SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience) is a 4-5 week education and research program in field-based applied geophysics. The program has existed for 25 years and involves about 25-30 graduate and undergraduate students per year. The program includes instruction in applied geophysics, and seismic, gravity, magnetic, and electromagnetic field data collection. Students at SAGE participate in every phase of a geophysical research program including data collection, data analysis, processing, modeling and interpretation; and they present their results in both oral and written form. This 5-year project supports the NSF REU students (15 per year) in the summer field program (4 weeks) and in a one-week follow-up workshop designed to extend and enhance the students? research experiences through additional analyses of the data collected during the summer. REU students at SAGE come from a variety of institutions ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities. Student career goals are solidified from information and experiences included in SAGE through the significant participation of industry, government, national laboratory and academic professionals. The follow-up workshop is also used to provide additional professional development of the REU students through assisting them in preparation of an oral or poster presentation of research results to be given at a future professional meeting. Support for about ten of the REU students to attend a professional meeting is included in the project.
12.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE 12.00 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE SAGE (Summer of Applied Geophysical Research Experience) is a unique program of research and education in geophysical field methods and applications for undergraduate and graduate students from any university and for selected professionals. The core program is held for four weeks each summer in New Mexico and for an additional week in the following academic year for U.S. undergraduates supported by NSF. Each year 25-30 students participate in SAGE after being selected from a wide range of large and small colleges and universities. Since SAGE was initiated in 1983, 790 students have participated in the program. NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) funding for SAGE began in 1990 and 360 REU students have completed SAGE through 2013. The SAGE program is conducted by the SAGE faculty – 8-10 university professors and scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and industry. In addition to the NSF REU funding for SAGE, significant support is provided to the program by industry affiliates and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation. The main goals of SAGE are: 1) teach students the major geophysical exploration methods (seismic, gravity, magnetics, electromagnetics), 2) engage the students in meaningful research projects in the Rio Grande rift area of northern New Mexico by applying the geophysical methods to the solution of specific research problems (environmental, archaeological, hydrologic, geologic structure and stratigraphy), 3) integration of the geophysical results with geology, 4) provide the students with geophysical field data collection and teamwork experiences, 5) present career options and opportunities for networking with professionals in geophysics, and, 6) provide students with opportunities for additional professional development through presentations of their research results at professional meetings. For the project period 2008-2013 (five years of NSF REU funding plus a one-year no-cost extension), 113 undergraduate REU students completed the SAGE program. These students were selected for the program though competitive applications and came from 55 different colleges and universities, including both large and small institutions. All except two of these students have now successfully completed their undergraduate degrees, and the two that have not graduated are expected to by May, 2015. About 75% of the students have continued their studies in graduate school and many who completed the program in the earlier years are now employed in geosciences careers or are continuing their graduate program toward a PhD degree. During the project period, sixty eight of the REU students were coauthors on published abstracts reporting their research results and fifty five of these students attended a professional meeting to present their work in talks or poster presentations. From 2008-2013, SAGE has conducted seismic, electromagnetic, gravity, and magnetic studies each year in the Rio Grande rift area of northern New Mexico. Since 2012, the SAGE program (with NSF and Department of Energy funding) has also investigated the geothermal potential of the study area. In these geophysical studies, the participants in the program have imaged significant geologic faults (fault offsets as large as 3000 meters) in the area using processed seismic reflection data, and electromagnetic and gravity data computer modeling. These techniques have also been used to study the sedimentary basins associated with the RGR and been used to delineate basin stratigraphy (layering) and depths of the sedimentary basins of as large as 6 kilometers. During the project period, SAGE also applied near-surface geophysical techniques (magnetic, electromagnetic, ground penetrating radar, and shallow seismic refraction) to the study of San Marcos Pueblo, one of the largest and most important pre-European settlements in the southwestern United States. In these studies, the SAGE program has mapped a large area of the archaeological site and identified locations of probable room blocks, kivas (ceremonial pits), middens (trash heaps), and areas of metallurgy activity, using these non-invasive techniques. SAGE faculty also developed a new interactive site (http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~jiracek/DAGSAW/) for learning digital signal processing related to geophysics. The online tool is used for teaching at SAGE and has been used by many instructors in college and university courses. Research results from the SAGE program in the Rio Grande rift (RGR) area include extensive seismic reflection and refraction, electromagnetic, and gravity data sets that are available to interested researchers by contacting the SAGE faculty (www.sage.lanl.gov/). Additional information and research results from SAGE 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 can be obtained from the following links: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/sage/SAGE2010Highlights.pdf http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/sage/SAGE2011Highlights.pdf http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/sage/SAGE2012Highlights.pdf http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/sage/SAGE2013Highlights.pdf In addition to the "core" REU program at SAGE, we have supported twenty-six Native American students (mostly high school seniors or first-year college students) from local Pueblos on a 7-day introduction to field geophysics and geology. These students participate in field work, geology field trips, and presentations with the REU students and faculty and teaching assistant participants. The experience has had positive educational impact and has stimulated significant cultural interaction.
