Our Mission
NAMS is the North American Micropaleontology Section of the Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM). The purpose of the Section is to promote all aspects of micropaleontology through application, research and education dealing with morphology, biostratigraphy, ecology, paleoecology, and geologic history of all groups of microfossils occurring in the stratigraphic record. The Constitution and By-laws outline the responsibilities of board members, provide governance for elections, and detail the grants in aid provided by the society.
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The field of micropaleontology covers a diverse array of microfossils groups, including foraminifera, ostracodes, nannofossils, palynonmorphs, radiolaria, diatoms, and silicoflagellates. NAMS serves as a center point for these many fields of study and provides a venue for exchange of information among micropaleontologists in academia, industry, and government.
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NAMS is the sponsor of the Marine Micropaleontology Research Group, a formal research group within SEPM which reports to the SEPM research committee.
Our History
NAMS was born in September, 1977. An Interim Council was convened by Emile Pessagno and included a number of the best-known micropaleontologists in North America at the time: Allen Bé, William Berggren, Martin Buzas, Richard Casey, Dorothy Echols, Howard Ellis, Kristin McDougall, Emile Pessagno, SF Percival, William Sliter, and Charles Smith.
Since 1980, NAMS has held its annual meeting in conjunctions with the annual convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. NAMS has organized a number of micropaleontology related technical sessions and short-courses at the AAPG convention, and a number of significant publications have arisen from these efforts.
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We Take Pride in Our Numbers
47
Years
250+
Members
6
Conferences
20
Grants Issued