The IUGG Electronic Journal

Volume 5 No. 3 (March 1, 2005)

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. IERS Technical Notes 31 and 32
2. ICSU Call for Nominations
3. IGY+50 Developments
4. Honors and Awards
5. In Memoriam: Serguei Balassanian (1948-2004)
6. Report from the SCOPE General Assembly
7. IUGG-related meetings occurring during March - May 2005

1. IERS Technical Notes 31 and 32

The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has recently published the following Technical Notes. Online versions of these documents can be found at www.iers.org/iers/publications/tn/.

No. 31: C. Boucher, Z. Altamimi, P. Sillard, and M. Feissel-Vernier: The ITRF2000.

No. 32: D.D. McCarthy and G. Petit (eds.): IERS Conventions (2003).

2. ICSU Call for Nominations

Nominations for ICSU Officers and members of the Executive Board are now open. These include the President-Elect, Vice-President for Scientific Planning and Review, Vice-President for External Relations, Secretary General and Treasurer of ICSU and for Ordinary Members of the Executive Board. IUGG may submit one name per office, for consideration by the Nominating Committee. New officers will be elected at the 28th General Assembly in Shanghai and Suzhou, China, 17-21 October 2005. For additional information, please contact the IUGG Secretariat.

3. IGY+50 Developments

eGY (Electronic Geophysical Year)
A planning meeting was held in Boulder, Colorado, 14-15 February. Information about eGY and the meeting can be accessed on the eGY website: www.egy.org.

IHY (International Heliophysical Year)
A North American Science Community Planning Workshop was held in Boulder, Colorado, 16-18 February. Information about IHY and the meeting can be accessed from the IHY web site: http://ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov.

An important part of IHY activities will be preserving the history and memory of the International Geophysical Year 1957-58. IHY has set up a History Initiative with the following goals:

• identifying and recognizing planners of and participants in the first IGY,
• preserving memoirs, articles, photographs, and all items of historical significance for the IGY,
• making these items available to historians, researchers, etc.,
• serving as a contact service for these activities,
• spreading awareness of the history of geophysics, and
• planning special events and "reunions."

To this end, IHY has established the IGY "Gold" Club to identify participants from the first IGY (gold symbolizing the 50th anniversary). To join the Gold Club, three requirements must be met:

• You must have been a participant in the first IGY.
• You must contribute an item of historical significance to the initiative. It can be a letter, a recollection, an article, a photograph, etc.
• You must be willing to have that item made publicly available to historians, librarians, and other people interested in investigating and preserving the history of geophysics.

"Gold club" participants will be rewarded with a special "IGY Gold Anniversary" certificate of recognition and a special commemorative "IGY Gold" lapel pin specially designed for the 50th anniversary of IGY. Only members of the IGY Gold club will be issued this pin. To nominate a colleague or yourself, send an e-mail message to Barbara.J.Thompson@nasa.gov

4. Honors and Awards

Members of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) have recently achieved success. A team from the University of California, Berkeley, led by Prof. Yoram Rubin, was selected as the US National Center for Hydrological Synthesis. In Japan, Prof. Kuni Takeuchi's program "Research and Education on Integrated River Basin Management in Asian Monsoon Region," was designated as a 21st Century Center of Excellence.

The American Geophysical Union has named their 2005 Fellows. The following scientists active within IUGG were among those elected. Congratulations to all!

Georges Balmino (France), past Secretary General of IUGG

Bruce Buffett (Canada/USA), Chair of the IUGG Union Commission on Studies of Earth's Deep Interior (SEDI)

Devendra Lal (USA), past President of IUGG (1983-87)

Kathryn Whaler (Scotland, UK), member of IAGA Executive Committee

Vladimir Zharkov (Russia), member of Advisory Committee, SEDI

5. In Memoriam: Serguei Balassanian (1948-2004)

Prof. Serguei Balassanian, Yerevan State University, died on November 23, 2004, as a result of an automobile accident. Prof. Balassanian was President of the IUGG National Committee for the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth, and also President of the IASPEI Asian Seismological Commission. He was a renowned authority in the field of natural hazards and risks. Additional information can be found on the IASPEI web site under Recent Changes.

6. Report from the SCOPE General Assembly

The XIIth General Assembly of the ICSU Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) was held in New Delhi, India, from 8-11 February 2005. Dr. N.J. Peters attended on behalf of IUGG. The officers of SCOPE were elected for the 2005-2008 term, reports were received, and a number of resolutions were passed. SCOPE organizes its work within 3 clusters: Management of Societal and Natural Resources, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, and Health and Environment. IUGG is actively involved in projects within the first two clusters. Reports from the General Assembly are available from the IUGG Secretariat.

7. IUGG-Related Meetings Occurring during March - May 2005

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.

March 1 - March 5, 2005
IAG; Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain; International Workshop on Deformation and Gravity Change: Indicators of Isostasy, Tectonics, Volcanism and Climate Change

March 15 - March 17, 2005
IAGA/EMSEV; Chofu, Tokyo, Japan; International Workshop on Seismo Electromagnetics

March 17 - March 19, 2005
IAG; Jaén, Spain; International Symposium on Geodetic Deformation Monitoring: From Geophysical to Geodetic Roles

March 21 - March 23, 2005
ISPRS; Delft, The Netherlands; The First International Symposium on Geo-information for Disaster Management

April 1 - April 9, 2005
IAVCEI; Sal Island, Cape Verde; Workshop on Ocean Island Volcanism

April 4 - April 9, 2005
IAHS; Foz de Iguassu, Brazil; Scientific Assembly

April 11 - April 15, 2005
WCRP/CliC; Beijing, China; 1st CliC International Science Conference: Cryosphere, the Frozen Frontier of Climate Science

April 24 - April 29, 2005
EGU; Vienna, Austria; EGU General Assembly

May 3 - May 5, 2005
URSI; Alexandria, VA - USA; 11th International Ionospheric Effects Symposium

May 9 - May 14, 2005
SCOSTEP; Taipei, Taiwan - China; 11th International Symposium on Equatorial Aeronomy

May 16 - May 19, 2005
Egyptian Geophysical Society; Cairo, Egypt; Imaging the Future: Cairo 2005 2nd International Petroleum Conference

May 16 - May 20, 2005
EGU/CIIFEN; Guayaquil, Ecuador; 1st Alexander von Humboldt International Conference on the El Niño phenomenon and its global impact

May 18 - May 20, 2005
NMIJ/BIPM; Tsukuba, Japan; NMIJ-BIPM Workshop on the Impact of Information Technology on Metrology

May 22 - May 26, 2005
UN/Algeria/ESA; Algiers, Algeria; International Seminar on the Use of Space Technology for Disaster Management: Prevention and Management of Natural Disasters

May 23 - May 27, 2005
AGUSEG; New Orleans, LA - USA; Joint Meeting

May 25 - May 28, 2005
IAHS; Nijmegen, The Netherlands; 3rd International Symposium on flood Defense: Floods, from Defense to Management

End of IUGG Electronic Journal Volume 5 Number 3 (March 1, 2005)
J. A. Joselyn, Secretary General  [ http://www.IUGG.org ]
jjoselyn@cires.colorado.edu, fax:  1 303 497 3645.