Houston 2009 Annual Meeting
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Stewart engages the present by linking it to the past in SEG’s Applied Science Workshops
Linda Holeman, Associate Editor, The Leading Edge
According to a recent Los Angeles Times article, half of the nation’s scientific challenges could be solved if only more students would pursue advanced education in these subjects. In the article, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said he sees “a new cadre of idealistic people who want to work on [energy] in any way they can"—and that harnessing them is the key to the nation's economic future. “You have to start the long-term now," he said.
Galvanizing young people toward careers in science is an important focus of SEG, which took a gigantic step forward in this mission by inviting Rob Stewart to helm its Applied Science Workshop 28 October at the 2009 Annual Meeting in Houston, USA. Stewart, a professor of geophysics at the University of Houston and director of its allied geophysics laboratory, is the founder of the Consortium for Research in Elastic Wave Exploration Seismology (CREWES). Stewart also has helped take science out of this world—literally. In 1992, he was chosen as one of four Canadian astronauts before declining the appointment to continue in research and academia. However, his interest in extraterrestrial physics continues—he has, for example, made the connection between oil fields and meteorite impact (along with colleague Alan Hildebrand).
Stewart continues to participate in Canadian Space Agency activities and has been known to travel from seismic expeditions in the jungles of Belize to GPR surveys beyond the Arctic Circle in the same week. Using these experiences, Stewart gave workshop attendees a taste of Earth-science adventure with “Extreme geophysics: From exploring Maya ruins to an Arctic Mars colony.”
Stewart kept the nearly 500 high school students and delegates thoroughly engaged with his witty, hands-on presentation. Demonstrating an impressive (and enviable) grasp of the adolescent mindset, Stewart liberally laced his presentation with snippets of pop culture—such as video clips from “Jurassic Park” and “The DaVinci Code”—to tangibly illustrate the application of geophysics beyond the oil industry; whether for climatology, natural-hazard reduction, mining and even archaeology and history. “Geophysics helps us understand the past, protect the present, and enhance the future,” said Stewart.
After the presentation, Stewart delighted the scientifically inclined teens further by leading them through an experiment using ground-penetrating radar—on the convention center ballroom floor. Hours of pent-up energy were joyfully released as the students stomped, screamed, and pounded chairs in an effort to produce seismic readings. And although the George R. Brown Convention Center yielded nothing more than I-beams, steel rods and electric cables, the students seemed thoroughly entertained—and curious. Attendee Lacey McNair, a high school junior, was intrigued enough to consider switching her designated college major from psychology to geophysics. “My dad is a geophysicist…just being around this may make me reconsider,” she said.
