We are pleased to share the reflections of EMU travel grants recipients at international conferences in summer 2025.

Lisa Tagliacollo (University of Ferrara, Italy), who presented at the Goldschmidt 2025 Conference in Prague, shared:

“The Goldschmidt conference proved to be an exceptionally valuable experience, where I gained a wealth of new knowledge and, despite my initial shyness, actively engaged with fellow researchers, truly opening myself up to new perspectives. This engagement significantly broadened my professional network, laying a strong foundation for numerous promising future collaborations.”

Nana Assam (University of Oulu, Finland), reflecting on her participation at the International Clay Conference in Dublin, said:

“The opportunity to present my PhD research at the AIPEA XVIII International Clay Conference in Dublin was an exciting one. My presentation focused on the thermo-mechanical activation of Finnish clay for use as an SCM as a way of improving sustainability in construction. I quite enjoyed my time in the lovely city of Dublin, and I am grateful to the EMU for the travel award which supported my attendance at the conference.”

Trung Nguyen (University of Umeå, Sweden), also attending the International Clay Conference, expressed:

“Attending ICC2025 in Dublin was a truly enriching experience, where I gained valuable insights into the diverse research and applications of clays and engaged in inspiring discussions. Especially, the conference greatly motivated me in my own research, and I was also honoured to receive the Best Oral Presentation Award for my research. Big thanks to EMU.”

We are proud to share that during the Goldschmidt 2025 Conference (6–11 July, Prague), the EMU Research Excellence Medal 2024 was formally awarded to two outstanding scientists:

Dr. Martha Pamato and Dr. Jakub Plášil

The medal ceremony recognized their significant scientific contributions and the international impact of their research.
Congratulations to both medallists for this well-deserved recognition from the European Mineralogical Union!
We look forward to seeing more of their remarkable work in the years to come.

Marta Giovanna Pamato, Isabelle Daniel, and Jakub Plášil

Isabelle Daniel and Marta Giovanna Pamato

Isabelle Daniel and Jakub Plášil

We’re delighted to highlight the participation of three of our young colleagues at major international conferences this summer:

Lisa Tagliacollo (University of Ferrara, Italy) presented at the Goldschmidt 2025 Conference, held from 6–11 July 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic. Her talk shed light on the unique geological features of VMS deposits in Northern Italy, sparking engaging discussions among geochemists and mineralogists attending the session.

Nana Assam (University of Oulu, Finland) contributed to the International Clay Conference, held from 13–18 July 2025 in Dublin, Ireland, with a presentation on the Performance of Thermo-mechanically Activated Finnish Clay: Analysis of Reactivity, Chemical and Mineralogical Changes.

Trung Nguyen (University of Umeå, Sweden) also presented at the International Clay Conference with his work on Cation-Exchange Reactions in Nontronite − Indicator for Water Reservoir and Active Geochemical Processes on Mars. We are especially proud to share that Trung was awarded the Student Oral Presentation Prize for his outstanding contribution.

Below are some moments captured during the conferences:

Lisa Tagliacollo (University of Ferrara, Italy)

Nana Assam (University of Oulu, Finland)

Trung Nguyen (University of Umeå, Sweden)

The European Mineralogical Union is pleased to share the presentation schedule for our 2025 EMU Awardee Presentations at Goldschmidt 2025 in Prague.

