GSA special session honoring the late Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam

[Stamps, D. Sarah]

Dear colleagues,

A special topical session is being organized at the annual national meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA Connects 2025, 19-22 October) in San Antonio, Texas (USA) to honor the late Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam. Please find the information below, and we hope that you will share this email with colleagues who might be interested.

T206. Honoring the Late Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam: Outstanding Researcher, Generous Colleague, Legendary Mentor, and Ambassador for the Geosciences In Africa. 

We hope that you will consider submitting an abstract for either a poster or an oral presentation on your research work in Africa. We would be delighted to have submissions both from those who knew him and from those who have been inspired by his outstanding work in structural geology, tectonics, geophysics, and remote sensing. Please note that abstracts must be research abstracts.

Mohamed was an innovative researcher who made outstanding contributions to research in Africa, and he was legendary for his tireless support of research in Africa. He enthusiastically developed collaborations with people from both Africa and the US for research projects in Egypt, Sudan, and the East African Rift. He was also truly delighted when they spread their wings and flew off on research projects of their own. He sought out and mentored countless African students through field research, undergraduate degrees, and graduate research projects. He worked with students in Africa through collaborations with African universities and brought many talented students to the US for graduate degrees. Many of these students brought all of their experiences with Mohamed back to their home countries and to new research projects in Africa. As President of the Geological Society of Africa, he transformed the organization with his charisma, enthusiasm, and deep belief in the importance of raising the profile and capacity of geoscience research done in Africa by African geoscientists.

To submit an abstract for an oral presentation or a poster: Go to the main abstract submission page, scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on Topical Sessions. Enter “Mohamed” into the search box, and that will take you to a page where you can submit an abstract for this session. The abstract portal is currently open, and the abstract submission deadline is 5 August 2025.

The invited speakers for this session include Dr. Folarian Kolawole (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University) and Dr. Sarah Stamps (Virginia Tech). The session has been endorsed by the GSA International Division, the GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Division, the Geological Society of Africa, the GSA Geophysics and Geodynamics Division, and the Association of Geoscientists for International Development.

Please don't hesitate to email me if you have questions.

Sincerely,

D. Sarah Stamps, for the conveners:

Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College

Estella Atekwana, University of California, Davis

Luelseged Emishaw, Midwestern State University

Todd Halihan, Oklahoma State University

Daniel Láo-Dávila, Oklahoma State University

Kevin Mickus, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe, Missouri University of Science and Technology

______________________________

D. Sarah Stamps, PhD 

(she/her)

Associate Professor of Geophysics

Geodesy and Tectonophysics Laboratory

Virginia Tech

Department of Geosciences

dst...@vt.edu 

www.geodesy.geos.vt.edu

Visiting Associate

California Institute of Technology

Seismological Laboratory

dst...@caltech.edu