Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Advances in disciplinary tools and major infrastructure efforts have fueled impressive progress in our ability to probe the interior of the Earth. New data sets and new methodologies offer valuable insights, yet many of the fundamental processes in the Earth's interior are still poorly understood. Part of the impediment to progress is the disciplinary nature of research conducted so far. A more integrated approach that leverages the knowledge and latest achievements in each of the relevant disciplines is needed to generate new ideas and to identify new observations that distinguish between competing hypotheses. This award will support a training program for the Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research (CIDER) on the theme of relating geochemical and geophysical heterogeneity in the Earth's interior. The six-week summer program will bring together a cohort of senior graduate students and postdocs from institutions across the country to tackle important and unsolved research problems in Earth Sciences research. The senior participants are experts from different disciplines relevant to the theme and serve as instructors and mentors for group research projects. CIDER addresses the barriers to more integrated research by promoting cross-disciplinary education for researchers at all career levels. The central aim of the program is to develop a workforce that can more effectively engage in interdisciplinary research and accelerate progress on unsolved problems of long-standing interest. CIDER summer activities will address two issues of great societal relevance. One issue deals with natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A better understanding of these hazards will be linked to the broader context of the Earth's overall dynamics. The second issue deals with the Earth's budget and cycling of volatile elements, particularly water and carbon dioxide. The long-term stability of climate on our planet is regulated by these processes. CIDER contributes to the following broader impacts: (1) it facilitates the cross-disciplinary education of earth scientists at all career levels; (2) it aims to educate a new generation of Earth scientists with a breadth of competence across disciplines, which is crucial for solving many of the important and outstanding research questions. CIDER's web resources include posting and webcasting of lectures given during the summer programs, as well as planned web forums and open publications. The site is designed to reach the entire community of earth scientists. CIDER will impact undergraduate education by producing a more broadly knowledgeable faculty cohort. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.