science

The Micropalaeontological Society

The Micropalaeontological Society is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Micropalaeontological Society rather than just read about it. In short: The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS) is a scientific society based in the UK with international membership. It was founded in 1970 for the promotion of the study of micropalaeontology, the study of microscopic fossils.

Key takeaways

The Micropalaeontological Society belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Connect The Micropalaeontological Society to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Micropalaeontological Society from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS) is a scientific society based in the UK with international membership. It was founded in 1970 for the promotion of the study of micropalaeontology, the study of microscopic fossils. TMS is established as a UK registered charity, number 284013, with the objective "to advance the education of the public in the study of Micropalaeontology" and is operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes. It publishes a journal, special publications and newsletter, organises meetings and makes various awards and grants. The society is organised into six specialist groups, namely Foraminifera, Microvertebrates, Calcareous Nannofossils, Ostracods, Palynology and Silicofossils. The groups hold separate meetings, including field trips, throughout the year; these were traditionally meetings for UK-based members but have become more international in their scope. The Society holds an annual conference during November each year that moves around Europe with recent events in Denmark, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

History The Micropalaeontological Society was founded in 1970 as the British Micropalaeontological Group (BMG) with the stated aim of furthering the study of micropalaeontology. The primary founder of the BMG was Professor Leslie Rowsell Moore (1912–2003) of the University of Sheffield. The principal aims of the BMG were to host scientific meetings and to organise multidisciplinary micropalaeontological research on British type sections from all systems, and publish the results. The inaugural committee and technical meetings of the BMG were held in Imperial College London in 1971. The Group was organised by a main committee and had five specialist groups. The latter were the conodont, foraminifera, ostracods, pollen, spores, and non-calcareous microplankton (i.e. palynology), and other special micropalaeontological interests. In 1975, the BMG became the British Micropalaeontological Society (BMS) and it produced its first publication, a newsletter The British Micropalaeontologist. In 2001 the Society changed its name to The Micropalaeontological Society (TMS), to reflect the increasing international profile and membership. There are currently (2014) six specialist groups, namely Calcareous Nannofossil, Foraminifera, Microvertebrate, Ostracod, Palynology and Silicofossil. Members of TMS may elect to be part of one or more of these groups. Specialist group and general meetings are held throughout the year and the Annual General Meeting is traditionally held each November. The society is one of the three main UK-based palaeontological societies and collaborates with the Palaeontological Association, Palaeontographical Society and the Geological Society of London via the Joint Committee for Palaeontology.

Publications The society produces the Newsletter of Micropalaeontology twice a year. In 1982, the association initiated its serial journal, the Journal of Micropalaeontology. Between 1982 and 1983, one issue per year was produced; this was increased to two parts per annum in 1984. The journal is now fully open access, and is currently published by Copernicus Publication. Prior to this the society published occasional publications such as stratigraphical atlases of individual microfossil groups and conference proceedings and the Stereo Atlas of Ostracod Shells (published 1973–1998). The Geological Society Publishing House (GSPH) has traditionally published TMS Special Publications. Micropalaeontology Special Publications currently include:

TMS007 - The Archaeological and Forensic Applications of Microfossils. Edited by M. Williams, T. Hill, I. Boomer and I.P. Wilkinson. TMS006 - Landmarks in Foraminiferal Micropalaeontology: History and Development. Edited by A.J. Bowden, F.J. Gregory and A.S. Henderson. TMS005 - Biological and Geological Perspectives of Dinoflagellates. Edited by F. Marret, J.M. Lewis & L.R. Bradley. TMS004 - Micropalaeontology, Sedimentary Environments and Stratigraphy: A Tribute to Dennis Curry (1912-2001). Edited by J. E. Whittaker and M. B. Hart. TMS003 - Ostracods in British Stratigraphy. Edited by J. E. Whittaker and M. B. Hart. TMS002 - Deep-Time Perspectives on Climate Change: Marrying the Signal from Computer Models and Biological Proxies. Edited by M Williams, A M Haywood, J Gregory & D N Schmidt. TMS001 - Recent Developments in Applied Biostratigraphy. Edited by A. J. Powell & J. B. Riding.

The Micropalaeontological Society executive committee The main committee comprises a President, Secretary and Treasurer, who each have a three-year term of office. The main committee also includes the editors of the Journal, Special Publications and Newsletter, as well as the Membership Secretary, Webmaster, Publicity Officer, Industrial Liaison Officer and Archivist. They are elected for a three-year term of office and are eligible to stand for a second term. At each main committee meeting a representative of each specialist group (currently Calcareous Nannofossil, Foraminifera, Microvertebrate, Ostracod, Palynology and Silicofossil) should be present. Group Representative positions are normally held for two years.

TMS Presidents Sev Kender (2025– ) Kirsty Edgar (2022–2025) James (Jim) Riding (2021-2022) Jenny Pike (2019–2021) James (Jim) Riding (2016-2019) John Gregory (2013–2016) M. Paul Smith (2010-2013) Michal K. Kucera (2007-2010) David J. Siveter (2004-2007) Haydon W. Bailey (2001-2004) John E. Whittaker (1998-2001) Richard J. Aldridge (1995-1998) Alan R. Lord (1992-1995) Malcom B. Hart (1989-1992) Alan C. Higgins (1986-1989) Brian M. Funnell (1984-1986) Ray H. Bate (1982-1984) Bernard Owens (1980-1982) John W. Murray (1978-1980) John W. Neale (1976-1978) Robert H. Cummings (1974-1976) Peter C. Sylvester-Bradley (1972-1974) Leslie R. Moore (1970-1972)

Awards The Society offers a variety of awards and honours to the micropalaeontological community, including the Brady Medal, the Alan Higgins Award for Applied Micropaleontology, the Charles Downie Award, Student Awards, and grants to support primary research and research activities.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Micropalaeontological Society

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Micropalaeontological Society claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Micropalaeontological Society before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Micropalaeontological Society ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Micropalaeontological Society

In research: The Micropalaeontological Society appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Micropalaeontological Society in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Micropalaeontological Society is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics British organisations established in 1970, Micropaleontology, Paleontological institutions and organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Micropalaeontological Society outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The Micropalaeontological Society in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is The Micropalaeontological Society in simple terms?

Why does The Micropalaeontological Society matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Micropalaeontological Society?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Micropalaeontological Society.