The EMU Research Excellence Medals will be presented to:

• Prof. Martha G. Pamato
  Lecture: Imperfections in mantle minerals and the fate of volatiles in the deep Earth
  When: Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 09:15–09:30
  Where: South Hall 3B (3rd Floor), Prague Congress Centre
  Session: 02e – Diamond: Chronicles of the Mantle

• Dr. Jakub K. Plášil
  Lecture: Uranium mineralogy and crystallography: perspective field or a dead-end?
  When: Tuesday, 8 July 2025, 14:30–14:45
  Where: Chamber Hall (3rd Floor), Prague Congress Centre
  Session: 05b – Processes relevant for the safe disposal of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel [Session in honour of Florie Caporuscio]

EMU Travel Award Presentation:

• Lisa Tagliacollo
  Title:Unusual mineralisations in ophiolite-related Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide deposits from the Modena Province (Northern Italy)
  When: Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 10:45-11:00
  Where: South Hall 2B (2nd Floor), Prague Congress Centre
  Session: 05K – New advances in metallogenesis from magmatic-hydrothermal to basinal environments and their applications to exploration and metal recovery

We are delighted to announce the three young researchers awarded the EMU Travel Grant to participate in mineralogical and geochemical conferences this year.

Two recipients will present their work at the International Clay Conference in Dublin, and one will attend Goldschmidt 2025 in Prague.

Below are the details of their presentations:

• Nana Assam (University of Oulu, Finland)
  Performance of Thermo-mechanically Activated Finnish clay: Analysis of Reactivity, Chemical and Mineralogical Changes / International Clay Conference

• Trung Nguyen (University of Umea, Sweden)
  Cation-Exchange Reactions in Nontronite − Indicator for Water Reservoir and Active Geochemical Processes on Mars / International Clay Conference

• Lisa Tagilacollo (University of Ferrara, Italy)
  Unusual mineral association in ophiolite-related Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide from the Modena Province (Northern Italy) / Goldschmidt 2025

EMU is pleased to announce the EMU Research Excellence Medal 2025 competition, presented annually to early career scientists who have made significant contributions to research and who actively strengthen European scientific connections.

Detailed information about the application requirements is available here.

The nomination deadline this year is 1 July 2025, 12:00 (CEST).

The EMU invites you to an on-line lecture of the 2024 EMU Research Excellence Medal recipient, Dr. Martha Giovanna Pamato from the Department of Geosciences, University of Padua, Italy.

The lecture will be held on April 11, 2025 at 2 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. CET on-line via Zoom.
Please register in advance at registration Zoom link and you’ll immediately receive a direct link to the meeting.

Title: “The role of imperfections in mantle minerals to understand the origin of Earth’s water“

Abstract:
Water is an essential ingredient for life and a ubiquitous component at the Earth’s surface. Although it seems obvious to have water on Earth, its origin is still an unresolved mystery in Earth and planetary sciences. Yet, answering this question is fundamental to assessing the evolutionary history and modern structure of Earth and constrain the conditions for Earth-like planets to form.
Comparing Earth’s original deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H) with those of Solar System objects can constrain the provenance of water. However, this is a difficult task as Earth is an active planet and its D/H value might have significantly changed since its formation. To explain the origin of Earth’s water, its primordial D/H ratio needs to be determined, and this can be achieved by finding a deep mantle reservoir that remained unaffected over geological time.
Studying diamonds and their imperfections (related to the presence of H) may be the key as they are inert and robust time capsules resisting breakdown for over billions of years and can help elucidate whether H₂O was already present in the deepest regions of our planet since its formation or whether it was transported to the Earth’s interior at a later stage through subduction.
This presentation will provide an overview of past and current findings on the role of imperfections in mantle minerals, with a focus on H in diamonds as a key to unravel the origin of Earth’s water.

You can also join the event page on Facebook.

In 2025, the EMU offers up to THREE (3) TRAVEL GRANTS of 400 € each to promote the attendance of students in mineralogy at:

– EMPG 2025
(Orléans, France, 16-19 June 2025);

– Goldschmidt Conference 2025
(Prague, Czech Republic, 6-11 July 2025);

– International Clay Conference
(Dublin, Ireland, 13-18 July 2025).

Eligibility:

The student should be registered for a BSc, MSci or MSc, MGeol, or PhD degree in the subject area of mineralogy at large, in a university of a country represented in the EMU (see the list of EMU Member Societies).

