This award provides support for a symposium focused on recent advances in seismology and their implications for interdisciplinary research. The aim of the symposium is to bring together Earth scientists from a broad range of disciplines for an in-depth discussion of the current state of seismology and how it can contribute to the understanding of Earth processes in general.
Significant progress has been made in the field of seismology in recent years through new theory, techniques, and availability of high-quality data. These advances in seismology complement progress in other fields of Earth Sciences, and new results from different disciplines are beginning to close the gap between fields. This convergence is allowing broad interpretation of seismological results to answer important interdisciplinary questions such as temperature and compositional heterogeneities within the mantle.
The symposium is designed to include speakers from a wide range of disciplines (seismology, geodynamics, mineral physics, geodesy, and geochemistry) with substantial time set aside for discussion. The oral sessions will be complemented by poster sessions which will facilitate further interaction of participants and further opportunities for future collaborations.
The budget includes cost of participation of 20 early-career scientists including graduate students and postdocs. This symposium will be an excellent opportunity for their education and research. The entire symposium will be videotaped and photographed for broader distribution through the symposium webpage.
The symposium will honor Prof. Adam Dziewonski?s retirement from Harvard University. Adam Dziewonski?s research has been fundamental in many of the subjects discussed at the symposium, making it appropriate to dedicate the meeting in honor of his retirement.
Significant progress has been made in the field of seismology in recent years through new theory, techniques, and availability of high-quality data. These advances in seismology complement progress in other fields of Earth Sciences, and new results from different disciplines are beginning to close the gap between fields. This convergence is allowing broad interpretation of seismological results to answer important interdisciplinary questions such as temperature and compositional heterogeneities within the mantle. The funds from this grant were used to hold a symposium on Advances in Seismology and Implications for Interdisciplinary Research where seismologists and scientists from other fields are brought together to discuss recent accomplishments in seismology, and to examine how results can be combined to address crucial questions in Earth Science. 27 prominent speakers from different fields of Earth Science, including mineral physics, geodynamics, seismology, geomagnetism, and geochemistry, were invited. These presentations have been recorded, and are made available online. There were about 100 participants, and included 20 early-career scientists (graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty) who presented posters and were actively involved in discussion. The symposium was held at Harvard University on June 4th and 5th of 2011. The program and recordings of the oral sessions are can be found at http://dziewonski_symposium.fas.harvard.edu
