Requesting support for young US scientists to attend the Conference on Mathematical Geophysics 2012

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal requests funds to help support meeting costs and travel expenses of U.S. students, post docs and young scientists to the International Conference on Mathematical Geophysics to be held in the University of Edinburgh, from June 18-22, 2012. No tenured faculty will be supported with these funds, and priority will be given to underrepresented groups (women and minorities). The Conference on Mathematical Geophysics (CMG) is sponsored by the Committee on Mathematical Geophysics of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (see organizing committees below). The conference website can be found at http://www.cmgedinburgh2012.org.uk. The 2012 conference is titled "Confronting models with data". This conference brings together applied mathematicians, computational scientists and Earth scientists from geophysics, physical oceanography, and atmospheric and climate dynamics, to discuss advances in Earth sciences. This year's meeting emphasizes the need to confront complex mathematical Earth-system models with increasing quantities of observations of the Earth, oceans and atmosphere. The scope of the CMG meeting is significantly extended this year to include dedicated sessions in physical oceanography, atmospheric and climate dynamics, and applied math, connecting the latter to the "Mathematics of Planet Earth" international initiative. This meeting provides a unique multi-disciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and techniques across the disciplinary boundaries in the Earth sciences. It allows interactions among Earth scientists from disciplines that do not normally communicate, such as physical oceanographers and geophysicists. Funds are requested to support travel and lodging costs for 22 U.S. students, post-docs, and early career scientists, approximately a half of the number attending past meetings. The proposed funding provides an important opportunity for U.S. students and early career scientists to interact with each other and with senior scientists in an informal setting. The organizers will directly contact Earth science faculty members in universities and colleges with students from under-represented groups, to encourage their students and colleagues to apply for travel and lodging grants to attend the conference. Earth science issues to be discussed in this meeting are all highly relevant not only from a scientific point of view, but especially due to their societal and economic implications. This includes the study of earthquakes, climate change and more.