Welcome to the GSSA’s new Website

Welcome to our new website. We hope to improve information flow about the GSSA and news about the earth sciences world. New sites are rarely perfect, so the next three months will be considered as a test phase. Please explore the site and if you find any problems or have suggestions, please contact Lully Govender at the GSSA office.

Some of the new features include this Geoblog, which is intended as a forum where views can be shared by the whole earth sciences community. We will regularly request specific contributions, but we also hope to get contributions from Members who wish to have their views published on the Geoblog, which may be informative, contentious or sharing of information and ideas. Comments on contributions posted on the Geoblog will be accepted, but will be moderated prior to being published .

By now Members will also have been informed that the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points system will bein place very soon. The Natural Scientific Professions Act of 2003 charges SACNASP to ensure that practicing natural scientists continue with their professional development during their careers. One of the methods to ensure this is to have a Continuing Professional Development points system in place, a method that is used internationally by a number of professions. Initially, the system will be for Members only and we will only add points for GSSA-related courses and events. The accreditation system is being developed by an accounting firm which has been involved with auditing and accrediting the Health Professionals’ system. Details of the GSSA CPD points system will be sent to all Members and more information will be posted on this site.

Professionalism in the geosciences is increasingly becoming a focus on us and our profession by governments, financial institutions and governments. To quote the IUGSTask Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism(TGGGP),Geoscientists directly serve the public by providing expert services and opinions on which others rely for key decision-making. This has resulted in geoscience being considered a true “professional calling”. Importantly, the TGGGP states that the term “professionalism” is often used to refer only to geoscientists who work in industry or applied fields, but this approach is changing, and TGGGP specifically includes educators and researchers.

The Home page has a few direct links, such as to the South African Journal Geology (SAJG) and our quarterly Geobulletin. Clicking on the SAJG link will redirect Members to the latest Contents page and a members’ Signin link or for non-members to a link to GeoScience World where the contents of the Journal can be accessed, including contents of back issues. The Geobulletin link will take members and Non-Members alike to the bulletin itself, which is available in PDF format.