Bylaws

PLANETARY GEOLOGY DIVISION BYLAWS

Established by Council on May 20, 1981

ARTICLE I

Organization, Name, and Purpose

1. This division of The Geological Society of America, Inc., is organized in accordance with Article IX, Divisions of the Society, of the bylaws of that Society and is governed by the provisions of that article.
   
   
2. Name. The name of the division is the Planetary Geology Division of The Geological Society of America, Inc.
   
   
3. Definition. In the usage of this division, Planetary Geology deals with the form, composition, processes, and history of the evolution of solid surface planetary bodies including the Earth.
   
   
4. Purpose. The purpose of the division is to bring together scientists interested in Planetary Geology, facilitate the presentation and discussion of their research and ideas, to stimulate communication with other earth scientists, to promote Planetary Geology studies to a broad audience, to oversee various annual awards offered by the division, and to advise and assist the officers and committees of the Society in matters pertaining to Planetary Geology.

ARTICLE II

Membership

1. Any Member, Fellow, Honorary Fellow, or Affiliate, including Student Members, of the Geological Society of America who is in good standing may become a member of the Planetary Geology Division. To effect division membership, an applicant shall express his/her desire on the GSA application or membership renewal forms or in writing to the secretary-treasurer of the division or the executive director of the Society. All division members in good standing are eligible to vote and to hold office in the division.

ARTICLE III

Finances

1. The Society shall be financially responsible for normal expenses of the division. All other financial obligations or commitments of the division must have prior approval of the Council.
   
   
2. The division will assess nominal annual dues from affiliates when recommended by its management board and approved by a majority vote of the voting affiliates.
   
   
3. The division may solicit and accept contributions of funds to be used and expended under the supervision of the management board and subject to Council approval.

ARTICLE IV

Officers and Management Board

1. Officers. The officers of the division shall be a chair, a first vice-chair, a second vice-chair, a secretary-treasurer, a junior student advisor, and a senior student advisor. All regular officers shall each be elected for terms of one year; student advisor terms are two years. The secretary-treasurer shall be eligible for re-election without limitation. The terms of office shall begin immediately following the annual business meeting at which the results of the election are announced.
   
   
2. Management Board. The management board shall consist of the chair, first vice-chair, second vice-chair, secretary-treasurer, and the immediate past chair.
   
   
3. Election of Officers. The nominating committee of the division shall nominate candidates annually for chair, first vice-chair, second vice-chair, and secretary-treasurer. Officers will ordinarily enter the management board at the level of secretary-treasurer, if vacant, and will be eligible for subsequent nomination to second vice-chair, then first vice-chair, then chair. The nominating committee nominally consists of the management board, although other Planetary Geology Division members may be appointed by the chair of the management board as needed. Nominees must provide written acceptance of their candidacy and willingness to serve if elected. When approved by the management board, these nominations shall become the regular ticket and shall be submitted by the secretary-treasurer of the division to the executive director of the Society, or his/her Representative, who shall have prepared to the voting affiliates a ballot which also shall have space for write-in nominees. The ballot shall include a short profile of each candidate, including a statement of the candidates’ prior service to the division and the Society.
   
   The election of officers shall be in accordance with the election procedures of the Society and shall be under the supervision of the Society. All provisions governing the election of officers of the Society which are applicable to the division shall govern the election of officers of the division.
   
   
4. Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring during the term of any elected officer of the division shall be filled by appointment of the management board and such appointee shall serve until the next annual business meeting of the division.
   
   
5. Removal of a Management Board Officer via Impeachment. Any officer of the division who fails to perform the duties prescribed in the bylaws, or who is convicted of a felony, or who brings discredit to the GSA or the Division in any way, may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of the other members of the management board of the division. Any officer of the division may make a motion for the impeachment of any other officer of the division. The officer who is the subject of an impeachment must be provided an opportunity to present arguments against the impeachment prior to any vote on the motion.

