The Earth Science Matters Foundation held its second Board meeting on 6 August in Brisbane, Australia while benefiting of the gathering of many Earth scientists for the quadrennial International Geological Congress. A new Board member was appointed (Prof. Aberra Mogessie) and the Geological Society of Africa entered as a new Partner. In the meeting it was agreed to establish national Focal Points representing individual nations in the Foundation. A separate meeting was held for national Focal Points on 8 August. A Report prepared by Courtney Jermyn to apply social media for the Foundation was adopted. A wide variety of actual and potential projects amongst others dealing with Groundwater & Food Security, geo-education, Geoparks, awareness raising movies, support to International (UN) Years, was reviewed.
New Board member: Aberra Mogessie
To strengthen its ties with the African continent and to benefit from his extensive geoscientific networks the Earth Science Matters Foundation appointed Prof. Dr Aberra Mogessie as a Board member in its 2nd Board meeting held in Brisbane, Australia, August 2012. Prof. Mogessie is the President of the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf) which brings together all geoscientific entities in the continent. As a Professor of petrology Aberra Mogessie has served as Chairman of the Institute of Mineralogy and Petrology of the University of Graz, Austria and is at present serving as the Vice-President of the Austrian Mineralogical Society (OEMG). Prof. Mogessie is associated with a wide range of other professional geoscientific organizations. He is the 2011 recipient of the NMGS (Nigerian Mining and Geoscience Society) Award in Gold and a Plaque in honor of Prof. O. Oyawoye of Nigeria as a hard rock African Geologist. He is nominated and will be awarded the Luis Federico Leloir Prize to International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation by the Argentinian Minister of Science in November 2012.
New Partner: The Geological Society of Africa
The Earth Science Matters Foundation is proud and happy to announce Partnership with the Geological Society of Africa (GSAf). This Society is the main geoscientific body representing scientists in almost all African nations. Spurred by the Geological Society of Africa, geoscientists in many African nations have been involved in the International Year of Planet Earth (2007-2009). As a follow-on activity of the IYPE, primarily focused on geoscientific outreach, Earth Science Matters looks forward to intense cooperation with the GSAf, also through the national ESM Focal Points currently being established throughout the continent. The Foundation will be represented in CAG24, the bi-annual Colloquium on African geosciences to be held in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) from 8-14 January 2013.