6 <strong>SEG</strong> NEWSLETTER No 90 • JULY 2012 PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE See you in Lima! Nos vemos en Lima! The next <strong>SEG</strong> Conference takes place in Lima, Peru, from September 23 to 26, in conjunction with the XVI Congreso Peruano de Geología, a conference organized by the Sociedad Geológica del Perú (online registration for events is available at http://www.lima2012.com). More than 160 contributions that cover the Andes as well as explora tion and research involving the rest <strong>of</strong> the world will be presented during the <strong>SEG</strong> segment <strong>of</strong> the Confer ence. Three plenary speeches (F. Camus, R. Sillitoe, and D. Wood), one day <strong>of</strong> invited talks that update major porphyry discoveries in the Andes, organized by R. Sillitoe, J. Perelló, and R. Baumgartner, plus an additional 39 talks will make up the oral session. Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and students plan to exhibit more than 110 posters. To ensure good interaction between authors and attendees, a total <strong>of</strong> over five hours <strong>of</strong> formal poster sessions are planned for the midafternoons, during the period prior to the final plenary talk <strong>of</strong> each day. More than 70 research students from around the world, benefiting from various levels <strong>of</strong> corporate sponsorship, will give oral and poster presentations. In addition, a group <strong>of</strong> sponsored Peruvian undergraduate students will attend. Also on the agenda are pre- and post-conference field trips (four in Peru, and one each to Chile and Colombia) and short courses. As I write these lines, more than three months before the Conference, some <strong>of</strong> the activities are already fully booked. It is essential to reserve a place soon to avoid disappointment! The high number <strong>of</strong> early registrations suggests a very good attendance for the <strong>SEG</strong> 2012 Conference in South America. Peru and the <strong>SEG</strong> There are good reasons to hold this meeting in South America, especially in Peru. The ties that the <strong>Society</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Economic</strong> <strong>Geologists</strong> has with Peru are deep and long. Waldemar Lindgren, Alan Mara Bateman, and Louis Cary Graton, three <strong>of</strong> the founders <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Society</strong>, worked and published seminal studies on the extraordinary ore deposits <strong>of</strong> the Peru - vian Andes during the first third <strong>of</strong> the 20th century. Peru also has provided many distinguished <strong>SEG</strong> members, in - cluding a President (1988), a Penrose Gold Medalist (2000), and a Brian Skinner awardee (2010). At the beginning <strong>of</strong> 2012, Peru, with 359 members, ranked fourth in its <strong>SEG</strong> member count, just behind the United States, Canada, and Australia. The phenomenal economic growth <strong>of</strong> Peru in the last decade is clearly driven by the mining sector. The outlook for the future is also excellent, as investments totaling several tens <strong>of</strong> billions <strong>of</strong> US dollars are foreseen and the potential for new discoveries in Peru is high. Education and research in geology: Additional effort is needed A potential and probable benefit <strong>of</strong> holding the <strong>SEG</strong> 2012 Conference in Peru will be the increase in international research groups working on the fascinating geology and mineral resources <strong>of</strong> the Central Andes. Perhaps more young geologists will join the several dozens <strong>of</strong> Peruvian geologists carrying out graduate education overseas and elsewhere in Latin America. Al though this is very important for the future, it will not be enough. The results <strong>of</strong> a study that were presented at the LLUÍS FONTBOTÉ <strong>SEG</strong> President 2012 PROEXPLO meeting in February 2011 showed that there is a serious need in Peru for solid educational programs and research groups in economic geology and also in geology in general. A panel at the meeting concluded that only with high quality education and research can the pr<strong>of</strong>ession meet future challenges, including changing the perception <strong>of</strong> exploration and mining activities within Peruvian society. <strong>SEG</strong>, with its recently established education and training curricula and ongoing support <strong>of</strong> research in the field <strong>of</strong> ore deposit geology, can play an important role in such local initiatives. 1 ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS AND NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS Going digital for the journal and newsletter <strong>of</strong> any scientific, pr<strong>of</strong>essional society has many advantages. In our case, this step is even more beneficial than in many, given the important percentage <strong>of</strong> membership that works in places where mail/postal services are not reliable. Thus, it is not surprising that an ever-increasing number <strong>of</strong> our members have chosen to receive our publications in electronic format. We knew before going digital, however, that some “glitches” would appear and, indeed, they have. One <strong>of</strong> these glitches concerns receiving e-mail alerts. To take the place <strong>of</strong> the excitement <strong>of</strong> thumbing through the pages <strong>of</strong> a new issue <strong>of</strong> the journal, e-mail alerts for publications have been established as a way to keep you connected to all the activities in <strong>SEG</strong> publishing and education so that you won’t miss key benefits <strong>of</strong> your membership. Of course, consulting the <strong>SEG</strong> website on a regular basis is also an important way to ensure that you, as a member, remain aware <strong>of</strong> all the initiatives that we do not have space to cover in the Newsletter. In addition, for those <strong>of</strong> you who are avid Internet users, stay tuned and you will soon discover that we are building a social networking presence. This will provide further timely notices and announcements on a variety <strong>of</strong> topics close to the heart <strong>of</strong> an economic geologist, wherever you may be!
JULY 2012 • No 90 <strong>SEG</strong> NEWSLETTER 7
Change language