International Conference on Rock Magnetism

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This award will provide partial support to hold a Conference on Rock Magnetism and its Applications in July, 2017 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, continuing a biennial series of such conferences. Previous gatherings in the series have mainly been held in Santa Fe, NM (ten meetings between 1992 and 2014), with two prior international editions: Erice, Sicily in 2002 and Cargese, Corsica in 2008, both of which were co-organized by the Institute for Rock Magnetism (IRM) and European colleagues and co-sponsored by funding agencies from several countries. These occasional forays outside the US promote more extensive interaction with international scientists and students, who are vital contributors to this field of research. The 2017 meeting will be organized in collaboration with the "Fort Hoofdijk" magnetics research group at Utrecht University. This award will provide partial coverage of participant travel expenses for US students, post-docs and early career faculty. Broader impacts of this activity include: (1) transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary communications to foster new approaches to geoscience problems involving iron minerals and their use as paleomagnetic field recorders and as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions and processes; and (2) the development of young scientists by providing the opportunity to meet and interact with leading international researchers, gaining deeper understanding and broader perspective, and forming a basis for future cross-disciplinary collaborations. Rapid advances in research on magnetism and magnetic materials are occurring in geophysics, geochemistry, nanoscience, condensed-matter physics, and to a great extent, along the boundaries between these fields. An interdisciplinary discussion of critical developments in the geoscience applications of fine-particle magnetism, and their fundamental physical foundations, will help to advance our understanding of Earth?s surface environment, its lithospheric plates and its deep interior.