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Stanford Geophysics Sophomore Seminars and Dialogues
Note: This list has been extracted from the Stanford Introductory Seminars web site. Please check there for the most current offerings and schedule.
Spring Sophomore Preference Dialogue
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
GEOPHYSICS
30Q
2 UNITS |Grade Option: Letter Grade Only
Instructor(s): Gregory Beroza
This course will examine the impact of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake on the history of Northern California and on the scientific study of earthquakes. We will investigate what happened in Northern California during the earthquake and the days that followed, and what experts think might happen the next time a large earthquake strikes the San Francisco Bay Area. The course will include field trips to the San Andreas fault and San Francisco to view the source and effects of the earthquake firsthand.
Gregory Beroza has taught geophysics at Stanford for 12 years, and his courses have included Natural Hazards and Man, Introductory Seismology, Earthquake Seismology, and Geophysical Inverse Theory. His research specialty is studying how earthquakes work, though he professes not to know when the next big one will be. Before coming to Stanford, Professor Beroza was a graduate student at MIT and an undergraduate at UC-Santa Cruz. He grew up in California and Arizona. Professor Beroza has served as a resident fellow at Rinconada; his interests include skiing, hiking, gardening, and music.
Autumn Sophomore Preference Dialogue
Man Versus Nature: Coping with Disasters Using Space Technology
GEOPHYSICS
60Q
2 UNITS |Grade Option: CR/NC Option
Instructor(s): Howard Zebker
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, hurricanes, and fires affect the lives of thousands of people worldwide every day. Really big disasters, such as asteroid impacts, have periodically obliterated many species of life on Earth. Over the past 20 years, developments in spaceborne imaging technology have made it possible to respond quickly to the threat of such disasters. In addition, new understanding of the physical processes involved allows us to anticipate and mitigate the consequences of natural disasters. This course will explore these new tools, how they are applied to natural disasters, and how the remotely sensed data are manipulated and analyzed. Some class time will be devoted to computer manipulation of remote-sensing data. Students will be introduced to research papers on the topics, duplicate some of the data analysis procedures, and prepare a report on studying a selected disaster using space technology. We will emphasize discussion of the basic scientific issues. Also, we will consider political and social consequences and costs of disaster mitigation, and how scientific knowledge affects policy. No specific prerequisites are required, but students should be comfortable running preexisting computer applications.
Howard Zebker holds a joint appointment in the geophysics and electrical engineering departments, and studies Earth processes from the viewpoint of spaceborne instruments. His group does basic research ranging from crustal deformation related to earthquakes and volcanoes to global environmental problems as evidenced in the flow and distribution of ice in the polar regions. The group is also developing new observational technologies such as radar interferometry. Professor Zebker is involved in definition and scientific applications of new spaceborne imaging systems, especially those containing imaging radar systems.
Spring Sophomore Preference Seminar
Predicting Volcanic Eruptions
GEOPHYSICS
20Q
3 UNITS |Grade Option: CR/NC Option
Preference given to students with freshman math, physics, or earth-science experience.
Instructor(s): Paul Segall
Volcanoes represent spectacular manifestations of the earth's internal energy and a tremendous hazard to society. In the past few decades, earth scientists have learned how to better forecast eruptive activity by monitoring seismic activity, uplift of the ground surface, and discharge of volcanic gases as well as by studying deposits from past eruptions. This course will cover topics such as the physics and chemistry of volcanic processes, methods for volcano monitoring, and the political and economic challenges of predicting future volcanic behavior. The course will conclude with a field trip to Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington that was the site of a devastating eruption in 1980.
Paul Segall, a professor of geophysics, has taught at Stanford since 1989. He conducts research on earthquake faulting and volcanism. He and his students use the Global Positioning System and Synthetic Aperture Radar to measure small changes in the motion of the earth's crust. Areas monitored include the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, the Long Valley Caldera in California, and the San Andreas fault system in the western United States. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a member of the Geological Society of America. In 1990, he was awarded the James B. Macelwane Medal of the American Geophysical Union.
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