Bernd (Berni) R.T. Simoneit (1937-2023)
August 03, 2023
It is with deep sadness that we report that Bernd R.T. Simoneit, an impressively productive and prolific organic and environmental biogeochemist and a Professor Emeritus of Oregon State University, died at his home in Corvallis on July 23, 2023.
Berni was born in Germany and immigrated to America as a young boy with his parents and his sister to settle in Rhode Island. He started his college education in New England, receiving his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Boston University (1965). He then took on a research position at the Space Sciences Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley (1966-1973). A chance encounter with Geoff Eglinton, who was visiting the Laboratory, led to his earning his PhD in organic geochemistry from the University of Bristol (UK) in 1975. He subsequently held positions at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at the University of California, Los Angeles (1976-1981), and the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences of Oregon State University (1981-2002). In addition to these permanent positions, he had visiting scientist positions at the California Institute of Technology (1965-2002), Tokyo Metropolitan University (1992), the Centre d'Investigacio I Desenvolupament, C.S.I.C., Barcelona, (1996-1997), Hokkaido University, Japan (2002), Florida International University (2003-2004), and the King Saud University, Riyadh (2008-2015). The overarching theme uniting Berni's studies at these multiple institutions was his intense curiosity about the nature of the chemical signatures that different lifeforms have left on our planet, a curiosity that led him to discover an impressively broad suite of molecular and isotopic biomarkers.
Nominations for Early Career Board Member
August 03, 2023
Students, postdoctoral scholars, and other early career scientists form a crucial segment of the Geochemical Society's membership. To make sure that we consider the needs of this population, the society has two seats on its board specifically for early career researchers (ECR). The board is responsible for governing the organization and determining how our programs can best serve the international geochemistry community. Serving on the board is an opportunity to develop as a leader, meet colleagues from around the world, and make a real contribution to the society and larger community.
Early career scientists may self-nominate for this role by September 1, 2023.
Definition of ECR: Early career researchers are defined as higher degree (beyond Bachelors level) students in good standing who 1) have completed at least 2 years of a PhD program (e.g., equivalent to having passed qualifying or mid-term exams where applicable) OR 2) postdoctoral researchers or faculty within 4 years of being awarded their PhD, OR 3) employees in a geochemistry-related industry within 4 years of last degree completion at the year of nomination.
Term of Service: ECR directors will serve for 2 years. This reflects the competing heavy demands on ECR time at this stage of their careers and also allows for broader participation of ECRs on the GS Board.
Duties: The duties of the ECR directors will be the same and with full Board voting and participation rights equivalent to other Non-Officer/Directors and they will be expected to attend all Board meetings, including at Goldschmidt Conferences either in-person (preferred) or virtually. Financial assistance for travel to in-person meetings will be available. It is also expected that the ECR directors will serve on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and other GS committees as needed.
Selection Process: Candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by others. (In the case of nominations by others, the society will contact the candidate to confirm that they are willing to stand for election.) The terms of the two ECR directors will be staggered, with one ECR director elected last year and one this year. As part of the process, each potential nominee will be asked to write a 500-word statement indicating why they wish to serve on the Board and what they would like to accomplish, along with a brief description of their experience, which may include a website link. At least two candidates to stand for election will be selected by the Nomination Committee and the Board. These candidates will be presented to the entire society membership during the Board election in November.
Submit a nomination: To self-nominate, send your statement of interest to: nominations@geochemsoc.org. To nominate someone else, send their name and email address and a member of the committee will follow up with the nominee (confirmation from the candidate must be received by the same deadline, so if nominating someone else, please submit it in advance of September 1). Nominations for the position are due by September 1, 2023.
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe Receives 2023 John Hayes Award
July 13, 2023
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, who is on leave from the University of California, Merced to serve as Director of the DOE Office of Science, received the 2023 John Hayes Award from the GS. The award is given to a mid-career scientist for outstanding accomplishments that draw together multiple fields of investigation to advance biogeochemical science. It was created in 2017 by the Organic Geochemistry Division and a group of friends, colleagues, and students of John Hayes. Prof. Berhe is recognized for contributions to our understanding of the dynamics of carbon transport and stabilization in soils, from molecular to watershed scales. Her research has transformed our conceptual model of terrestrial carbon cycling by incorporating a landscape perspective, specifically, geomorphology and hillslope processes, into biogeochemical studies.
Ken Rubin to Receive Distinguished Service Award
June 23, 2023
Ken Rubin of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will receive the 2023 GS Distinguished Service Award at the Goldschmidt Conference in July. He is recognized for extraordinary service to the Geochemical Society and the broader geochemical community through his leadership as chair of the Local Organizing committee and Science Committee member for the Goldschmidt Conferences in 2020 and 2022. The Distinguished Service Award is presented on an irregular basis to recognize contributions that greatly exceed the normal expectations of voluntary service.
