Beatrice Magnani

Assistant Research Professor
Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI)
University of Memphis
mmagnani@memphis.edu

http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/people/mmagnani/index.html

Education and Employment

Service to IRIS and Seismological Community

Statement

During the last 25 years, IRIS has evolved into an extraordinarily successful organization. A large part of this success stems from strong community engagement, the flexibility to respond to opportunities and challenges, the commitment to support the needs of a growing scientific community, and the pledge to foster and train early career scientists in leadership roles. The next 5 years will be an influential period for IRIS. Our science is becoming increasingly cooperative, interdisciplinary and open. We are venturing to areas of our planet (e.g. polar regions) that are extreme and challenging in terms of instrument technology and deployment. Thanks to innovative analysis methods, to advantages in technology, and to unprecedented data access we are learning to extract more information from the wavefield than ever before and to use seismic data in ways that go beyond the traditional applications of seismology. To continue its success and fulfill its mission, IRIS will have to take a leadership role and will need to evolve beyond the original goals. I will bring to the Board of Directors the perspective of the controlled source seismology community, encouraging applications at every scale, from the lithosphere to the near surface. Our knowledge of the crust is not only key to link deep processes to surface structures, but it has an essential societal impact. Most human activities rely on vital resources (e.g. water) that are within the first 5 km of our solid planet, and crucial information for hazard assessment (e.g. seismic, landslide, volcanic) is locked within the upper crust. While sustaining the core programs, IRIS should embrace new seismological challenges and serve the next generation of Earth Science researchers. I am excited to see IRIS embark on the development of a new level of facilities and services, and to engage in new partnerships with other communities, both at the national and international level.