"PICASSO  consists of a multidisciplinary international investigation of the Alboran Sea, Gibraltar arc, Atlas Mountains and surrounding areas in the western Mediterranean using passive and active seismology, magnetotellurics, geochemistry/petrology/structural geology, and geodynamic modeling. The project was selected as the pilot experiment for TopoEurope, an EarthScope-like initiative recently approved by the European Science Foundation. The U.S. PICASSO investigators are from Rice (Lee, Levander), the University of Oregon (Humphreys), U.C. San Diego (Seber), WHOI (Chave, Evans), and the University of Southern California (Becker, Platt)". (From Original Proposal)

In addition to loaning and maintaining devices from the instrument pool, and providing vital assistance to PIs in the field, EPIC also trains PIs and their colleagues at our facility in Socorro, New Mexico.  These training sessions can be intense, and typically last three days. The instruction is focused on the specific technical areas requested by PIs (such as data archival methods, or mastering the intricacies of specific sensors).

Training is important for both novice and well-seasoned PIs.  It provides hands-on interaction with the many types of instrumentation, software, and data handling that EPIC supplies, as well as the opportunity to ask questions that normally wouldn't come up until the PI is deploying equipment in the field.  Training at EPIC provides PIs with the opportunity to have their questions answered immediately by our on-site knowledgeable staff.

If this photo (below) of a 6' 1" tall individual looking up at the top of the solar panel mast doesn't cause one to wonder how much snow the mountains near Cornucopia, Oregon receive, a Snow Cat (below left) at a nearby lodge certain makes it's clear - lots of it. This temporary seismic station installed in the mountains of eastern Oregon is part of Dr. Ray Russo's Western Idaho Shear Zone Earthscope Flexible Array experiment. Spanning eastern Oregon to eastern Idaho, the seismic network covers arguably some of the most remote and rugged mountains of the contiguous United States.

The next Seismic Instrumentation Technology Symposium (ITS2013) will be held in Albuquerque, NM on June 10th and 11th, 2013, at the Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel.

The EarthScope website has a page for the conference, with the agenda, participants, and registration form.

The theme of this symposium is to examine future technology, both from the perspective of capabilities scientists and engineers are seeking and the technologies that are, or will be, in the product pipeline of the seismic technology industry. The symposium will provide a forum for perspectives from both technology users and vendors and allow generous time for discussion and interaction.