US-Africa Workshop on Expanding the Africa Array Network to Support Multidisciplinary Science in Africa, Washington, DC

智力优势：2010年6月将在哥伦比亚特区华盛顿举办一次讲习班，汇集在非洲从事地球科学研究的美国科学家及其非洲合作者，以审查和编纂将非洲阵列地震网络扩大为多学科科学网络的科学依据。随着近年来AA地震网络的发展，来自相关领域的许多科学家表示有兴趣扩大网络的地理范围，并为网络增加更多的传感器，以便进行一系列现场测量，包括大气科学测量讲习班的主要目标是：（1）就关键科学问题征求社区意见（2）确定为解决科学问题提供通用数据集所需的观测基础设施;（3）确定为解决科学问题提供特定学科数据集所需的观测基础设施;（4）探索（2）和（3）中确定的观测基础设施与AA网络内现有基础设施之间的交叉和重叠;（5）调查更广泛的影响，包括向政府和非政府组织决策者交流和传播科学信息以及支持非洲和美国教育活动的最佳选择。（a）一项科学计划，将说明扩大非洲阵列网络的科学理由;（B）一项后勤计划，将概述每个科学领域的观测需求，并指出如何调整现有的非洲阵列网络以满足这些需求;（c）一项更广泛的影响计划，将讨论如何支持非洲的科学教育。本次研讨会的更广泛的影响包括奠定基础，扩大研究和教育活动在非洲许多科学领域的许多非洲教师和学生的利益，并为美国教师和学生谁是在非洲进行研究。 此外，讲习班还将提供一个论坛，以制定向国内外广大受众传播数据和研究成果的计划。 早期职业科学家和研究生都将参加研讨会。

Intellectual Merit: A workshop will be held in Washington, DC in June, 2010, bringing together U.S. scientists engaged in geoscience research in Africa and their African collaborators in order to examine and codify the scientific rationale for expanding the AfricaArray (AA) seismic network into a multidisciplinary science network. As the AA seismic network has been developed over recent years, many scientists from allied fields have expressed interest in expanding the geographic extent of the network and adding additional sensors to the network for making a range of in-situ measurements, including for atmospheric science (including climate), geodesy, geography, hydrology, seismology, and space weather.The primary objectives for the workshop are: (1) To obtain community input on key science questions (multidisciplinary and discipline-specific) that cannot be addressed without new observations from Africa; (2) To determine the observational infrastructure needed to provide common data sets for addressing the science questions; (3) To determine the observational infrastructure needed to provide discipline-specific data sets for addressing the science questions;(4) To explore the intersection and overlap between the observational infrastructure identified in (2) and (3) and existing infrastructure within the AA network;(5) To investigate broader impacts, including best options for communicating and disseminating science information to government and non-government organization (NGO) decision-makers and supporting educational activities in Africa and the U.S. These objectives are linked to three specific outcomes for the workshop; (a) a science plan that will describe the scientific rationale for expanding the AA network, (b) a logistics plan that will outline the observational needs for each science field and indicate how the existing AfricaArray network can be adapted to meet those needs, and (c) a broader impacts plan that will discuss ways to support science education in Africa.Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of this workshop include laying the foundation to expand research and education activities in many science fields in Africa for the benefit of many African faculty and students and for the U.S. faculty and students who are conducting research in Africa. In addition, the workshop will provide a forum for developing plans for communicating data and research to a broad audience, both domestic and international. Both early career scientists and graduate students will participate in the workshop.