Phase I IUCRC at Virginia Tech: Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resource Models (CASERM)

采矿是现代社会向可持续生存过渡所固有的。满足全球对地球资源的需求是一个巨大的挑战。先进地下地球资源模型产学研合作研究中心是弗吉尼亚理工大学、科罗拉多矿业学院和行业合作伙伴之间的一项合作努力。该中心的活动将改变地球科学数据在勘探和采矿业部门的使用方式，从矿产勘探阶段开始，一直持续到矿山关闭和环境修复。该中心的研究活动将从根本上改变全球自然资源勘探和开采的方式，以创新的科学和技术为基础的解决方案取代基于行业经验和经验主义的决策，为决策提供信息，增加勘探成功的机会，并降低财务风险。该中心的目标将促进社会经济繁荣，并帮助减少采矿对环境的影响。劳动力发展是中心活动的重要组成部分，将包括研究生和本科生，以及行业员工参与研究活动和培训机会。该中心将加强和促进在地球物理学、地球化学、矿物学、计算科学和统计学方面的跨学科发现。知识转移到地热产业部门将形成一个中心？先进地下地球资源模型中心的主要活动是通过建立合作伙伴关系来推进勘探/采矿业部门，该合作伙伴关系进行有利于工业界、学术界和社会的竞争前研究和劳动力发展。该中心的目的和长期愿景是针对矿床三维地下地质模型开发中的研究挑战，整合各种地球科学数据，为决策提供信息并最大限度地减少地质风险。展望了四个研究方向：（1）开发地球物理和地球化学仪器、分析和解释方法，以增强岩石性质的表征;（2）整合、缩放和反演具有不同空间分辨率和分布的各种地质、岩石物理和地球物理数据，以识别和表征地下地球资源;（3）开发信息方法，以减少与决策有关的风险;（4）计算成像和开发图形和探索性数据分析解决方案和可视化工具。实现这一广泛的愿景需要广泛的学科合作。弗吉尼亚理工大学在计算方法、高性能计算、采矿工程、流体、地震采集、成像和反演、层析成像和岩石物理学方面的广泛专业知识与行业经验相结合，将使采矿相关的进一步进步成为可能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Mining is intrinsic to modern society's transition to a sustainable existence. Meeting the global demand for earth resources represents a grand challenge. The Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resource Models is a collaborative effort between Virginia Tech, Colorado School of Mines, and industry partners. The Center's activities will transform the way geoscience data are used in the exploration and mining industry sector, beginning with the mineral exploration stage and continuing through mine closure and environmental remediation. Research activities of the Center will fundamentally change the way global exploration and mining of natural resources is done, replacing industry experience- and empiricism-based decisions with innovative science and technology-based solutions that inform decision making, increase the chances of exploration success, and reduce financial risk. The goals of the Center will promote socio-economic prosperity and help to reduce the environmental impact of mining. Workforce development is an essential component of the Center activities and will include graduate and undergraduate students, and industry employee participation in research activities and training opportunities. The Center will strengthen and promote cross-disciplinary discoveries in geophysics, geochemistry, mineralogy, computational science and statistics. Knowledge transfer to the geothermal industry sector will form one of the Center?s key activities.The Center for Advanced Subsurface Earth Resource Models is focused on advancing the exploration/mining industry sector through the establishment of a cooperative partnership that conducts pre-competitive research and workforce development of benefit to industry, academia, and society. The purpose and long-term vision of this Center is directed toward research challenges in the development of 3-D subsurface geologic models for mineral deposits, integrating diverse geoscience data, to inform decision making and minimize geological risk. Four research thrusts are envisioned: (1) development of geophysical and geochemical instrumentation, analysis and interpretation methods for enhanced characterization of rock properties; (2) integration, scaling, and inversion of diverse geological, petrophysical, and geophysical data of dissimilar spatial resolution and distribution to identify and characterize subsurface earth resources; (3) development of information methodologies for reducing risk associated with decision making; and (4) computational imaging and development of graphical and exploratory data analysis solutions and visualization tools. Achieving this broad vision requires collaborations from a broad range of disciplines. Virginia Tech's broad expertise in computational methods, high performance computing, mining engineering, fluids, seismic acquisition, imaging and inversion, tomographic imaging, and petrophysics combined with industry experience will allow for further mining-related advancements.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.