Geophysical Research at Boise State University
Boise State University
(BSU) has active geophysical research efforts focused on problems
in hydrogeology and groundwater resources, geotechnical engineering, environmental
geoscience, watershed hydrology, hydrologic aspects of global change,
paleoclimatology and paleoceanography, landslides and seismic hazards,
and seismotectonics. The research is integrated with the undergraduate
and graduate programs of the Department
of Geosciences, and with activities of the Center
for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface (CGISS) and
with the Permian Research
Institute (PRI). The University is also a member of the Incorporated
Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), a major NSF-supported
organization which facilitates seismological research in the United States.
Modern geophysical field instrumentation includes 6-channel, 48-channel,
and 120-channel digital seismographs with a variety of sources and receivers
for land, borehole, and marine projects; 4 digital ground penetrating
radar (GPR) single and multichannel systems with a selection of surface and borehole antennas;
a multi-channel digital broad-application electrical/electromagnetic system
including nanoTEM capability; a digital well-logging system with a diverse
selection of downhole tools including slim-hole probes; downhole hydrogeologic
test systems including transducers, straddle packers, multi-channel data
loggers, pumps, flowmeters, and tracer test equipment; a global positioning
system (GPS) and laser theodolite (total station) for electronic surveying;
a gravimeter; a proton precession total-field magnetometer; and two portable
analog microearthquake seismographs.
Additional geophysical research facilities include a permanent
hydrogeophysical field laboratory with 18 specially designed and instrumented
wells; laboratories for geochemical, geotechnical, hydrogeologic and petrophysical
analyses; a 12-station digitally recorded seismic network deployed in
southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon; and a geographic information systems
(GIS) laboratory.
Computational facilities include networked Linux and Windows workstations (some multiprocessor),
a 7-node Linux cluster (in CGISS), and a 61-node Beowulf cluster (in Engineering), and numerous peripherals
including laser and color inkjet printers (up to 42-inch width), tape
(SDLT, 8 mm, 4 mm) and CD/DVD recordable drives
, a color scanner, and massive disk storage. Software includes FORTRAN
and C compilers; ProMAX, SeismicUNIX, SPW (seismic/radar processing);
SEISWORKS, Geoframe (seismic/radar interpretation); Reflexion (reflectivity
modeling); RayInvr (ray tracing inversion); GMSYS (gravity/magnetic modeling
and inversion); MODFLOW, MT3D, MODFLOWP, GMS, MODPATH (groundwater modeling);
HYPO71, HYPOINVERSE, and IASPEI library (earthquake location); MATLAB,
SCILAB, MAPLE (general purpose numerical analysis and symbolic manipulation);
AutoCAD (computer-aided drafting and design); plus a variety of desktop
publishing, spreadsheet, presentation, and graphics applications.
Faculty and staff currently involved in geophysical research at BSU are:
- W.
Barrash, Ph.D., University of Idaho, 1986, Research Professor, Hydrogeologic
systems, contaminant transport, groundwater restoration, tectonics of
the Pacific Northwest.
- J.H. Bradford, Ph.D. , Rice University, 1999, Director, Center for Geophysical Investigation of the Shallow Subsurface, Assistant Professor, environmental and engineering geophysics, cryosphere geophysics, reflection seismology, ground-penetrating radar, wavefield modeling and imaging.
- W.
P. Clement, Ph.D., University of Wyoming, 1995, Research Professor,
Environmental and engineering geophysics, crustal seismology.
- T.
M. Clemo, Ph.D. , University of British Columbia, 1994, Research
Professor, Groundwater hydrology, systems analysis and modeling.
- P. R. Donaldson, Ph.D., Colorado School of Mines, 1974, Emeritus Professor,
Geophysical engineering, mining geophysics, economic geology, geothermal
systems.
- L.
M. Liberty, M.S., University of Wyoming, 1992, Research Professor,
Seismic, radar, gravity, and magnetic imaging for structural, hydrogeologic,
engineering, and environmental applications.
-
J. P. McNamara, Ph.D. , University of Alaska (Fairbanks), 1997,
Assistant Professor, Watershed hydrology, scaling in hydrology and geomorphology,
hydrologic aspects of global change.
- P. Michaels,
Ph.D. , University of Utah, 1993, Associate Professor, Geophysical
measurement of engineering parameters of soils, petroleum seismology,
computational geophysics.
- C.
J. Northrup, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996,
Assistant Professor, Reconstruction of tectonic evolution through integration
of structural/kinematic analyses, metamorphic petrology, and geochronology.
-
J. R. Pelton, Ph.D. , University of Utah, 1979, Graduate Dean,
Professor, and past Director of CGISS, High-resolution seismic and radar
imaging of the shallow subsurface; geodetic measurement of crustal deformation.
- P. Routh,
Ph.D., University of British Columbia, Assistant Professor, Inverse
Theory, Electrical Methods
- W. S.
Snyder, Ph.D., Stanford, 1977, Professor, Structure, stratigraphy,
and tectonics of the western United States.
- S.
H. Wood, Ph.D., California Institute of Technology, 1975, Emeritus Professor,
Applied geology and geophysics with emphasis on hydrogeological, geothermal,
and engineering problems; analysis of seismic hazards.
The Department of Geosciences, CGISS, and PRI include other geoscientists
working in sedimentology and stratigraphy, structural geology, economic
geology, igneous petrology, paleontology, oceanography, and geography.
The Department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees (currently MS
only) in geology, geophysics, and earth science education.
For further information contact:
Dr. Paul Michaels
Coordinator, Geophysics Graduate Program
Department of Geosciences (MG-215)
1910 University Drive
Boise State University
Boise, ID 83725
Voice: 208-426-1929
FAX: 208-426-3888
email: paulmichaels@boisestate.edu
