Funds from CAREER award are being used to develop an integrated research and education program linked directly with the EarthScope Project through a range of new, innovative research projects that combine analyses using data from the Plate Boundary Observatory and USArray. The results of these analysis efforts are being integrated via both forward and inverse modeling approaches that will enable new discoveries of the links between deformation of Earth's surface and subsurface crust and mantle. The synergistic course modules developed as part of this work will be coalesced with the research effort to bring EarthScope directly into the university classroom at an advanced scientific level. PI Fouch is designing these modules to utilize EarthScope as a long-term "teachable moment" used to expose students to the process of active Earth science research. Modules from the integrated research and teaching efforts will be available for use in both introductory and advanced Earth sciences courses, thereby providing real-world, exploration-based experiences that not only will support the vision of Arizona State University's new School of Earth and Space Exploration but also will be available to the broader academic community.
This 5-year grant provided funds to develop a number of new and innovative research and education activities focused on a) linking deep-seated structures in Earth’s crust and upper mantle to know geologic events and b) developing software tools for nonspecialist researchers (including graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students) to acquire and analyze data from the NSF-funded EarthScope project. The funds supported Professor Matt Fouch, a postdoctoral associate, and several graduate and undergraduate to complete their educations. Support from this grant enabled the publication of 21 published papers and another 6 in preparation, 55 presentations at professional meetings, and 37 invited talks. The 8 primary research activities of the project included: a) Providing new constraints on seismic anisotropy and mantle deformation beneath the western United States through body and surface wave analyses; b) Constructing new models of seismic velocity structure beneath the western United States through body and surface wave tomographic imaging; c) Providing new constraints on seismic anisotropy and mantle deformation beneath the western United States through body and surface wave analyses; d) Constructing new models of seismic velocity structure beneath the western United States through body and surface wave tomographic imaging; e) Producing new images of crust and upper mantle first-order interfaces beneath the western United States through receiver function imaging; f) Developing new methods of integrating multiple datasets acquired by EarthScope; g) Developing new tools for analysis of large, complex geophysical datasets for use in both research and in the classroom; and h) Developing new methodologies enabled specifically by the unique configuration of EarthScope. Funding from this grant helped the PI with research training for six ASU graduate students and four undergraduate students. Several undergraduates used these tools to acquire jobs in their field, and graduate students utilized their skills to acquire jobs primarily in the energy industry. The postdoctoral fellow went on to a tenure-track faculty position at UCLA. In addition, PI Fouch provided interviews to over 25 news agencies as part of this project. PI Fouch also developed an EarthScope reading seminar related to the EarthScope project and the evolution of western North America tectonics (http://earthscope-sem.asu.edu). He also made special connections with local Arizona science teachers to link them more closely with the EarthScope project. Components of this effort and EarthScope in general were featured on Arizona Public Television as part of a special program. The EarthScope National Office now has copies of this production on DVD for distribution.
