Remote Sensing for Hazard Mitigation and Resource Protection in Pacific Latin America

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Remote Sensing for Hazard Mitigation and Resource
Protection in Pacific Latin America

• Overview This is a 5-year, 2.3 million project
  supported by NSF, which focuses on developing
  remote sensing tools and validation methods for
  hazard mitigation and resource protection in
  Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Ecuador.
  We are working towards two important goals
• to develop formal linkages among MTU and
  geoscience agencies in Pacific Latin America,
  focusing on the collaborative development of
  remote sensing tools for hazard mitigation and
  water resource development
• to build a new educational system of applied
  research and engineering, using two existing
  educational programs at MTU the Peace
  Corp/Masters International program in Natural
  Hazards which features a 2-year field assignment,
  and an undergraduate Enterprise program, which
  gives teams of civil, environmental, and
  geological engineering students the opportunity
  to work on real-world problems over multiple
  years in a business-like setting.

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Remote Sensing for Hazard Mitigation and Resource
Protection in Pacific Latin America
Project Personnel
Gregg Bluth Project Director, hazard
mitigation, remote sensing John Gierke
Hydrogeological engineering, water resources,
geophysical studies Essa Gross Wastewater
treatment, hydrogeological engineering Bill Rose
volcanology, remote sensing, hazard
mitigation For more project information, please
see http//www.geo.mtu.edu/rs4hazards/
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Aqua Terra Tech an MTU Enterprise program in
Boaco, Nicaragua
Program Contact John Gierke jsgierke_at_mtu.edu
MTU created the Enterprise Program to allow
students a unique curriculum path for developing
and practicing technical and business skills in a
multidisciplinary setting where an emphasis is
placed on projects and business. The Boaco
project focuses on water treatment, water supply
engineering, watershed resource protection, and
development of new sources of clean water. The
project uses a combination of ground-based
geophysical exploration, satellite-based GPS and
land cover analysis, and field engineering. For
more information, please see http//www.enterpri
se.mtu.edu/att/Home.html
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Peace Corps Masters International Program in
Natural Hazards
A new degree program within the Department of
Geological Engineering and Sciences
York Lewis El Salvador
Armeda VanDam El Salvador
Ellen Engberg Ecuador
Essa Gross Nicaragua
Program Contact Bill Rose raman_at_mtu.edu
John Lyons Guatemala
Kristi Weston Ecuador
This new Peace Corps program is the only one of
its kind in the nation! It features a long-term
field assignment in Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, or Nicaragua as both a Peace Corps
Volunteer and a Masters candidate in Natural
Hazard Mitigation. Students spend one year in
residence at MTU, then two years in the field,
returning to MTU to complete their Masters.
This program places highly trained students in
key areas in these countries to become the
experts on the ground, crucial components in
developing practical remote sensing
applications. For more information, please see
http//www.geohazards.mtu.edu/
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Peace Corps MI in Natural Hazards, Class of
2005-2006
Adam Blankenbicker University of Rhode
Island Marine-related hazards
Ingrid Fedde Colorado School of Mines Volcanic
hazards
Joanne Scott Old Dominion University Volcanic
hazards
Hans Lechner Humboldt State University Landslide
and slope hazards
Jemile Erdem Lewis Clark College Seismic hazards
Karinne Knutsen UC Santa Barbara Natural hazards
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Remote Sensing Minor sponsored by
MTUs Remote Sensing Institute
Program contact Gregg Bluth gbluth_at_mtu.edu
The Remote Sensing Minor program builds upon
basic theory, and applications, of remote sensing
followed by opportunities to specialize in Data
and Signal Processing, Data Management,
Applications and Special Research Projects. A
new aspect of the minor program involves more
focused training, specifically in support of the
natural science agencies and observatories of
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
This training culminates in field study in one of
these countries, in order to help develop and
apply practical applications of remote
sensing. For more information, please see
http//www.rsi.mtu.edu/
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Graduate Programs in the Department of Geological
Engineering and Sciences
This project supports 3 Ph.D. and 5-10 Masters
positions each year for travel and study in
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
These positions are within the main graduate
degree programs of Geology, Geological
Engineering, and Geophysics. Project specialty
areas include GIS, Remote Sensing, Applied
Geophysics, Hydrogeological Engineering, Hazard
Mitigation, Volcanology and Seismology.
Department Chair Wayne Pennington wayne_at_mtu.edu
For more information, please see
http//www.geo.mtu.edu