How to apply:

Please send an application package to the president and vice-president of the EMU (isabelle.daniel@univ-lyon1.fr and h.downes@ucl.ac.uk).
The deadline for application is April 15^th, 2025

Application package:

In a single ‘Firstname_Lastname.pdf’ file:

• cover letter of 1 page;
• 2-pages CV;
• copy of the submitted abstract with proof of payment;
• projected budget of the participation (travel expenses, housing, registration fees vs available resources) to one of the conferences.

Evaluation and selection of the best applications will be based on the academic merit of applicants.

The 2024 EMU Research Excellence Medal is awarded jointly to Dr. Martha Pamato and
Dr. Jakub Plášil.

Both are outstanding scientists whose scinetific research has significantly advanced their respective fields: Dr. Martha Pamato is recognized for her studies on the crystallography of deep Earth minerals and their geophysical signatures, while
Dr. Jakub Plášil’s work on uranium-bearing minerals has deepened our understanding of their complex crystal chemistry and environmental mobility of uranium in the geosphere.

For their exceptional scientific contributions and the international impact of their research, the EMU Medal Committee proudly honors Dr. Martha Pamato and
Dr. Jakub Plášil with the 2024 Research Excellence Medal of the European Mineralogical Union.

The European Mineralogical Union Medallist Lecture for 2023 will be given by Dr José Alberto Padrón Navarta on Friday 15th November at 3.00 pm (central European time).
The lecture will be hosted by Prof. Diego Gatta, vice-President of the EMU.

This is an online-only event and can be joined, free of charge, by registering here: zoom link.

Title: “Redox Influences on Fluid Dynamics and Dehydration Processes in Subduction Zones“

The latest volume of EMU Notes in Mineralogy, Volume 21, titled “Chemical Geodynamics of the Earth’s Mantle: New Paradigms“, edited by Costanza Bonadiman (University of Ferrara, Italy) and Elisabetta Rampone (University of Genoa, Italy), is now available as Open Access on our website.

You can view and download individual chapters by following this link. Alternatively, you may order a paper copy online now.

EMU is committed to securing funding to continue offering future volumes of EMU Notes in Mineralogy in an open access format.

During the award ceremony at the European Mineralogical Conference (EMC 2024) in Dublin, Jakub Kierczak, 2022 medallist, and José Alberto Padrón-Navarta, 2023 medallist, received their EMU Medals for research excellence from Isabelle Daniel, the newly elected EMU president.

We’re pleased to share some moments from the recent European Mineralogical Conference EMC 2024 in Dublin, where our talented young researchers, who were awarded the EMU Travel Grant, presented their interesting works.

Check out the gallery below:

Alice Taddei
University of Firenze, Italy

Yuri Galliano
University of Genoa, Italy

Ena Topalovic
University of Zagreb, Croatia

Zhengzheng Chen
GFZ, Germany

Congratulations to all for their outstanding contributions!

We look forward to seeing more from them in the future!

During the 37^th EMU Council meeting, held publicly at the Burke Theater of Trinity College Dublin on August 20^th, new members of the executive committee were elected.

Prof. Ewa Słaby has transitioned to the role of EMU Past-President, succeeding Prof. Michael Carpenter.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Ewa handed over the presidency to the newly elected EMU President,
Prof. Isabelle Daniel.

The EMU extends its gratitude to Prof. Ewa Słaby and Prof. Michael Carpenter for their exceptional guidance and leadership.

The EMU is pleased to invite all member societies to attend the 37^th EMU Council Meeting of the European Mineralogical Union, which will take place during the European Mineralogical Conference (EMC 2024) in Dublin.
This important meeting is open to everyone.

Meeting Details:
Date: Tuesday, 20 August
Time: 13:00 (Irish Standard Time, GMT+2)
Location: room 1 – Burke Theatre

The detailed agenda is in the PDF.

Your participation is crucial for the continued success and governance of the EMU.

We look forward to seeing you there!