The International Association of Geoanalysts is an international not-for-profit learned society. Its objectives are to: "serve as an international forum for the advancement of geoanalytical science and to promote the interests and support the professional needs of those involved in the analysis of geological and environmental materials".
Activities
The association aims to improve and promote the assessment of measurement uncertainty and data quality as fit for purpose through proficiency testing and the development and use of geochemicalreference materials. The IAG organises meetings, conferences, workshops and short courses, is associated with journal publishing, and operates two proficiency testing schemes: GeoPT, initiated in 1996, intended for analytical chemistry laboratories dealing with whole-rock geochemical analyses and G-Probe for microprobe and laser ablationICP-MS geochemical laboratories. The IAG also carries out the certification of geological and environmental reference materials in accordance with its own , and holds liaison membership of to represent the views of the geochemical research community particularly in matters of metrology. The IAG has a legal-commercial arm, IAGeo Limited, which distributes, markets and develops reference materials for scientific research.
History
The InternationalAssociation of Geoanalysts was founded on 2 June 1997 during the 'Geoanalysis 97' Conference held at Vail, Colorado, USA. It is a successor organisation to the International Working Group-Groupe International de Travail on geochemical reference materials, which operated under the direction of Dr K. Govindaraju at the , Nancy from 1977 to its dissolution in 1996, and which was closely associated with the journal Geostandards Newsletter.
Governance
The IAG is directed by a fifteen-member council, the current president of which is Professor Jacinta Enzweiler. The past presidents of the association are: Douglas L. Miles, Philip J. Potts, Michael Wiedenbeck and Thomas C. Meisel.
Publications
The IAG is an editorial partner of the quarterly journal Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research published by Wiley-Blackwell. The association is also a joint publishing partner of - an International Magazine of Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Petrology.
Specialist sub committees
The association has a number of special interest groups dealing with its core activities. These are:
The IAG is the main sponsor of the triennial Geoanalysis conference – an international meeting series that has taken place since 1990. Scientific proceedings of the Geoanalysis conferences are published in . The IAG also organises short courses on Quality Assurance in geoanalysis as well as workshops dealing with isotope determination in geochemistry.
Awards
The IAG dispenses an annual Early Career Researcher Award for excellence in analytical geochemistry. Eligibility is limited to scientists who are currently pursuing a higher degree in a field related to geoanalysis or who have completed their university education within the past five years. The award promotes the careers of young scientists who have either developed innovative analytical methods or provided new strategies to improve data quality as applied to the chemical analysis of geological or environmental samples.
