Intellectual Merit: The 2010 V. M. Goldschmidt Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, will provide an excellent opportunity for young geochemists to share their research with the scientific community, learn about cutting edge research taking place around the world, and interact with senior scientists specializing in their specific realm of interest. Thematic issues to be addressed at the conference span a broad range of sub-disciplines in low- and high-temperature geochemistry, including early solar system geochronology, planetary geochemistry, early earth, continental crustal evolution, mantle dynamics, mantle geochemistry, experimental petrology, fluids in the crust and mantle, subduction processes, magmatic processes, thermochronology, and resource geochemistry. In addition to oral and poster presentation sessions, students will have an opportunity to participate in field trips to outstanding geological destinations in the southern Appalachian Mountains including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, mafic-ultramafic complexes in North Carolina, and the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as short courses on teaching geochemistry and geochemical databases. This proposal puts forth a method for fairly selecting and distributing travel support funds to the most qualified student applicants, to ensure that 30 or more have an opportunity to benefit from all the resources to be assembled at the conference. In addition to the funding requested from NSF, the Geochemical Society will contribute $10,000, bringing the total number of student opportunities to 40.
Broader Impacts: International scientific meetings are the primary networking outlet for researchers of all experience levels. For graduate students, these meetings are often the first opportunity to interact with members of the international scientific community. As the premier international geochemical conference, the Goldschmidt Conference plays a critical role in introducing young researchers to the world of geochemistry beyond their home institutions. The lingering effects of such an international learning and networking experience can be life-changing for a graduate student struggling to gain a foothold in the scientific community. The proposed student travel support program will enable the best and brightest senior graduate students from the US and US Territories, students who might otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints at their home institutions, to benefit from all the advantages this meeting has to offer at this turning point in their respective careers. Every effort will be made to encourage women, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities to apply for funding, and to ensure, as much as possible, that the full range of demographic diversity sampled by today's geosciences graduate student community is represented among the awardees. It is our sincere hope that encouraging participation by underrepresented groups in international events such as the Goldschmidt Conference will increase the diversity of the core group of senior geoscientists in the years to come.
GEOCHEMICAL SOCIETY Washington University in St. Louis Earth and Planetary Sciences One Brookings Dr, CB 1169 Saint Louis MO 63130-4899 Proposal Number: EAR - 1023304 Support of Graduate Student Travel Support Program for the 2010 V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Knoxville, TN, June 13-18, 2010. Juske Horita, (806) 742-3109, juske.horita@ttu.edu Seth Davis, (314) 935-4131, seth.davis@geochemsoc.org Website: www.geochemsoc.org/programs/goldschmidttravelgrants/2010stg/ Objectives: To provide exemplary graduate students with (1) the opportunity to present their own work to an international audience of students and professionals, (2) a professional environment to learn and network, and (3) experience that positively influences their research and career plans for the future. Project Description: The project collected applications for travel funds from students planning to attend the 2010 V.M. Goldschmidt Conference in Knoxville, TN. The applications where then reviewed by a volunteer committee of geochemistry professionals and ranked with the top students receiving funding. Those students were then asked to complete an online post-conference survey to assess the effectiveness of the program. Results: The top 34 students of 93 applications were approved for funding of up to $1,000 each for a total support of $30,000. The 34 students attended from 24 institutions across 21 states. IN THEIR OWN WORDS A post-conference survey was administered to the 34 students who were funded by this grant. Of those, 25 completed the survey. A few of their comments are provided below. What did you learn from the sessions you attended? "Overall from the sessions, I learn some pointers on how to give and make a great presentation. I know you can only learn this mostly from personal experiences, but it made me think about more than just science during the conference. At Goldschmidt as in any conference, I learned about current research being conducted. I believe this is important, as publishing of such science could take years. As being my first international conference, it was nice to see geochemistry as the overall topic. There were so many cool sessions, and so much knowledge to soak in. I also learned that it might be important to become specialized in a specific area such as a specific isotope, and run that way rather than about 10 different directions." "I thought the vast majority of the talks were enriching, and kept detailed notes on all of them. I guess one large take-home point I got is that nanoparticle research is expanding fast, and it's an exciting field with lots of useful applications." "How to give a better talk, more about our Moon and also learn some about different isotopic systems and their applications in planetary sciences. Also got some idea about my next PhD project." "I learned about several new advanced techniques. I was also able to hear from a few speakers whose research is similar to my own which helped me to brainstorm new ways to gain insight into my research system. I also learned about new fundamental research to keep me up to date on the current understanding of certain systems." Were you able to establish new connections while attending the conference? "Yes! I connected with journal editors, NSF program managers, and a number of major players in my field." "Yes, since I am planning to complete my PhD by the end of this year so I was eager to talk to prospective post doc advisers. I would say I have been successful at talking to a number of people regarding future research opportunities." "Yes I was able to establish new connections while attending Goldschmidt. I was especially glad to meet a colleague of my advisor's who ran samples for my project. It was great to put a face with a name. It is always nice to put a face with a name, as I have read many articles by many of the attendees." "Definitely- the best part was that I received several informal postdoc offers. I will follow up on these as I graduate next year." How did this meeting influence your research plans for the future? "I have partially re-designed my U-series geochronology and made connections with potential postdoc supervisors. I also changed a section of a paper I am writing as a result of long discussions with a co-author. These discussions are so much easier to have in person rather than over email." "I got some idea about my next PhD project, which is great!" "The meeting gave me many new ideas for approaching my research project. It also provided me with new people I wish to contact in order to obtain advice on the current methodology I use in the lab." "It confirmed in my direction. Gave me some new impulses to try techniques I hadn't considered, etc. and renewed my motivation for pursuing my work."