Elements: Into the Rift: The Geology of Human Origins in Eastern Africa
June 22, 2023
Spanning from the horn of Africa down to Lake Malawi, the East Africa Rift preserves a plethora of paleoanthropological sites (e.g., Olduvai Gorge, Turkana, Awash) that document our evolutionary journey spanning the last seven million years of Earth’s history. A common feature of these sites is that they are associated with volcanic–sedimentary basins intimately related to the development of the rift. Radiometric and paleomagnetic geochronology helps establish age relations between different hominin species. Geochemical studies of primary tuffs help correlate between sites and identify specific volcanic sources. Authigenic minerals formed in rift lakes can help reconstruct past climates and environments. Recent excavations at Laetoli show that this valuable site is slowly disappearing owing to diagenetic processes, and preservation of the footprints is essential and urgently needed.
Current Geochemical Society members can access this issue now via the Elements website using your email address (UserID) and member number (Password).
Executive Editor of GCA
June 06, 2023
The Geochemical Society and the Meteoritical Society are seeking qualified candidates to serve as Executive Editor (EE) of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (GCA). The appointment is for an initial 3-year term commencing January 1, 2025, with the possibility of an additional 3-year term by negotiation with the societies and the publisher. GCA publishes research papers that address fundamental aspects of geochemistry and cosmochemistry as well as articles relating to key activities of the sponsoring societies.
Consideration of applicants will begin October 1 and continue until the position is filled. Learn more
Elements: Alkaline Lakes
May 10, 2023
Alkaline lakes are incredibly dynamic, unique, and fascinating biogeochemical environments. This thematic issue will leverage the authors’ multidisciplinary insights to portray alkaline lakes’ biogeochemical, mineralogical, and geological importance for both science and society. The articles will individually explore the unique conditions leading to the formation of alkaline lakes, the distinctively productive microbial ecosystems that inhabit them, their distinguishing chemistry and mineralogy, their role as societally important economic resources, and their potential to have originated life on Earth as well as Mars. This approachable overview of the geochemical, biological, and societal aspects of alkaline lakes will establish their vital importance to the broad readership of Elements and stimulate continued explorations of these mesmerizing geological systems.
Current Geochemical Society members can access this issue now via the Elements website using your email address (UserID) and member number (Password).
James Bischoff (1940-2021)
March 23, 2023
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Jim Bischoff who died at the age of 80 on February 17, 2021. Jim had battled several serious illnesses over the past couple of decades and finally succumbed while in the care of hospice with his family at his side. He is survived by his wife Marybeth, children Matthew and Lorena, and four grandchildren.
His curiosity driven life in the pursuit of science led him to a highly successful career in marine geochemistry. Recognizing the impracticality of a fantasy career in archaeology Jim obtained an undergraduate degree in geology at Occidental College and PhD in geochemistry at Berkeley in 1966 under Bill Fyfe. He carried out a two-year postdoc at Woods Hole during a time of great excitement about new discoveries in the oceans, especially about this outrageous new idea of seafloor spreading. After five years as Professor at University of Southern California, Jim joined the Branch of Pacific and Coastal Marine Geology of the USGS in 1974. He quickly built the marine geochemistry program to international acclaim.
Exploring Jupiter’s Moon Io
March 23, 2023
Jupiter’s moon Io is the best place to understand a fundamental planetary process that shaped terrestrial planets, icy ocean worlds, and extrasolar planets: tidal heating. Io is the most tidally heated world in our Solar System and may contain a magma ocean. Io’s spectacular volcanic plumes sustain the atmosphere and feed the giant magnetosphere of the Jovian system. The lavas covering its surface reflect heatpipe tectonics, which is analogous to the volcanically hyperactive youth of all rocky planets. Io is the ideal planetscale laboratory to study the intertwined processes of tidal forcing, extreme volcanism, and atmosphere–magnetosphere interactions. This issue of Elements will review our knowledge of Io, emphasizing on its composition, interior dynamics, and surface processes. We will also share perspectives for future missions.
Current Geochemical Society members can access this issue now via the Elements website using your email address (UserID) and member number (Password).
Shucheng Xie Named 2023 Alfred Treibs Medalist
March 02, 2023
Shucheng Xie, professor of geobiology at the China University of Geosciences, will receive the 2023 the Alfred Treibs Award. Presented by the society's Organic Geochemistry Division, the award is given for major achievements, over a period of years, in organic geochemistry. Prof. Xie is recognized for pioneering studies of geolipids for paleoclimate research, developing applications to stalagmites, paleosols, and marine sediments, and expanding knowledge of microbial activity during major evolutionary and mass extinction events in Earth history.