Statutes and Bylaws

Statutes and By-Laws accepted at the founding meeting in:

Prague, August 22,1968 (Mathematical Geology 1(1)123-126)

and revised in:

Montreal, August 28, 1972 (Mathematical Geology 6(1)91-97)
Sydney, August 24, 1976 (Mathematical Geology 9(2)181-188)
Paris, July 15, 1980 (Mathematical Geology 13(3)253-259)
Moscow, August 8, 1984 (Mathematical Geology 17(6)656-663)
Kyoto, August 31, 1992 (Mathematical Geology 26(2)262-269)
Beijing, August 8, 1996 (Mathematical Geology 29(4)604-612)
Ischia, Italy, October 6, 1998 (Mathematical Geology 31(5)609-617)
Rio de Janeiro, August 11, 2000
Berlin, September 16, 2002
Florence, August 22, 2004
Oslo, August 8, 2008
Budapest, August 30, 2010

Statutes

I. Name and aim

1.    The name of the organization is International Association for Mathematical Geosciences, hereinafter called IAMG, which is an international scientific, nongovernmental, nonpolitical, and nonprofit-making organization. IAMG shall be affiliated to the International Union of Geological Sciences and the International Statistical Institute and associated with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

2.    The aim of IAMG is to promote international cooperation in the application and use of mathematics in geological research and technology. To this end the activities of the IAMG shall include:

a.    the organization of meetings, of field excursions, and of visits to centers of research and technology;

b.    the issue of publications on the application of mathematics in the geological sciences, and of discussions thereon;

c.     cooperation with other organizations professionally concerned with applications of mathematics and statistics to the biological sciences, earth sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, and planetary sciences.

II. Membership

3.    IAMG accepts as members: geoscientists, statisticians, and other interested individuals or organizations.

III. Administration

4.    The affairs of IAMG shall be administered by the General Assembly (articles 5-9), and on behalf of the General Assembly by the Council (articles 10-12). The General Assembly may recommend to the Council to appoint committees. The Council has the power to appoint any commission and committee it may deem necessary for the scientific and administrative work of the IAMG. The power to dissolve a commission or committee rests with the Council. The Chair of any commission or committee shall be appointed by the Council. A committee is defined to be a standing group to deal with business or issues of a permanent nature, whereas a commission is a task force to deal with a short-term need. Unless otherwise specified in the By-Laws, committee members remain in office until the end of the term of the voting members of the Council and are eligible for reappointment. The President or a Council Member designated by the President shall be a non-voting member ex officio of any commission or committee.

5.    The General Assembly, consisting of all members present at the business meeting, is the highest authority of IAMG. Ordinary meetings of the General Assembly shall commonly be held at each International Geological Congress. Extraordinary General Assembly meetings may be held during an IAMG conference if deemed necessary by the Council or requested by 25% of the members of IAMG. Notice of meetings of the General Assembly shall be given to the members at least six (6) months in advance.

6.    Transactions of a General Assembly may include:

a.    reports from the Officers and Council.

b.    reports from the committee Chairs, and from persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by the General Assembly or the Council;

c.     presentation of results of voting on amendments to the Statutes and to the By-Laws, if any;

d.    presentation of outcome of election of Officers and Councilors;

e.     any other pertinent business.

Reports from Officers, Council, committee Chairs and from persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by the General Assembly or the Council may be included in the transactions of Council meetings held during annual IAMG Symposia (articles 18-21).

7.    All members have the right to attend a General Assembly, to participate in the debates, to vote on important issues including amendments to the Statutes and By-Laws, and to vote in the quadrennial elections of Officers and Council (Article 11). In voting, each member of IAMG has one (1) vote. Each member institution may appoint one (1) representative who has one (1) vote.

8.    Voting shall be by ballot at least three (3) months before a General Assembly. Decisions of the General Assembly shall be based on simple majority of votes, except for those on amendments to the Statutes and on dissolution of IAMG which shall be transacted as determined by article 25.

9.    The President and the Secretary General of the Council shall be the Chair and the Secretary of the General Assembly, respectively.

