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In Operation: Tectonic Fury, you'll meet scientists who study
rare minerals, the slopes of Mount St. Helens, the bottom of the seafloor
and even places underground to store carbon dioxide! These four host
researchers are the guides who explain the science and work with students
to unlock the geologic mysteries of Earth.
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Meet the Researchers
Each
year, JASON selects host researchers from partners such as NOAA,
NASA, the US Department of Energy, and National Geographic. To learn
more about one of the host researchers featured in the Operation:
Tectonic Fury curriculum, preview this sample video. |
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Our Operation: Tectonic Fury researchers
include: |
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Dr. Mike
Wise
Geologist at the Smithsonian National Museum
of Natural History
Host Researcher, Mission 1
From his youth, Dr Mike Wise has always been interested
in science. His passion for geology was shaped in college
when he took his first geology class. Everything about rocks
and minerals came easily to Mike and he quickly pursued
this area of science. First, completing his undergraduate
degree at the University of Virginia, and then going to
pursue his Doctorate at the University of Manitoba with
one of the world’s leading experts in pegmatites. Mike now
works for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC,
doing research on pegmatites from all around the world.
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Dr. Virginia
Dale
Mathematical Ecologist at Oak Ridge National
Lab
Host Researcher, Mission 2
The day Dr. Virginia
Dale defended her PhD thesis at the University of Washington,
Mount Saint Helens erupted. Her proposed long term study
of Mount St. Helens ecosystems put her in the perfect place
at the right time to join a team of scientists and technicians
that studied the recovery of the slopes and valleys around
the volcano most affected by the blast. Virginia and her
team have documented the recovery of plants and animals
over the past 30 years. She continues her research from
Oak Ridge National Lab and applies what she knows to helping
her team find the best places to produce biofuel crops. |
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Dr. George
Guthrie
Focus Area Leader, Geosciences, at the National
Energy Technology Lab
Host Researcher, Mission 3
Working for the National Energy Technology Lab, Dr George
Guthrie has always been interested in rocks. He is hoping
to discover the best places in the United States to sequester
carbon dioxide. He and his team hope to find the rock layers
that can hold the CO2. Using maps, core samples,
and CT scanners, George identifies where the best rock is
located and then studies how CO2 might stay locked
away in these layers. |
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Dr. Walter
Smith
Geophysicist at NOAA
Host Researcher, Mission
4
Using satellites that measure wave height, Dr.
Walter Smith and a team of scientists, engineers, and programmers
have determined a way to infer the underlying topography
beneath the ocean's surface. This team discovered that large
dense features which have a stronger gravity field pulled
the ocean's water into small, but measureable piles of water
over the feature. The maps Walter and his team create now
help answer the questions Walter first asked himself when
he began his research, "How many volcanoes are beneath the
ocean’s surface?" |
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