Integrated Solid Earth Sciences

ISES -- Integrated Solid Earth Sciences

provides a community-wide forum for researchers in the fields of mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, structural geology, geophysics, geodynamics and tectonics.

About ISES

...a resource for disciplines of the solid Earth sciences, including mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, geophysics, geodynamics, structural geology and tectonics.

Forums

ISeS sponsors multi-disciplinary forums at national meetings, annually.

ISES Summer School

2008 topic: Dates, Rates, and States

Introduction

This webpage is a resource for disciplines of the solid Earth sciences, including mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, geochronology, structural geology, tectonics, geophysics and geodynamics. It is an outgrowth of a community-wide initiative to enhance and encourage cooperation, collaboration, and consensus in research and education. ISES programs are funded by the NSF Division of Earth Sciences.

The solid Earth sciences focus upon the characterization, origin and evolution of our planet’s continental and oceanic lithosphere. Investigation of the processes that modify the lithosphere requires studies of both active environments and the geologic record of past events, using inherently multidisciplinary and increasingly interdisciplinary approaches. The ISES mission is to promote multi-disciplinary science, provide a venue to explore common areas of interest, and help participants stay abreast of and engaged in exciting new scientific advances in the geosciences.

Effective communication between and integration of the solid Earth science disciplines is necessary to identify collective research priorities that will merit federal support and funding, to ensure that the solid Earth sciences have an ongoing role and future involvement in large national research initiatives. The aim of ISES is to develop research priorities and facilitate collaboration among solid earth geoscientists with shared research interests; to provide information about opportunities for funding, access to facilities and professional development; and to promote new advances in areas of overlapping interest (e.g. geochronology, rheology). ISES provides a mechanism to achieve community consensus on topical issues and to identify priorities for the national research agenda in the geosciences, in order provide input to the National Science Foundation and the larger earth sciences community.

TOP OF PAGE

ISES Steering Committee

Basil Tikoff
(University of Wisconsin)

Christine Siddoway
(Colorado College)

John Geissman
(University of New Mexico)

Todd Ehlers
(University of Michigan)

C.J. Northrup
(Boise State University)

Beth Pratt-Sitaula
(Central Washington University)


 
 
 

ISeS Announcements


ISES Summer School 2008:
Dates, Rates, and States
Dates: July 24-July 31, 2008
Location: Colorado College

 


To subscribe to the ISES listserv, please click here.
 

Mission

ISES -- Integrated Solid Earth Sciences-- provides a community-wide forum for researchers in the fields of mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, structural geology and tectonics. The mission of ISeS is to enhance communication and integration in order to build a strong, unified community of scientists practicing these disciplines; identify collective objectives and directions for the next generation of solid Earth research; and to strengthen research and education in the solid Earth sciences. ISeS seeks to build consensus and develop specific plans for:

  1. Mechanisms to synthesize and integrate across fields.
  2. Developing cyberinfrastructure.
  3. Supporting integrated research equipment facilities.
  4. Educating and supporting the next generation of solid Earth scientists.

The ISES initiative takes a two-pronged approach. Topical ISES Forums, held annually at large national meetings, strengthen community and identify collective research themes and objectives for the solid Earth sciences. ISES Summer Schools for senior graduate students and ISES Summer Retreats for junior, research-oriented faculty are devoted to training and creating opportunities for young scientists as they embark upon academic and industry careers.
TOP OF PAGE
 
 


ISES Summer Schools and Institutes

Philosophy: The research agenda for the solid Earth sciences can be achieved only if there is concomitant development of the knowledge base (i.e., new research discoveries), infrastructure (i.e., facilities, instrumentation, databases, and information technologies), and human resources (i.e., through education and outreach, professional development opportunities). Advancing the interests of solid Earth sciences therefore requires a concerted, coordinated education and outreach effort. Research and education share the common values of inquiry and discovery. The solid Earth sciences research agenda is sustainable only if researchers continue to learn about the Earth and to share that information with each other and society as a whole. At the same time we must adequately prepare future generations of scientists. The health of the solid Earth sciences is largely dependent on the effectiveness of educational activities that a) translate new advances in science to colleagues, students, and society; b) provide training in the appropriate use of analytical instruments, databases, and interpretive tools; and c) inculcate “scientific habits of the mind” in students and citizens.

ISES summer schools represent an innovative new approach to training and facilitating young scientists as they embark upon academic and industry careers. The aim is to facilitate integration across disciplines, create collaborative opportunities, and provide a strong mentoring experience that will aid the transition from student to professional life, while building a peer network of individuals who share research interests. The Summer Schools bring together invited professionals and graduate students for one week of theoretical and practical investigation of a contemporary interdisciplinary research theme. Additional sessions address grant-writing strategies, building a research program, successful graduate student advising, and the balance of teaching and research for new faculty members; with an aim toward strengthening the solid Earth science disciplines in academic departments. The summer school theme changes each year and is determined based on input from sections and divisions of ISES-affiliated professional organizations in the United States. Past Summer School themes were Rheology of Earth Materials (2006) and Tectonic Exhumation (2007). The 2008 theme is Dates, Rates, and States.

