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British Geophysical Association

Executive Committee Meeting

Approved Minutes

Arthur Holmes Room Geological Society of

London 4th February 2015

14:00

Present:

Dr Jenny Collier (JC) – President elect and Chair Dr Jon Mound (JM) – Secretary Mr Paul Denton (PD) – Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer D. Sheila Peacock (SP) – invited, RAS Council Dr. Jenny Taylor (JT) – Website Officer Dr Max Moorkamp (MM) – Newsletter Officer Dr George Tuckwell (GT) – Industry Representative Apologies: Prof Mike Kendall (MK) – President Prof Peter Clarke (PC) – Treasurer Dr James Wookey (JW) – Treasurer elect Prof John Brodholt (JB) – Outreach Representative Dr Derek Keir (DK) – Meetings Officer Dr Lyndsay Fletcher (LF) – Parent Society Representative (Royal Astronomical Society) Dr Nigel Cassidy (NC) = Parent Society Representative (Geological Society)

Document:

1 Minutes of the BGA Committee Meeting – 3rd September 2014 The minutes of the previous meeting were considered and affirmed correct.

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2 Matters arising from the minutes, not otherwise included in the full agenda None

JC

3 Chair’s Report Noted the current change of exec membership provides an opportunity for evaluation and reinvigoration of the role of BGA (item 8) and highlighted the need to recruit some new exec members to fill roles and for geographic balance (item 5).

JC

4 Treasurer’s Report i) Recurrent expenditure and budgets ii) Strategic expenditure iii) Gray-Milne Fund income iv) Geological Society income v) Royal Astronomical Society income vi) Change of bank signatories Details of the final 2014 budget and proposed 2015 budget were presented and considered. JC highlighted the decision to draw down on the reserves that had built up during the previous two years due to the lower than expected cost of meeting organization due in part to the better than usual success at attracting meeting sponsors. The provision of more funding in response to requests for meeting support and/or the support of more meetings was agreed as a strategy to assist in draw down of the reserves, and to further the reach and impact of the BGA. All agreed that the proposed new geophysics education review be put on hold and removed from the budget. The inclusion of £2000 in the 2015 budget to support the Teachable Moments project was agreed by all present.

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JC on behalf of JW/PC

School’s liaison dropped as a standing budgetary item as no actuals against it for the previous years. Proposed teachers conference removed from the budget. PD reported that BGA support for this meeting was not seen as crucial. Previous attempted organization had stalled due to lack of interest. Proposal that 2nd and 3rd place prizes (of £75 and £50, respectively) for the annual image competition be added to the budget. All present approved. The proposed budget for 2015 was approved subject to the amendments above. Considered and approved a request for £1000 to support Seismix 2016. This item will appear in the 2016 budget. Confirmation of appointment of Dr James Wookey as BGA Treasurer for the period FY 2015-2018 inclusive By unanimous vote of all those present, Dr James Wookey was confirmed as BGA Treasurer for the period FY 2015-2018. Prof. Peter Clarke was thanked for all his hard work as Treasurer. Signatory authority on the BGA bank accounts Proposal: Since all current signatories on the BGA accounts have now retired from the committee it is proposed that the Chair, the Secretary and the in-coming Treasurer become the signatories. By unanimous vote of all those present, the proposal was approved. The change of signatory process will now be enacted with the NatWest bank who hold the BGA accounts.

5 Committee membership Current BGA executive membership was reviewed. Noted the currently vacant role of Awards and Nominations Officer. SP's role on the committee as deputy for ex-officio member RAS Secretary Lyndsay Fletcher will cease in May 2015 when SP stands down from RAS council. She offered to stand for election to the committee at the imminent AGM, and accepted, if elected, the role of Awards and Nominations officer. [Note added afterwards: SP was duly elected at the AGM.] Noted the currently vacant role of Postgraduate Representative. ACTION: JC to put out a call to colleagues at UK institutions for suggestions. Proposed that JT take on duties of Outreach Officer. ACTION: JC to liaise further with JT and JB on this issue. Noted the current lack of representatives from institutions in Scotland. The committee proposed that Dr Dave Cornwell (Aberdeen) be nominated to join the executive at the upcoming AGM. Suggestions for further new members to be encouraged at the upcoming AGM. ACTION: JT to update GT’s affiliation on the BGA website.

