July 2003

Dr. Mandell receives a token of appreciation from Austin Earth Science Week Chair, Sigrid Clift On Thursday, July 24, Dr. Humboldt C. Mandell, Jr. gave an educational and entertaining presentation about the future of human exploration on Mars. More than 70 people attended the lecture hosted by the Austin Earth Science Week Consortium. Dr. Mandell discussed the feasibility and challenges that NASA and the U.S. face to reach this goal. He explained that the technology exists for humans to explore Mars now but that certain conditions will have to be in place in order for the U.S. to move forward. What will those conditions be? Other countries are actively pursuing future human exploration of Mars. Who will be first? Dr. Mandell is currently a Research Fellow at UT IC2 and also works with the UT Center for Space Research. He is recently retired from NASA where he managed the Exploration Programs office. 07/25/03

The FRAC 2003 Summer Research Meeting began with a field trip July 19–20 and continued with technical presentations and discussion on July 21–22 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Visit the FracCity Website for meeting information. Among the issues addressed: • What are fracture patterns at the trap scale? • What is the correct mechanical explanation for fracture spacing patterns? • How does interaction of diagenesis and fracturing govern effective permeability? • Can calibration advance seismic fracture characterization? 07/14/03

On Friday, July 18, Martin Jackson, Senior Research Scientist, presented "Salt Glaciers: A Geological Wonder of the World" as the next lecture in the Bureau's Summer Seminar Series. [Details] 07/14/03

On Monday, July 14, Jim Gibeaut and Becky Smyth of the Coastal and Lidar Research Groups presented a workshop titled "Lidar Surveys for Coastal Hazards and Resource Mapping" at the Coastal Zone 2003 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland [Conference details]. This workshop introduced participants to the use, advantages, and limitations of applying topographic Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) in assessing coastal environments. [Coastal Website] 07/15/03

Bureau researchers Ramón Treviño and Bob Loucks spent July 13–21, 2003, at the Pemex office in Poza Rica, Mexico, describing 27 cores from the Poza Rica carbonate reservoir. The rock data collected will be integrated into a model of this Cretaceous reservoir that is being developed by the Bureau. 07/24/03

The Bureau's Summer Seminar Series continued Friday, July 11, when Elizabeth Murphy from the International Office at The University of Texas at Austin was the speaker. The title of her presentation was "Effective Cross-Cultural Communication." [Details] 07/09/03