SEG-AGU 2012

Hydrogeophysics Workshop

8-11 July 2012
Boise, Idaho, USA

The need for sustainable management of our fresh water resources is one of the great challenges of the 21st century.

Meeting this challenge requires significant advances in both science and technology. This workshop addresses current hydrogeophysical approaches for determining/predicting/studying hydrologic properties and processes in both the saturated and unsaturated zones, at scales ranging from centimeters to watersheds. Through presentations of original research in our "General Sessions," and analysis and interpretation using shared hydrogeophysical datasets in our "Homework Sessions," the workshop will highlight the state of the science and critical future directions. We have defined topics for the General Sessions and will organize sessions around more specific topics with ~10 presentations in each session, based on the submitted abstracts. Our Homework Sessions will allow different investigators to independently analyze a shared dataset, with each homework designed to explore important aspects of acquiring, analyzing and interpreting hydrogeophysical data. In order to promote discussion, all accepted abstracts (for General and Homework Sessions) will be presented as posters, with a 3-5 minute oral presentation as an introduction. After viewing of posters, all sessions will reconvene for a panel-led discussion.

The organizing committee welcomes abstract submissions for General Sessions and Homework Sessions. The datasets to be used in the Homework Sessions are available for download here.

We encourage attendees to submit an abstract to both a General Session and a Homework Session.

TOPICS FOR GENERAL SESSIONS

• Characterizing Near-Surface Structure and Properties
• Advances in Monitoring and Time-Lapse Imaging of Subsurface Processes
• Thinking About Scaling Up: Geophysical Methods at the Watershed Scale

HOMEWORK SESSIONS

• The Use of Electrical Resistivity Measurements for Monitoring Subsurface Processes: Quantifying Noise and Uncertainty
• The Ultimate Tomography Bake-Off Challenge Using Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site Borehole Seismic and GPR Datasets
• Designing the "Perfect" Field Experiment

Detailed descriptions of these sessions are available here.

Workshop process

1. The committee will review applications and papers to determine acceptance.
2. If you have been accepted you will be notified by 30 April.
3. Once you have been accepted you will receive registration and housing information by e-mail.
4. Register and pay the fee to attend the workshop.
5. Make housing reservations with hotel.
6. Enjoy the workshop and make some great contacts.

• Location: The meeting will be held at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, USA.
• Hotel: Hotel rooms have been reserved at The Grove Hotel at a rate of USD $99 per night plus tax. To reserve your room, call 1-888-961-5000 and identify yourself as being with the SEG meeting to get the group rate. You may also make your reservations online here.  Use the code GEO when booking online. Reservation requests must be made by 13 June 2012 in order to qualify for the group rate.
• Meeting Format: In order to promote discussion, all accepted abstracts (for General and Homework Sessions) will be presented as posters, with a 3-5 minute oral presentation as an introduction. After viewing of posters, all sessions will reconvene for a panel-led discussion.
• Schedule:
  Sunday, 8 July—Registration and Ice Breaker Reception
  Monday, 9 July through Wednesday, 11 July—Sessions will be held Monday and Wednesday morning and afternoon, and Tuesday morning and evening. Tuesday afternoon will remain open for attendees to visit the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site. The workshop will include a dinner on Monday evening.
• Workshop Participants: A presentation is not a requirement in order to be accepted for registration; however, direct participation is required by all attendees through discussion. If the number of applicants exceeds the capacity of the conference facilities, then preference will be given to presenters. Capacity for this workshop is 80 participants.
• Registration: All registration rates will be published when the acceptance letters are sent out by 30 April.
• Student Registration: Students are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts. We anticipate having funding available to subsidize registration costs for students. Preference will be given to students who participate in a Homework Session in addition to, or instead of, a General Session.

Visa information invitation letters

Participants in this workshop may generate an official invitation letter using the form below.

For those whose company or organization is planning on sending more than one individual to the workshop, additional documentation may be required for scheduling an appointment with the local American embassy. If additional assistance is required, fill out a separate invitation letter for each individual requesting a visa using the form below. Each invitation letter has a unique reference number. Produce one cover letter listing all individuals requesting a visa. The letter must include the following information for each individual:

• name
• passport number
• date and place of birth
• nationality as it appears on the passport
• reference number from the invitation letter

Fax these forms together with the cover letter printed on the group's official stationery to +1.918.497.5557, attention Visa Letter Assistance.
Please note that this letter does not guarantee that you will be granted a visa, nor does it commit SEG to pay any expenses you may incur. It is the sole responsibility of the attendee to obtain the necessary paperwork for entry to the United States.

If you have any questions about this form or the letter it generates, please send us an e-mail.

Organizing Committee
Chair--Rosemary Knight (Stanford Univ.), James Irving (Univ. of Lausanne), Rob Jacob (Bucknell Univ.), Lee Liberty (Boise State Univ.), Kamini Singha (Penn State Univ.), Jan van der Kruk (Research Center Jülich)

SEG meeting planner

Amy Watson