2024 SCEC Annual Meeting

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2024 SCEC Annual Meeting

The Statewide California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a collaborative research and education hub that brings together experts across geoscience and related fields to advance our understanding of earthquake processes and apply that knowledge to reduce their impacts on society in California and beyond.
 
Each year, the SCEC Annual Meeting convenes a global community involved in earthquake-related research, education, and outreach. The meeting showcases SCEC-funded research and projects, fostering collaboration among scientists, stakeholders, and funders. Early career scientists and students comprise over 40% of attendees. Featured speakers are researchers from both within and outside SCEC whose work challenges and inspires future SCEC directions.
 
The 2024 SCEC Annual Meeting was held in Palm Springs from September 8-11. The program featured plenary sessions with invited talks, moderated discussions, and the very popular Distinguished Lecture on Sunday afternoon. The meeting focused on addressing key science questions about the San Andreas Fault System to improve earthquake science and hazard analysis. Together we reviewed results from the 2024 SCEC Science Plan and set priorities for the coming year. The community contributed to the Center's future direction and shared their work through poster presentations.

 

Saturday, September 7

09:00 - 17:00

SCEC Community Geodetic Model (CGM) Workshop
Do you use or generate geodetic data in your research? Are you interested in using or contributing to a curated set of deformation time series and velocities, showcasing your analysis and applications, or aiding a community effort to address inconsistencies in geodetic products? The SCEC Community Geodetic Model (CGM) aims to integrate GNSS and InSAR data for consistent velocity and strain rate fields. We invite diverse expertise and users to contribute to and benefit from this effort, particularly as we extend the temporal and geographic range statewide. Complete this Google Form by August 22nd if you're interested in attending this workshop. See the workshop webpage for more details.

Conveners: Mike Floyd (MIT), Katia Tymofyeyeva (JPL)

Sunday, September 8

08:00 - 12:00

SCEC Grant Writing Workshop: From Planning to Proposal
This workshop will provide insights into the SCEC science planning and proposal evaluation process. Participants will learn proposal writing fundamentals and acquire essential planning tools, while honing their communication skills to advocate for their own research and advance their careers. Join us to refine your grant writing abilities and maximize the potential of the SCEC Annual Meeting to enhance your professional opportunities. Applications are especially encouraged from early-career researchers.

Conveners: Gaby Noriega (USC), Tran Huynh (USC), Greg Beroza (Stanford)

08:00 - 12:00

CSEP Workshop: New Frontiers in Earthquake Forecasting
This workshop will explore new challenges and opportunities in earthquake forecasting for the entire San Andreas Fault System. We will assess conceptual and data frontiers, including the potential of machine learning. A community benchmark of existing CSEP forecasts will be presented to foster collaboration and advance earthquake forecasting beyond the ETAS paradigm.

Conveners: Max Werner (University of Bristol), Phil Maechling (USC)

08:00 - 12:00

Earthquake Stress Drop Estimation Tutorial for Early-Career Researchers
The SCEC/USGS Community Stress Drop Validation Study seeks to understand and reduce variability in earthquake stress drop estimates for improved reliability and utility in earthquake science. This tutorial-style workshop will both provide early-career researchers with hands-on training in stress drom estimation methods and provide the necessary understanding for informed use of these measurements by those wanting to include them in their own research. Due to limited capacity, applications are encouraged from interested early-career researchers. For our broader community, we will schedule a meetup during the SCEC Annual Meeting.

Conveners: Annemarie Baltay (USGS), Rachel Abercrombie (Boston University)

09:00 - 13:00
SCEC Annual Meeting Check-In, Hilton Lobby
13:00 - 17:30 Poster Setup: Group A, Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
13:00 - 15:00

Session 1: State of SCEC, Horizon Ballroom
This opening session marks the beginning of the annual meeting. The Center Director Yehuda Ben-Zion (USC) and agency representatives will provide an update on SCEC's progress and future endeavors. Mark Benthien (USC) and Gaby Noriega (USC) will then highlight the Center's outreach and education efforts, and the opportunities for the community to engage in the SCEC collaboration.

