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After a discussion of the Geological Society of Africa’s council, the council decided to publish the newsletter regularly four times per year (March, June, September, and December). The society will communicate with its members weekly throughout automatic emails that contain important information. As a result, the council is working now to clean up the member database and design a new website. The council encourages the members to contribute to the newsletter and the weekly news emails.

Current newsletter issue

The GSAf is pleased to announce that Prof. Felix Toteu, Prof. Aberra Mogessie and Prof. Lopo Vasconcelos received GSAf Fellowship Award for their contributions to the growth and activities of the GSAf. Since their contributions to the society cannot be covered in an issue, their contributions to Africa and Earth sciences will be in the focus of the next issues of the newsletter.

GSAf Fellowship Award. From left to right: Prof. Lopo Vasconcelos, Prof. Aberra Mogessie, Prof. Gbenga Okunlola (President of GSAf) and Prof. Felix Toteu.

By nominating and electing Dr. Tamer Abu-Alam as the new GSAf’s newsletter editor and information officer, the position of Northern Africa councillor fell vacant. The GSAf council had received 5 applications for the position (3 from Morocco, 1 from Algeria and 1 from Egypt). Only the Egyptian candidate was present and she presented to the Assembly her perceived contribution if she is elected. The General Assembly elected Dr. Kholoud Abdelmaksoud as the new councillor for Northern Africa. The council thanks our colleagues from Morocco and Algeria who showed interest to serve the society and wish all the success to Dr. Kholoud Abdelmaksoud as the new councillor for Northern Africa.

Dr. Kholoud Abdelmaksoud – the new councillor for Northern Africa

From Africa, he started his career and he kept Africa all the time in his heart – “Prof. Serrano Pinto”

Prof. Serrano Pinto was born in Portugal, on 5 March 1936 and passed away suddenly after returning from his participation in CAG21 in Johannesburg on 15 January 2011. Prof. Serrano Pinto was the Goodwill Ambassador of the Geological Society of Africa to Portugal. During the opening ceremony of the CAG27, both the Geological Society of Africa and the local organizing committee paid a tribute to Prof. Serrano Pinto for his role in both the Geological Society of Africa and the University of Aveiro.

Prof. Serrano Pinto to the right with colleagues from Mozambique during one of the Colloquiums of African Geology.

Prof. Serrano Pinto studied his first geology classes at the University of Coimbra and the University of Oporto. Later during his military service, he left to Mozambique where he received an invitation to integrate the Geology and Mines Services. At the time, Mozambique was developing an ambitious cartographic and prospecting programme that required highly qualified professionals. Then, he went to Leicester, UK, to focus on his Master degree in Geochemistry. He published during this period many works that mark a turning point towards systematic mineral prospecting based on sediments of Mozambique. After a brief stay in Angola (1974) he pursued his activities at the recently created University of Aveiro (1973). After a meeting on Plate Tectonics that was held at the University in 1976, he started his PhD degree on the geochemistry and geochronology at Leeds University. After concluding his PhD program, he and other colleagues lead to the creation of Isotopic Geology Laboratory at the University of Aveiro.

In 1996, he was one of the founders of the Group of History of Science and Technology at the University of Aveiro, later established as Centre for the Studies of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology of the University of Aveiro. Prof. Serrano Pinto was in charge of the Centre Secretary Board serving as its Secretary and persistently stayed leading it. From 1997 until 2000 the Centre published a Newsletter with articles on the history of science by many of the active Portuguese historians of science, always with an article signed by Prof. Serrano Pinto (the Secretary Board).

He co-organized around 12 conferences on the Geochemistry domain and 4 international on the History of Science. He published around 12 books or book chapters; 6 geological maps of Mozambique and Portugal; 8 papers in journals from the SCI or as selected papers, more than 80 peer-reviewed as well as several proceedings in international meetings.