Geoscientists Without Borders transforms lives across the world |  Photograph courtesy of GeoHazards International. GWB Project manager Veronica Cedillos (second from right), team members, and staff of the Regional Disaster Planning Agency (Padang City) review areas vulnerable to tsunami inundation based on earthquake geophysical modeling.
Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) is the brainchild of Craig Beasley, who, as SEG President in 2004, declared that geophysicists have the knowledge and technical skills needed to mitigate natural disasters and solve humanitarian and environmental problems. This realization came after the devastating tsunami of December 2004 that took hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced entire communities. Craig championed the cause and was instrumental in his employer’s decision to invest in this important work. Schlumberger/WesternGeco responded with a US$1 000 000 commitment to found the Geoscientists Without Borders program.
Santos Ltd. and Global Geophysical Services recently followed Schlumberger’s lead and committed to an additional US$250 000 each toward GWB. Their investments in this program ensure that new projects can begin, such as the upcoming groundwater project for aboriginal communities in remote and arid parts of South Australia. This project is lead by the University of Adelaide and seeks three principal outcomes: - to determine optimal borehole locations for the aboriginal communities to develop sustainable groundwater resources
- to better understand and make recommendations as to how magnetotelluric instruments can be deployed to reduce the risk of drilling dry holes
- to more fully understand how groundwater in fractured rock can be effectively imaged by electrical conductivity variability
Thanks to dedicated and compassionate donors like Global Geophysical Services, Santos Ltd., and Schlumberger, Geoscientists Without Borders has transformed successfully from a dream into a reality. However, we need your help to keep this unique program alive and successful. GWB has received an outpouring of interest and volunteer support over the past year. But, now, what we really need is additional funding to continue our critical work.
Recent earthquakes and tsunamis in the South Pacific are devastating reminders that geophysicists are needed now more than ever to help mitigate natural disasters and solve humanitarian crises. Although you may not be in a position to lead a project in the field, you can still help. Please give to Geoscientists Without Borders and help us put geophysicists to work where they are needed most. You make a difference!
To designate your gift to Geoscientists Without Borders, simply enter code GWB in the memo field of your online gift form. For more information, please send us an e-mail.
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Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation
8801 S. Yale Avenue, Suite 500 • Tulsa, OK 74137
Phone: +1.918.497.5500 • Fax: +1.918.497.5560
foundation_online@seg.org | |
