Preamble
The business and objectives of the International Natural Zeolite Association (INZA) shall be to encourage in the broadest and most liberal manner the advancement of natural zeolite science and technology; the promotion of research in natural zeolite science and technology; the increase and diffusion of knowledge of natural zeolite science and technology; and, by its meetings, reports, papers, discussions, and publications, to promote scientific interest and inquiry in the field of natural zeolite science and technology.
Article 1. Name and Seal
Section 1. Name. The name of the organization shall be “International Natural Zeolite Association (INZA),” herein referred to as the “INZA.”
Section 2. Seal. The seal of the INZA shall consist of the letters INZA together with a stylized zeolite crystal structure.
Article II. Principal Purposes
Section 1. Technical meetings. The INZA shall schedule and sponsor an international meeting dedicated to natural zeolites, ideally every four years, at which Council, general membership, and scientific meetings will be held. If the IZA triennial meeting will overlap with the INZA meeting, it is recommended that the INZA be held the following year (i.e., in the fifth year). More-frequent INZA meetings are not precluded by these recommendations.
Section 2. Publications and Newsletter.
- A Newsletter may be published by the Committee on Publications and Public Information as deemed necessary.
- Publications shall be prepared and published as deemed by the Executive Committee and may include distribution through the INZA list server.
- INZA web site and list server: INZA shall maintain a web site containing information on the INZA, its operation, and general information on natural zeolites. INZA shall also maintain an electronic list server for the purposes of communicating with the general membership and for scientific communication purposes.
Article III. Membership and Election of Members
Section 1. Membership. Membership shall be open to any and all persons interested in natural zeolite science and technology, including undergraduate and graduate students in fields related to natural zeolite science or technology.
Section 2. Voting Privileges. Members, including students, shall have voting rights in matters of the regular business of the Association during quadrennial meetings or during electronic or mail balloting.
Section 3. Application for Membership. Membership shall be granted on receipt and acceptance of the Application by the Secretary, either through the mail, electronically, or through the INZA electronic mailing list. Current and future members of the INZA electronic list will be considered members. An application will be placed on the INZA web site.
Article IV. Election and Appointment of Officers and Council Members
Section 1. Officers and Council Members. Members in good standing are eligible for election or appointment as officers or council members.
Following are the elected and appointed officials of the INZA:
President. The President shall serve a four year term. The out-going President continues on the Executive Committee for four years as Past President. The President cannot serve consecutive terms. The Vice-President will assume the duties of President if the President is unable to perform them; the Secretary/Treasurer will assume the duties of President if both the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform them.
Vice-President (President-Elect). The Vice-President shall be elected to serve a four-year term. The outgoing Vice-President becomes President at the conclusion of the four-year term, normally at the conclusion of the quadrennial meeting.
Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by the Council to serve a four-year term. The Secretary-Treasurer may be selected from existing councilors and can serve consecutive terms.
Council Member. The number of Councilors is eight, four of whom shall be elected every four years to serve a term of eight years. Terms will be staggered, with four councilors elected at each quadrennial meeting. Councilors cannot be elected to consecutive terms but can serve more than one term.
The general chair of the upcoming INZA conference will be an ex officio member of Council for the four years preceding the conference and during the conference.
The liaison to the International Zeolite Association will be an ex officio member of Council. This person may be the chair of the IZA Natural Zeolite Commission.
Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the out-going President, the President, the Vice President, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the eight elected councilors.
Section 2. Regular Ballot. Candidate lists and biographies will be electronically distributed to the Members of the INZA by the secretary four months prior to the beginning of a new four-year period (normally four months prior to the quadrennial meeting). Candidate lists will be formulated by the Committee on Nominations, including self nominations. Elections will normally be held electronically, although special elections may also take place at the quadrennial meetings. If the meeting is not held four years after the previous election, elections shall be carried out electronically by the Tellers Committee.
Section 3. Vacancies. A vacancy occurring in an elected or appointed position shall be filled by the Executive Committee.
Article V. Standing Committees
Section 1. Committees. The President shall appoint the following Standing Committees:
- Committee on Nominations
- Committee on Publications and Public Information
- Committee on Program Development
- Tellers Committee
- Committee for the Frederick A. Mumpton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Zeolites
The President shall also make appointments to fill vacancies on Standing Committees. Committee memberships shall be selected to include representative variations in geographic location, representation of a variety of zeolite scientific disciplines, and to maintain a representative balance between pure and applied research and industrial members. Such a balance is particularly important in the Committee on Nominations.
