Newsletters Archive

December 2016

Dear Colleagues,

The AGU Fall Meeting is fast approaching. Please join us in thanking Dylan Mikesell (Boise State) and Colleen Dalton (Brown University) for the critical role they played as AGU Fall Meeting Coordinators for the Seismology Section. They worked hard behind the scenes to make this a successful meeting.

Updates:

1. Seismology Section Election Results

Congratulations to the incoming Seismology Section officers! Anne Sheehan (University of Colorado) is the new president-elect. Eliza Richardson (Penn State) is the incoming secretary. Come January, Doug Wiens (Washington University in St. Louis) will be the new Seismology president.

2. Seismology Section Honors

We have six new AGU Fellows in Seismology or with Seismology as a secondary affiliation:

  • Robert W. Clayton (California Institute of Technology)
  • Satoshi Ide (University of Tokyo)
  • Susan Y. Schwartz (University of California, Santa Cruz)
  • Uri S. ten Brink (U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole)
  • Kelin Wang (Geological Survey of Canada)
  • Robert S. White (University of Cambridge)
  • Maureen Long (Yale University) will receive the AGU James B. Macelwane Medal.
  • Anne Meltzer (Lehigh University) will receive the AGU Ambassador Award.
  • Zhongwen Zhan (California Institute of Technology) is the recipient of the Seismology Section’s Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award.

3. Call for OSPA Volunteers for the Fall Meeting

Speaking of honors, if you are attending the AGU Fall Meeting, please consider volunteering as a judge for Outstanding Student Paper Awards (OSPA). We have 177 students who have registered for this program (40 more than last year!), and we need three judges for each student. As of 27 November, we still have 410 judge slots available and waiting for you! (Thank you to all of you who have already volunteered.) This is a great opportunity for students to receive outside feedback on their presentation and to be recognized. When we were students, this program meant a lot, and we hope many of you will also fondly recall the experience.

Judging does not take too much time, especially if you are already planning to participate in specific sessions (you can judge student presentations in your sessions). You can register to be a judge and learn about the honor code at http://ospa.agu.org/ospa/judges/.

If you are interested in being a judge but are having difficulties finding student presentations or have any issues, please feel free to contact either of us through the AGU Seismology OSPA Gmail account (agu.s.ospa@gmail.com).

Thank you, and we look forward to making this another successful event with all your help!

Miaki Ishii and Eric Kiser

OSPA Coordinators for the Seismology Section

4. Seismology Section Events at the Fall Meeting

With AGU Fall Meeting just ahead, we would like to draw your attention to seismology-related events at the meeting.

Tues., 13 December, 4:00 p.m.: Presentation of the 2016 Keiiti Aki Young Scientist Award 102 Moscone South (session S24A) The 2016 Aki Award will be presented to Zhongwen Zhan prior to the Gutenberg Lecture. This award recognizes an outstanding young seismologist who is within 3 years of receiving her or his Ph.D.

Tues., 13 December, 4:00 p.m.: The 2016 Gutenberg Lecture 102 Moscone South (session S24A) Karen M. Fischer will present the 2016 Gutenberg Lecture: “Seismological Insights on the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary.”

Tues., 13 December, 6:30–8:00 p.m.: Seismology/Tectonophysics Reception San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Salons 12–15 Join us for conversation with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere. At ~7:00 p.m., we will have brief remarks to recognize the 2016 Fellows from Seismology and Tectonophysics and other section honorees. The 2016 Fellows who are affiliated with the Seismology section are Rob Clayton, Satoshi Ide, Susan Schwartz, Uri ten Brink, Kelin Wang, and Robert White. We will also recognize Maureen Long as a recipient of the 2016 James B. Macelwane Medal and Anne Meltzer as a recipient of the 2016 Union Ambassador Award.

Thurs., 15 December, 6:30–9:00 p.m.: Seismology Student Mixer Seismology Section students: Want to catch up with friends in your field and maybe even make some new ones? Come join other seismology students at the Irish Bank (10 Mark Lane) for some drinks and free food. The student mixer last year was a big hit—we hope to see everyone again this year! RSVP on Facebook here!

5. New AGU Donor Incentive Program

AGU is piloting a donor incentive program that would provide additional, unrestricted funding to the Seismology Section if 5% of our section members contribute $50 or more. The funding amounts rise as the percentages increase as follows:

  • 5% participation = $1000 contribution from AGU to Seismology
  • 7% participation = $2000 contribution from AGU to Seismology
  • 10% participation = $3000 contribution from AGU to Seismology
  • 12% participation = $4000 contribution from AGU to Seismology
  • >15% participation = $5000 contribution from AGU to Seismology

Seismology was at the 3.33% level this past year, so a 50% increase in members making donations would take us past the first threshold. We are using these donations for the joint reception with Tectonophysics and the institution of a $100 prize for each section for the Outstanding Student Paper Award. Additional donations could be used to improve the reception, increase the prizes (we still lag behind other sections and focus groups in that regard), and help with the student travel grant program. This year we were able to grant seven student travel grants to Romina Arriaza, Nawa Dahal, Clara Daniels, Daniela Farrugia, Rachel Heckels, John-Robert Scholz, and Sophia Ulysse.

Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Best regards,

Greg Beroza

AGU Section President, Seismology

Doug Wiens

AGU Section President-elect, Seismology

Miaki Ishii

AGU Section Secretary, Seismology

Celia Eddy, AGU Section Student Representative, Seismology

Section Resources