10. The Council consists of not more than sixteen (16) members: the President, three (3) Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, the immediate Past President, four (4) Ordinary Members, one (1) representative from the host country for the next International Geological Congress, three (3) Editors-in-Chief appointed by the Council -- one (1) per journal, and one (1) Website Editor appointed by the Council. The three (3) Vice Presidents shall be assigned duties by the President in consultation with the Council. The Vice President who will be selected to be a member of the Executive Committee is hereafter referred to as the Executive Vice President. The President shall appoint one (1) IAMG Member to be the Secretary General. The Editors-in-Chief and Website Editor are non-voting members of the Council. The President, the Executive Vice President, the Secretary General, and the Treasurer are hereafter referred to as the Officers of IAMG and members of the Executive Committee. Representation on the Council shall reflect regional distribution of membership as stated in the By-Laws. The Ordinary Council Members elected at an ordinary meeting of the General Assembly may serve for only one (1) additional term. The Vice Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer may serve for no more than two (2) consecutive terms. The President shall not be eligible for more than one (1) term of office. The outgoing Secretary General remains a non-voting member ex officio of the Executive Committee for a period of one (1) year. The term of office of the Council is from the end of one ordinary meeting of the General Assembly until the end of the next ordinary meeting. If the office of President becomes vacant between ordinary meetings of the General Assembly, the Executive Vice President shall act as President. If the office of Treasurer becomes vacant between ordinary General Assemblies, an acting Treasurer shall be appointed by the Council to serve for the remainder of the term of office.

11. At least one (1) year before an ordinary meeting of the General Assembly, the Council shall appoint a Nominating Commission of which the President or a Council Member designated by the President shall be the nonvoting Chair. The Nominating Commission shall consist of five (5) individual members of the IAMG in addition to the Chair; no currently serving elected officer may be a voting member of the Nominating Commission. The Nominating Commission shall report its list of candidates for the ten (10) voting members of Executive and Council as determined by article 10 to the Council no later than nine (9) months prior to an ordinary General assembly. The voting will be conducted among all IAMG members in good standing at least three (3) months prior to the ordinary General Assembly.

12. The Council conducts the work of IAMG between ordinary meetings of the General Assembly in accordance with the Statutes, By-Laws, and recommendations of the General Assembly. The Council is empowered to suspend a By-Law temporarily, subject to approval of the General Assembly. Decisions of the Council are by simple majority. Each member has one (1) vote. If there is a parity of votes, the President (in the President's absence the Executive Vice President or in the Executive Vice President's absence the Secretary General) has the casting vote. A quorum shall be at least half the voting members of the Council and include at least two (2) of the officers. The Council has the power to conduct its business by post, e-mail or by using the IAMG website.

IV. Domicile and representation

13. The legal domicile of IAMG shall be established and published by the Council and shall remain in effect until the Council changes it. All contracts involving IAMG shall be signed by the President and one of the officers. The President is the official representative of IAMG, but the President may appoint a proxy to represent IAMG at certain functions.

V. Finances

14. The business of IAMG shall be carried on without the purposes of financial gain for any individuals or adhering organizations. Membership fees shall be as laid down in the By-Laws.

15. The income of IAMG, such as membership fees and contributions from other sources, shall be held in custody by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall hold the IAMG funds in such a way that they are readily available for the activities of IAMG. With the exception of a money market or checking account with funds necessary for the regular operating expenses of the IAMG, all financial assets of the IAMG shall be held in investment accounts requiring the signatures of both the Treasurer and the President for withdrawal of funds.

16. IAMG is under no obligation to pay expenses that are incurred without the sanction of the Treasurer and the President. The members of the Council shall receive no salaries. Items that may properly be charged as expenses include office expenses, printing expenses, publishing expenses, and travel expenses.

17. Each year the Treasurer shall contract the services of a certified accounting firm to review the accounts of the IAMG. The report of the reviewers shall be quoted in the balance sheet presented to the Council.

VI. International meetings on mathematical geosciences

18. IAMG shall promote a conference on mathematical geosciences to be held annually including a symposium to be held in association with the quadrennial International Geological Congress.

19. The host country of an annual IAMG conference shall appoint an Organizing Committee to be responsible for all local arrangements in connection with the symposium. The Officers of IAMG shall be advisory members of the Organizing Committee. The Council shall support the Organizing Committee in every possible manner.