Moderators: Tim Dawson (CGS) and Rachel Abercrombie (Boston University)

13:00 - 13:20
State of SCEC from the Director (Yehuda Ben-Zion)

13:20 - 14:30 Remarks from SCEC Sponsors
14:30 - 15:00

Community Engagement and Education (Mark Benthien, Gaby Noriega)

15:30 - 17:30

Session 2: SCEC Earthquake System ScienceHorizon Ballroom
Center Co-Director Greg Beroza (Stanford) and science group leaders will introduce SCEC's science goals and recent achievements. In the coming days, we will explore these results further through discussions and poster presentations by the SCEC community. The session will conclude with a Distinguished Lecture from Ruth Harris (USGS), who will offer insights and inspiration for the future of SCEC and earthquake science.

Moderators: Alice Gabriel (UCSD) and Greg Beroza (Stanford)

15:30 - 16:00

SCEC Research Highlights, Greg Beroza (Stanford) and Alice Gabriel (UCSD)

16:00 - 16:30

SCEC Community Earth Models, Scott Marshall (Appalachian State)

16:30 - 17:30 Distinguished Speaker:  Ruth Harris (USGS), Large Earthquakes, Strong Ground Motions, and Creeping Faults
18:30 - 20:00 Welcome Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00 Poster Viewing 1 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby 
The poster room and virtual poster gallery are open!

Monday, September 9

07:00 - 08:00 Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
07:00 - 08:00

SCEC Transitions Program Breakfast ClubTapestry Room
Join fellow students and early-career peers and connect with experienced SCEC researchers in a relaxed, informal setting. Participants will gain valuable insights on networking strategies, fostering collaboration, maintaining work-life balance, and more. Space is limited! Register for the event.

08:00 - 10:00

Session 3: New Directions for the Statewide CenterHorizon Ballroom

This session will explore science opportunities enabled by the increased geographic scope of the Statewide Center. Presentations will feature four different areas within the transform plate boundary beyond southern California, including: the Walker Lane and Eastern California Shear Zone (Steve Wesnousky, UNR), the Mendocino Triple Junction (Kathryn Materna, UC Boulder), California's Creeping Faults (Josie Nevitt, USGS), and uplift along the larger San Andreas Fault System (George Hilley, Stanford). These talks will introduce topics for subsequent moderated discussions on new science opportunities.

 

Moderators: Kim Blisniuk (SJSU) and Annemarie Baltay (USGS)

 

The Walker Lane and Eastern California Shear Zones, Steve Wesnousky (UNR)

 

The Mendocino Triple Junction: Faulting Complexity Onshore and Offshore, Kathryn Materna (UC Boulder)

 

 

Unsolved Mysteries of California's Creeping Faults, Josie Nevitt (USGS)

 

Past Work and Future Opportunities for Understanding How Strike-Slip Faults and Secondary Structures Produce Vertical Motions and Topography in the San Francisco Bay Area, George Hilley (Stanford)

10:00 - 10:30 Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group A), Horizon Ballroom
10:00 - 12:00 Poster Viewing 2 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
Poster viewing in person and in the online poster gallery
12:00 - 13:30 Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 16:00

Session 4: Towards ResilienceHorizon Ballroom
This session will feature ways in which SCEC science can impact earthquake resilience through communication, education, and outreach, and by interfacing with earthquake engineers. These efforts form a necessary link in translating SCEC science achievements into useful information for reducing vulnerability to earthquakes. Ayse Hortacsu (ATC) and Wendy Bohon (CGS) will present talks to inspire broader community efforts in California.

