Part of the AISA focused the international activities on the organization of the

• 
  The "Giovanni Novelli" prize, won by Marek Szczerba (Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland) and handed over during the 15^th International Clay Conference in Rio de Janeiro in July.
  
• 
  The other prize has allowed a young researcher, Gioacchino Tempesta (University of Bari, Italy), to participate in the EMU School "Minerals at Nanoscale" (Granada, Spain, 3-6^th June 2013), an initiative of the European Mineralogical Union.
  

The general Assembly and the Clay Day 2013 were held in Pavia (28^th February 2013). In particular, the Clay Day was devoted to “Clays in innovative applications”. After various oral presentations, the participants had the opportunity to visit the diagnostic laboratories of the Department of Science of the University of Pavia and to meet researchers working in various areas of research.

In 2014 the Association will be engaged in activities designed to involve all members, with the aim to try to stem the number of resignations.

	Photo 5: Dr. Saverio Fiore in his tenure speech as AIPEA president, during the AIPEA General Assembly at XV ICC in Rio de Janeiro (photo courtesy of Maria Luigia Giannossi).
	Photo 6: Dr. Saverio Fiore hand over the Giovanni Novelli Prize to Dr. Marek Szczerba at the AIPEA General Assembly during XV ICC in Rio de Janeiro (photo courtesy of Maria Luigia Giannossi).

By Aldo Mirabella and Maria Luigia Giannossi

February / 2014

JAPAN

CLAY SCIENCE SOCIETY OF JAPAN
1. Committee

The following officers were elected for the fiscal year 2013 and 2014:

The 57^th Annual Meeting of the Clay Science Society of Japan (CSSJ) was held at Kochi City Culture-Plaza Cul-port from 4 to 6^th, September 2013. It was principally organized by Prof. M. Nakagawa. A total of 52 papers including 37 posters were presented. The program also included plenary lecture by Prof. HWANG Jin-Yeon, Pusan University and invited lectures for a symposium entitled “Clay sciences inspired by female researcher” (S. Jitsukawa, Loreal Nihon and T. Sekine, Shiseido, H. Sato, Ehime University, N. Suzuki, Showa Pharmaceutical University, M. Jige, Osaka Ohtani University and A. Hayashi, Kobe Pharmaceutical University).

The Society presented awards to the following members at the occasion of the annual meeting:

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  Clay Science Society of Japan Award was given to T. Hatta, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences.
  
• 
  Distinguished Achievement Award was given to T. Kawaji, The University of Shiga Prefecture and N. Kohyama, Toyo University
  
• 
  Young Scientist Award was given to M. Minase, Hojun Co. Ltd. and Y. Watanabe, Kanazawa Institute of Technology.
  
• 
  Best Technological Award was given to T. Katamoto and T. Suemasu, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
  
• 
  Best Paper Awards were given to C. Oda et al., Japan Atomic Energy Agency and to Y. Kuwahara et al., Kyushu University.
  

Clay Science Society of Japan publishes three issues of Nendo Kagaku (Journal of the Clay Science Society of Japan in Japanese), and four issues of Clay Science every year. In the fiscal year 2012, vol. 52, n^o 1, 2 and 3 for Nendo Kagaku, and vol.17, n^o 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Clay Science were published.

February / 2014

Korean Clay Science Society (KSSC) was launched Sep. 2012, when the 2^nd Asian Clay Society meeting was held at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. The following officers were elected for the fiscal year 2012 and 2013.

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  2^nd Annual meeting
  

• 
  3^rd Annual meeting
  

	Photo 7: Participants of the 2nd Annual meeting of Korea Clay Science Society (photo courtesy of Jinwook Kim).
	Photo 8: Participants of the 3rd Annual meeting of Korea Clay Science Society (photo courtesy of Jinwook Kim).