ARTICLE V

Awards

1. Division Awards. The division shall oversee a number of awards, including the G. K. Gilbert Award (the division’s primary named award), the Ronald Greeley Award for Distinguished Service, and numerous student awards. These include the Stephen E. Dwornik Awards for best student presentations at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, the Pellas-Ryder Award for Best Student Paper in Planetary Sciences (jointly with the Meteoritical Society), the Eugene M. Shoemaker Impact Cratering Award, and Student Travel Grants for attendance at the annual meeting.
   
   
2. G. K. Gilbert Award Procedure. The G. K. Gilbert Award will be considered annually in accordance with the bylaws of the Society. The award will be made for outstanding contributions to the solution of a fundamental problem(s) of planetary geology in its broadest sense, including planetary geology, geochemistry, mineralogy, petrology, tectonics, geophysics, and the field of meteoritics. Such contributions may consist either of a single outstanding publication, or a series of publications that have had great influence on the field. The award is named for G. K. Gilbert, who over one hundred years ago clearly recognized the importance of a planetary perspective in solving terrestrial geological problems. Gilbert was a master of both planetary and terrestrial geology; many of his papers bear careful study today.
   
   
   1. Selection Committee.  The selection committee shall consist of the chair, first vice-chair, and immediate past chair, along with a senior member of the U.S. planetary geology community. The chair of the committee shall be the immediate past-chair of the Planetary Geology Division. The members of the selection committee will serve for three years, with one new member being named each year by the chair of the division immediately after the GSA annual meeting. Vacancies in the committee will be filled by appointment by the chair of the division.
      
      
   2. Frequency of the Award.  The award generally will be made annually, but in any particular year may be withheld if no suitable candidate is selected. The award can be given only once each calendar year.
      
      
   3. Requirements to Qualify.
      
      (1)  The award will be made to an individual who has contributed in an outstanding manner to the solution of a fundamental problem of planetary geology.     
      
      (2)  The recipient of the award may be a citizen of any country and need not be a member of GSA.     
      
      (3)  The award may not be given posthumously unless the decision to give the award is made before the death of the awardee. Members of the award committee and the management board shall be ineligible for the duration of their term. Past awardees are permanently ineligible.
      
      
   4. The Award.  The award will consist of an engraved plaque and an appropriate certificate which will be recommended by the management board of the division and approved by the GSA Council. The award will be presented at the business meeting of the division during the GSA annual meeting. Normally, the recipient will be introduced by the chair of the selection committee. A person acquainted with the winner's work will present a citation reviewing the contributions of the award recipient. The citationist will introduce the winner to the chair of the division who will present the award.
      
      
   5. Selection Procedures.  Nominations for the award will be made in accordance with the following procedures:
      
      (1)  The chair of the Gilbert Nominating Committee shall, at the earliest convenience, but no later than 2 weeks after the annual meeting, email to each member of the selection committee, the names and addresses of the committee members, a copy of the selection procedures, a list of past award recipients, instructions for submitting names, and notification of the December 1 deadline for receipt of nominations by the chair of the selection committee.
      
      In addition, the Nominating Committee Chair shall invite nominations from members of the division and the Society by placing an announcement in the newsletter of the Planetary Geology Division. The announcement shall include:  the Requirements to Qualify statement, the deadline date for receipt of nominations, the name and address of the selection committee chair who shall receive the nominations, and a request for the following information for each candidate:  (a) name, office or title, and affiliation; (b) date and place of birth, education, degrees, honors and awards; (c) major events in his/her professional career; and (d) outstanding achievements and accomplishments that warrant the nomination.
      
      (2)  The chair of the selection committee will distribute a consolidated list of candidates, together with supporting materials, to committee members shortly after the December 1 deadline. Each member, including the chair, will select from among the list of candidates his/her first, second, and third choice for the award. These selections will be rated by first choice, second choice, third choice, with the results of this ballot being used to reduce the number of candidates. This reduced list will then comprise the ballot for the committee's final selection of candidates on the basis of the maximum number of points in a manner as described above.     
      
      Ranked according to the results of the final ballot, the committee chair will present the names of the top three candidates, along with the required documentation, to the Management Board of the Planetary Geology Division for a final vote following the three, two, one rating specified above. This procedure shall be completed by January 5.
      
