[Aqualist] National Committee for Quaternary Research

[Barrows, Timothy]

National Committee for Quaternary Research



The Australian Academy of Science's National Committee for Quaternary Research (NCQR) reconvened on 11 November 2010, in Canberra, for the first time since the last INQUA Congress in Cairns (July 2007). Part of the responsibilities of the NCQR is to undertake discipline reviews, initiate forums, prepare submissions to government, provide advice to the Academy Council, and to contribute to science policy issues. The Academy of Science is also Australia's adhering body to the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), and the NCQR is concerned with liaison with INQUA, The Australasian Quaternary Association (AQUA) and other professional organisations interested in Quaternary Research nationally and internationally.



The current committee's composition is:

Allan Chivas  (U Wollongong) (Chairperson) Craig Sloss  (QUT)  (Deputy Chairperson) Richard Hobbs (Plant Biology, UWA) (Academy liaison) Michael Bird (JCU) Brad Pillans (ANU) Steven Phipps (UNSW) Mike Smith (National Museum of Australia) Pauline Treble (ANSTO) Jon Woodhead (U Melbourne)



At the November meeting, the committee discussed the forthcoming INQUA Congress (Bern, CH, July 2011), noting financial support schemes by INQUA and AQUA to assist attendance by young scientists (deadlines 3 December and 30 November, respectively). Craig Sloss and Steven Phipps will be Australia's voting delegates to the INQUA International Council in Bern and, accordingly, assist in deciding incoming INQUA office-bearers and the venue for the 2015 INQUA Congress, as well as general matters. There will be an opportunity for a meeting, in Bern, of all Australian participants, to discuss Australia's voting intent, on these matters. The NCQR also supported a joint bid from AQUA, the University of Wollongong, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE Ltd) to hold the 2013 PAGES Open Science and Young Scientists meetings in Australia.



The principal activity for the NCQR for the next two years will be the preparation of the first national position paper and strategic plan for Australian Quaternary Research. This is intended to be comprehensive and include all Quaternary researchers in Australia in the preparation of an initial statement of capabilities. Accordingly, sometime before April 2011, all Quaternarists will be approached to provide brief details about scientific interests and resources.  The more strategic aspects will progressively follow, and be discussed and formulated in an open forum at the AQUA bi-annual conferences.




Allan Chivas [toschi at uow.edu.au]