This project is to provide funds to partially cover registration, travel, and living expenses for students, young researchers (including post doctoral scientists, and young faculty), to attend the 20th International Workshop on Electromagnetic (EM) Induction in the Earth in Giza, Egypt on September, 18-24, 2010. This biennial workshop, which is sponsored by Working Group I-2 of the International Union of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA), has become the premier venue for researchers around the world to meet and discuss new developments in EM geophysics. EM measurements provide a unique view into the Earth because of the sensitivity of electrical conductivity to temperature, fluids, ore minerals, and rock type. This sensitivity makes EM methods useful in a wide range of investigations, addressing both applied and basic science questions, from the very near surface to the deep mantle. For example, EM methods have long been the favored tool for exploration in the mining industry, and they play an increasingly important role in petroleum exploration. A plethora of near-surface applications exist for EM: general geological mapping, waste site assessment, aquifer mapping and vulnerability studies, exploration for construction materials, building and utility investigation, and UXO detection and discrimination. The sensitivity of conductivity to fluids, which strongly influence rock strength, also makes EM an essential tool for larger scale investigations of the structure, dynamics, and evolution of the deep Earth, and for assessing volcanic and seismic hazards.
The project will benefit the US EM induction community, by increasing participation of students and early career researchers from the US at this international meeting, by helping US researchers to develop the international contacts that will ultimately lead to collaborative projects around the world, and by promoting international exchange of software, data, and results. NSF support is also being used to leverage additional support from industry. Individual awards for travel support are determined by the working group financial support community, from applications submitted by students and early-career researchers.
This workshop was funded by the Geophysics, EarthScope, and Continental Dynamics Programs.
This NSF project provided support for students and early career scientists to attend the 20th workshop on electromagnetic (EM) induction in the Earth. EM measurements provide a unique view of the Earth because of the sensitivity of electrical conductivity to temperature, fluids, ore minerals, and lithologic variations. This sensitivity makes EM methods useful in a wide range of investigations, addressing both applied and basic science questions, from the very near surface to the deep mantle. For example, EM methods have long been the favored tool for exploration in the mining industry, and they play an increasingly important role in offshore petroleum exploration. A plethora of near-surface applications exist for EM: general geological mapping, waste site assessment, aquifer mapping and vulnerability studies, exploration for construction materials, building and utility investigation, and UXO detection and discrimination. The sensitivity of conductivity to fluids, which strongly influence rock strength, also makes EM an essential tool for larger scale (and typically more basic) scientific investigations of the structure, dynamics, and evolution of Earth’s crust and mantle. The EM induction workshops are the premier international meeting in this field. They are organized by Working group I.2 of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aerononmy (IAGA), Division-I, and provide a venue for EM geophysics researchers from around the world to meet and discuss recent progress. The workshops have been held every other year in countries around the world since 1972. The 20th workshop, held in Giza, Egypt September 18-24, 2010, was attended by 252 scientists, both from academia and from industry, from 29 countries. Presentations were organized into 9 scientific sessions, covering theory and methodology (data processing, modeling and inversion, hardware and software infrastructure), and a wide range of applications of EM geophysics from engineering and applied resource exploration problems (land and ocean) to basic studies in tectonic and volcanic processes at regional and global scales. In addition to the support provided by NSF, funding was raised from industrial sponsors, and from IAGA, and its parent organization the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG). A total of 49 people (out of 131 applicants) were supported. Those supported included 38 students (who received $29,100 total) and 11 postdocs/junior scientists (who received $9,560) from a total allocation of $38,660 from the available funds. In the past few workshops there have been relatively few US applicants for financial support, so for this meeting we widely advertised the availability of funding for US students and scientists, and gave preference to US participants eligible for support. As a result, we were able to provide substantial support to all US applicants, except those who had already received support to attend a previous workshop. A total of 9 US participants (5 students, 3 post-docs, and 1 early-career (assistant professor) scientist, were supported, receiving a total of $12,350. Thus 60% of the NSF funds were used to support US participants, allowing us to support roughly 65% of the total travel, registration, and subsistence expenses for these students and young scientists.