 

 

What does resilience look like?, Ayse Hortacsu (ATC)

 

Communicating about earthquakes in crisis and calm, Wendy Bohon (CGS)

16:30 - 18:00 Poster Viewing 3 (Group A), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
Poster viewing in person and in the online poster gallery. This is the final dedicated session for Group A posters. Authors must remove their posters by 6:00 pm, when Poster Viewing 3 ends.
18:00 - 20:00 Poster Switch Out: Group A posters removed by 6:00 pm. Group B posters installed by 8:00 pm.
18:30 - 20:00 Outdoor Dinner, Hilton Poolside
20:00 - 22:00 Poster Viewing 4 (Group B), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
Poster viewing in person and in the online poster gallery. This is the first dedicated session for Group B. Authors may display their posters after 6:00 pm, when Poster Viewing 3 ends.

Tuesday, September 10

07:00 - 08:00 Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 10:00

Session 5: What's Next in Earthquakes and AI? Horizon Ballroom

The methods of artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning, are having a profound impact on earthquake science. This began with seismology, but has since broadened to other disciplines. This session will feature talks from Zhiang Chen (Caltech) and Brittany Erickson (Oregon) on some of the latest developments that will serve as the starting point for a community discussion of future opportunities for AI in earthquake science.

 

 

Robotics for earthquake science: more data, new analyses, Zhiang Chen (Caltech)

 

Potentials of physics-informed deep learning in earthquake seismology, Brittany Erickson (Oregon)

10:00 - 10:30 Live Poster Lightning Talks (Group B), Horizon Ballroom
10:00 - 12:00 Poster Viewing 5 (Group B), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
Poster viewing in person and in the online poster gallery
12:00 - 13:30 Group Lunch, Hilton Poolside, Terrace Restaurant, Tapestry Room
14:00 - 16:00

Session 6: Earthquake Dynamics Across ScalesHorizon Ballroom

Earthquakes involve processes that span many orders of magnitude in spatial scale, ranging from the grain scale to the plate boundary scale, which demands an interdisciplinary approach to understanding their behavior. In this session, talks by Heather Savage (UCSC) and Folarin Kolawole (Columbia) will prompt us to consider aspects of earthquake dynamics as informed by geologic indicators, and seed discussions on research directions that aim to bridge scales in earthquake science.

 

 

Finding Earthquakes in the Rock Record, Heather Savage (UCSC)

 

Modulating Strain Release: Crustal Stretching and the Interplay of Evolving Fault Rheology and Strain Localization, Folarin Kolawole (Columbia)

16:30 - 18:00 Poster Viewing 6 (Group B), Plaza Ballroom and Hilton Lobby
This is the final dedicated session for Group B posters. Authors must remove their posters by 6:00 pm, when Poster Viewing 6 ends.
18:30 - 20:00 Outdoor Dinner, Hilton Poolside

Wednesday, September 11

07:00 - 08:00 Continental Breakfast, Hilton Poolside
08:00 - 10:00

Session 7: Time-Dependent ResponseHorizon Ballroom

A growing body of work is illuminating ways in which time-varying Earth properties can inform processes related to earthquakes. Marine Denolle (UW) and Stacy Larochelle (Columbia) will give talks in this session to highlight recent advances in this area and how they might be used to motivate future research across the plate boundary system.

 
 

Tracking Temporal Changes in the Subsurface Structure Near Faults and Populated Areas, Marine Denolle (UW)

 

17 years of hydrology-driven geodetic deformation in California's Sacramento Valley, Stacy Larochelle (Columbia)

10:30 - 11:45

Session 8: SCEC Collaboration PlanningHorizon Ballroom

Each year, SCEC solicits proposals for research, workshops, and trainings through a competitive process, typically attracting hundreds of investigators to contribute to the Center's programs and activities. This concluding session will review key discussion points from the previous days' sessions and explore their implications for the Statewide California Earthquake Center's next two-year plan. This discussion will also inform the 2025 SCEC Science Plan and request for proposals.

 

Moderators: Greg Beroza (Stanford) and Alice Gabriel (UCSD)

11:45 - 12:00 Closing Remarks / SCEC2024 Adjourns

The Statewide California Earthquake Center is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all participants. We take pride in fostering a diverse and inclusive SCEC community, and therefore expect all participants to abide by the SCEC Activities Code of Conduct.