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: (1) 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; (2) to build a new educational system of applied research and engineering, using two existing educational programs at MTU: the Peace Corp/Master’s 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.

Peace Corps Master’s International program in Natural Hazards Ph.D. and Master’s programs in Geosciences Remote Sensing Minor program with the Remote Sensing Institute Aqua Terra Tech Enterprise 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: Remote Sensing for Hazard Mitigation and Resource Protection in Pacific Latin America

Aqua Terra Tech: an MTU Enterprise program in Boaco, Nicaragua Program Contact: John Gierke 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:

Peace Corp’s Master’s International Program in Natural Hazards Ellen Engberg Ecuador York Lewis El Salvador Essa Gross Nicaragua John Lyons Guatemala Armeda VanDam El Salvador Kristi Weston Ecuador This new Peace Corps program is the only one of it’s 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 Master’s 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 Master’s. 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: Program Contact: Bill Rose A new degree program within the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences

Jemile Erdem Lewis & Clark College Seismic hazards Joanne Scott Old Dominion University Volcanic hazards Adam Blankenbicker University of Rhode Island Marine-related hazards Karinne Knutsen UC Santa Barbara Natural hazards Ingrid Fedde Colorado School of Mines Volcanic hazards Hans Lechner Humboldt State University Landslide and slope hazards Peace Corp’s MI in Natural Hazards, Class of

Remote Sensing Minor: sponsored by MTU’s Remote Sensing Institute 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: Program contact: Gregg Bluth

This project supports 3 Ph.D. and 5-10 Master’s 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. For more information, please see: Graduate Programs in the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences Department Chair: Wayne Pennington