[Geochemistry.group] Geochemistry Group Updates: GGMS, Bursaries, GGRiP, MinSoc at 150, Skills & Training

Dear Geochemists, Last call for GGMS 2025 mentors and mentees! (Deadline today!) Don’t forget to sign up as a mentee (or mentor) for the 2025/2026 Geochemistry Group Mentor Scheme (GGMS). The aim of the scheme is to connect early career researchers (ECRs) and PhD students with more established geochemists, people they might not normally have the opportunity to meet, or to hold in-depth discussions with, over an extended time period. If you would like to sign up as a mentee then please fill out the expression of interest form here: https://forms.office.com/e/EpbhASsBzd<https://eur03.safelinks.protection… This year, we are also looking for new mentors (established geochemists). We especially encourage those with industry experience for those ECRs looking for guidance on paths outside of academia. We are also encouraging the participation of an in-person GGMS meeting during the lunchtime break at our annual GGRiP meeting held at the University of Bristol next year, and mentors will be offered a 15% discount on attendance fees for this event. This is a fantastic opportunity to give back to our community! If you are interested in becoming a mentor with GGMS, please fill out this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MH_ksn3NTkql2rGM8aQVG8-… (You must be based in the UK and Ireland) This scheme will involve a time commitment of 4 to 5 meetings between mentors and mentees over the course of an academic year (for full information, please see our website: https://geochemistry.group/ggms/<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outl…) Meeting Attendance Bursaries (PhDs and ECRs) (deadline 15th October) The Geochemistry Group welcomes applications from researchers registered at UK and Irish universities or research institutions to facilitate the presentation of their geochemistry-related research at a meeting hosted online, within the UK or internationally. The bursary is open to students regardless of funding situation as well postdoctoral researchers without financial support for conference attendance. Funding for two types of expenses can be applied for through this bursary: (i) offsetting the cost of travel to conferences being attended in person; (ii) contributions towards the costs of attending online conferences. Full eligibility criteria are listed in the application form which can be downloaded from our website: https://geochemistrygroup.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=130&acti… GGRiP 2025 A reminder that the next Geochemistry Group Research in Progress (GGRiP) meeting will take place in Bristol on the 24th-26th of March 2026. For GGRiP 2026 in Bristol, we are running 2 pre-conference workshops that will be free for all conference attendees. The first will be a technical staff workshop covering lab techniques and lab management. The second workshop will be aimed at ECRs, covering the basics of different geochemistry techniques. There will be guest lecturers from across earth science/chemistry/Archaeology. Topics will include: * Introduction to Atoms, Molecules, Ions, Fields and Forces. * Inorganic Mass Spectrometry for Elemental and Isotope Ratio Determination: Quads, TOF, Sectors, (CC)-MC-ICPMS. * GC and LC Mass Spectrometry Techniques for Separating and Quantifying Molecules in Complex Mixtures; compound specific IRMS (C,N,H). The GGRiP website will be live for registration from December 2025! Please also check our website: https://geochemistry.group/research-in-progress-meeting/<https://eur03.s… for the latest info! Mineralogical Society at 150: Past Discoveries and Future Frontiers The Mineralogical Society will celebrate its sesquicentennial during 2026. The focal point of our celebrations will be a three-day meeting at the University of Manchester from 23–25 June 2026. All are welcome, from students and early-career researchers to those who have a lifetime of Society experience under their belts! A key element of the programme will focus on the history of the Society. As part of our celebration, we will publish an article in Mineralogical Magazine describing the history of the Society. In addition, we will celebrate the key people who have contributed to the organization, to our journals and to mineral science over the past 150 years. We would welcome contributions which look at the history of our Society, its leaders and, our disciplines. These may fit in any of the sessions but certainly are welcomed in the ‘Universal Session’. The scientific sessions (up to 3x parallel sessions are planned) will be held in the Schuster Building and the banquet, on the night of 23rd June, will be held at the wonderful Whitworth Hall. More information on the event webpage: https://minsoc-150.org/<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?… [MinSoc_Flier_150th-final-copy-1503x2048.jpeg] MinSoc Skills and Training: Register here<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fz… for an upcoming event (21 October 2025): The versatility of ICP Analysis, an Earth Science-focused introduction<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3…amp;reserved=0>, by Sam Hammond and Barbara Kunz, Open University. ICP instruments are relatively common in Earth and Environmental science analysis, allowing the measurement of major, minor and trace element concentrations, and isotopic ratios of a wide variety of materials from rocks, soils, waters, through to biological tissues, chemical experiments, nano-technologies and more. In this seminar we will provide an overview of ICP instruments and analysis, with a specific focus on quadrupole ICP-MS instruments used for trace element analysis. The versatility of ICP instruments are one of their strengths, however, there are also pitfalls to be avoided in order to achieve the best quality analysis. We will also discuss some specific analytical strategies, and show how we in our lab at the Open University ensure data quality. Follow us on Bluesky, LinkedIn & YouTube: Our X account is no longer, so please: * Follow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/geochemgroup.bsky.social<https://eur03.safelink…amp;reserved=0>. * We now have the Geochemistry Group set up as a ‘company' on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-geochemistry-group/<https://eur03.s…amp;reserved=0>, so please follow us here! * Also a plug for our parent body, the Mineralogical Society of the UK and Ireland, follow them on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mineralogical-society-of-uk-and-ireland/&l… for lots of relevant updates. * Check out some great resources on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@geochemistrygroup4420<https://eur03.safelinks.p…amp;reserved=0>. Here you can watch all our past series of 'ECR Skills for Geochemists' and 'Out of Academia: Into Science’. All the best George