The International Union of Geological Sciences ( IUGS ) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology . As of 2023, it represents more than 1 million geoscientists around the world.
31-711: The IUGS was founded in 1961 to ensure continued collaboration between the International Geological Congresses, which have taken place every four years since 1875. It is a Scientific Union member of the International Science Council (ISC), formerly the International Council for Science (ICSU), which it recognizes as the co-ordinating body for the international organization of science. Currently geologists from 121 countries (and regions) are represented in
62-555: A PhD an academic scientist may continue through being on an academic position, receiving a post-doctoral fellowships and onto professorships . Other scientists make contributions to the scientific community in alternate ways such as in industry , education , think tanks , or the government . Members of the same community do not need to work together. Communication between the members is established by disseminating research work and hypotheses through articles in peer reviewed journals , or by attending conferences where new research
93-493: A few older societies of men who studied nature such as the Royal Society of London , the concept of scientific communities emerged in the second half of the 19th century, not before, because it was in this century that the language of modern science emerged, the professionalization of science occurred, specialized institutions were created, and the specialization of scientific disciplines and fields occurred. For instance,
124-433: A given community since membership is often exclusive, their commissions are explicitly focused on serving their governments, and they have never "shown systematic interest in what rank-and-file scientists think about scientific matters". Exclusivity of membership in these types of organizations can be seen in their election processes in which only existing members can officially nominate others for candidacy of membership. It
155-436: A particular topic. Philosophers of science argue over the epistemological limits of such a consensus and some, including Thomas Kuhn , have pointed to the existence of scientific revolutions in the history of science as being an important indication that scientific consensus can, at times, be wrong. Nevertheless, the sheer explanatory power of science in its ability to make accurate and precise predictions and aid in
186-433: A supernatural creation to challenge some naturalistic assumptions that have been proposed in some of the branches of scientific fields such as evolutionary biology , geology , and astronomy . Although the dichotomy seems to be of a different outlook from a Continental European perspective, it does exist. The Vienna Circle , for instance, had a paramount (i.e. symbolic) influence on the semiotic regime represented by
217-644: Is a joint partner with UNESCO for the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP) and also participates in the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The Geological Society of London oversees the production and distribution of IUGS Publications. The Geological Society of India produces and distributes the Union's quarterly journal, entitled Episodes , as well as providing editorial support. Interested parties can download
248-544: Is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 2018 by the merger of the former International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC), making it one of the largest organisations of this type. Daya Reddy , mathematician , served (2018–2021) as
279-611: Is expected to be achieved by the scientific method . Peer review , through discussion and debate within journals and conferences, assists in this objectivity by maintaining the quality of research methodology and interpretation of results. The eighteenth century had some societies made up of men who studied nature, also known as natural philosophers and natural historians , which included even amateurs. As such these societies were more like local clubs and groups with diverse interests than actual scientific communities, which usually had interests on specialized disciplines. Though there were
310-691: Is headquartered in Paris with a regional office in Colombia . The Officers of the Governing Board are currently Peter Gluckman (President), Motoko Kotani (President-elect), Anne Husebekk (Vice-President for Freedom and Responsibility in Science), Salim Abdool Karim (Vice-President for Outreach and Engagement), and Sawako Shirahase (Vice-President for Finance of the Council). The ISC's next assembly
341-597: Is partly due to the specialized training most scientists receive in very few fields. As a result, many would lack expertise in all the other fields of the sciences. For instance, due to the increasing complexity of information and specialization of scientists, most of the cutting-edge research today is done by well funded groups of scientists, rather than individuals. However, there are still multiple societies and academies in many countries which help consolidate some opinions and research to help guide public discussions on matters of policy and government-funded research. For example,
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#1732765064989372-524: Is presented and ideas exchanged and discussed. There are also many informal methods of communication of scientific work and results as well. And many in a coherent community may actually not communicate all of their work with one another, for various professional reasons. Unlike in previous centuries when the community of scholars were all members of few learned societies and similar institutions, there are no singular bodies or individuals which can be said today to speak for all science or all scientists. This
403-868: Is scheduled for 2024. In 2020, the International Science Council has 135 member organizations , 40 member unions and associations, and 30 affiliated members. A subset of ISC dealing with Earth and space sciences forms the GeoUnions network: The ISC GeoUnions partially overlap with the UN-GGIM Geospatial Societies . Scientific community The scientific community is a diverse network of interacting scientists . It includes many " sub-communities " working on particular scientific fields, and within particular institutions; interdisciplinary and cross-institutional activities are also significant. Objectivity
434-516: Is very important to science pedagogy, the evaluation of new ideas, and research funding. Sometimes it is argued that there is a closed shop bias within the scientific community toward new ideas. Protoscience , fringe science , and pseudoscience have been topics that discuss demarcation problems. In response to this some non-consensus claims skeptical organizations , not research institutions, have devoted considerable amounts of time and money contesting ideas which run counter to general agreement on
465-537: Is very unusual for organizations like the National Academy of Science to engage in external research projects since they normally focus on preparing scientific reports for government agencies. An example of how rarely the NAS engages in external and active research can be seen in its struggle to prepare and overcome hurdles, due to its lack of experience in coordinating research grants and major research programs on
