CMG Workshop on the Formulation of a Multi-Institutional Semi-Virtual Math-Geo Institute in Chicago

在过去的二十年里，地球科学从新的和大大改进的观测系统中获得了大量新的和高质量的数据。由于如此庞大的数据量对传统的分析方法构成了重大挑战，因此它们的潜力只有一小部分尚未得到开发。同样，许多先进的地球过程数值模拟的结果也只是部分地分析了。因此，无论是数据还是模型都没有充分发挥其潜力，留下了未解决的关键问题。这种情况出现在广泛的领域，包括地震和火山动力学，地球结构和地球动力学，气候和天气，以及行星科学。解决这种情况需要应用目前尚未使用的数学方法，这需要数学界和地球科学学界之间进行更深入和长期的对话和互动。为此，pi建议举办为期三天的研讨会，研究在芝加哥建立一个半虚拟研究所的可行性，以促进广泛和地理分布的数学家和地球科学家群体之间富有成效的互动。其目标是让地球科学家和数学家共同确定和探索目前尚未使用的数学方法所能解决的关键问题。这似乎是可行的，如果两组发展长期的关系，使每个人对对方的语言、问题和技术有一定的了解。他们将探索实现这些目标的各种方法，包括使用现代网络技术，可以向两个社区广播讲座，举行虚拟小型会议，以及研究互动。该团队试图增进对这些问题的理解，这些问题在自然灾害预测和缓解以及能源资源领域具有巨大的社会影响。交流与合作将使两个学科的本科生、研究生和博士后接触到新的想法，并培养年轻的地球科学家和数学家，使他们在跨学科研究方面获得比当前项目更深入、更广泛的培训。

Over the past two decades the geosciences have acquired a wealth of new and high quality data from new and greatly improved observing systems. Because this volume of data poses a major challenge for traditional analysis methods, only a fraction of their potential has yet been exploited. Similarly, results of many advanced numerical simulations of earth processes are only partially analyzed. Hence neither the data nor the modeling are being used to their full potential, leaving crucial questions unresolved. This situation arises in a wide range of areas including earthquake and volcano dynamics, earth structure and geodynamics, climate and weather, and planetary science. Addressing this situation calls for the application of mathematical methods not currently used, which requires a deeper and long-term dialogue and interaction between the mathematical and geoscience communities. To this end, the PIs propose to host a three-day workshop to study the feasibility of establishing a semi-virtual institute in Chicago to facilitate a fruitful interaction between a broad and geographically distributed group of mathematicians and geoscientists. Its goal would be for earth scientists and mathematicians to identify and explore jointly crucial unsolved problems amenable to mathematical approaches not currently used. This seems feasible if both groups develop a long-term relationship giving each reasonable sophistication with the other's language, problems, and techniques. They will explore various means of accomplishing these goals including the use of modern web technology, which can be brought to bear for broadcasting lectures to both communities, holding virtual mini-meetings, and research interactions. The problems the team seeks to advance understanding of have enormous societal impact in the areas of natural hazard forecasting and mitigation and energy resources. The communication and collaboration will expose undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from both disciplines to new ideas and develop young earth scientists and mathematicians with deeper and broader training for interdisciplinary studies than current programs.