During the Goldschmidt Conference on geochemistry, held from 9th to 14th July 2023 in Lyon, two young researchers, Hannah Pollak (University of Edinburgh) and Ruth Esther Delina (GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam), were granted the opportunity to explore the forefront of geochemical research and immerse themselves in the geochemical scientific community, thanks to the support of EMU Student Travel Grants.
Their wonderful experiences were beautifully captured in the photos shared below.

Hannah Pollak : Understanding interactions between amino acids and nontronite clays: What is the effect of ions?

Ruth Esther Delina : Distribution and speciation of chromium in active and legacy nickel laterite tailings

We wish Hannah and Ruth all the best in their future endeavours and eagerly await the next generation of advanced research results they will bring to the scientific community!

EMU is pleased to announce the EMU Research Excellence Medal 2023 competition, which is presented every year to early career scientists who have made significant contributions to research and who are active in strengthening European scientific links.

Detailed information about the requirements for the application is given here.

Nomination deadline is extended until 3^rd July 2023

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We are delighted to announce that Hannah Pollak from the School of Chemistry (University of Edinburgh), and Ruth Esther G. Delina from the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences), have been awarded the EMU Student Travel Grants to participate in the Goldschmidt 2023 conference.

Hannah Pollak will present her research on “Understanding interactions between amino acids and nontronite clays: What is the effect of ions?” on Wednesday, 12th, from 17:15 to 17:30.
Ruth Esther G. Delina will present her work on “Distribution and speciation of chromium in active and legacy nickel laterite tailings” on Monday 10th, from 10:45 to 11:00.

We congratulate them and eagerly look forward to witnessing their contributions at the upcoming conference!

In 2023, the EMU offers TRAVEL GRANTS of 300 € each to promote the attendance of students in mineralogy at the EMPG symposium
(Milano, Italy, 12-15^th June, 2 grants)
and the Goldschmidt conference
(Lyon, France, 9-14^th July, 2 grants).

Eligibility:

The student(s) should be registered for a BSc, MSci or MSc, MGeol, or PhD degree in the subject area of mineralogy at large, in a university of a country represented in the EMU (see the list of EMU Member Societies).

How to apply:

Please send an application package to the acting and vice-president of the EMU (isabelle.daniel@univ-lyon1.fr and alessandro.pavese@unito.it).
The deadline for application is March 8^th, 2023

Application package:

In a single ‘Firstname_Lastname.pdf’ file:

• cover letter of 1 page
• 2-pages CV
• copy of the submitted abstract with proof of payment
• projected budget of the participation (travel expenses, housing, registration fees vs available resources) to either the Goldschmidt conference or the EMPG symposium

Evaluation and selection of the best applications will be based on the academic merit of applicants.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the recipient of the EMU Research Excellence Medal 2022 – Dr. Jakub Kierczak.

Dr. Kierczak is an accomplished researcher who has made substantial contributions to the scientific research on the mobility and distribution of metals in natural and anthropogenic soils. His main research topic has focused on reconstructing migration paths of metallic elements from ultramafic rocks and metallurgical slags, combining methods of geochemistry, geology, mineralogy, soil science, and biology in studying rocks, soils, and plants.
In addition to his impressive research activity, Dr. Kierczak has played an active role in integrating the mineralogical community in Poland as a member of the Society’s Board and, since December 2020, as the President of the Mineralogical Society of Poland.
Dr. Jakub Kierczak’s interdisciplinary approach, combined with his dedication to advancing scientific knowledge, makes him a deserving recipient of the 2022 Research Excellence Medal.
Congratulations, Dr. Kierczak, on this well-deserved recognition of your outstanding scientific achievements!

The EMU Research Excellence Medal 2021 ceremony was held at the Cité Centre de Congrès in Lyon during the 23^rd General Meeting of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2022, 18-22 July).

The Vice-President of the EMU, Isabelle Daniel, congratulated the two winners of the year 2021, Sylvain Bernard and Matteo Alvaro, for excellence in research.

2020 EMU Research Excellence Award recipient
Dr. Oliver Plümper (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) will give a talk on 19^th May 2022 at 11.00 am, UK time.

“Fluid–rock interactions within the solid Earth”

The event is free of charge to attend, but delegates must register in advance.

Please proceed to the website of the Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland for registration.

The unprovoked attack against Ukraine, a democratic and independent country, is a violation of international law. It is an assault on the fundamental principles of freedom, democracy and self-determination, which provide the basis for academic freedom and opportunities for scientific exchange and cooperation. The EMU calls on the Russian leadership to immediately cease all military action against Ukraine and put an end to this war.
We believe that science should be free and unimpeded by borders and politics. Mutual respect is essential to make our world a more civilised and peaceful place. As the situation in Ukraine continues to worsen, we add our voices to those throughout the international scientific community – including many Russians who have spoken out against this war – in hoping for a peaceful and swift resolution.

The EMU is pleased to announce that the EMU-SIMP school on Minerals and waste, an Anthropocene tale, will be held in Bardonecchia (Italy), from 20 to 24 June 2022.

www.minewa2022.it

The 2021 EMU Research Excellence Medal is awarded jointly to
Dr. Sylvain Bernard and Dr. Matteo Alvaro.

They are both excellent scientists, who have developed new methodologies for their fields of study and have come up with new ideas which can be used by the scientific community.
Both of them are mentors and role models to a generation of young scientists, carry out highly innovative and inspiring research and have developed an impressive network of worldwide connections and projects. They were both scored with very high ratings (32 vs. 30) by the committee during the evaluation of their nominations.
For these reasons, the 2021 EMU Medal Committee has agreed that they both deserve to be recipients of the 2021 Research Excellence Award of the European Mineralogical Union.

The Poster Prize committee of the European Mineralogical Union (EMU) awarded SIX excellent poster contributions of young talented researchers during the 3^rd European Mineralogical Conference EMC2020 (29^th August – 2^nd September 2021 in Cracow, Poland).

Brief descriptions are given here.

The medal is presented to an early career scientist who has made significant contributions to research in mineralogy and whose professional and societal activities contribute to strengthening scientific links in Europe.

Oliver Plümper
Utrecht University

Citation and Medal Lecture
Friday 9 July 09:00 Room 02; online
“The nanoscale control of reactive fluids on geological processes within the solid Earth“

Dr. Nadège Hilairet (Université de Lille, France),

the recipient of the 2019 Research Excellence Award of the European Mineralogical Union, presented a lecture on Friday, the 12th February 2021:

“Deformation and transformation of subduction zone hydrous minerals and rocks“

The lecture is available online at https://pod.univ-lille.fr/video/17898-hilairet-emump4/.

EMU Notes in Mineralogy, volume 20, is now available as PDF files that are fully open access. Follow this link to see the individual chapters and download them. EMU strives to secure funding for providing the future EMU Notes in Mineralogy in the open access format.

As a new initiative, the EMU is supporting visits of this year’s winner of the Research Excellence Medal, Dr Katharina Marquardt, to two or three European institutions to present her Medal lecture. Read about her work and her perception of science in the blog of European Association of Geochemistry. Dr Marquardt received her award at the Goldschmidt meeting in Barcelona and her lecture is entitled:

“Olivine interface distributions in static and dynamic equilibrium; effects of diffusion vs effects of dislocation motion.”

Anyone who is interested in having a visit to their institution should contact the Secretary of EMU, Dr Juraj Majzlan with a proposal of when and where Dr Marquardt would give her lecture. Dr Majzlan will decide on the most suitable requests, to fit in also with Dr Marquardt’s schedule.