|
Who: The
course will be open to (a) all students at the University of Tennessee, (b)
students from other colleges and universities, (c) faculty from any institution,
and (d) industry professionals. The course will be capped at 26
students/faculty/professionals (based on existing computing facilities and
logistics). The TINGS program will focus on techniques, not problems, so
participants may include geologists/geophysicists, engineers, archaeologists,
agricultural scientists, etc., and participants will not be required to have any
specific background (other than a solid work ethic and ability to get along with
others!).
What:
The
TINGS program is designed to introduce students/professionals to survey design,
acquisition, processing/visualization, and interpretation of various
near-surface geophysics data. The course model is based on a framework of
industry partners whereby existing 1/2- to 3-day short courses involving various
software and/or hardware are knitted together via a series of lectures and lab
exercises given by an array of instructors. The participating industry partners
in 2007 (2008 partners have not been finalized) included:
Hardware Industry
Partners:
AGI (electrical
resistivity/IP)
Geometrics (seismic,
magnetics, capacitively-coupled resistivity)
Geonics (ground
conductivity, electromagnetics)
PELA (spontaneous
potential)
Sensors & Software
(ground-penetrating radar)
Software Industry
Partners:
AGI (resistivity
inversion)
Geosoft (spatial data
display)
Kansas Geological Survey
(surface wave analysis)
Parallel Geoscience Corp
(seismic reflection processing)
Additional Sponsors:
EEGS (Environmental &
Engineering Geophysical Society)
Univ. of Tennessee
(Knoxville, Tennessee)
When:
The 2008 TINGS
program will be offered through the University of Tennessee during miniterm
2008. The course will run 8:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday starting May 7th and
running until May 28th, inclusive. Out-of-town participants
should arrive May 6th and depart May 29th.
A detailed preliminary schedule is
available.
Where:
The course will
run in Knoxville, Tennessee, and include field sites in the Knoxville area
(including Oak Ridge, TN). Housing will be at the participants' expense, but
affordable accommodations at University facilities are available. Previously,
participants have also grouped together and stayed in nearby hotel suites.
Why:
The objective of
the TINGS program is to provide participants with a basic working knowledge of
various near-surface geophysical techniques. This knowledge can be used as a
basis for future research, as job training, and/or to form professional
connections.
How: The online application form is
posted here.
Cost: The cost of the program
will include four components:
Tuition.
Non-UT students do not have to register for course credit. The TINGS
Program, however, is a 3-credit course, and may be taken for credit (Geol 471)
at the University of Tennessee. This year we have not been able to negotiate a deal with the
administration, so non-Tennessee participants would have to pay out-of-state
tuition if course credit is desired.
Program Fee.
University of
Tennessee students will not be charged a Program Fee. For all other
participants, there will be a program fee (used to supplement UT funds covering
field logistics expenses, equipment shipping, vehicle rentals, plus travel and
per diem for all visiting instructors). The non-UT student Program Fee is
$750. Keep in mind when considering this program fee that it would cost
participants over $8,500 to take short courses on the topics individually (not
including travel to different locations)! Also note that all short courses are
being taught gratis by highly qualified instructors. The Program Fee will be
$1,550 for professionals, either academic or industry (departmental and
university funds used to defray the cost to students cannot be applied to
professionals). Note: TINGS is not designed to make a profit; hence, program
fees are kept as low as possible and driven by our internal costs only.
Housing.
If already living near Knoxville, you will be
able to travel to and from the lab and field sites every day (the program will
run 8:30am-5pm). If not, some form of housing will be required at the
participants' expense. Numerous hotels and rental properties are available, or
other arrangements may be made by the participants.
Meals.
Participants will be responsible for their own meals. One-hour lunch breaks
will be given each day, and numerous facilities for lunch are available within
walking distance.
|