This proposal requests funds to help support meeting costs and travel expenses of U.S. participants to the 25th International Conference on Mathematical Geophysics to be held at Columbia University in New York City from June 16-18, 2004. The Conference on Mathematical Geophysics meets every two years and is sponsored by the Committee on Mathematical Geophysics of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.
Intellectual merits This year's conference is titled Frontiers in Theoretical Earth Science and brings together earth scientists, physicists, applied mathematicians, and others who seek to develop new ideas for better understanding the processes and properties of the Earth. This year, the meeting will survey the current and future state of theoretical Earth sciences ranging from the core and mantle to the surface, oceans, and life. In particular the meeting emphasizes advances in theory, techniques such as advanced computation and data analysis and new problems and observations in need of theoretical understanding. This meeting provides a single multi-disciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and techniques across the disciplinary boundaries in the Earth Sciences The conference web site can be found at www.ldeo.columbia.edu/~mspieg/CMG2004/.
Broader Impacts This meeting provides a rare opportunity for students and early-career scientists from across the earth sciences and applied mathematics to interact with senior scientists in a small informal setting. This meeting also forms a principal activity of Columbia's NSF IGERT Joint Program in Applied Mathematics and Earth & Environ-mental Sciences. It will be staffed by current IGERT graduate students and will provide excellent exposure for these students to a wide range of research opportunities, new peers and senior scientists. Space permitting, the oral sessions of this meeting will be open to the general public.
