Dear DMG members,
In September 2022 in Cologne, the general assembly tasked "the board of the DMG within the umbrella organization of the geosciences to continue the development of a joint geoscientific society." The exact design of such a large geoscientific society in Germany now falls to the boards and representatives of the four larger individual societies (PalGes, DMG, DGG, and DGGV), who must take into account the different needs and ideas from these individual societies. In the mandate received by the DMG board, it states, for example, "to ensure that the interests of all mineralogical sub-disciplines, particularly crystallography and applied mineralogy, are fully taken into account" – this was the literal wording of the resolution coordinated in September. decision. In the other individual societies, there are similar mandates to the boards, and the details of future collaboration now need to be negotiated and jointly established. old.
A recurring concern among parts of the DMG, as well as among individual members of the other specialized societies, is the worry about a possible loss of "visibility" and "identity" of certain disciplines that could accompany the creation of a large, powerful geoscience society. This fear of loss of significance thru strengthening may initially seem paradoxical, but it can perhaps be explained by illuminating the different perspectives that underlie it. From the establishment of the large geoscience society, we expect a societal strengthening of the importance of the geosciences and a significant improvement in internal networking; the fears relate to a weakening of the importance of individual subdisciplines within the society if it no longer operates as an individual association, but as a section of a larger organization. s.
Undoubtedly, the increased significance of the geosciences and political influence within the German public, which is already noticeable thru the numerous activities of the DVGeo, is beyond dispute. The appearance of DVGeo as a representative of over 6,000 German geoscientists indeed carries significantly more weight than if representatives from individual societies were to try to make their voices heard. Examples of the growing influence include the parliamentary evenings of DVGeo in Berlin or the meetings with representatives of other STEM subjects in connection with curriculum development in schools. en. The collection of more than 25 geoscientific societies in Germany, which is difficult for us to overview and completely opaque to outsiders, has historically led to the very lack of visibility that we are now trying to overcome. are seeking.
Whoever talks about the visibility of their sub-discipline should always also mention by whom they want to be seen. Is it desirable to hold a significant share in a small specialized society? Or is it not better to be a part of a large and strong Geogesellschaft, even if it is a smaller, yet more constructive part? ? Perhaps you also reject this view and prefer the current small societies; perhaps you believe that a discipline is best represented when it is independent and detached from neighboring disciplines. In this case, I would like to ask you to what extent the existence of the currently existing societies is to be endorsed. Would it then not be better, for example, to divide the DMG into several independent societies in order to give the sub-disciplines even better visibility and identity? n? According to this logic, one should establish a separate society for geochemistry, a society for applied mineralogy, a society for archaeometry, a society for petrology, and so on; or even better, separate societies for magmatic and metamorphic petrology! Petrology! One could clutter the German geological landscape with 125 instead of the current 25 societies. litter. The fact is that the currently existing disciplinary boundaries with consolidated or fragmented subdisciplines are solely due to some historical coincidences and not the result of any well-thought-out plan. spring. The current state is by no means the optimal state, but it is maintained by the inertia of the system. maintained.
A simple example of the shortcomings that currently afflict geosciences societies can be seen in our younger generation. At German universities, the degree "Geosciences" has replaced the previous degrees in the sub-disciplines for some time now. Consequently, the students identify themselves as geoscientists. As their studies progress, they develop specialized interests and preferences for certain areas, such as mineralogy or ore deposit geology. They have no interest in visibly distinguishing themselves from their fellow students with a focus, let's say, on seismology or vertebrate paleontology, and thereby developing a separate identity. Instead, they remain geoscientists and are precisely hesitant to join one of the existing professional societies. They do not want to commit to a specific sub-discipline of the geosciences by choosing a professional society, but rather wish to join a unified, large geoscience society that represents their interests and those of all their fellow students. ride.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are approximately 15,000 students in Bachelor's and Master's programs in Earth Sciences (excluding Geography) in Germany, as well as about 3,000 doctoral candidates (DEStatis, winter semester 2021/22). In the four member societies of DVGeo, however, there are only about 600 to 650 student or doctoral members in total. This means that only about 3.5% of the geoscientific Nachwuchs decides to join one of the professional societies. More than 96% of the students do not feel addressed by the sub-societies or do not want to decide on one of the sub-societies. Here, we are losing a great potential. I therefore advocate for the establishment of the possibility of personal membership in the DVG. eo. As long as there is no unified large Geoscience Society, this could immediately reach a majority of students in the geosciences. en.
With the financial and ideological strengthening of DVGeo and the transfer of further competencies from the subsidiary societies to the umbrella organization, we can further increase the visibility of the geosciences, and thus also of mineralogy. We can thus take further important steps toward a future in which a large number of challenges await humanity, which cannot be mastered without the contribution of the geosciences. "I believe that dangers await only those who do not respond to life," said Mikhail Gorbachev in East Berlin in October 1989. In this sentence, of course, there is a warning; at the same time, it also points to the possibility of being able to actively shape important changes if one addresses them in a timely manner.
— Your Horst Marschall
