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2009, Dimas Ardian, Getty Images
If you had to choose between sending your daughter to school or having water for your family and crops, what would you do? If you had only 2 minutes to take shelter from a tsunami, where would you go? If a landslide were threatening to wash away your home and family, what could be done to warn and protect you and your loved ones? These are exactly the types of situations where applied geophysics can help. The Geoscientists Without Borders® program is achieving concrete results every year, and the program would not be possible without the initial and sustaining investment of Schlumberger. Most of us remember the horrific Indonesian tsunami that occurred in December 2004. Craig Beasley, Chief Geophysicist at WesternGeco and past president of the SEG, received questions from SEG members who were coming to him and asking how they could help. Realizing that geoscience could be applied to various humanitarian projects throughout the world, and not just in the aftermaths of natural disasters, Beasley encouraged Schlumberger to kick-start the GWB initiative with the crucial five-year commitment of $1,000,000 USD. Since establishing the program with the SEG Foundation in 2008, Schlumberger's contributions alone have funded seven out of the 12 projects and have enabled the SEG Foundation staff to promote GWB across the world. Their investment has paved the way for other companies to support this life-changing program. Joining them in commitments to the program are Santos, Global Geophysical, CGGVeritas, Geophysical Pursuit, and KiwiEnergy, Ltd.  In March, Madeline Lee, a participant from the GWB South Africa project at Dayspring Children's Village, gave a well-received presentation for the EEGS Foundation Luncheon at SAGEEP in Tucson, AZ. The EEGS Foundation strives to encourage the use of geophysical technologies to meet the growing population's needs for clean water, better environmental structures, and management of environmental risk. The proceeds from the luncheon were donated to GWB for the second year in a row. Many thanks to the EEGS Foundation! | | | | DONOR SPOTLIGHT  "As geophysicists, we have a significant contribution to make."
Craig Beasley Geoscientists Without Borders® (GWB) is changing lives around the world. Four years ago, the program did not exist ... but thanks to the visionary leadership and generosity of Schlumberger, 5 projects have been completed and 7 are active in the field around the world today. Each of these projects is not only making a direct impact in those countries, but also impacting the reputation of geophysics around the world. As the world's largest oil-field services company, Schlumberger employs over 113,000 people of 140 nationalities in 85 countries around the world. Their humanitarian impact reaches further. | | | | UPCOMING EVENTS Applications for the Fall Phase of GWB are
due 24 September 2012. | | | Impact of the 5 completed GWB Projects Zlatna, Romania: Results and data supported a feasible but expensive solution for bringing water from a river upstream of the pollution. Soil and data analysis, along with local government collaboration, resulted in funding for this resolution. Approximately 3,000 people in the 12 villages of Metes will have clean water for the first time in more than a decade.
Madya Pradesh, India: More than 500 children and adults in 23 rural villages of the Salri Watershed area have increased access to fresh water throughout the year. Training of the local NGO partner resulted in the monitoring of hydrologic conditions in approximately 400 additional watersheds in southern India, impacting thousands...
Chasnigua, Honduras: Fifty families (300 people) in Chasnigua will have access to clean water perhaps for the first time since 1998 and they will now be able to concentrate more fully on farming and daily life, rather than water gathering, as clean water will be piped (using gravity feed) to each home.
Chang Mai, Thailand: Seventy-nine students from ten different countries, including five countries in Southeast Asia developed the knowledge and skills to directly address humanitarian issues in their countries using geophysics, thereby potentially impacting thousands of lives in the region.
West Sumatra, Indonesia: Implementation of the project findings and action by the locals will result in the safety of approximately 50,000 adults and children in Sumatra. The project resulted in local communities determining vertical escape options and maps to direct the population. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
