NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute for FY 2012 in Japan

Friedman Sarah A, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Sarah A. Friedman of Southern Illinois University to conduct a research project, entitled "Using minerals and magnetism to understand hazards where tectonic plates collide," during the summer of 2012 at the Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Japan. The host scientist is Professor Shoji Arai. The Intellectual Merit of the research project lies in sampling rocks and magnetic minerals from a subduction zone and comparing the results with magnetic data acquired remotely to forecast what is happening beneath the plates in the area where one plate of the earth?s crust is pushing into an adjacent tectonic plate. The collision of tectonic plates can lead to many types of natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Better understanding of these subduction zones, such as how hot the mantle is beneath the plates, or in what ways the plates fracture within the zones, permits better assessment of the risk to nearby populations. Broader Impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce.