The Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP) provides geophysicists, engineers, geoscientists and end-users from around the world an opportunity to meet and discuss near-surface applications of geophysics and learn about recent developments in near-surface geophysics.
SAGEEP is internationally recognized as the leading conference on the practical application of shallow geophysics. Since 1988 at the Colorado School of Mines, the symposium has been held over a 5-day period at locations throughout the United States, with approximately 150 oral and poster presentations, several educational short courses and workshops, numerous vendor presentations, and a commercial exhibition. A set of proceedings, comprised of technical presentations, is distributed on CD and available online as part of the EEGS Research Collection.
The 2012 symposium theme, "Making Waves: Geophysical Innovations for a Thirsty World", will be evident in Short Course and Workshop offerings, our Keynote Speaker topic, Oral/Poster Presentations, as well as our meeting location. Commit the dates to your calendar, make plans to attend and participate in commemorating SAGEEP's 25th Anniversary.
EEGS is finalizing the program and preparing for online and mailed/faxed conference registration. The scheduled Sessions, Short Courses and Workshops are featured on the Program and Short Courses/Workshops pages respectively.
Student Scholarships to Attend SAGEEP - Deadline to Apply Feb. 10, 2012
Geometrics is pleased to announce a limited number of $500 student scholarships to offset the cost of attending SAGEEP 2012. This year's conference will be in Tucson, Arizona from March 25 to March 29. SAGEEP provides an ideal opportunity to listen to current research, applications and to meet people doing engineering geophysics. Students must be in good standing at an educational institution and provide an application letter signed by a faculty member. Your application letter should include:
• areas of interest in geophysics
• graduation date
• dissertation/thesis/senior project topic
• your thoughts on employment after you graduate
Please send the letter (email only please) to linda@geometrics.com by Friday, February 10, 2012
Invitations to Contribute and Participate in Two SAGEEP 2012 Workshops
Workshop
"Seismic Refraction Methods: Unleashing the Potential and Understanding the Limitations"
Full day workshop on Thursday, March 29, 2012
SAGEEP 2012 in Tucson, Arizona USA
We would like to extend an invitation to all interested individuals to attend or contribute a paper for a workshop in seismic refraction methods.
Seismic refraction tomography is widely used to address a broad range of near-surface problems. Many practitioners hold tomographic methods in high regard, because these approaches typically yield a velocity model that is simple (smooth) and that is thought to be more representative of near-surface structures than blocky or layered models. Some have raised concerns with smooth models and suggest that a layered model is more appropriate. Others focus on starting models, and contend that the use of simple or otherwise inappropriate starting models can bias the outcome of the inversion. Still others believe that the solution to these problems is to apply different inverse methods in order to elucidate the range of model nonuniqueness.
During the first portion of this full day workshop we will discuss concerns regarding tomographic analysis and we will describe algorithms that address these issues. In addition, we will explore emerging opportunities for improved refraction solutions, including full waveform and three-dimensional methods. Speakers will include Derecke Palmer (Univ. New South Wales, Australia), Julian Ivanov (Kansas Geological Survey), Priyank Jaiswal (Oklahoma State), and Colin Zelt (Rice University).
Contributed presentations will be included in the afternoon session (as oral or poster presentations), and a panel discussion will round out the day. We look forward to an informative day including lively discussion of many aspects of seismic refraction work. Those who are interested in making a contributed presentation should send a title and 200-word abstract to Seth Haines, shaines@usgs.gov no later than February 27, 2012. Presenters whose submissions are accepted will be notified no later than March 5, 2012. Abstracts or (optional) full papers from all presentations in the workshop will be compiled on a CD-ROM and distributed to all conference participants. This workshop is intended to mesh with and extend beyond the SAGEEP 2012 technical session on seismic refraction that will be held on Wednesday March 28, allowing us to delve deeper into key questions and to engage in open discussion. For more information, contact the workshop organizers, Bill Doll (dollw@battelle.org), Seth Haines (shaines@usgs.gov) and Colin Zelt (czelt@rice.edu).
Workshop
"Hydrofracking 101: What Is It, What Are The Issues, and How Can Geophysics Help?"
Full Day Workshop on Thursday, March 29, 2012
SAGEEP 2012 in Tucson, Arizona USA
We invite all with an interest in hydrofracking from the industry, regulatory, water supply, and geophysical monitoring perspectives to attend.
Hydrofracking is a hot-button topic among industry groups, regulators, and citizens in many parts of the U.S. where it is being used to enhance hydrocarbon production from vertical and horizontal wells. Issues of concern related to hydrofracking include ensuring an adequate water supply, monitoring of fracking operations, induced seismicity, and possible water-quality impacts, yet few outside industry understand the hydrofracking process. This workshop is intended to educate attendees on the hydrofracking process, issues of concern, and geophysical approaches to addressing those issues. Topics to be covered include an introduction, history, and description of the types of hydrofracking; possible impacts associated with injection, water use, and the fracturing process; current geophysical monitoring of hydrofracking; and geophysical approaches that could address issues of concern to regulators and the public.
AAPG's Division of Environmental Geosciences has agreed to co-sponsor this workshop on critical issues surrounding hydrofracking. Major topics include:
- Hydrofracking Impact and Policy Issues
- What is Hydrofracking?
- Hydrofracking Issues from the Industry Perspective
- Hydrofracking Issues from the Regulatory Perspective
- Regional Water Needs, Availability, and Impact
- Geophysical Microseismic Monitoring
- Induced Seismicity?
- Geophysical Case Histories
- Geophysical Approaches to Address Hydrofracking Issues
Those interested in presenting on one or more of these topics should submit an abstract of 200 words or less to the workshop convenors no later than February 27, 2012. Accepted presenters will be notified no later than March 5, 2012. Abstracts or (optional) full papers from all released presentations will be compiled on a CD-ROM and distributed to all participants. Papers will be solicited for possible special issues of DEG's journal Environmental Geosciences and EEGS' Journal of Environmental & Engineering Geophysics. For more information, please contact workshop convenors Mike Jacobs (Michael.jacobs@pxd.com), Chip Groat (cgroat@mail.utexas.edu), Jeff Paine (jeff.paine@beg.utexas.edu), and Bruce Smith (bsmith@usgs.gov).