JC

6 Webpage & BGA Newsletter Final review of new website prior to launch. ACTION: JC to coordinate with RAS with respect to removal and archiving of existing webpages. Discussion of using WordPress as host. Agreed to trial WordPress hosting for 2 years, but to pay to ensure our pages are not advertised on. ACTION: JT to check on cost for this.

JT

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ACTION: DK to coordinate with JT to set up a geophysics focused calendar of events for the website. Agreed to include a page of career profiles to advertise the range of employment a geophysics education can lead to. ACTION: All exec members to work with contacts to provide profiles to JT. Discussion of the funding portal and the type of requests that might be covered. Agreed that the BGA would focus primarily on supporting the organisation of meetings.

7 Review of planned activities carried over from 2013/4 – Geophysics Education Report, Teacher’s Conference Both considered as part of budget discussion. Both agreed to be discontinued. Revival in the future possible if the need arises.

JC,PD

8 Strategic review of current and future BGA activities JC

Discussion of potential goals / roles for the BGA. General aim of promoting geophysics within the UK. Currently do well at supporting postgraduate students, and this should continue. Also support of undergraduate students. Is more promotion and connection with industry desired? Advocacy and informing of UK politics? Geophysics as a chartered status (decided to provide info but not promote)? ACTION: All to reflect on the discussion and to consider development of new directions for discussion at future meetings.

9 Ground Forum – representative / report Minutes of the most recent Ground Forum circulated and considered. GT to continue to make BGA aware of relevant issues as they arise.

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10 Reports from Parent Society Representatives

i) RAS (including RAS2000) ii) Geol Soc

RAS – 92 ideas submitted to RAS200, at least 5 had geophysics content. Shortlist of 12 to be determined and invited to develop full proposals. Intention to fund 6. Another call will be made next year.

LH NC

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National nominations and awards None to consider at this time. Geol Soc publication ethics statement – sample collection Discussion of the recent and changes to Geol Soc publication ethics statement, specifically with respect to collection of geological samples (e.g. rock cores). Issue likely to also arise with RAS such that the two bodies will have a common stance on the issue. ACTION: SP to contact the Geol Soc geological conservation officer and secretary for publications for further clarification on the expected requirements of the ethics code with regards to scope and level of proof of ethical behaviour.

JC

JM

13 Upcoming meetings

i) NAG 2015 –5th-6th February 2015 –“The Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary”. ii) Tectonics from Above, RAS G meeting – organiser Barry Parsons – 13 March

2015 iii) 'From Hooke to Helioseismology – the UK’s contribution to Seismology, past,

present and future’ - 9th and 10th April 2015 - University of Leicester iv) RAS G “The geophysical response of the Earth to fluid migration: oil and

magma” – 8 May 2015, RAS, Kendall/Cashman v) PGRIP 2015 – 10-11 Sept, Univ. of Southampton vi) NAG 2016 – seeking suggestions vii) PGRIP 2016 – seeking suggestions

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of DK

viii) RAS G and NAM meeting

NAG 2016 ACTION: MM to consider organising an upcoming NAG on Joint Inversion ACITON: JM to ask Andrew Walker to determine if the new NERC Volatiles / Habitable Earth project would consider organising an upcoming NAG Noted that NAG must interface with the RAS “G meeting” schedule. PGRIP 2016 Host for next year needs to be found. ACTION: JM/JC to review list of participants at PGRIP 2014 for potential hosts. ACTION: JC to informally approach UCL / Royal Holloway as potential host for 2016.

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Reports from completed meetings i) Wegener 2014 – Univ. of Leeds – report received ii) Deep Earth Processes, Sept 2014 Geological Society of London – organised by

Sally Gibson – report received iii) Post-perovskite 10th Anniversary Meeting – University of Bristol – report

received iv) Seismology from Space – RAS G meeting, May 2014 – report received v) BGA PGRIP 2014 – University of Liverpool vi) Magnetic Interactions 2015 – University of Leeds

Report of past meeting was considered. Future meeting organisers will be encouraged to write up a short report for publication in A&G. ACTION: JM to remind current (Tim Wright) and previous (Kate Rychert) Bullerwell Lecturers that an article needs to be produced for A&G. Funding Requests

i) Seismix 2016 – Nick Rawlinson - £500-£1000 Considered above (item 4) and £1000 approved.

JC on behalf of DK

JT/DK

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Any other business

17 Date of next meeting 9th September 2015, Southampton, day before PGRIP 2015 Also note AGM on 6th February 2015, Geological Society, Burlington House.