Geoscientists without borders announced the first projects selected under the Society of Exploration Geophysicists' new programme
21-NOV-2008 Intellasia | marketwatch
Nov 21, 2008 - 7:00:00 AM
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India and Thailand will be the sites for the first two projects sponsored by the brand new Geoscientists Without Borders programme. This new exiting programme, launched in early 2008, applies geophysical technology to the needs of people from all areas of the globe through targeted projects designed to tangibly impact the community around them. Much work has gone into launching the programme and today the SEG Foundation is pleased to announce the very first projects selected for awards under the Geoscientists Without Borders programme.
Chair of the SEG Foundation Board of directors, Gary Servos, described both the effort and the excitement of the announcement.
"Geoscientists Without Borders was the dream of passionate committed individuals in SEG, brought into reality with the key founding investment by Schlumberger. Keep your eye on this programme because this is just the beginning and I am proud to be a part of it."
As Servos stated, one of the early investments in the SEG Foundation's Advancing Geophysics Today -Inspiring Geoscientists for Tomorrow campaign was made to establish the programme in late 2007, by Schlumberger. Both projects selected will carry the mission of this new programme forward into action in 2009. Joining Universities and their students with communities in two foreign countries, the projects demonstrate the useful and often critical use of geophysics to assist communities with significant needs for such basic resources as fresh water.
One of the initial projects will address the severe water crisis in rural India. Clemson University of the United States and the Foundation for Ecological Security (an India non-profit organisation) will use electromagnetic induction to map soil moisture and shallow aquifers in the Salri watershed in the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. The scarcity of fresh water is a longstanding problem in central India that impacts the health, productivity, and quality of life for millions of people. Even though the annual rainfall for the area is reasonable --between 45 and 60 inches per year --most of it falls in only three months of the year. The goal of this project is to increase the water supply through water capture, storage and usage management. Geoscientists Without Borders will provide tools and knowledge that will assist villagers in making water management decisions that will favourably impact water supply throughout the year. Dr Stephen Moysey of Clemson University and Dr Rangoori Ravindranath of the Foundation for Ecological Security will lead the efforts.
Under one project, three distinct humanitarian efforts will take place in northern Thailand encompassing efforts to 1) mitigate earthquake hazards, 2) address water quality issues, and 3) preserve cultural heritage through archaeological mapping. Seizmic, ground penetrating radar, electrical, gravity, and magnetic methods are to be used to address geotechnical problems in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Boise State University of the United States in partnership with Chiang Mai University in Thailand will advance humanitarian geophysics in Southeast Asia through a student-based approach, by teaching students geophysical skills that can be used in their home regions.
Undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals and teachers, will gain hands-on experience with geophysical data acquisition, processing, and interpretation, creating reports that address local environmental and engineering problems. Leading the effort are Research Scientist Lee Liberty, Dr Kaspar Van Wijk, and Dr Spencer Wood of Chiang Mai University (retired from Boise State University), and Dr Fongsaward Singharajwarapan and Dr Siriporn Chaisri, of Chiang Mai University, Thailand.
About SEG Foundation
The SEG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable not-for-profit organisation that supports the educational mission of SEG. With a mission to advance geophysics today and inspire the geoscientists of tomorrow, the SEG Foundation supports many grant programmes: scholarships, travel grants, field camp support, and projects of special merit. The Geoscientists Without Borders Committee expects to award projects twice each year. Go to the SEG website at http://www.seg.org to look at all the opportunities to participate in SEG member programmes and SEG Foundation grant programmes.
About SEG
The Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the international society of applied geophysics, is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the science of geophysics and the education of applied geophysicists. SEG fosters the specialist and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterising the near surface, and in mitigating Earth hazards. The Society, which has 30 000 members in 130 countries, fulfills its mission through its publications, conferences, forums, Web sites, and educational opportunities.
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