For further updated information see: http://www.korclay.org or contact Prof. Jinwook at Kim, Yonsei University, e-mail: jinwook@yonsei.ac.kr

By Jinwook Kim

February / 2014

The RCG took part in the organization of two scientific events in 2013:

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  The 2^nd Russian Clay School – ARGILLA STUDIUM-2013, St.-Petersburg (in Russian and English) - http://2013.ruclay.com/argilla-studium-2013/ ; and
  
• 
  The 2^nd International Conference on “Clays, Clay Minerals and Layered Materials – CMLM2013”, St.-Petersburg (in English) - http://2013.ruclay.com/
  

Members of the Russian Clay Group also participated in the XV-ICC 2013, July 7-11^th 2013, Brazil. Totally 5 oral and poster presentations have been presented. The talks have been done by Profs. S. Lessovaya, Dr. V. Krupskaya, Dr. T. Zaitzeva.

Committee:

Chairmen: Prof. V. Drits, Dr. V. Krupskaya; Vice-chairman: Dr. T. Zaitseva.

Program Committee:

B. Zviagina (Russia), B. Sakharov (Russia), M. Plötze (Switzerland), J. Madejova (Slovakia), A. Czímerová (Slovakia), J. Cuadros (UK), F. Hubert (France), and T. Kogure (Japan).
The program of the Second Russian Clay School “Argilla Studium-2013” was as follows:

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  B. Zviagina. Principles for phyllosilicates classification. Classification of micas.
  
• 
  B. Sakharov. Identification of interstratified clay minerals by X-ray diffraction.
  
• 
  J. Cuadros. XRD profile modelling as a tool for investigation of soil clay mineralogy.
  
• 
  T. Kogure. Electron microscopy for clay science.
  
• 
  J. Madejova. Infrared spectroscopy: Theory and clay minerals applications.
  
• 
  M. Plötze. Quantitative phase analysis of complex mineral assemblages. secrets to winning the Reynolds Cup competition.
  
• 
  A. Czímerová. Traditional and novel methods for the characterization of the layer charge of clay minerals
  
• 
  F. Hubert. XRD profile modelling as a tool for investigation of soil clay mineralogy
  

The main purpose of the regular School meetings is the improvement of both methodological and scientific basis of specialists, young researchers and students who are working within a field of clay science.

185 delegates from more than 35 countries passed a registration for conference, more than 130 of them, including 55 young scientists, participated effectively in the meeting. Two best young researchers were awarded for their presentations: Anastasia Chernyatieva (Russia) and Artur Kuligiewicz (Poland).

• 
  T. Kogure. Real structures of clay minerals revealed by HRTEM.
  
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  J. Wilson. Pedogenic clay minerals in soils: a broad overview.
  
• 
  D. McCarty. Structural composition relationships in illite-smectite and other clay minerals.
  
• 
  B. Lanson. Crystal chemistry of defective lamellar structures: Implications for environmental and applied issues.
  
• 
  A. Derkowski, V. Drits, and D. McCarty. Kinetic and structural transformation of partially dehydroxylated dioctahedral 2:1 clay minerals.
  
• 
  S. Krivovichev. Structural complexity of layered materials.
  
• 
  J. Cuadros. Role of physical confinement in microbial-mineral interaction.
  
• 
  F. C. Hawthorne, Y. Uvarova and E. Sokolova. Sheet-silicate minerals: connectivity and structural templating.
  
• 
  P. Komadel, M. Pentrák, J. Madejová, V. Hronský, P. Uhlík. Smectites in contact with acids.
  

Along with a highly topical scientific program, rich cultural program was offered to participants. It included several excursions through the city centre, museums and suburbs and also several social events.