496-679: The Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research . The Council's present activities are guided by the Action Plan 2022-2024: Science and Society in Transition. At the heart of the Action Plan is a selection of projects and programmes that are relevant to all scientific fields and all parts of the world. The Council is governed by its Governing Board and is advised by a number of advisory bodies in thematic areas such as space, polar, climatic, and data research. It
527-539: The United States ' National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and United Kingdom 's Royal Society sometimes act as surrogates when the opinions of the scientific community need to be ascertained by policy makers or the national government , but the statements of the National Academy of Science or the Royal Society are not binding on scientists nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of every scientist in
558-553: The 19th century between religion and science has been cited by some as representative of a struggle between tradition and substantial change and faith and reason . . A popular example used to support this thesis is when Galileo was tried before the Inquisition concerning the heliocentric model. The persecution began after Pope Urban VIII permitted Galileo to write about the Copernican model. Galileo had used arguments from
589-454: The Council's CEO . In 2023, Salvatore Aricò was elected Chief Executive Officer . The Council convenes and mobilizes the international scientific community on issues of major scientific and public importance. Activities focus on three areas of work: The Council is involved in co-sponsorship of a number of international research programmes, networks and committees. The Council awards
620-509: The ISC's inaugural President. Sir Peter Gluckman , pediatrician , biomedical scientist, and science-policy expert, was elected President in October 2021. Other ISC's inaugural Officers elected for the term of 2018–2021 were Elisa Reis (Vice President), Jinghai Li (Vice President), Renée van Kessel (Treasurer), and Alik Ismail-Zadeh (Secretary). Until February 2022, Heide Hackmann served as
651-633: The IUGS. A broad range of scientific topics are covered by its commission, task groups, joint programmes and affiliated organizations. IUGS promotes and encourages the study of geological problems, especially those of worldwide significance, and supports and facilitates international and inter-disciplinary co-operation in the earth sciences. The Union's Secretariat is currently located at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing, China. IUGS
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#1732765064989682-529: The Pope and put them in the voice of the simpleton in the work "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" which caused great offense to him. Even though many historians of science have discredited the conflict thesis it still remains a popular belief among many including some scientists. In more recent times, the creation–evolution controversy has resulted in many religious believers in
713-569: The Scientific Community in Europe. In the decades following World War II , some were convinced that nuclear power would solve the pending energy crisis by providing energy at low cost. This advocacy led to the construction of many nuclear power plants , but was also accompanied by a global political movement opposed to nuclear power due to safety concerns and associations of the technology with nuclear weapons . Mass protests in
744-497: The community is highly correlated with publication record , and also depends on the status within the institution and the status of the institution. Researchers can hold roles of different degrees of influence inside the scientific community. Researchers of a stronger influence can act as mentors for early career researchers and steer the direction of research in the community like agenda setters. Scientists are usually trained in academia through universities . As such, degrees in
775-737: The congress was postponed twice and developed online in 2021. The 37th was held in August 2024 in Busan . Canada won the bid to host the 38th IGC in Calgary in 2028. To celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of its establishment, in 2022, IUGS published a list of 100 sites around the world that it holds to be significant in the development of the earth sciences. In 2024, IUGS published a second list of another 100 geological heritage sites. The IUGS Scientific Awards of Excellence: International Science Council The International Science Council ( ISC )
806-474: The design and engineering of new technology has ensconced "science" and, by proxy, the opinions of the scientific community as a highly respected form of knowledge both in the academy and in popular culture . The high regard with which scientific results are held in Western society has caused a number of political controversies over scientific subjects to arise. An alleged conflict thesis proposed in
837-596: The environment and health. Nevertheless, general scientific consensus is a concept which is often referred to when dealing with questions that can be subject to scientific methodology . While the consensus opinion of the community is not always easy to ascertain or fix due to paradigm shifting, generally the standards and utility of the scientific method have tended to ensure, to some degree, that scientists agree on some general corpus of facts explicated by scientific theory while rejecting some ideas which run counter to this realization. The concept of scientific consensus
868-507: The latest issues of Episodes free of charge. Other activities include: Resourcing Future Generations (RFG), Young Reporters, Deep-Time Digital Earth (DDE). IUGS runs nine international commissions, covering the following topics: The International Union of Geological Sciences is the main scientific sponsor of the International Geological Congress (IGC), which takes place every four years. The first congress
899-452: The relevant scientific sub-disciplines are often considered prerequisites in the relevant community. In particular, the PhD with its research requirements functions as a marker of being an important integrator into the community, though continued membership is dependent on maintaining connections to other researchers through publication, technical contributions, and conferences . After obtaining
930-480: The term scientist was first coined by the naturalist-theologian William Whewell in 1834 and the wider acceptance of the term along with the growth of specialized societies allowed for researchers to see themselves as a part of a wider imagined community, similar to the concept of nationhood. Membership in the community is generally, but not exclusively, a function of education , employment status , research activity and institutional affiliation . Status within
961-559: Was in France in 1878 where a few geoscientists gathered to share new finds and .tTm was to create a framework and a platform for geoscientists to meet at regular intervals. The event has been growing bigger with each congress. Brisbane hosted the 34th congress in August 2012 and Cape Town the 35th in 2016. Delhi was to host the 36th in March 2020 as a collaborative effort by Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Because of Covid,