| | |  | | | | Photograph by Barchfield Photography | Cervelli wows students at Applied Science Education Program By Chris Posey The excitement was palpable in the Four Seasons Ballroom of the Colorado Convention Center. Over the sound system, the Black-Eyed Peas were pounding; two huge screens flanking each side of the stage bore the SEG Denver 2010 logo; colorfully illuminated sheer panels supported by exposed steel scaffolding lined the upstage perimeter; and in the middle of the stage, the SEG starburst logo hovered above the Plexiglas podium. The stage was set for the Applied Science Education Program, which took place on Wednesday, 20 October, at the SEG International Exposition and 80th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA. Hundreds of Denver-area high school students flooded the Ballroom, excited to hear Dr. Peter Cervelli, keynote speaker and research geophysicist at the US Geological Survey's Volcano Observatory. As a course of introduction, students cheered as their schools were named, one-by-one, by Sarah Gach, 2010 Applied Science Education Program Chair. Then, as Dr. Cervelli took the stage, applause rose and fell, and students and delegates then quietly focused on his ensuing lecture entitled, The Yellowstone Volcano: Using Geophysics to Separate Fact from Fiction. Separate fact from fiction is exactly what Dr. Cervelli did as he introduced his lecture dispelling myths about Yellowstone National Park, Yogi Bear, and Boo Boo. Following these opening remarks, Cervelli delved into the heart of his presentation, which was intended to review Yellowstone National Park's geological hazards and their relative likelihood, to provide an overview of geomonitoring and research at Yellowstone, and to share with the audience information about recent activity at Yellowstone. Contextualizing the immense concepts discussed was key to the success of this presentation, and Dr. Cervelli did a nice job of this from the start, defining and providing tangible maps of calderas and comparing the volume of geophysical phenomena with better known structures, such as the Boeing Factory in Washington state. The presentation soon moved to Dr. Cervelli's research specialty: geologic hazards, namely at Yellowstone National Park, and their effects on ground surface. Hydrothermal explosions, earthquakes (and earthquake swarms), and landslides were just a few of the seismic manifestations Cervelli examined.
Cervelli continued, displaying a wide range of tools designed to forecast volcanic activity. The tools reviewed ranged from the archaic to the ultra-modern, and Cervelli spoke of the specific value of each in detecting seismic anomalies, noting at the conclusion of this portion of the presentation that the integration of multiple tools was the most effective way of detecting the telling and often elusive volcanic signals transmitted from under the earth. Cervelli's presentation lasted for on quick hour. Following his conclusion, students separated according to school and began a rotation that consisted of engaging in a Q&A session with Dr. Cervelli, touring the exhibit floor of the Exposition, and of course, lunch. No doubt many promising future geophysicists were inspired by Dr. Cervelli's presentation, and even those whose career paths will take them elsewhere were surely enlightened by this intriguing look into a sometimes mysterious area of geosciences. Click here for event photos Click here to view the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory homepage Related Annual Meeting News: |
