Sam
8 Jan 2026
In January I attended the Ussher Society’s 63rd Annual Conference in Exeter.
Once again in early January I was off to the annual Ussher Society Conference, this year being held at the Rougemont Hotel in Exeter.
I have been a member of the Ussher Society since 2008, and this was my 14th conference attendance. It is a great conference that encompasses all aspects of geoscience, as well as geomorphology, archaeology, engineering, and Earth resources from around South West England. It includes a great group of people from lots of backgrounds and levels, producing a friendly environment with rich scientific discussion.
Named after William Augustus Edmond Ussher (1849-1920) who was an officer of the Geological Survey working in South West England, the Ussher Society was established in 1962 to promote the study of geology and geomorphology in the region.
The society provides a platform for researchers to discuss their work and exchange ideas in an informal setting. Over the years its interests have expanded to include most aspects of Earth science. Since 1962 an annual journal (currently called Geoscience in South West England) has published some fantastic scientific research carried out in the region. It is a very important resource, and is entirely open access.
The Ussher Society conference is a fantastic platform get used to a conference environment if you have never done it before (especially for young scientists). Given the rates are so inexpensive (and bursaries available to young people) there is no excuse not to try it out!
If you are simply an enthusiast or amateur geoscientist and want to get involved, then it is also a very welcoming environment for you as well. Whilst some of the content can become complex, the variety of topics covered means there are always as many novices as there are experts from one talk to the next. The conference is full of people from all backgrounds, but with two main similarities – a passion for geoscience, and a warm and friendly attitude.
Having spent a couple of years away from active research whilst I establish Cornwall Geologist, I have been attending the conferences for the sole purpose of enjoyment and keeping up to date with what is going on with geoscience research in the region. I definitely always feel enthused and excited to get back in to my research by the time I leave!
The conference entails two days of presentations, with lots of tea breaks, lunch and dinners to network and catch up with colleagues. The third day is a field trip around the local area where the conference is being held. This year we did some urban geology around Exeter city centre which was fab! It is amazing the breadth of geology you can see around the city, and what this means for the archaeology and history of this lovely city.
A huge thank you to the Ussher Society committee, in particular Andrew Green of IGI, and Tracy Aze of Plymouth University, for organising the conference and field trip.
Next year we are back in Cornwall, hopefully in Falmouth. If this little news article has inspired you to find out more, then you can by visiting the Ussher Society website (https://ussher.org.uk/).
Here you can find out how to join the society for a very reasonable £30 per year, and also register your interest in finding out about the conference in January 2027. The first circular for this usually comes out in autumn. You can also access the journal from the website as well.
Below are some images from the Exeter urban geology trip – enjoy!
