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Geophysics/Earth Systems
Summer 2006 Research Opportunities

We are pleased to announce that we will be offering summer fellowships for undergraduates interested in pursuing research in Geophysics. You may receive up to $5000 for a ten-week stipend. Lab expenses or field expenses, if needed, will typically be provided by your research advisor. Students at all levels and in all majors are welcome to apply.

Proposals and applications are due by 5 pm Monday, March 13, to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Simon Klemperer), Mitchell 353. Funding decisions will be made prior to Spring Break.

Potential projects
Is there a project you are already interested in? A faculty member you'd like to work with? If so, get in touch with a GP faculty member who shares your interests and design a project. Submit a proposal by Monday, March 13 (see proposal guidelines below). If you are interested in doing research, but not sure where to start, come see me and we'll find something for you: Simon Klemperer, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Geophysics, Mitchell 353, 723-8214

View a complete list of research areas in Geophysics

Possible projects
Several faculty have already outlined the following possible projects. Contact them directly if you're interested in the project:

	Faculty	Research Project
	Howard Zebker Mitchell 357 723-8067 Open Positions: 1	Satellite Views of Earthquakes & Volcanoes InSAR is a satellite radar method for measuring very small changes in the surface of the Earth. Using this technique, we monitor important earthquake faults and active volcanoes and create images of cm-level deformation of the Earth's crust. These allow us to observe the accumulation of magma beneath a volcano or to catch small slip on earthquake faults deep below the surface. Stanford hosts a large archive of radar images that need to be monitored regularly and posted on a web site for use by the U.S. geophysics research community. I am looking for a student with programming skills to design and implement software to make these data accessible by scientists around the country.

	Simon Klemperer Mitchell 353 723-8214 Open Positions: 1	Electromagnetic monitoring of earthquake precursors I am monitoring possible electromagnetic emissions from the San Andreas Fault at multiple locations around the Bay Area. If such emissions exist, they may provide as precursors of warning signals of future large earthquakes. I seek an undergraduate probably with EE or Physics interests, and strong Matlab skills, to participate in data analysis, and equipment installation, maintenance and trouble-shooting. I prefer a student willing to continue with the project through the academic year. For more details, see my advertisement.

	Rosemary Knight Mitchell 321 736-1487 Open Positions: 1	Groundwater management We are developing geophysical methods for monitoring and management of groundwater resources. The student project will be part of this larger, long term effort. The summer project will involve geophysical data collection in the lab and at a field site. No experience is needed, but I would prefer a student with interest in continuing through the year and/or for a second summer.

	Azadeh Tabazadeh Mitchell 325 724-8969 Open Positions: 1	Surface Tension of Atmospheric Aerosols Atmospheric aerosols control the Earth's radiation balance by scattering and/or absorbing solar radiation. A significant fraction of atmospheric aerosols is emitted by human activities (fossil fuel and biomass burning). My goal is to determine how organic molecules alter the chemical and physical properties of atmospheric aerosols. Using a tensiometer apparatus, the student will collect experimental data on surface tension variations of complex aqueous mixtures as a function of organic mass content of solution, and use this data to determine the onset of colloid formation. These data will be used to quantify how change from a soluble to a colloid phase can impact radiative transfer through the atmosphere. Some exposure to experimental work in basic chemistry and/or physics through undergraduate laboratory courses is preferred, but not required.

	Paul Segall Mitchell 301 725-7241 Open Positions: 1	Modeling earthquake nucleation This project addresses how non-linear frictional weakening, shear-induced thermal weakening, and the flow of pore fluid and heat, together govern the spatial and temporal evolution of fault slip during earthquakes. We have shown that frictionally stable faults can be accelerated to high slip speeds where thermal weakening dominates by sudden stress changes, due for example to a nearby earthquake. The question we wish to address in this work is whether this could lead to an indefinitely repeating sequence of small earthquakes on a fault that would otherwise be expected to slip in a stable creeping manner. The project requires familiarity with partial differential equations and computer programming methods.

	Biondo Biondi Mitchell 369 723-1319 Open Positions: 1	Multi-dimensional data viewer for seismic imaging Reflection seismic images and data sets and are 5-D cubes. Visualization of these cubes is essential for processing the data and analyzing the results. We would like a student to expand the capabilities of our current multi-dimensional data viewer by adding the ability to display different data types and the ability to simultaneously display multiple data attributes. A knowledge of C or C++ is preferred, a knowledge of java acceptable.

