidence of life on Earth... Read more

Soils could release much more carbon [...] as climate warms

[Science Daily] Soils could release much more CO₂ than expected into the atmosphere as the climate warms, according to new research by scientists from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory... Read more

It’s safe to return to Fukushima, study suggests

[Science] Six years after Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster, thousands of former residents evacuated from the region are returning home. But is it safe? A new study says yes... Read more

Biochemical 'fossil' shows how life may have emerged without...

[Science Daily] Biochemical 'fossil' shows how life may have emerged without phosphate. One major mystery about life's origin is how phosphate became an essential building block of genetic and metabolic machinery in cells... Read more

Job opportunities

Current job opportunities

ECS

Receive job ads as they are posted: like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@EAG_). To post a position on the EAG job page (free of charge): click here.

PhD & MSc positions:

Understanding biomineralization pathways - Macquarie University

PhD Project in Environmental Microbiology and Geomicrobiology: Mechanisms and ecology of iron biogeochemical processes in the environment - University of Tuebingen

Two Ph.D. positions available at the University of Wyoming, USA - University of Wyoming

Do MINerals Promote the Preservation of ORGanic Carbon in Marine Sediments? - University of Leeds

PhD positions in Legacies of Agricultural Pollutants (LEAP) project - University of Waterloo

ENIGMA Innovative Training Network: 15 PhD positions available in Geophysics, Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Hydrogeophysics, Biogeochemistry and Microbiology - ENIGMA network

Contaminant removal through the controlled electrochemical dissolution of iron (0) - University of Lausanne

PostDoctoral and Fellowship positions:

2 PDF Opportunities in Environmental and Analytical Geochemistry with the Multidisciplinary Applied Geochemistry Network (Canada) - University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa

Research Assistant Position in Isotope Geochemistry - University of Tuebingen

Investigation of microbial processes related to nuclear waste disposal - EPFL Lausanne

Investigation of uranium reduction and fractionation by a variety of microorganisms - EPFL Lausanne

Investigation of the mechanistic underpinnings of uranium isotopic fractionation - EPFL Lausanne

Postdoctoral Research Scientist - The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Postdoctoral fellow in Earth and Planetary Materials Sciences - Okayama University

Postdoctoral Fellow in Legacies of Agricultural Pollutants (LEAP) Project - University of Waterloo

Postdoctoral Researcher in Isotope Cosmochemistry and Computational Planet Formation - ETH Zurich/University of Zurich

Faculty, Technical and other positions:

Tenure-track associate or assistant professor in Organic Chemistry/Geochemistry/Cosmochemistry - Okayama University

EAG Partners

SGA2017 Mineral Resources to Discover

The 14th Biennial SGA Meeting, "Mineral Resources to Discover", will be held in Québec City, Canada, 20-23 August 2017. Early registration deadline: 15 May. EAG members benefit from reduced rates.

MinSoc meeting: Redox-Active Minerals in Natural Systems

The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland invites you to join a meeting on cross-discipline research into ‘Redox-Active Minerals’ in Natural Systems. The event will be hosted by the Geochemistry Group, Environmental Mineralogy Group, Clay Minerals Group, and the Geomicrobiology Network and will take place at the University of Manchester on 21–22 June. Abstract deadline: 19 May. EAG members benefit from reduced rates.

ISEB23: Call for abstracts open

ISEB23 'From cells to Earth scale processes: traversing the breadth of temporal and spatial scales in biogeochemistry' will be held in Palm Cove, Tropical North Queensland, Australia, from 24-29 September. Abstract deadline: 31 May. EAG members benefit from reduced rates.