      The division chair shall then submit the name and address of the top-ranking candidate to the executive director of the Society who will place the request for ratification on the agenda for consideration by the Council at its spring meeting. The name of the nominee will be supplemented with a paragraph describing the individual's contributions that are being recognized in the award. Following the Council meeting, the president will inform the recipient of the award. The division chair will be notified of the ratification at the same time.
      
      (3)  Normally, the award will not be shared except in highly unusual cases, such as independent discoveries or joint work where the contributions of the co-workers are essentially equal. If more than one person is selected as a recipient in any one year, each will receive a certificate as described below.
      
      (4)  All nominations will remain active for three years unless the candidate becomes ineligible through membership on the management board or the award committee. Such nominations will then be tabled for the duration of the nominee's term, then reactivated for the balance of the three-year period after expiration of the term.

3. Other Award Procedures. All awards other than the G. K. Gilbert Award shall be administered in accordance with the guidelines established for each award as stated on the division’s official Society website (http://www.geosociety.org/pgd/), and in accordance with the bylaws of the Society. It is the responsibility of the management board to ensure that deadlines for each award are established and that the correct procedures are followed for the nomination of candidates, establishment of the appropriate awards committee, and selection and notification of an awardee or awardees.

ARTICLE VI

Committees

1. Program Committee. A program committee consisting of the chair and the first vice-chair is automatically appointed after the annual business meeting. The chair of the committee shall be the chair of the division.
   
   The program committee shall plan and arrange for the technical sessions of the division at the next annual meeting and such other programs as may be directed by the management board.
   
   The program committee, and/or someone designated by the chair, shall serve as the division's program representatives on the Council's Joint Technical Program Committee.
   
   The program committee may plan and arrange research symposia at various times and places.

2. Nominating Committee. A nominating committee consisting of at least three members of the Management Board shall be appointed by the chair following the annual meeting. The chair of the committee will be the chair of the Division.
   
   The nominating committee shall nominate candidates annually for chair, first vice-chair, second vice-chair, and secretary-treasurer. The nominees must be members of the Planetary Geology Division.

3. Other Committees. Other committee chairs may be appointed by the chair with the approval of the management board. Appointment of committee members will be the responsibility of the committee chair.

4. Responsibility. Reports, recommendations, or other actions by appointed committees, other than the nominating committee, shall be subject to the approval of the management board. After such approval, the secretary-treasurer of the division shall report appropriately to the executive director of the Society if the attention or action of the Council is required. Appointed committees shall present annual reports which shall be summarized in the annual report of the management board.

5. Tenure. Committee appointments shall expire at the close of the next annual meeting of the division, unless otherwise specified. Vacancies on committees may be filled by interim appointment at any time by the committee chair. Committee members may be reappointed for up to three consecutive terms.

ARTICLE VII

Duties of Officers

1. Management Board. The property and affairs of the division shall be managed by the management board. At the annual business meeting, the management board shall submit a report of the preceding year's activities of the division, which shall include the reports of the chair and secretary-treasurer and the reports of the various committees. This report shall be submitted by the secretary-treasurer of the division to the executive director of the Society by the required deadline of the Society. The division shall maintain a website hosted by the Geological Society of America or its Member Community platform. 

2. Chair. The chair shall preside at meetings of the division and the management board. The chair shall submit a report to the management board of the activities of the division during his/her term of office and on future plans. The chair shall serve on the program committee for the annual meeting and will solicit members of the planetary science community to propose and organize technical sessions. The chair shall also serve on committees for the G. K. Gilbert Award, the Ronald Greeley Award for Distinguished Service, and the Pellas-Ryder Award.

3. First Vice-Chair. The first vice-chair shall assume the powers and duties of the chair in the event of the absence or disability of the chair. The first vice-chair shall serve on the program committee for the annual meeting and will appoint representatives to organize technical sessions for section meetings. The first vice-chair will write any proposals for Pardee Keynote Symposia that the Division may propose for the annual meeting. The first vice-chair will coordinate the work of the section representatives. The first vice-chair shall also serve on committees for the G. K. Gilbert Award, the Ronald Greeley Award for Distinguished Service, and the Pellas-Ryder Award.

