Newsletter items: 1. Updates from the Secretariat; 2. Joint Nordqua-Palaeoarc Excursion in 2023; 3. INQUA Roma and other meetings of interest; 4. Current and upcoming vacancies in the Nordqua Secretariat.
1. Festive greetings and a review of 2022 from the Secretariat
Festive greetings to all. We hope that Nordqua members are doing well. This year has seen some important milestones finally passed for Nordqua:
- We held our first excursion since 2018! Taking the opportunity of the changed timing of the NGWM to spring, Ívar Örn Benediktsson and Thorbjörg Sigfúsdóttir led a full bus of members on a 1-day trip in excellent spring conditions that incorporated a total of 9 stops of Quaternary and geological interest to the southwest of Reykjavik. Highlights being the Skorholtsmelar end moraine complex and Melabakkar-Ásbakkar coastal cliff sections. An excursion report is being prepared and will appear on the Nordqua website in the new year.
- We launched the new-look website. If you have comments for things that you would like to see appear here; or via this newsletter and/or the Nordqua social media channels (Facebook, Twitter) then let us know. A key new feature of the website is the ‘PhD-page‘ where newly-graduate PhDs within the Nordqua network are highlighted. If you have recently completed your defence, )or have a student who has) then please do, (or encourage them) to have their achievement highlighted here. You can add your details using this form.
- The Secretariat confirmed that funding from the journal Boreas in support of Nordqua activity (e.g. website, reducing the cost of excursions for student members) will be held at Norges Geologiske Undersøkelse (NGU). This provides a stable home for the funds and creates the new role of Finance Officer in the Secretariat Team. We welcome Daniel Wiberg in this role. We also thank Lilja Rún Bjarnadóttir from NGU for organising this accounting process for Nordqua.
2. Joint Nordqua-PalaeoArc Excursion to Iceland, August 2023
There will be a joint Nordqua-Palaeoarc excursion to NE Iceland from 31st August to 2nd September 2023. We recognise many overlaps between our two networks and hope this will promote connections and collaborations for all attending.
- The excursion will directly follow the 4th International PalaeoArc Conference on “Processes and Palaeo-environmental changes in the Arctic: from past to present” to be held in Akureyri, 27th – 30th August 2023.
- Registration for the conference and excursion will open in February 2023. Note that while we believe that there will be many Nordqua members who will want to attend both the conference and the excursion, it will be possible to register for just the excursion.
- More details can be found at the meeting website: https://www.palaeoarc-nordqua2023.is/
3. INQUA Roma and other upcoming meetings of potential interest
We expect to see many Nordqua colleagues in Rome in the summer and we hope to organise a members meeting, photo, and social event during the congress. Information to follow nearer the time. For now, please be aware that early-bird registration closes on 20th February 2023. https://inquaroma2023.org/
Other upcoming meetings of potential interest:
- QRA Annual Discussion Meeting: Applications of Quaternary Geoscience to Engineering: process, properties and behaviour [ONLINE, free registration] 5-6 January 2023
- 52nd International Arctic Workshop, 19-22 April 2023. University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
- EGU General Assemmby 2023 [Vienna & online] 23–28 April 2023.
4. Current and upcoming vacancies in the Nordqua Secretariat
We currently have a vacancy on the Secretariat Team for a Postgraduate Officer. We thank our outgoing Postgraduate Officer Lena Uldal Hansen for all her valued contributions throughout the past few years!
- We welcome any current PhD student from the Nordqua network to this role and looking for some to start as soon as possible.
- You will be responsible for liasing with and expressing the views of postgraduate members, attending Secretariat meetings (usually online, 3-4 times per year) and assisting with the general background organisation of the network.
- If you are interested or would like to find out more then please get in touch via secretariat@nordqua.org
It is the intention of Anna Hughes and Ívar Örn Benediktsson to step down as Leader and Excursions Officer, respectively, at the NGWM in January 2024. We have both been in post since January 2018 and while we have enjoyed serving the community in these roles recognise that it is good to refresh the administration periodically. We welcome a smooth transition and transparent appointment process and therefore are announcing our intention now, to allow members to put themselves forward.
- If you have any questions or are interested in either of these roles please get in touch.
- Should there be multiple volunteers for each position we will organise a ballot of members.
As ever, you can find information on the Nordqua website or social media platforms:
- A promotional flyer is available to download from the NORDQUA website
- New members can sign up for the newsletter via this form
- Our Twitter Account (@NORDQUAnews) now has 334 followers! Please follow and use the hashtag #NORDQUA.
- The Facebook group currently stands at 136 members. To join, click the link and ask to join, you will be accepted! After joining it is possible to post to the group to share information directly with other members.
- If you have suggestions to improve NORDQUA and/or information (e.g. job/PhD vacancies, upcoming meetings/conferences) that you would like to see added to the NORDQUA website or shared with members please contact the Secretariat: secretariat@nordqua.org.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from NORDQUA!
Anna Hughes, Ívar Örn Benediktsson, Henry Patton, and Daniel Wiberg