20. For activities in the host country, an annual International Conference on Mathematical Geosciences shall have accounts separate from those of IAMG. If the Organizing Committee has any surplus after all expenses concerning the International Symposium on Mathematical Geosciences are paid, such surplus shall be transferred to IAMG funds or used otherwise as per agreement between the IAMG and the Organizing Committee.

21. The Council may:

a.    accept invitations to organize conferences on mathematical geosciences jointly with other professional organizations;

b.    request proposals to organize IAMG conferences. The Council has the right to select the most convenient proposal or to reject them all.

VII. Amendments to the Statutes and dissolution of IAMG

22. The Statutes of IAMG can be amended only after voting conducted among all IAMG members in good standing at least two (2) months prior to a General Assembly. Proposals for amendments must be received by the Secretary General at least four (4) months before this General Assembly.

23. Any proposal for the dissolution of IAMG must be received by the President and Secretary General at least six (6) months before the General Assembly.

24. Proposals for dissolution of IAMG shall be sent to the members not later than two (2) months before the General Assembly.

25. A two-thirds majority of voting IAMG members shall be required for amendments of the Statutes and for dissolution of IAMG to be accepted.

26. In the event of dissolution of IAMG, its assets shall pass to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). If the IUGS is, at the time of the IAMG's dissolution, no longer in existence, no longer qualified as an exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law), or unwilling or unable to accept the assets of the IAMG, then the IAMG assets shall be distributed exclusively for charitable and scientific purposes to an organization or organizations that are qualified as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law). Should IAMG financial assets be held in other countries, tax exempt requirements shall again be examined and appropriate arrangement shall be made for distribution of IAMG financial assets in the event of dissolution of the organization.

Bylaws

I. Membership

1.    The Association offers two main types of membership: individual and institutional. Individual Members can be Regular Members or Student Members. Any individual interested in the activities of the Association qualifies to be a Regular Member. Individuals who have served the IAMG beyond the call of duty may be offered to become Honorary Life Members. A Student Member needs to be enrolled at a university of acceptable academic standards.

2.    Dues and benefits shall be determined by Council and published on the IAMG Website (http://www.iamg.org). To maintain membership, the annual dues must be paid before January 31 of the year to which they relate. Dues are not refundable.

II. Appointments

3.    Not more than two (2) Ordinary Members, and, in all, five (5) voting members of the Council, shall be from the same country. This By-Law shall be reviewed at every ordinary meeting of the General Assembly.

4.    Any Officer or Council Member who resigns or who is more than one (1) year in arrears of dues shall be replaced by majority vote of the Council from nominations made by the President. The newly appointed member shall fill the unexpired term of office and shall be subject to the same conditions of office as outlined in the Statutes and By-Laws of the IAMG.

5.    The Editors-in-Chief of the IAMG journals, in consultation with the Council, shall be empowered to appoint one (1) Deputy Editor, up to ten (10) Associate Editors, and up to thirty (30) other Editorial Board members. The Website Editor shall be empowered to appoint one (1) Deputy Editor, and up to ten (10) Associate Editors.

6.    The President shall appoint an Archivist to be responsible for maintaining the permanent records and files of the IAMG. The President shall be empowered to appoint a Historian to document the history of the association.

7.    The Chair of a committee or commission, in consultation with the Council, shall appoint the members of the committee or commission.

III. Topical sections

8.    Topical sections may be constituted within IAMG. Application for forming a topical section is to be made to the Council.

9.    A topical section may be formed if the membership of a group of members with similar interests deems it desirable, conforms to the Statutes and By-Laws of the IAMG, and submits a report to the Secretary General annually.

10. Topical sections shall be responsible for formulating their own by-laws and regulations.

IV. Awards

11. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Awards Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, select recipients, and announce winners of the William Christian Krumbein Medal, the Felix Chayes Prize for Excellence in Research in Mathematical Petrology, the John Cedric Griffiths Teaching Award, and the Andrei Borisovich Vistelius Research Award. Each member of the Awards Committee shall be appointed for a term of four years, with terms of members overlapping. Members of the Awards Committee shall be ineligible to receive any of the Association's awards while serving on the Committee.