4. Second Vice-Chair. The second vice-chair shall assume the position of chair whenever both the chair and the first vice-chair are not available. The second vice-chair will be responsible for overseeing judging for the Stephen E. Dwornik Awards for best student presentations at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in March, and will be responsible for overseeing the selection of the annual Student Travel Grants for the annual meeting each fall. The second vice-chair shall also serve on the committee for the Ronald Greeley Award for Distinguished Service.

5. Secretary-Treasurer. The secretary-treasurer shall keep records of the proceedings of the division and shall act as secretary of the management board. He/she shall maintain liaison with GSA headquarters and shall serve, ex officio, as a member of appropriate committees. He/she shall account to the Council of the Society for all funds advanced by the Society. The secretary-treasurer will be responsible for the production and distribution of a Division newsletter twice a year (spring and fall). The newsletter shall report events and developments relevant to division interests. The secretary-treasurer will also be responsible for the Division booth in the Exhibit Hall at the annual meeting.
   
   The secretary-treasurer shall notify the officers and the members of the committees of their election or appointment and shall arrange for issuance of notices of all division and management board meetings and of election results. The secretary-treasurer shall collect and disburse all funds of the division and shall keep records of all receipts and disbursements and other financial transactions of the division. In the event that the secretary-treasurer is unable to fulfill the fiduciary aspects of this role (e.g., if they were a civil servant), duties of the treasurer will be assumed by another member of the management board.

6. Student advisory members. The Management Board may nominate and appoint two student representatives as non-voting members of the Division Management Board. The students can be undergraduate or graduate students. The student representatives shall advise on matters concerning GSA student and early career issues, as well as Division outreach to a young audience including social media. The student representatives shall serve a two-year term, ideally staggered so that there is a junior and senior representative.

ARTICLE VIII

Meetings

1. Annual Business Meeting. The annual business meeting of the division shall be held during the annual meeting of the Society. Except when actions are governed by specific provision in the bylaws, conduct of the business of the division at the annual business meeting shall follow Robert's Rules of Order (Revised).
   
   
2. Meetings of the Management Board. The management board shall meet immediately prior to the annual business meeting of the division. Special meetings of the management board may be called at any time by the chair, and meetings will usually be by teleconference. Decisions of the management board may also be made by email vote.
   
   
3. Technical Sessions. Technical sessions of the division shall be held during the annual meeting of the Society. Interim technical sessions, workshops, short courses, field trips, and/or cooperative meetings with other societies, or other special programs may be held at any time, subject to the approval of the management board. The participation of non-members of the Society who are engaged or interested in planetary geology shall be encouraged at all technical sessions.

ARTICLE IX

Rules and Amendment of the Bylaws

1. The management board of the division, by a majority vote, may adopt, rescind, or amend rules supplementing the bylaws.

2. Subject to ratification by the Council, bylaws of the division may be adopted, rescinded, or amended by majority vote of the voting affiliates of the division. A ballot vote proposing a change of the bylaws shall be held if favored by a majority of the management board or if petitioned by ten percent of the voting affiliates of the division. Such vote shall be supervised by the Society and held in accordance with the procedures of the Society.
   
   

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Bylaws amended in 1981; May 19, 1983; November 7, 1984

October 2007 – language amended to conform with new GSA policy on who is eligible to vote and hold office.

October 2010 – added language for replacement of Vacancies, Article IV, Item 4.

November 2012 – Bylaw sections amended: Secretary terms changed to 1 year, Award and Award Committees and Officer duties changes.

October 2013 – Changed Dwornik judging procedures - new online judging sign-up sheets and judging forms were implemented for 2013 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

August 2018 – Bylaw amended to include student advisory positions to the Management Board, added procedure for removal of officers, and added clause to implement separability of the dual roles of the secretary-treasurer to handle the contingency where that individual is prohibited from exercising fiduciary duties.