ISES Institutes for professionals are to be offered in future, in order to offer knowledge-sharing, networking, and skills development at the post graduate level.

Faculty of the School
TOP OF PAGE
 
 

 

ISES Forums

ISES sponsors multi-disciplinary forums at national meetings, annually. The Forums focus on a research theme identified by the ISES community; disseminate information to the earth science community about current research opportunities and initiatives; and provide a critical mechanism to solicit community input and advice about emerging issues. Previous forum themes include:

2007: ISES Forum V: CyberInfrastructure
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (San Francisco)
--watch this space for further information! --

2005: ISES Forum IV: Growth of a Continent in Space and Time
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (San Francisco)

2004: ISES Forum III: Rheology of the continental lithosphere
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting (San Francisco)

2003: ISES Forum II: Geo-Cyberinfrastructure and Geochronology
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (Seattle)

2002: ISES Forum I: Setting Priorities in the Solid Earth Sciences
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (Denver)
and Town Hall discussion at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting


For further information on Forum I – IV themes, click here

ISES report on Forums I – III is available here


TOP OF PAGE

 
 

 

GeoSwath

The GeoSwath initiative is a new geologic venture that focuses on the construction, stabilization, and modification of the North American continent through time. The initiative's goals can be achieved through systematic integration of geologic knowledge-and particularly geologic time-with the unprecedented Earth imaging to be collected under the USArray program of EarthScope (Tikoff et al., EOS, v. 87, p. 221-224). The GeoSwath initiative encourages a cooperative community approach to collecting and sharing data and will take a coast-to-coast perspective of the continent, focusing not only on the major geologic provinces, but also on the boundaries between these provinces. At present, the proposed GeoSwath is a cross-country swath including Cascadia, the Northern Rockies, the Black Hills/Great Plains, the Superior Province in the US, the Mid-Continent region, and the central Appalachians. In addition, there is a long swath along the Walker Lane trend and a xenolith initiative.

photograph of GeoSwath


TOP OF PAGE

 
 

 

ISES Steering Committee


Current members:

Basil Tikoff (University of Wisconsin)
Christine Siddoway (Colorado College)
John Geissman (University of New Mexico)
Todd Ehlers (University of Michigan)
C.J. Northrup (Boise State University)
Beth Pratt-Sitaula (Central Washington University)

ISES coordinators are volunteers who commit to a term of service of two to three years. A procedure for nomination and election of the members of the coordinating group is being developed at ISES meetings in 2006 and will be presented for ratification by ISES participants. Input and recommendations about the ISES leadership and coordination are welcome. Email contact information for the current members of the coordinating group is provided above.

Past members:

Michael Brown (University of Maryland)
Art Goldstein (Colgate University)
Cathryn Manduca (Carleton College)
Dave Mogk (Montana State University)
Ben van der Pluijm (University of Michigan)
Tracy Rushmer (University of Vermont)
Mary Hubbard (Kansas State University)

Integrated Solid Earth Sciences activities are supported by the NSF Division of Earth Sciences, EAR-0532406.
TOP OF PAGE

 
 

 

ISES Internet Resources

Effective real-time communications within the solid Earth community, and with the broader geosciences community, is essential and best accomplished with Web-technology. The ISES internet resource is being developed to provide ready access to a) communication networks via the ISES listserv; b) an on-line forum and clearinghouse for queries and ideas, again, via the ISES listserv; and c) information on meetings, workshops, field conferences, funding opportunities, and proposal deadlines. In addition, the ISES website supports on-line applications for participation in the ISES Forums and Summer Schools; a document archive for ISES-sponsored events and initiatives; and links to sites of interest to solid Earth researchers.

Requests for postings and links to related sites should be sent to csiddoway@coloradocollege.edu.

Web Resources


The ISES internet resource provides links to research programs, facilities, and institutions that support. If you would like your website listed here, please send the URL via email to csiddoway@coloradocollege.edu, with "ADD to ISES weblinks" in the Header line. Last updated 10/06/06.
Earth Image
The ISES summer school and this website receive support from the National Science Foundation award EAR-0532406. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the ISES community and coordinating group and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Credits for images on this page: Walter Sullivan, Graham Baird, Martha Growdon, S. Zhong, Tekla Harms, Mike Brown, Christine Siddoway, and geodynamics.org.

 

TOP OF PAGE
 

 

ISeS HOME Contact Us Schedule 2007 FAQ Contributors Summer School 2007 Summer School 2006
updated on 04/22/2008 | Email: Webmaster
This site is best viewed in Internet Explorer 6.0 or Netscape 7.0
Copyright © 2008-2010 Colorado College Geology. All Rights Reserved.