The U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Quaternary Research (USNC/INQUA) represents the interests of the U.S. Quaternary community in INQUA, advances Quaternary research both in the United States and abroad, and formally represents the United States in INQUA through the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the U.S. adhering body to INQUA.
The USNC/INQUA plans and arranges for U.S. participation in INQUA congresses and programs. The INQUA congresses are held every four years and provide the only forum in which the multidisciplinary, international Quaternary research community can collaborate and exchange ideas. The committee normally holds two meetings each year, of which one is commonly in association with the meetings of the American Quaternary Association, the Geological Society of America or the American Geophysical Union.
The USNC/INQUA also:
- Conducts an outreach program to the U.S. scientific community that includes providing information about union and committee activities;
- Sponsors symposia at scientific association meetings on topics of international interest in the geosciences;
- Sponsors teaching workshops for college-level educators on topics of interest to the community, and
- Advocates participation in international interdisciplinary projects on such issues as biodiversity and sustainability.
About the Union
Founded in 1928, the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) brings together scientists concerned with the history of the Earth’s natural environment during the Quaternary Period—the roughly 2 million year interval during and since the Pleistocene ice age. Quaternary research is interdisciplinary, involving the fields of geology, ecology and evolutionary biology, climatology, archeology, oceanography, and global change research. INQUA strives to improve understanding of the processes by which the environment has changed and enhance forecasting of future environmental changes. INQUA is a member union of the International Council for Science (ICSU) that serves to build global interaction among Quaternary research communities.
