The IUGG Electronic JournalVolume 4 No. 10 (October 1, 2004)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. Report of the IUGG Executive Committee meeting in Boulder, Colorado From August 29 through September 2, the IUGG Executive Committee (Bureau members and Association Officers) met in Boulder, Colorado for an official meeting. Guests at portions of the meeting included David Jackson, representing the IUGG Finance Committee; Werner Janoschek, past-Secretary General of IUGS; and Priscilla Grew, Chair of the US National Committee for IUGG. On September 1, the US National Committee for IUGG also met in Boulder, and there was a useful, informal, joint meeting of the two groups. At the EC meeting, reports from Bureau Officers and each Association were received as well as reports from the Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability, the Commission on Mathematical Geophysics, the Committee on Studies of Earth's Deep Interior, and the proposed joint IUGG/IUGS International Lithosphere Programme. Recent ICSU activities, such as their Panel Assessments on the Environment and Sustainable Development, and Scientific Data and Information, were reviewed. Actions of the Executive Committee included a change in nomenclature of those bodies formerly known as inter-Associations Committees and Commissions that are now to be known as Union Commissions, adoption of general guidelines for the structure and operations of Union Commissions, establishment of a new Union Commission for Cryospheric Sciences, formal endorsement of the IAGA initiative for an electronic Geophysical Year (eGY), establishment of a working group to further develop an IUGG mission statement and a roadmap to achieve our objectives, adoption of the Theme for the 2007 General Assembly (Earth: Our Changing Planet); and consideration a new IUGG initiative to promote the Geosciences in Africa. The IUGG Budget for the remainder of the term was discussed, and modifications were proposed which will be presented to the Finance Committee. The next meeting of the IUGG Executive Committee will be 9-11 September 2005 in Perugia, Italy. On 12 September 2005, the Scientific Programme Committee for the 2007 IUGG General Assembly will meet. 2. Report of the GeoUnions Meeting Beginning at the International Council for Science (ICSU) Unions meeting in Paris last February, a consortium of the Unions that address Earth science was formed to explore common areas of interest and launch a joint science program that will initially encompass five thematic topics: cities and megacities, desertification, groundwater, hazards, and health. These Unions are IUGG, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), the International Geographical Union (IGU), the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), and recently added, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). On September 1-2, 2004, representatives from all except IUSS of these GeoUnions met in Boulder, Colorado to discuss the scientific initiatives. Those topics that have made the most progress are on Cities and Megacities, Hazards, and Health. Two new initiatives are being considered - one on GeoData and one on Geosciences in Africa. Other items of common interest to the GeoUnions include ICSU requests for action such as a change in their Statute on Universality, review of the Panel Assessment on Scientific Data and Information, nominations for the Joint WMO/ICSU Planning Committee for the International Polar Year, and the proposed agenda for the 2005 ICSU General Assembly. We also discussed the progress on the IUGS/UNESCO initiative for the International Year of Planet Earth (all of the GeoUnions are full partners in this initiative), and a request from the International Commission on Acoustics for ICSU membership. The next meeting of the GeoUnions will take place on 16 October 2005 in Shanghai, China, preceding the ICSU General Assembly. 3. Corrections and updates to the IUGG Yearbook now due Corrections and updates to the information contained in the IUGG Yearbook are now being finalized in preparation for the 2005 Yearbook. Please contact the IUGG Secretariat as soon as possible or by November 28 (secretariat@iugg.org) with additions and corrections. The initiative on the electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) has now developed a web site at www.egy.org. Planning meetings for eGY were held during the COSPAR meeting in Paris in July, and following the IUGG Executive Committee meeting in Boulder in September. eGY received a letter of support from the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and it is included in the draft text of the science plan for the International Polar Year. In addition, the International Heliophysical Year (IHY) is actively collaborating with the eGY planning team. (For more information on the IHY, please consult their recently enhanced web site http://ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov and also a recent article by N.U. Crooker in EOS, Vol. 85 #37, 14 September 2004, pages 351 and 353.) 5. UN International Year of Physics 2005 Endorsed by the international physics community and the 2003 UNESCO General Conference, 2005 was declared International Year of Physics (IYP) by the 58th General Assembly of the United Nations. The Year will be launched at the Conference "Physics for Tomorrow" at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, 13-15 January 2005. The Conference will be open to the general public and will aim to capture the attention of the international press and media, so that events and celebrations organized around the world throughout the year will attract public and media attention. The conference will highlight an opening ceremony, public lectures and round-table discussions by Nobel Laureates and other renowned scientists. The opening ceremony will feature representatives of UNESCO, other UN agencies, and the European Commission, Heads of States, UNESCO Permanent Delegates, government ministers and science academicians. The public lectures and round-table discussions will focus on the role of physics in society and its impact on everyday life, the influence of Einstein on the science of the 20th and 21st centuries, the teaching of physics, and its links with other disciplines. The participation of 500 students (ages 16-18) will be invited from physics Olympiad teams from different countries. For more information see the Web site: www.wyp2005.org/unesco. 6. IUGG-Related Meetings Occurring during September - November 2004 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. September 27 - October 1, 2004 September 29 - October 1, 2004 October 11 - October 14, 2004 October 13 - October 25, 2004 October 13 - October 16, 2004 October 17 - October 24, 2004 October 18 - October 21, 2004 October 18 - October 21, 2004 October 25 - November 5, 2004 November 2 - November 4, 2004 November 7 - November 10, 2004 November 8 - November 11, 2004 November 9 - November 17, 2004 November 14 - November 19, 2004 November 15 - November 20, 2004 November 19 - November 23, 2004 December 2 - December 4, 2004 December 6 - December 8, 2004 December 6 - December 9, 2004 December 6 - December 10, 2004 December 13 - December 17, 2004 December 15 - December 18, 2004 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. Your comments are welcome. End of IUGG Electronic Journal Volume 4 Number 10 (October 1, 2004) |
