The IRDR goes to AGU 2015

In December 2015, a contingent of researchers from the IRDR travelled to San Francisco, USA, to present talks and posters at the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting.

The Fall Meeting is the largest annual conference in earth science, and brings together almost 24,000 academics and practitioners. The attendees from the IRDR included both PhD students (Amy Chadderton, Sally Scourfield, Luke Wedmore, Katerina Stavrianaki) and faculty (Dr. Gordon Ross and Prof. Peter Sammonds). Our IRDR representatives gave a range of oral and poster presentations, including volcanic and earthquake processes and ice friction. This highlights the diversity of research that the IRDR now undertakes in the natural sciences.

3rd year PhD student Amy Chadderton wrote the following account of her experience:

"I was lucky enough to attend my first AGU Fall Meeting with the help of the IRDR, VMSG (Volcanic and Magmatic Studies Group) and an AGU Travel Grant. Having heard many stories from colleagues about how fantastic the atmosphere at AGU was I was eager to experience it for myself. It didn't disappoint. It felt great to be at the centre of geophysics, with many of the world's top scientists presenting cutting edge research. As a member of the Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction at University College London my interests are wide ranging and go beyond the topic of my PhD. Attending AGU gave me the rare opportunity to explore many of my areas of interest within the same meeting.

As a final year PhD student, AGU provided the perfect opportunity to present my data to a wider audience and obtain comments and feedback before I begin the painstaking process of writing up my thesis. As most of my time is spent in the basement labs at University College London, visiting San Francisco was an exciting opportunity to enthuse about the research I have spent the last two and a half years working on. The four-hour marathon poster session provided an excellent chance to talk to scientists and researchers whom I have not been fortunate enough to cross paths with before, and also to renew acquaintances made at previous conferences closer to home. I received many pieces of valuable advice regarding my work, publication tips and career guidance that were much appreciated.

As well as the fascinating science it was also fun to catch up with old friends and colleagues from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), particularly those from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory where I worked for a few months in 2011."

Full list of IRDR members presenting at AGU:

Sally Scourfield (2nd year PhD) - "Sea Ice Friction: The Effect of Ice Rubble" (attendance part-funded by Micro-DICE)

Katerina Stavrianaki (3rd year PhD) - "Are Earthquakes Predictable? A Study on Magnitude Correlations in Earthquake Catalog and Experimental Data" (Oral Presentation)

Luke Wedmore (3rd year PhD) - "Coulomb stress changes over a 660-year period in central Italy: Implications for understanding fault interactions and earthquake occurrence" 

Amy Chadderton (3rd year PhD) - "Silicic Magma Degassing: A High Temperature Experimental Insight into Permeability Evolution"

Gordon Ross (Lecturer) - "NPG-ETAS: Nonparametric Bayesian ETAS Model"

Peter Sammonds (IRDR Director) - "Micromechanics of Ice Friction"

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