About Us

The Mineralogy, Petrology, Volcanology, and Geochemistry (MGPV) Division was founded in 2009.  Our purpose is to:

  • act as an organized group within GSA to promote awareness, teaching, study, and research in mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, and volcanology
  • stimulate and facilitate within GSA the presentation and discussion of problems, ideas, knowledge, and results of work and research in the relevant areas
  • cooperate with other GSA Divisions and Sections and with other Associated Societies and scientific organizations in fostering, aiding, furthering, and promoting the relevant areas,
  • advise and assist GSA officers, council, and committees in matters pertaining to the relevant areas.

MGPV is organized jointly with several GSA Associated Societies: Clay Minerals Society, Geochemical Society, Mineralogical Association of Canada, Mineralogical Society of America, and Mineralogical Society of Great Britain & Ireland.

The MGPV Division supports its members in their professional objectives in many ways.

leadership opportunities.  Members serving as officers, committee members, representatives to other organizations help shape the future of the science and profession.

networking opportunities. Members participating in the work of the Division interact with the wider geological community.   MGPV sponsors or co-sponsors topical, discipline, and Pardee sessions at GSA national and sectional meetings, holds an annual business meeting, award session, reception, and organizes other committees, pursuits, symposia, or publications as needed.

communications. The MGPV Division website and GSA's Connected Community connect members with one another, with the Division, and with GSA as well as presenting static information.  Use the navigation tabs on the menu bar above to get information about the Division and explore the site. The current and past activities of MGPV will be found in the "Newsletters" under the "Resources" tab and “Annual Reports” under “About Us”. For questions about the MGPV Division, use the "Contact Us" button.

Certain website functions are limited to Division members only. If you are an MGPV member, once you have logged in to the GSA Connected Community, you will have access to “Division Members” tab.  You can make contacts using the directory, start a discussion thread, and share files.With “Latest Discussions”, you can communicate news, jobs, as well as exchange information pertinent to your research and teaching specialties by posting information, questions and comments.

honors. The MGPV Division sponsors two major awards recognizing outstanding contributions to the field.

The MGPV Geological Career Awards go to individuals who have made distinguished contributions in one or more of the following fields of research: mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, volcanology, with emphasis on multidisciplinary, field-based contributions.  The awards emphasize a geologic and multidisciplinary approach.  Geological work is general in nature but has an important field component, with Earth as the natural laboratory.  The MGPV Distinguished Geological Career Award go to individuals who, throughout his/her career, have made distinguished contributions whereas the MGPV Early Geological Career Award goes to individuals near the beginning of their professional careers.

research grants.  GSA’s research grants program provides partial support of master's and doctoral thesis research in the geological sciences for graduate students enrolled in universities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America.  MGPV is responsible for four funds that support graduate-student research in volcanology, petrology, geochemistry, and mineralogy.

  • The MGPV Graduate Student Research Grant program began in 2010, the year after the Division's start-up. Initially supported entirely by MGPV funds, in 2013 additional support came from the James B. Thompson Jr. Student Research Grants in Metamorphic Petrology and Geochemistry.
  • The Lipman Research Fund was established in 1993 and is supported by The Lipman Family Foundation. The president of the Lipman Family Foundation, Peter W. Lipman, was the recipient of a GSA research grant in 1965, the 2004 GSA Distinguished Service Award, and the first MGPV Distinguished Geological Career Award in 2010
  • The Ian S. E. Carmichael Research Award was established in 2018 by his students to support graduate student research and related activities in the fields of igneous petrology and volcanology.
  • The Lincoln S and Sarah W. Hollister Graduate Student Research Awards Fund is new in 2022 and is to support research grants to graduate students working on field-based theses and dissertations that use the tools of metamorphic petrology for understanding the formation of continental crust.

    travel grants.  The James B. Thompson Jr. Student Research Grants in Metamorphic Petrology and Geochemistry also supports travel of graduate and undergraduate students who are the presenting authors of an accepted abstract at a GSA meeting.

    recognitions. MGPV organizes an award session at the national meeting whereat the current year’s award and grant recipients are recognized, and award citations, acceptances, and technical presentations are given.  MGPV also encourages those who nominated the awardees to organize special sessions in their honor.