By Victoria Krupskaya

March / 2014

SLOVAKIA

SLOVAK CLAY GROUP
Main activities of the Slovak Clay Group (SCG) in 2013
1) The workshop “Clay minerals and selected industrial minerals in material research and industrial applications” was held in Congress Center Academia, Stará Lesná, Slovakia on June 3 -5^th 2013. The main idea was to get together clay scientists and potential industrial partners and to discuss topics of the possible cooperation. The lectures given by the members of the SCG were devoted to the presentation of the individual clay groups, their research activities and new scientific equipments available for industrial minerals and rocks analysis. The workshop was financially supported by the “Council of the Scientific Societies at the Slovak Academy of Sciences”.
2) SCG co-organized lectures:

• 
  M. Osacký: Characterization of oil sands from Alberta province in Canada
  
• 
  M. Geršľa, E. Geršľová: Unconventional gas sources – shale-gas or bio-gas
  
• 
  K. Emmerich: Water binding in clays
  
• 
  K. Emmerich: The varieties of smectites
  
• 
  K. Emmerich: Comprehensive characterization of clays
  

3) J. Madejová, president of the SCG, introduced the history and current activities of the Slovak Clay Group at the conference “Contribution of the Scientific Societies to the Development of Science in Slovakia”.

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  XV International Clay Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
  
• 
  2^nd International Conference Clays, Clay Minerals and Layered Materials, St. Petersburg, Russia;
  
• 
  Nano-material: Applications and Properties, Alushta, Ukraine;
  
• 
  50^th Anniversary Annual Meeting of The Clay Minerals Society, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois;
  
• 
  6^th International Conference Concrete and Concrete Structures 2013, Terchova, Slovakia; and
  
• 
  International Conference Binders and Materials 2013, Brno, Czech Republic.
  

5) Two SCG members substantially contributed to the organization of the summer school ADVANCEG2 “The impact of mining activities on the environment“ held in Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia on July 1 – 12^th, 2013. This activity was organized in the frame of Erasmus Intensive Programs and several student members of SCG were among the participants.

Correspondence address:

Jana Madejová

Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, SAS

Dúbravská cesta 9

SK-845 36 Bratislava

Slovakia

E-mail: jana.madejova@savba.sk

	Photo 9: Dr. A. Biroň lecturing on the new instruments on the Geological Institute SAS in Banská Bystrica (photo courtesy of Jana Madejová).
	Photo 10: Dr. A. Biroň lecturing on the new instruments on the Geological Institute SAS in Banská Bystrica(photo courtesy of Jana Madejová).

By Jana Madejová

March / 2014

SPAIN

SPANISH CLAY SOCIETY
The Spanish Clay Society (SEA) organized a scientific meeting in Madrid (Spain) in the University Autonoma de Madrid on November 15^th of 2013, with the participation of sixty researchers.
One on the main acts of the meeting was a tribute in honour of Prof. Dr. José María Serratosa, who passed away in November of 2012. Several speakers (E. Ruiz Hitzky, M.C. Hermosin, S. Leguey, E. Galán, and J.L. Robert) presented the personal and scientific sides of José María Serratosa, highlighting the importance of his role in advancing clay research.
Other activities that took place during the meeting were:

• 
  The Annual General Meeting;
  
• 
  The lecture entitled “Crystalchemistry of 2:1 phyllosilicate: State of the art” by Dr. Jean-Luis Robert (CNRS, Paris);
  
• 
  Scientific session of posters; and
  
• 
  The announcement of the winners of the various awards offered by the Society:
  

-The “Initiation to Clay Studies Award 2013" for a Master´s Thesis was presented to- Cristina Ruiz García

-The prize for “First Scientific Photography Contest on Clays” was awarded to Dr. Santiago Leguey and Dr. Emilia García Romero.

	Photo 11: Dr. Cuevas gives the prize “First Scientific Photography Contest on Clays” to Dr. Emilia García-Romero (photo courtesy of Blanca Bauluz Lázaro).
	Photo 12: Dr. F.J. Huertas gives the prize “Initiation to Clay Studies Award 2013" for her Master´s Thesis to Cristina Ruiz García (photo courtesy of Blanca Bauluz Lázaro).

By Blanca Bauluz Lázaro

February / 2014

TUNISIA