British Geophysical Association
The RAS cosponsors the British Geophysical Association (BGA) with the Geological Society, and some BGA meetings are held within the RAS programme of Specialist Discussion Meetings. Details of membership can be obtained through the Executive Director at Burlington House.
Aims: The British Geophysical Association exists "to promote the subject of geophysics, and particularly to strengthen the relationship between geology and geophysics in the UK, by holding meetings and courses, by encouraging the publication of the results of research, and by such other means as are deemed appropriate". It seeks to act as a forum for all UK geophysicists and a means of representing their interests to its parents, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Geological Society, and to other official bodies e.g. in the nomination of UK delegates to relevant international Associations.
Meetings: The BGA organises two major meetings a year, the "New Advances in Geophysics" two-day specialist meeting on a prominent geophysical topic, at Burlington House, and the "Postgraduate Research in Progress" meeting, organised mostly by students for students, at which the latest research in diverse areas of geophysics is presented. It rotates among the universities with major postgraduate research programmes in geophysics, and prizes are awarded for the best presentations. The BGA supports other meetings on geophysical topics. Suggestions for topics, venues, and co-sponsorship are always welcomed - contact the Meetings Secretary. The BGA's Annual General Meeting usually takes place during the "New Advances in Geophysics" meeting.
Bullerwell Lectureship: The BGA is responsible for the annual Bullerwell Lectureship, for which it invites nominations of talented "young" (loosely) geophysicists. The lecture is usually delivered twice, once at the European Union of Geosciences annual meeting, once at the "Postgraduate Research in Progress" meeting. Former Bullerwell lecturers include many prominent UK or UK-associated geophysicists.
Other roles: the BGA takes the role of nominating geophysics specialists to assessment panels for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and for UK representatives on international committees under the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).
Membership: At present, membership in BGA is open to those who are members of either of its parent bodies, the RAS and the Geological Society; membership enquiries are referred to the Executive Secretaries of these bodies, both of whom are housed at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BQ (RAS) or W1V 0JU (GS).
Membership of either Society offers a substantial package of benefits, including low-cost subscriptions to a variety of journals such as Geophysical Journal International and Tectonics. The Geological Society offers professional validation and is able to confer the status of Chartered Geologist.
E-mail list: The BGA runs an informal "Geophysics" e-mail list in the Jiscmail system, on which announcements from the BGA and others with geophysical interest are posted. Anyone may join this list: it is not restricted to BGA members.
The constitution of the BGA is here