Section 2. Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations will consist of six Members. These committee members will be appointed at the beginning of each four-year period by the new president and terminated at the end of this same period. Committee members may not serve consecutive terms. This committee shall be responsible for preparing a slate of nominees for any open positions and for soliciting biographies for each candidate. Normally this will consist of two nominees for vice-president, eight nominees for the four open councilor positions, and possibly a nominee for secretary-treasurer. The committee shall also solicit candidates from the general membership; committee members are not eligible for nomination.
Section 3. Committee on Publications and Public Information. The Committee on Publications and Public Information will consist of four Members. These committee members will be appointed at the beginning of each four-year period and will serve for this period. Committee members may serve consecutive terms. The members of the Committee on Publications and Public Information shall be responsible for management of publications for the INZA, including assisting the local meeting organizing committee with the programs, abstracts, and proceedings of the quadrennial meetings and for preparing and managing the INZA web site and electronic communications.
Section 4. Committee on Program Development. The Committee on Program Development will consist of six Members. These committee members will be appointed at the beginning of each four-year period and terminated at the end of this same period. Committee members may serve consecutive terms. The members of the committee will be responsible for organizing the quadrennial meeting, including location, date, sponsor(s), fund-raising, advertisement, and details of the program. Members of the committee will also be responsible for ensuring that overlap with similar meetings is minimized. Plans for the next meeting should be finalized by the time of the currently active quadrennial meeting so that the next meeting can be announced during the active meeting.
Section 5. Tellers Committee. The Tellers Committee shall be responsible for counting the votes in any election. This committee shall be distinct in membership from the Committee on Nominations. These committee members will be appointed at the beginning of each four-year period and terminated at the end of this same period. Committee members may serve consecutive terms. The committee will meet at the beginning of the quadrennial meeting and count ballots that have been received electronically and by mail and will make the winners known to the Executive Committee who will announce the winners at the business meeting.
Section 6. Committee for the Frederick A. Mumpton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Zeolites. The Committee for the Frederick A. Mumpton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Zeolites is composed of a Chair and four members. The Chair shall be the Vice-President of INZA and has the responsibility to act as secretary of the Committee, to keep the Committee members informed, and to maintain deadlines. There shall be a new chair and a new committee every four years. Ideally, one committee member shall be a previous Mumpton Awardee, although it is recognized that, in some cases, this will not be possible. The committee shall report to the INZA Council, either by email or in writing, at least six months prior to the next INZA International meeting. The Committee shall provide to Council a recommendation, in its view, as to whether the award should be given that year. If affirmative, the report shall include the top nomination for the Award along with pertinent information used in making the selection. Council must vote to accept the nominee or to decide to make no award that year. Presentation of the award will be made at the next annual meeting following the acceptance by Council, and the award recipient shall be notified within four weeks after Council approval to allow them to make travel plans.
The Frederick A. Mumpton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Natural Zeolites is the highest award of The International Natural Zeolite Association. Criteria for this award include scientific eminence as represented primarily by scientific publication of outstanding original research in natural zeolite science and service to the natural zeolite scientific community. Although the award may be given every four years, this is not a requirement. The award is open to candidates of all ages, nationalities, and careers.
Section 7. Ad Hoc Committees. The president may form ad hoc committees on an as-needed basis.
Article VI. Management
Section 1. Management. The management of the INZA shall be vested in its Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, immediate Past-President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and eight elected INZA councilors.
Section 2. President. The President shall preside at meetings of the INZA. Additionally, the President will perform functions usually associated with the office. The President will appoint members of Standing Committees which will usually take place during the quadrennial meeting for the next four-year period.
Section 3. Vice-President. The Vice-President shall assume the powers of the President in the event the President is absent or is unable to perform the necessary duties.
Section 4. Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping the records for the INZA. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also be responsible for keeping the financial records for the INZA and shall collect and disburse all funds of the INZA. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assume the duties of President if both the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform them.
Article VII. Meetings and Order of Business
Section 1. Meetings. An international meeting will be held every four years on a date set by the Committee on Program Development in collaboration with the local organizing committee. The Committee on Program Development will make every effort to minimize overlap with similar meetings near the time of the proposed quadrennial meeting. The local organizing committee will make every effort to raise funds to support travel to the meeting by students and scientists with insufficient resources. Funds shall be obtained from a small surcharge included in the meeting registration, from industrial sources, and from government organizations such as the U. S. Department of Energy and the European Union.
Section 2. Order of Business. Meetings of the Executive Committee will be held in conjunction with the International Meeting. At Executive Committee Meetings, one-half (1/2) of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Article VIII. By-Laws and Amendments
Section 1. By-Laws. The by-laws of the INZA may be amended by a) a majority vote of the general membership of the INZA present at a quadrennial meeting or b) by a 2/3 vote of the entire Executive Committee with subsequent notification to the general membership.
