IAVCEI: from small beginnings to a vibrant international association (original) (raw)
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Bulletin of Volcanology
IAVCEI originated in 1919 as one of the six inaugural "sections" of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). IUGG was formed by the International Research Council, which has now evolved to become the International Science Council (ISC). In 1933 the Section for Volcanology was renamed the International Association of Volcanology (IAV), and in 1967, it became the International Association of Volcanology and Geochemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). IAVCEI has been managed by 22 Presidents, 10 Secretaries-General, and their executive committees/bureaus. IAVCEI has always had a focus on facilitating the communication of volcanological research through organising a variety of international conferences, including IAVCEI General Assemblies, Scientific Assemblies, occasional Volcanological Congresses, and Cities on Volcanoes conferences. In addition, IAVCEI established research working groups initially which then became the association's research commissions. The research commissions have also organised their own research workshops. Recently IAVCEI has also developed new groupings of researchers through their Network program, including the Early Career Researcher Network, which focus mostly on facilitating communication. Bulletin of Volcanology has been the official IAVCEI journal since 1924 and has undergone several facelifts in its cover and format. It has been very well served by its 11 volunteer editors, editorial board, and reviewers in almost 100 years of publication. In addition, IAVCEI was instrumental in instigating an inventory of known volcanoes through its Catalogue of the Volcanoes of the World series, a role now undertaken by the Smithsonian Institution. To acknowledge outstanding achievements in volcanological research, IAVCEI has established 6 awards since 1974. Developing a better understanding of how volcanoes erupt and the impacts of eruptions on society has been an integral responsibility of IAVCEI as the learned international association in volcanology. In the 1990s, IAVCEI initiated the Decade Volcanoes program to encourage research on 16 volcanoes that were deemed to pose significant risks to the communities around them. Some have erupted since then, but eruptions from other volcanoes have also provided significant insights into eruption processes and phenomena. Although IAVCEI's future looks healthy, there are ways of being more proactive in improving services to members, including improving diversity and inclusiveness, greater gender balance for all positions on the IAVCEI Executive Committee, widening the representation of nationalities that serve on the Executive Committee, increasing membership numbers to generate greater income to support scientists in need of support to participate in IAVCEI activities, and significantly lowering the fee for open access publication of research papers in IAVCEI's masthead journal, Bulletin of Volcanology.
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In this study, we use bibliometric methods to assess the way in which local researchers are included in volcanological publications by comparing the affiliation of authors with the country in which researched volcanoes are located. Globally, 40% of articles about a specific volcano do not include an author whose affiliation is based in the country where the volcano is located (a locally domiciled author), while 56% are led by authors not based in the country of the volcano. Over the past three decades, first authorship rates among local researchers have not increased. However, local researchers have become more frequently included as co-authors in research led by researchers domiciled elsewhere. We provide examples of how this bibliometric analysis can be used to evaluate several specific inclusion-related topics. The results of these analyses suggest that there is room for improvement in inclusivity in volcanological research and cause for reflection on how we collaborate with inte...
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History of Geo- and Space Sciences, 2019
The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) has vigorously responded to a number of the natural, scientific, and technological challenges and driving forces that have marked the 21st century thus far. This paper reviews the actions of the Union that were precipitated by disasters caused by natural hazard events, climatic and environmental changes, and important scientific advances, as well as the opportunities to support International Years and other cooperative programs. This period has also given rise to a number of structural changes within the Union. IUGG added an eighth association, the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences, and inaugurated the new categories of affiliate and honorary memberships, introduced new grants, science education, and recognition programs, and formed new Union commissions on climatic and environmental change, data and information, planetary sciences, and a working group on history. Electronic communication was welcomed as a cultural norm. Overall, the development of the scientific landscape in the 21st century and a healthy future for the Union requires emphasis on fundamental Earth and space sciences as well as on transdisciplinary science to resolve urgent problems of society. IUGG will continue to evolve throughout the coming decades in step with the changing world of science and its international organizations, by responding to challenging problems as they arise.
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