44rd FM-TGMS-MSA Tucson Mineral Symposium:
Red, White and Blue Minerals – Let us Celebrate
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Tucson Convention Center, Tucson, AZ
Call for papers
The forty-forth Mineral Symposium, held in conjunction with the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, will take place on Saturday, February 14, 2026. This symposium is co-sponsored by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society®, the Friends of Mineralogy, and the Mineralogical Society of America. As a tie in with the show, the symposium theme is a modified form of the show theme: “Red White and Blue, Celebrate the Spirit of Minerals.”
Presentations are sought on red, white or blue minerals – worldwide localities, geology, mineralogy, crystallography, cause of color, or geochemistry. Some examples of desired topics, but not restricted to these, are talks about rhodochrosite, rhodonite, rubies, red beryl, azurite, aquamarine, linarite, lazurite, elbaite, barite, gypsum, calcite, and zeolites.
An audience of amateur and professional mineralogists and geologists is expected.
Interested speakers, should first submit their desired talk title for a presentation length of 30 minutes (or 25 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions). There will be 10 minutes between talks to handle introductions, and computer and sound. There will be a wireless lapel microphone for mobile speakers who do not wished to be restricted to the podium or a mounted stationary microphone for the speaker. It is anticipated that all talks will be zoomed to a remote audience and also recorded.
We will acknowledge all submitted presentations. Accepted presentations will need to be followed up with a 200-500 word abstract (single spaced in 12 point font, Word or equivalent format) with one graphic or photograph associated with the abstract desired by the author (but not inserted into the text), a 5-10 sentence speaker biography and a photographic headshot of the speaker (submitted separately), also in word format. All abstracts, biographies, and photos will be combined for creation into an abstract-program booklet. The speaker will also provide their preferred email address and contact phone number. This is NOT for the program but for communication with the symposium organizer.
Presenters will provide the digital talk in PowerPoint (pptx or ppt) and PDF format either on a flash drive or a downloadable internet site. Presenters will not be permitted to use their own computers. The symposium computer is a PC using an up-to-date Microsoft operating system. In addition, these talks may be recorded IF all speakers agree to recording in advance.
Please send submitted titles (and later abstracts and speaker biographies) by one of three methods: By mail: Mark Ivan Jacobson 1714 S. Clarkson St., Denver, CO 80210
By email: markivanjacobson@gmail.com or friendsofmineralogy@gmail.com
By the form on the Friends of Mineralogy website at www.friendsofmineralogy.org/call-for-papers
Presentation titles must be submitted prior to July 31, 2025.
Abstracts, presentation images, speaker biographies, and photographic headshots must be submitted prior to September 1, 2025. The final abstract booklet with the speaker program is expected to be posted on the FM national website by December 15, 2025. The speakers and their presentation title will also appear in the January-February 2026 Rocks & Minerals magazine.