12. The William Christian Krumbein Medal is the highest award given by the Association and the recipient shall be so honored and acknowledged. The Krumbein Medal is awarded to senior scientists for career achievement, which includes (a) distinction in application of mathematics or informatics in the earth sciences, (b) service to the IAMG, and (c) support to professions involved in the earth sciences. There is no stipulated preference for fields of application within the earth sciences.

13. The Felix Chayes Prize for Excellence in Research in Mathematical Petrology is a cash prize endowed in honor of Felix Chayes that shall be given to recipients of exceptional potential and proven research ability. The prize shall be presented for outstanding contributions to statistical petrology or related applications of mathematics or informatics. Prospective recipients should be in mid-career.

14. The John Cedric Griffiths Teaching Award shall be presented to honor outstanding teaching, with preference for teaching that involves application of mathematics or informatics to the Earth's nonrenewable natural resources or to sedimentary geology. Age or academic status are not conditions for the award.

15. The Andrei Borisovich Vistelius Research Award shall be presented to a young scientist for promising contributions in research in the application of mathematics or informatics in the earth sciences, There is no preference for specific fields of application. A recipient should be 35 years or less at the end of the calendar year for which he or she has been selected for the award.

16. Each of the four awards shall not be presented more often than every two years. In the event that a qualified recipient is deemed to be unavailable, presentation of an award may be delayed so that it is presented at intervals greater than two years. A specific award may not be presented to a group or an individual more than once.

17. Each IAMG journal may select every year the most outstanding paper. Selection of Best Paper shall be made by a commission appointed by the journal's Editor-in-Chief from members of the journal's editorial board and the Association at large. Each selection commission shall consist of at least five members. The President shall serve as non-voting member ex officio of the commission. Awards for best papers shall be recognized in an appropriate fashion.

V. Publications

18. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Publications Committee, that consists of nine members of the Association (the chair, the three Editors-in-Chief, the Website Editor, the Editor of the IAMG Monograph Series, two other IAMG members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to co-ordinate matters pertaining to the Association’s publications..

VI. Special Lecturers

19. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Distinguished Lecturer Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, and select each year an IAMG Distinguished Lecturer. The Distinguished Lecturer preferably shall lecture on subjects in mathematical geoscience in places where IAMG annual meetings are not normally held. Members of the Distinguished Lecturer Committee shall be ineligible to be selected as IAMG Distinguished Lecturer while serving on the committee.

20. The Council shall appoint a committee, known as the Georges Matheron Lecturer Committee to be chaired by a Vice President who will select two (2) other members of the Association familiar with the work of Georges Matheron to serve on the committee in accordance with By-Law 7. to seek nominations, and select each year a Georges Matheron Lecturer who is a scientist with proven research ability in the field of spatial statistics or mathematical morphology. Members of the Georges Matheron Lecturer Committee shall be ineligible to be selected as Georges Matheron Lecturer while serving on the committee.

VII. Student affairs

21. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Student Affairs Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to seek nominations, and select each year promising students in mathematical geoscience as recipients of student grants for research and travel to IAMG and IAMG co-sponsored meetings. Each member of the Student Affairs Committee shall be appointed for a term of four years, with terms of members overlapping. This committee shall also select and oversee IAMG Student Chapters at universities with mathematical geoscience programs.

22. The Council, as determined by Article 4 of the Statutes and By-Law 7, shall appoint a committee, known as the Curriculum Quality Committee, that consists of six members of the Association (the chair, four ordinary members, and the President, or a Council Member designated by the President, acting as non-voting member ex officio), to select and accredit courses for Master Degree students specializing in mathematical geoscience, and for professional development of IAMG Members.

VIII. Amendments

23. The By-Laws can be amended only after voting conducted among all IAMG members in good standing, at least two (2) months prior to a meeting of the General Assembly. Amendment of the By-Laws shall be by simple majority of votes.

IX. Rights

24. All IAMG announcements, circulars, etc., shall be made available to each member of IAMG.

25. The International Association for Mathematical Geosciences recognizes the principle of human rights as a fundamental requisite for the achievement of mutual understanding among people and promotes the unrestricted flow of ideas by word and image.

X. Annual report

26. The IAMG shall prepare an annual report of its activities to be submitted to the Executive of the International Union of Geological Sciences.