GEMS BY-LAWS

April 1983;Amended August 1988;Revised March 2006

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Sections covering GEMS elected officers:

Officers

Section 1. Number. The officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. In addition, there may be other officers as may be designated in accordance with these By-Laws. No person may occupy two offices simultaneously or run for another office whose term overlaps with that of his/her first office without first resigning that office.

Section 2. Election, Term of Office and Qualifications. The officers of the Society shall be elected in the manner provided by these By Laws. Each officer shall hold office for the term provided herein.

Section 3. Resignations. Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice of his/her resignation to the Secretary or the President. Any such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein, or if no time is so specified upon its receipt, as the case may be. Unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective. All BOD members shall receive notice of the resignation from the Secretary or the President no later than the time at which it becomes effective.

Section 4. The President. The President shall serve for a term of one year, starting at the Annual Meeting. Starting with the Annual Meeting, the previous year's Vice-President will automatically become President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society, conduct the general and active management and direction of the business and affairs of GEMS, and oversee the BOD and GEMS committees. He/She shall preside at all business meetings and at all meetings of the BOD. He/She is empowered to nominate committee membership as herein provided and shall, ex officio, be a member of all such committees other than the Nominating Committee. The President may sign, execute, and deliver in the name of GEMS all deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts and other instruments, except in cases where the signing, execution or delivery thereof shall be expressly otherwise delegated by the BOD, by these By-Laws, or by law, and, in general, shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by these By Laws or the BOD. The President shall assist the Vice President in the planning and organization of the Annual Meeting.

Section 5. The Vice-President. The Vice-President shall be elected for a term of one year and will be elected from the general membership after nomination by the Nominating Committee or petition by the membership. The Vice-President shall also be the President-Elect. After serving one year as Vice-President, the incumbent shall accede to the office of President at the next Annual Meeting. The Vice-President shall be responsible for organizing and running the Annual scientific meeting of the Society, and other scientific meetings as approved by the BOD. In the event of the absence or disability of the President, the Vice-President shall perform all of the duties of the President. At all other times, the Vice-President shall perform such duties and exercise such powers as from time to time may be assigned by these By-Laws, the BOD or the President.

Section 6. The Secretary. The Secretary shall be elected for a term of two years and will be elected from the general membership after nomination by the Nominating Committee or petition by the membership. He/She shall attend all business meetings, and all meetings of the BOD, shall record all of the proceedings of such meetings, and shall be the custodian of the records of the Society. He/She shall give or cause to be given notice of all meetings of the members and of the BOD in accordance with the provisions of these By-Laws and shall keep copies of these By-Laws available for inspection by the members of the Society. In general, he/she shall perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by these By-Laws, the BOD, or the President.

Section 7. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be elected for a term of two years and will be elected from the general membership after nomination by the Nominating Committee or petition by the membership. He/She shall be authorized to collect all monies payable to the Society, shall be charged with the care and custody of the funds of the Society, and from such funds shall make such disbursement, duly authorized, as may be necessary or appropriate. He/She shall keep the Society's financial and bank accounts, shall enter in detail all receipts and disbursements, and shall report thereon at the request of the BOD or the President. These accounts shall be open at all times to the inspection of any member of the Society. In general, the Treasurer shall perform all the duties incident to the office of Treasurer and such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by these By-Laws, the BOD, or the President.

Section 8. Councilors. Nine (9) councilors shall be elected for three-year terms. In addition, the winner of the student award for best presentation shall serve as councilor, with all rights and privileges that go with the position, during the calendar year following the award. Each elected councilor shall be a BOD member for the entire term of office (3 years), shall attend all BOD meetings, and shall be responsible for committee duties when appointed by the President or by a vote of the BOD.

Section 9. Other Officers. The BOD may appoint a Corporate Sponsor Coordinator to encourage corporate sponsorship of GEMS functions. The BOD may appoint such other officers, including an Executive Vice President, Editor of any official publication of the Society, one or more assistant Secretaries, or one or more assistant Treasurers, as it shall deem desirable, such officers to have the authority and perform the duties prescribed by the BOD. Any officer appointed by the BOD may be removed by the BOD whenever in its judgment the best interests of GEMS would be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer so removed.