	Kevin Arrigo Mitchell 355 723-3599 Open Positions: 1-2	Ocean Biogeochemistry I am seeking a student(s) who wishes to study ocean biogeochemistry and ecology using research tools, including satellite remote sensing, numerical modeling, and/or laboratory studies. The ideal student will have a general knowledge of biological principles (e.g. Bio 43 or HumBio 2A or above) and ocean processes (e.g. GES 8 or above) and be interested in pursuing interdisciplinary marine research. I prefer students interested in an intensive experience, ideally continuing for the academic year and/or another summer. See our list of ongoing research projects.

	Tony Fraser-Smith Packard 358 723-3684 Open Positions: 1	Waterfall Vibrations If you have ever stood near a large waterfall you will have noticed that the ground vibrates a little: there is a predominant frequency that varies inversely with the height of a waterfall. The object of this REU study is to make some new measurements, using a geophone or seismograph, of the ground vibrations near a few waterfalls (Northern California has plenty) and to analyze the data using the most modern techniques to determine their frequency content. This project is collaborative through Electrical Engineering. Visit our web site for more information.

Funding for all of these projects is provided by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE), the School of Earth Sciences Dean's Office, and the Department of Geophysics.

If you don't see anything you're interested in, but would like to work on a project, contact the Geophysics Director of Undergraduate Studies, or any faculty member, for more ideas.

You may also wish to look at the Department of Physics summer program or the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences summer program.

Timeline and Activities during the Summer Program

	March 13	Deadline for proposals

	March 20	Summer grants awarded

	Spring Quarter	Some students will begin their research. All students are very strongly encouraged to sign up for Geophys 101A, Research Preparation ("Structured mentoring of students enrolled in Geophysics Summer Research Program for development of research proposals and preliminary reading in their field. 1 unit, Spring" - a time will be chosen to meet everyone's schedules)

	Summer Quarter	June 27-September 1 is the nominal ten-week duration of your paid internship; students will select precise working dates in consultation with their research advisors. Those students who choose to apply to Stanford's Summer Research College should be eligible for housing assignments during this period. In addition to working on research, program participants attend a Research Advisor Seminar Series consisting of individual presentations or lab tours by faculty members serving as research advisors for the program. A full-day field trip along the San Andreas fault is planned. Participants may be able to join field trips to geophysics-related Bay Area attractions, e.g. NASA, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, etc., to provide an educational "break" from research.

	Fall Quarter	Some students will continue their research. All students are expected to sign up for Geophys 101B, Research Presentation ("Student participants from the Geophysics Summer Research Program prepare oral and poster presentations, culminating in formal presentations to the department and community. 1 unit, Fall"). Presentation of research at a poster session, and a brief oral presentation, are expected of all participants. All participants will be invited to attend the American Geophysical Union national meeting in San Francisco in December to sample the largest annual gathering of geophysicists on Earth, and the students with the best research outcomes will have the opportunity to present their research there.

Proposal guidelines for research projects

Please consult with a faculty member prior to submitting your proposal. Your project should be designed in conjunction with a faculty member and/or graduate student in Geophysics who will act as your advisor(s), and the proposal must be endorsed by your prospective faculty advisor in order to be considered for funding. (Note that individual faculty may endorse multiple student applicants for a single position because selection of successful candidates will be made by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Summer Program coordinators.)

You need not be a Geophysics major! - we welcome applications from any undergraduate in the University. Priority will be given to majors or minors in Geophysics and Earth Systems (the Department and Program sponsoring these research opportunities) and to students who have not previously been funded.

Things to include in your proposal:

A title, your name and e-mail, and the name of your proposed faculty advisor
A description of the project: what is the broad question you will be addressing? How will you address it? (2 pages max)
A tentative work plan for the summer: Do you need to schedule lab time? Do you need computer resources? Do you plan to be in the field? When will you be on campus? (1 page max)
A budget: you may request up to $500 stipend per 40-hour week for 10 weeks on or off campus, and up to $5,000 in total. Also list any other anticipated lab or field expenses and state whether they are being requested by your proposal, up to the limit of $5,000 per student, or whether they will be covered by other means (e.g., "will be paid by my faculty research advisor") (1 page max).

In addition, please provide:

an informal Axess transcript;
a 1-page curriculum vitae;
the name & e-mail of a former professor, supervisor, or instructor (within or outside Stanford) willing to write a brief reference for you; please explain (1 sentence) the relationship of this person to you.

Proposals are due by 5 pm Monday, March 13, to Simon Klemperer.


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Department of Geophysics

Geophysics/Earth Systems Summer 2006 Research Opportunities

Proposals and applications are due by 5 pm Monday, March 13, to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Simon Klemperer), Mitchell 353. Funding decisions will be made prior to Spring Break.

Geophysics/Earth Systems
Summer 2006 Research Opportunities